Bug in HDPVR Blaster Control

[Diego Garcia]

Sage doesn't work reliably with the HDPVR's built-in IR blaster. I'm not talking about a multiple HDPVR situation, either; just a single HDPVR hooked up to a dedicated STB.

When I go to add the HDPVR to Sage, I can get all the way to downloading the channel lineup from my cable provider (Comcast). But then, if I try to preview any of the channels, Sage is unable to use the HDPVR's IR blaster to change the STB. I can tell this because the HDPVR's IR blaster LED (which emits both visible and IR light) does not flicker.

I've used the HDPVR blaster config utility to confirm that the IR blaster cable is functioning. When I use the config utility I can control the STB, and I can see the IR blaster cable flicker as commands are sent to the STB. So I'm confident this is a problem with the way Sage is interfacing with the HDPVR.

Of course, what makes this so incredibly frustrating is that I had the HDPVR working with Sage. But Comcast tweaked some channel lineups. So now I have a non-functioning HDPVR!! Arggh!

One other observation that may be relevant: I was configuring the HDPVR during a time when Sage was using it to record a favorite. The Sage service (I run Sage as both a service and a client on the same box) was able to tune the HDPVR's STB to the channel it wanted to record. When I went in to configure the HDPVR with the new channel lineup I got a warning message that configuration was going to interrupt the previously-planned recording. I was fine with that. But maybe the Sage service -- which handles the recording -- and the Sage client -- which handles the configuration -- don't know how to play nicely with each other when they both want to access the HDPVR?

[Diego Garcia]

Some additional info...

Well, it doesn't appear to be related to whether or not Sage was trying to record something when the configuration effort was launched. Rebooting the system at a time when there were no planned recordings has not made any difference -- I still cannot get Sage to issue commands via the HDPVR IR blaster to switch the STB.

What a ridiculous Rube Goldberg environment...

[Diego Garcia]

And why the heck is it taking Sage darn near forever to download the channel lineup when I re-add the HDPVR?? Man, forget about wife appreciation factor; this is getting to be too much of a pain in the butt for even a tinkerer to deal with!

[Diego Garcia]

Great. Now Sage doesn't even recognize that I >>have<< an HDPVR! How many times have I rebooted the system? Five? Six? All to configure a supported device?

[Diego Garcia]

Okay, yet another reboot and Sage now admits I have an HDPVR. Of course, it can't the STB via the HDPVR's built-in IR blaster -- which was working yesterday -- and there's no sound. But, hey, the blue light coming from the HDPVR when it's recording is sort of soothing. Who says it was $200+ thrown down a rathole?

[mike1961]

Something I noticed when configuring IR is if you have SageTVService running to be sure to reset the service after making changes.

Mike

[Diego Garcia]

Sigh. I finally got Sage to be able to control the STB via the HDPVR's IR blaster. Still no sound, but hopefully One More Reboot will fix that problem (it did a couple of days ago when I was first wrestling with the HDPVR).

In the interests of sharing what I've learned in a less strident/flammable thread I'm going to summarize my experiences in a separate post in the hardware support forum.

[sic0048]

I found many of the same issues as you struggled with. When I found a method that I could get consistant results setting things up, I wrote my "How To" which is linked to in my signature. It isn't the only way to get things up and running (or at least that is what I have been told by others who didn't use this method), but I have found it seems to work for nearly everyone that tries it. Give it a shot and let me know if it helps.

[Diego Garcia]

Thanks! I liked the detail you provided but, to be frank, I wasn't willing to uninstall Sage "just" to incorporate an HDPVR. Call me stubborn, but if the HDPVR is officially supported I shouldn't have to do stuff like that...

[Diego Garcia]

Oops, sorry Mike, I missed your post...which is bad, because you've pointed out something really important!

I'll add it to my "tips and tricks for the HDPVR" thread. Thanks!

