Can't change channels

[Twinkle]

I installed 6.4.5 Beta, and I am unable to change channels. I have two HD PVRs and two DirecTV H21 receivers. Each DTV receiver is connected through serial cable assemblies (2 IOGear USB/Serial converters connected with a Null Modem).

Using the DirecTV Serial Control Utility, I can influence the receivers (I say influence because their Command Set isn't quite right). However, from within Sage, I can't do anything.

Any ideas?

[sic0048]

Originally Posted by Twinkle

I installed 6.4.5 Beta, and I am unable to change channels. I have two HD PVRs and two DirecTV H21 receivers. Each DTV receiver is connected through serial cable assemblies (2 IOGear USB/Serial converters connected with a Null Modem).

Using the DirecTV Serial Control Utility, I can influence the receivers (I say influence because their Command Set isn't quite right). However, from within Sage, I can't do anything.

Any ideas?

Was it ever working correctly? You mention loading the beta, but you don't imply if it was working before loading the bet.

Well I don't have first hand knowledge of the Sage to DirectTV workings, but I can answer from experience with other interfaces. Generally speaking an interface program that is manipulating a third party piece of hardware (like Sage controlling the DirectTV) is written with extremely tight tollerances and no room for errors. So if there is a problem controlling the STB with the DirectTV interface, it isn't surprising that it isn't working in Sage. It also isn't surprising that it isn't working at all. The program is probably not written to handle partial failures. It either has to work like it is suppose to, or it won't do anything.

I hope this makes sense. Basically you need to find out why it is not working outside of Sage before you start worrying about why it isn't working inside of Sage. Take one step at a time.

You might try working with it in hyperterm if you can. It might show some error codes or inside commands that the other programs are not showing. That may lead you to the actual problem.

[Twinkle]

No, the interface is fine - it's the program that was the issue.

But in any case, through more searching, I found the problem. The current version of DirecTVSerialControl.dll doesn't work for me and for many others. I found a link to an older version and using that, it works fine.

[Twinkle]

As an update, the issue wasn't the DLL - that was a red herring. Between my two DTV receivers, I was using a total of four USB/Serial converters - and one of them was defective. Ai.

But it was replaced and everything seems to be working fine now.