HD PVR and VIP211k headaches

[alisonnic]

I recently bought a Hauppauge 1212 HD PVR because of an upgrade to a Dish VIP211k. I'd like to be able to record TV shows (mostly Formula One and Indy Car races on Speed and Versus) in wide screen HD format to watch later with family and friends. The HD PVR seemed just the ticket.

Until I started trying to use it, that is. Now I've got so many problems I don't even know where to start.

Basically I can watch live TV just fine (usually). If I manually tune the VIP to the desired channel with its own remote and manually program SageTV to record, I can (usually) get a watchable recording.

But unattended recording? Forget about it. Hosed.

I also can't watch live TV across my LAN using either SageTV Client or Placeshifter, but I'll post about those problems separately.

Here's a list of the problems I'm encountering:

1. VIP211k needs to be turned on manually using the Select button on remote before tuning and recording. I can't find how to set the Hauppauge IR Blaster to do this.
2. After a while the Hauppauge IR Blaster goes to sleep; BlastCfg says No IR Blaster HWFound. Turning off SageTV Service wakes it back up, but only for a little while. When IR Blaster is off, SageTV can't control the VIP211k.
3. When VIP211k is set to record to VCR, component (YCbCr) output is blank, no sound.
4. HD-PVR sometimes stops producing output in the middle of a recording. Usually resumes, sometimes not, yielding an incomplete recording.
5. Output to TV sometimes gets scrambled; have to turn off PVR and turn it back on to clear.
6. Favorites in SageTV don't seem to record properly. Either nothing happens (no recording is made) or the recording switches to some random show at some random time.
7. The Hauppauge remote doesn't do anything at all.

Problems 1 through 3 essentially render the PVR useless for unattended recording. Manual recordings work as long as either the IR Blaster happens to be working or I tune the VIP manually. But if I'm going to be out of the house when something I want to record is being broadcast, the probability of the show I want being recorded is very low.

If I let SageTV handle everything, the VIP never gets turned on, so nothing's recorded. If I manually program the VIP to turn on (using its VCR function) it comes on but its component output to the PVR is blank (black screen) and there's no sound, so I get a recording of a silent black screen.

If I leave the VIP turned on, it turns itself off after a few hours even though I've disabled its auto-off function. Since SageTV has no way to turn it on (I can't get SageTV to get the Hauppauge IR Blaster to send either On/Off or Select signals to the VIP), I'm dead in the water.

The Hauppauge IR Blaster is capable of sending an On/Off signal; I know this because the only way I could get the IR Blaster to work was to run BlastCfg and run through all the code sets. But I can't find a way to make SageTV send an On/Off signal through IR Blaster.

Incidentally, BlastCfg doesn't list the VIP211k but I found two code sets, 83 and 88, which will turn the VIP off and on and will also switch channels. I also tried making BlastCfg learn signals from the VIP's remote but that didn't work at all. The HD PVR's IR input seems to work all right; BlastCfg says it's learned the codes, but when I send the codes nothing happens.

I've installed the latest HD DVR drivers, IR Blaster and ArcSoft software from the Hauppauge site (hdpvr_1.5.6.0, hdpvr_sched, irblast_27070) and I'm running SageTV 6.6.2.

Even if I do get a recording going properly, sometimes I get a little stoppage and restart in the middle. I can live with this, but a couple times the recording just stopped entirely.

Also, Favorites recordings just don't seem to work. I have to set each program to record manually. But unless I can resolve issues 1 through 3, the Favorites issue is a moot point.

Incidentally, the Hauppauge remote doesn't work either, but I'm not sure that's related to any of the above problems.

All this is even more frustrating because a number of people in the HD PVR poll thread say their HD PVR is working great with a VIP211.

Any help will be greatly appreciated!

[sic0048]

I just reinstalled my SageTV set up over the weekend (I moved from an older computer to a new WHS setup). I have a HD-PVR recording just fine from a Dish vip211k STB. This set up has worked for me on both machines. So I'll try to walk you through a couple of things. Bottom line is that it should work just fine however.