[sic0048]

Originally Posted by Diego Garcia

Thanks! I liked the detail you provided but, to be frank, I wasn't willing to uninstall Sage "just" to incorporate an HDPVR. Call me stubborn, but if the HDPVR is officially supported I shouldn't have to do stuff like that...

Uninstalling and reinstalling SageTV literally takes 2 minutes. You do not have to redo tuners, guides, or anything else. Based on my experience, there are setup functions relating to tuners that only occur when SageTV is installed. If you don't have the HD-PVR installed already, then Sage is not able to properly set up the HD-PVR within Sage and therefore you get reliability issues like you experienced.

If you are not willing to try a simple fix, then don't bitch and moan about the results.

[shatter]

I found out that the Ir.exe software would become unresponsive over time. I switched over to using eventghost to control the IR Blaster in the HD-PVR and it has been rock solid for about 3 weeks now. You just remove the Autostart IR entry from the shortcut menu and select the SageTV and Hauppauge IR plugins in EventGhost and you should be good to go with tuning your STB.

My setup uses a Dish VIP 211k single tuner STB with its own setup issues but the concept should work for your comcast box as well. Not sure about your sound issues though I am sure I went through that whole mess with my HD-PVR when I first hooked it up too.

I use the "old" HD-PVR driver 1.0.5.301 anything newer than that version caused lots of lockups and problems.

I used sic0048's how-to guide BTW.

[davephan]

You should seriously consider not using the HD-PVR IR blaster, and use the USB-UIRT instead. The HD-PVR runs more stable with a USB-UIRT instead of trying to use the built-in HD-PVR IR blaster. One USB-UIRT can control at 3 set top boxes or more if the set top boxes have several IR codes.

The HD-PVR stability improves if you remove the top silver colored cover to let heat escape from the HD-PVR.

Dave

[sic0048]

Originally Posted by shatter

I found out that the Ir.exe software would become unresponsive over time. I switched over to using eventghost to control the IR Blaster in the HD-PVR and it has been rock solid for about 3 weeks now. You just remove the Autostart IR entry from the shortcut menu and select the SageTV and Hauppauge IR plugins in EventGhost and you should be good to go with tuning your STB.

My setup uses a Dish VIP 211k single tuner STB with its own setup issues but the concept should work for your comcast box as well. Not sure about your sound issues though I am sure I went through that whole mess with my HD-PVR when I first hooked it up too.

I use the "old" HD-PVR driver 1.0.5.301 anything newer than that version caused lots of lockups and problems.

I used sic0048's how-to guide BTW.

Glad you got it working. I cannot say I have ever seen your issue posted before - but it might have been and my memory is fading. . Most people can either get the Hauppauge blaster working, or it doesn't work at all. To have it work some, and then fail after a period of time is a little strange. But again, I'm glad you found a solution.

[Diego Garcia]

Well, call me old fashioned, but removing and reinstalling an application in order to add a supported component -- which is itself a plug and play device -- sounds like sending my car back to the manufacturer to have a radio installed . Or uninstalling/reinstalling Windows when I add a new video card.

Besides, I suspect doing so would not have solved my problems, since at least part of what I was running into was the result of Sage silently using a channel lineup with a lot of mappings (for my HDHomeRun) to talk to the HDPVR...which naturally didn't understand what a lot of the channel codes were. That lineup was being stored somewhere, and probably would have "survived" a remove/reinstall. Unless I wiped the Sage directory, which would have caused a lot more problems.

Thanks for the tips, shatter and davephan.

[Diego Garcia]

Originally Posted by davephan

The HD-PVR stability improves if you remove the top silver colored cover to let heat escape from the HD-PVR.

Dave, how do you remove the silver top? I just tried doing it, and don't see any solution other than brute force, which I'm sort of loathe to exert.

[JetreL]

On the bottom there are little rubber feet. Pull them off to reveal the screws below. Remove the screws and the unit comes apart. This may and probably will void your warranty. Do at your own discretion..

[Diego Garcia]

Thanks, JetreL!