Which Directv STB for hd pvr / sagetv?

[bastian74]

I want to upgrade my STB to HD. I can get the current "Directv HD" on DirecTV's website for free.

None of the current ones seem to have any serial or firewire functionality.

There is a USB port on it, but the tech support lady at DTV could not say what it was for, nore could she say what the ethernet was for.

[Skirge01]

Do a search for "serial control directv" and you'll find what you're looking for. You'll find lots of references to Paterson (correct spelling) or Patterson.

The ethernet is usually for VOD.

[bastian74]

Do you think it's that important vs ir blaster? My current setup occasionally misses channels because some digits are missed - and that's via serial. I think because the pc driving it is hammered at the time. Is the ir blaster pretty reliable? The one that comes with the hauppauge hd pvr that is?

[Skirge01]

I can't speak to the included IR blaster, since I'm not using my HD-PVR yet, but from what I've read, everyone who is using the serial connection is doing so for reliability. I had a first generation Tivo with an IR blaster and I can't begin to tell you how many shows I missed because of it. I doubt they've gotten any better. If you believe you know the cause of your current missed digits via serial, then you just need to fix that issue.

[bastian74]

Yeah, except that I need to upgrade STB to get HD which means no more serial input. At least not on DTV brand.

[vexhold]

H21-100 allows for serial to usb

[HelenWeathers]

http://www.patersontech.com/products...ranslator.aspx

Go to this web address and click the compatibility tab for a list of tested DirecTV receivers.

[bastian74]

Are any of those current models?

[HelenWeathers]

All of them are still in use - the ones with H prefix are mpeg4 HiDef, HR prefix is for HiDef receiver/recorders.

[bastian74]

Can anyone identify the model of the HD receiver DTV is currently shipping?
http://directv.com/DTVAPP/global/con...setId=P4380066

I called sales and they said it was an HD10 but I can't find any information about an hd10 online anywhere. There is an h10 that is obsolete...

[HelenWeathers]

There is no HD10 - there is an H10 and H20/21/23. The H10 is mpeg2 and the H2x series are mpeg4 - you need to call the installer or Directv and make sure you get an H2x series or you will miss out on 80% of the HiDef transmissions.

[Olias]

If you ordered the HD package and did not order a recorder, you'll probably be getting the H23. If you really want to know, you have to call the installer, not DirecTV. You'll get what the installer has in stock to meet the service you ordered.

I recently went through this with an upgrade on my existing service.

Fortunately the new tuners have a USB port that can be used for tuning.
I have one H23 tuning using the Paterson device with a USB to serial adapter and a second H23 using a pair of cheap USB to serial adapters (my SageTV server doesn't have any serial ports). Both tune quickly with 100% reliability.

[bastian74]

Originally Posted by Olias

If you ordered the HD package and did not order a recorder, you'll probably be getting the H23. If you really want to know, you have to call the installer, not DirecTV. You'll get what the installer has in stock to meet the service you ordered.

I recently went through this with an upgrade on my existing service.

Fortunately the new tuners have a USB port that can be used for tuning.
I have one H23 tuning using the Paterson device with a USB to serial adapter and a second H23 using a pair of cheap USB to serial adapters (my SageTV server doesn't have any serial ports). Both tune quickly with 100% reliability.

so you have STB -> USB -> Serial -> Serial Cable -> Serial -> USB -> SageTV?

Wonder why you can just go USB -> USB

[Olias]

Originally Posted by bastian74

so you have STB -> USB -> Serial -> Serial Cable -> Serial -> USB -> SageTV?

Wonder why you can just go USB -> USB

The program that Sage uses to change channels with DirecTV requires a serial port.

It's like this

STB1 -> Patterson -> USB Converter -> SageTV

and this

STB2 -> USB Converter -> Female serial adapter -> USB Converter -> SageTV

[bastian74]

Hmm, wonder if someone could write a usb serial emulator so you could go usb to usb and have a driver installed that emulated the serial port

[MattJackson86]

Originally Posted by bastian74

Hmm, wonder if someone could write a usb serial emulator so you could go usb to usb and have a driver installed that emulated the serial port

It seems as though the directv end must really be a serial connection. So you would think if we had the right driver we could just use usb to connect to it and it would show up as a serial port....no?

[stanger89]

The issue is USB is a host/client architecture and I'm guessing the DirecTV box is a USB host, thus you can't connect it to a PC directly as it would be USB host to USB host, which can't be done. Someone would need to make a special cable/adapter to make the PC host and the DirecTV host thing they're talking to a client. Which is essentially what the Patterson device does, but it goes to serial since that's the "standard" for channel changing commands (supported by standalone DVRs, automation systems, PCs, etc).

[MattJackson86]

Something like this may work:
http://apple.clickandbuild.com/cnb/s...e=USB+NMC-2.5m

But all that is is 2 USB->Serial adapters bacially converted into a USB -> USB. So its cleaner looking, but ~$40 shipped.

Now the patterson device, how is that different than a USB-> Serial?