Suggestions for going to hd

[crowland]

Hello,

I have DirecTV with 2 D10s, an Nvidia DualTV and two tv's each with a MediaMVP. The D10s are controlled by serial. I am getting an HDTV and want to record and playback HD or SD shows on both my HDTV as well as my SDTV. I think I can do this with 2 new SageTV HD Theater boxes, 2 HD DirecTV tuners, and something to replace the DualTV.

What is the best replacement for the DualTV? I don't currently use OTA, though I might, but I only can get 4-5 channels here.

Do I need to get any particular model boxes from DirecTV to allow serial control?

Thank you!

[SWKerr]

The only option of HD with DirecTV is the HD-PVR. The question is can you get by with just one. If you are in an area where you can receive OTA locals then you can probably get away with a HDHR and one HD-PVR. That would allow you to record two locals at once plus one other channel from DirecTV. Since most shows on cable satellite run more than once in a week\day conflicts will be less then you think depending on your viewing habits.

The Hauppauge HVR-2250 is also a option to substitute for the HD Homerun.

[davephan]

You will need two HD-PVRs if you want to have two DirecTV HD boxes. The HDHomerun is a good option for locals. You can reduce your conflicts by taking out the local channels from the DirecTV channel line up. You will also be able to watch live TV and record the locals during rain fade events.

The quality of the HD-200 is far superior to the MVPs, both video and audio. The MVPs sometimes have to be powered down to get them to work again. The HD-200s are much more reliable.

Dave

[crowland]

Thank you for your replies. Sounds like I will need 2 HD-PVRs. Is it possile to control the DirecTV box with serial and do I need to get a specific model? I know I specifically got D10s before to allow serial channel changing.

[davephan]

I used to control my DirecTV box with a USB-UIRT when I had the DirecTV service. I was going to switch to a cheap serial cable that was posted in the forum, complete with specific part numbers to order. I think that the cable was made up with two cables attached to each other, and the cost was only about $12 to control one DirecTV set top box. However, since I dumped DirecTV and switched to cable, I did not get a chance to implement the DirecTV serial channel control.

Dave

[crowland]

I am using serial to control my D10s right now. Just trying to find out if there are issues with the HD DirecTV boxes, since I remember there were problems with various models of the SD boxes.

[crowland]

Just found out none of the DirecTV boxes have serial. So can you change channels over an ethernet cable?

I also found an LG LSS3200A that has a serial data port. Anyone know if this works?

[SWKerr]

They have a USB port that behaves like a Serial port. I have a guide that talks about how to set it up to work but I doubt it is any different than how you do it today. You will just need to add a Serial to USB cord to the end of the cord you use today.

I actually use two together with a null modem and go from USB to USB connection. I have two identical cords one for each STB.

Guide:
http://forums.sagetv.com/forums/show...cTV+USB+serial

I believe they all have the USB connection today. I use the H20

[crowland]

That's great! The online manual for the H20 says that the usb port is for 'Future use' and DirecTV just told me it would not work either.

Thank you!