1) You need three programs (not including the HD-PVR drivers) to get the IR working correctly. They are listed under the HD-PVR Support section on the Hauppauge site. They are the HD PVR Scheduler, IRBlaster Setup, and IR Remote control app. Many people skip the HD PVR Scheduler since they think it isn't needed because they use Sage. I think you have all these installed, but double check.

2) You need to configure the BlasterCfg while SageTV is not running (neither the program or the service). It changes a file in the Sage folder. These files are locked when Sage is running. So when Sage restarts, you loose all the changes. This is why so many people have problems with the IR blaster that seem to reoccur everytime the machine reboots or Sage restarts.

3) While there is no vip211k listed in the BlasterCfg program, you can use the DishNetwork 311 box just fine. I think the code number is 136, but that is off memory. There is no need to try to train you remote, just use the 311 STB codes.

4) Test the codes - but not by using the "Test" button on the BlasterCfg. Instead use the "Send IR Code" and type in a channel number that really exists (ie your box will tune to).

5) Once the codes work in BlastCfg, then simply exit the program. Nothing to save. You can restart SageTV then. You'll need to change the IR option in the HD-PVR set up to reflect the new STB choice. If it ony shows "Stub IR" then that is OK. Leave it as is.

6) I don't know what you are doing with the STB and VCR settings, but stop. Seriously, all you need to do is make sure the outputs are set for component video. No VCR recording settings or anything like that. Your STB has no idea that SageTV exists, nor does it need to. I think half your problems relate to settings on the STB.

7) Set the STB to never sleep. Now as you experience, Dish forces an update every night at 2am (default time - you can change this time in the STB). The box will automatically go to sleep after the update. There is no way to circumvent this as far as I know. We have to work around it.

8) You need to set your box to automatically tune a channel at 2:58am. You do this in a similar manner to the way you've been setting the VCR. I think it is called an automatic timer or something like that. Choose "Tune Channel" and select the time. Due to the varying length of time the update takes, setting it for 2:28 doesn't seem to work. So you will have approx 1 hr each day that you cannot record shows. Set the update to occur at the hour you think you'll miss the least amount of shows. See this thread for more details

9) When you start the computer up, you should see a IR program running in the button right portion of the screen (by the clock). It shows up as a small black remote with red lettering. If you don't see this, then restart the IR program. I think this is the step you are missing because you are missing the IR Remote control app in the install.

10) Never turn you STB off. It shouldn't sleep (except for right after the daily update) on its own. That way there is no need to customize the IR settings to send out any special codes.

Hopefully this will help some. Let me know if something still doesn't work out right. If things are too messed up, you can simply download the hcwclear program from Hauppauge and remove all the existing Hauppauge material from your machine and start over. Install the driver and then the three IR related programs and set it up again.

Good luck. Let us know how it goes, but don't get discouraged, we'll get it to work

[fidget]

I think it is pretty unanimous that people recommend that you not use the IR blaster that is a part of the HD-PVR. I use a USB-UIRT and have never had any issues changing channels. I also have a recurring event set up for 4:00 AM so that I don't need to worry about turning on the VIP-211k when I want to record a program. I don't use a VCR setup, I just have the timer tune the box (which also "turns it on"). From that point on, the USB-UIRT tunes the channels just fine.

When I used the 1.5.6 drivers, I had nothing but problems getting a stable recording. Downgrading to 1.0.5 solved all of my problems. I currently record over the component connection using the optical connection for recording audio.

There is one issue with live recordings (it will show NO SIGNAL for a little while), but that is just because of the time it takes the HD-PVR to start recording.

Try making these changes (start with the driver version) and everything should work just fine.

Edit: I also forgot to say that I use the HD extender for my viewing. You probably won't be able to get placeshifter to work for you since the video is h.264 encoded.

[sic0048]

Originally Posted by fidget

I think it is pretty unanimous that people recommend that you not use the IR blaster that is a part of the HD-PVR.

The fact is that the built in Hauppauge IR blaster hardware is fine, it's getting it set up correctly that can be an issue. This is probably most attributable to the fact that there is no IR blaster Howto guide. I have set up the Hauppauge IR blaster on two totally different setups and gotten it to be vey stable on both.

I actually hope to write up a good "how to" because I have been helped by them in the past.

[stanger89]

Originally Posted by alisonnic

Here's a list of the problems I'm encountering:

Well first off a search would help, most of these issues have been discussed a few times.

1. VIP211k needs to be turned on manually using the Select button on remote before tuning and recording. I can't find how to set the Hauppauge IR Blaster to do this.

Learn select/enter as an IR code in Sage and define it as pre and post entry in Sage's advanced IR setup.

1. After a while the Hauppauge IR Blaster goes to sleep; BlastCfg says No IR Blaster HWFound. Turning off SageTV Service wakes it back up, but only for a little while. When IR Blaster is off, SageTV can't control the VIP211k.

Get a USB UIRT.

1. When VIP211k is set to record to VCR, component (YCbCr) output is blank, no sound.

Why are you setting that?

1. HD-PVR sometimes stops producing output in the middle of a recording. Usually resumes, sometimes not, yielding an incomplete recording.
2. Output to TV sometimes gets scrambled; have to turn off PVR and turn it back on to clear.

Do you have it in a cool place?

[alisonnic]

Thanks for all of the suggestions!

sic0048, your suggestions were particularly helpful. You were right - I hadn't installed the IR program. I installed this and now I have the little remote in the system tray. I also set BlastCfg to the Dish 311 codeset. This seems to work the same as codeset 88 (sending channels works) but maybe it will be more stable.

I also set up a daily timer in the STB for 2:58 AM. That's a great idea to work around the STB's habit of turning off every night after it downloads updates. Thanks!

I was setting a VCR timer in the STB because the STB was turning itself off, and also because the IR Blaster was only working intermittently. Hopefully now the IR Blaster will work all the time and I won't have to set any more timers in the STB.

I also put the HD PVR on top of a laptop cool pad to make sure it doesn't overheat.

I've set up a recording for 4 AM tonight to see how everything works.

Edit: sic0048, you should definitely write a How-to or a FAQ to help people get the Hauppauge IR Blaster to work. Your suggestions in this thread are great.

[alisonnic]

Originally Posted by fidget

When I used the 1.5.6 drivers, I had nothing but problems getting a stable recording. Downgrading to 1.0.5 solved all of my problems. I currently record over the component connection using the optical connection for recording audio.

Edit: I also forgot to say that I use the HD extender for my viewing. You probably won't be able to get placeshifter to work for you since the video is h.264 encoded.

Where do I get the 1.0.5 drivers? The version on the install CD is 1.5.6.0. The version I downloaded from the Hauppauge site also appears to be 1.5.6.0.

Thanks for the tip about Placeshifter. I didn't realize it couldn't handle H.264 encoding. I'll try again to get SageTV Client to work.

[fidget]

Originally Posted by alisonnic

Where do I get the 1.0.5 drivers? The version on the install CD is 1.5.6.0. The version I downloaded from the Hauppauge site also appears to be 1.5.6.0.

Thanks for the tip about Placeshifter. I didn't realize it couldn't handle H.264 encoding. I'll try again to get SageTV Client to work.

SHSPVR is a very good place to find drivers.

http://www.shspvr.com/ftp/download/w...5.301_whql.zip

[alisonnic]

The Hauppauge IR Blaster stopped working again. Or at least, SageTV stopped being able to access it. This time BlastCfg still shows the blaster is connected, but trying to change channels through SageTV fails to send anything to the STB.

Cycling the SageTV Service off and on fixed the problem, but only temporarily. So far this has happened twice since I installed the IR software.

Installing the IR software doesn't seem to have fixed the problem. The behavior has changed in that previously, BlastCfg would say No IR Blaster HWFound when the blaster had stopped working, and neither SageTV nor BlastCfg could get it to send any codes.

Now, when the blaster stops working, BlastCfg can still see it, but SageTV can't get it to send any codes.

Both now and before, shutting down and restarting the SageTV service seems to get the blaster working again, but unfortunately only temporarily.

[alisonnic]

Thanks to the link to the drivers at SHSPVR, fidget. Do you think these older drivers would fix the problem I'm having with the Hauppauge IR Blaster?

[fidget]

Originally Posted by alisonnic

Thanks to the link to the drivers at SHSPVR, fidget. Do you think these older drivers would fix the problem I'm having with the Hauppauge IR Blaster?

I use the USB-UIRT, since I will be expanding to two HD-PVRs and there is an issue with controlling the IR blasters on multiple HD-PVRs.

[alisonnic]

Ok, thanks, fidget. I think a USB-UIRT might be in my future, depending on whether I can figure out how to keep my Hauppauge IR Blaster alive.

My trial recording last night at 4 AM showed that the STB was alive, so sic0048's suggestion to set a timer in the STB for 2:58 AM worked to wake up the STB.

But the IR Blaster failed, so the recording was on the wrong channel.

Any ideas, sic0048? Anyone?

[alisonnic]

Since I was using the separate background SageTV Service, I decided to turn this off and use the Service integrated with the main SageTV UI. I'm hoping maybe this will behave differently, and not lose touch with the IR Blaster. I've got a couple of trials set up for later today. Keeping my fingers crossed!

Alison

PS. When I started SageTV after I disabled the background Service, it went through the Setup Wizard again. It appears that it lost all my channel settings. I've made a copy of the SageTV.properties.autobackup file.

Can I (after shutting down SageTV, of course) safely copy the epg/channel_lineups property from the autobackup file to the new properties file? Will this restore the channel lineup that I'd so carefully set up last night? Do I need to copy any other properties from the autobackup?

[sic0048]

alisonnic - this may sound extreme, but it is what finally fixed my IR issues with my first setup.

1) Make sure the BlastCfg file is set up properly and controls the STB.

2) Uninstall SageTV. Don't worry, you won't loose the information as long as you don't physically delete the SageTV folder under program files. The uninstall process does NOT do this on its own.

3) Reinstall SageTV. All your settings, channels, favorites, etc will still be intacts.

I tried this at the suggestion of Sage Support. They seem to think that the Hauppauge software works best when it is set up prior to installing Sage. Obviously most of us already have Sage installed when we buy a HD-PVR, so by uninstalling and then reinstalling SageTV, you get the proper order or installation.

Also, what does your IR file look like under the SageTV\Common\IR remote\Hauppauge folder (this is from memory, but the folder structure should be close)? Can you open it with notepad and post a copy of it here.


I realize that many people give up on the Hauppauge blaster and go with the USB-UIRT. I might have myself except that I already have a USB-UIRT connected to my Sage computer for my home automation software system. I didn't want to hassle with trying to get two USB-UIRT devices working on the same machine, so I was forced to find a solution for the Hauppauge blaster.
Thanks,

[alisonnic]

Bummer! Looks like the trial recording I set up for 11 AM has failed. Not only did the IR Blaster not make the STB change to the correct channel, but SageTV is giving this error message:

There was a Capture Error in playback. Details:
ERROR (-4,0x8007001f): There was a problem using the capture device. Please be sure you have the latest drivers installed for your capture device, and that they are installed correctly.

So running the integrated SageTV Service rather than the background Service hasn't made a difference.

sic0048, thanks for your latest suggestions. I don't have time to try uninstalling and reinstalling everything right now, but I will do so as soon as I can. But I do want to point out that I installed the Arcsoft software and HD PVR drivers several weeks before I first installed SageTV.

Also, I know that the BlastCfg file can control the STB because it makes it change channels whenever I want, either manually or for a recording, as long as I have stopped and restarted the SageTV Service (either the background or UI-driven Service) within the past hour or so. After an hour or two, zilch.

Still, maybe there is something wrong with the Blaster's setup. However, I haven't been able to find a config file for it. There's nothing in C:\Program Files\SageTV\Common\RemoteCodes\Hauppauge IR Blaster. So far the only BlastCfg text files I've found are ir32.txt and IRblast.txt in Program Files\WinTV, and these appear to be install logs.

I'm sorry for all the questions. I understand I may have to get a USB-UIRT, but I just don't want to give up on the Hauppauge Blaster until I've tried everything.

[sic0048]

Originally Posted by alisonnic

I'm sorry for all the questions. I understand I may have to get a USB-UIRT, but I just don't want to give up on the Hauppauge Blaster until I've tried everything.

Believe me, I understand!

What is the HD-PVR IR setup pointing to? It is probably the "stub device" - if so, that file should be located in the sagetv/common/remote codes folder. You probably need to move that file to the Hauppauge Blaster folder. Just make sure you do that with the SageTV service stopped.

Try that first and see if it clears up the problem with Sage loosing the ir device.

[sic0048]

I guess I should also note that my IR device wasn't working when I got home yesterday. I cycled the SageTV server and everything worked fine. I check it again this morning before going to work and everything was still working (about 14 hours since I cycled the service). I'll see if everything is still OK when I get home today. But perhaps my system isn't as stable as I initially thought.

I would definitely recommend that you turn the Windows Automatic Update feature off. Have it tell you there are updates, but don't let the machine automatically update - otherwise your system will be rebooted at randoms times. At the very least, you could mess up a recording. Worse case scenerio is that everything doesn't get restarted correctly and you miss multiple recordings.

[alisonnic]

Originally Posted by sic0048

Believe me, I understand!

What is the HD-PVR IR setup pointing to? It is probably the "stub device" - if so, that file should be located in the sagetv/common/remote codes folder. You probably need to move that file to the Hauppauge Blaster folder. Just make sure you do that with the SageTV service stopped.

Try that first and see if it clears up the problem with Sage loosing the ir device.

Thanks for understanding!

Yes, the HD-PVR IR setup is pointing to "stub device."

For some unknown reason, without my changing anything on the server machine, SageTV went 24 hours without losing touch with the IR Blaster. It's a miracle!

However, just to be safe, I copied (not moved) StubDevice.ir from
C:\Program Files\SageTV\Common\RemoteCodes to
C:\Program Files\SageTV\Common\RemoteCodes\Hauppauge IR Blaster

I did this after rebooting and before starting up SageTV. Then I started SageTV. This was about 10 hours ago and SageTV is still communicating with the IR Blaster. Keeping my fingers crossed!

Uh oh. Just read that you've had the same problem with your server losing touch with the IR Blaster. I hope this is a one-time problem. Please keep me posted, especially if you have more problems.

The USB-UIRT is only $50, and if this problem keeps recurring, it might be worth it for me to get one. I realize that for you adding a second USB-UIRT adds more hassles, but since I have only one STB and one HD PVR, that's not an issue for me.

Thanks for the tip about Windows Update! I've set it to download but not install until I say so.

[sic0048]

Well the HD-PVR was working (blaster and all) tonight. So I really think it was a one time deal (fingers crossed ). That being said, my recordings were getting the dreaded audio synch issue - where the start of the recording is in synch and it gets worse as time goes on.

I've read that is a problem with the newer drivers. So I cleared everything off and started again with the 1.053 drivers. That is what was on my older machine and seems to be the most stable drivers for most people. I don't record digital audio, so that was the only real reason to step up to the latest beta drivers.

The good news is that I am getting a lot of practice and should be able to write up a "How to" relatively easily now .

[stanger89]

I've been recording digital audio with the 1.0.5.3 drivers since they came out.