Utility: SageChanger STBs firewire channel changer for Windows

[BobPhoenix]

Originally Posted by tvmaster2

forgot to ask - I'm attempting to get a new, HD cable set top box working for channel change only. It's a Scientific Atlanta 4742 (Cisco).
Problem: the AV/C Panel shows up in device manager as "Other Devices", and I can't seem to find any drivers to make it become functional.
Any ideas?

Sorry don't use firewire. I have DirecTV and use HTTP for channel changing. I just tried to download the file in Chrome and it worked for me so I posted.

[emveepee]

Originally Posted by mikep

-f <changer> force channel changer:

1 = SA3250HD

2 = SA4200HD (and some 3250s)

3 = SA4250HD

4 = SA4250HDc (and some 8300HDs)

5 = SA8300HD

6 = Motorola Fast (DCH and DCT series)

7 = Motorola Single-digit (default)

Is this utility still supported or the source available? I recently got a Cisco 4642 and it can only tune low channels via firewire. Checking on the mythtv sites, it looks like two button presses are required for higher channels via firewire.

The reason I "upgraded" was the it was to hard to resist $5 a month rent-to-own vs $13 rental and Rogers wouldn't give me this deal on the 3 year old box.

Martin

[wayner]

I can't help you directly but you might be able to buy a used 3250HD or 4250HD on something like kijiji. Use the 4642 at another TV and use these older models with Sage.

[emveepee]

Originally Posted by wayner

I can't help you directly but you might be able to buy a used 3250HD or 4250HD on something like kijiji. Use the 4642 at another TV and use these older models with Sage.

I considered it strongly, but I have a hard time paying $80-100 for a item used for 3 years when the brand new faster one is only $180. I've got it working with the ir blaster, but I'd certainly modify the SageChanger code if it was available.

Martin

[jbbtex]

One of my SA STBs died and TWC replaced it with a Samsung 3362. Does anyone have one of these working with firewire channel changing?

[wayner]

I am guessing that you are SOL - try to get another SA box.

[mangriotis]

Is anyone still doing this? I just noticed Narflex discussing the end of the EPG coming soon, so I took the opportunity to move servers to new hardware and Sage 9.

Everything went swimmingly, except I can't get the firewire channel changing to work. I am on Win 10 32-bit.

I have loaded the drivers from the stb_firewire_drivers_2009-02-25 package, and they seemed to work. However, I can't get the actual channel changing to work at all.

sagechanger -s gives me this:

Enumerating capture devices...

Device #1.
FriendlyName = Digital AV/C Tuner Device

Device #2.
FriendlyName = Hauppauge HD PVR Capture Device

But no other info... I am trying to use FWChannelProxy.

Any help? Point me in the right direction?

[mangriotis]

Well, figured out that the device "Pace AV/C Panel Device" wouldn't install with the ExDeus drivers automatically...

Once I manually selected the Pace device (not the Laguna one, though that might work too), I was able to get SageChanger to perform a CLI channel change. Progress!

Then, the output from SageChanger -s looked like this:

C:\Firewire>sagechanger -s
SageChanger v0.2 beta

Enumerating capture devices...

Device #1.
FriendlyName = Hauppauge HD PVR Capture Device

Device #2.
FriendlyName = Digital AV/C Tuner Device

Device #3.
FriendlyName = Pace AV/C Panel Device
UniqueID = 26e21e00945000
VendorID = 0x00005094
ModelID = 0x00010755
VendorText = Pace
ModelText = RNG110
DevicePath = \\?\avc#pace&rng110&typ_9&id_0#26e21e0000945000#{65e8773d-8f56-11d0-a3b9-00a0c9223196}\global

So, seeing that the Panel Device is device #3, I went back and changed FWChannelProxy#.dll to "FWChannelProxy3.dll" and changed the property in sage.properties as well.

Success!

[andre5006]

Originally Posted by mangriotis

...seeing that the Panel Device is device #3, I went back and changed FWChannelProxy#.dll to "FWChannelProxy3.dll" and changed the property in sage.properties as well.

Having SageChanger problems post-V9 upgrade: can change via command line but not from sageTV.

What property in sage.properties did you update? Thanks

[mangriotis]

I think you can set this in the Video Source setup as well, but I changed this line to make sure it matched the updated filename. Sorry that wasn't clear.

mmc/encoders/-431556906/90/0/tuning_plugin=C\:\\Program Files\\SageTV\\Common\\FWChannelProxy3.dll

[andre5006]

Thanks M2! In reviewing that area of Sage.properties - I noticed that my Tuner Control entry was blank, duh! Recreated the video source selecting, for me, FWChannelProxy3 AND all is well!

Sometimes all you need is a kick in the right direction

Andre

[NoodleNT]

Originally Posted by aflat

Using SageChanger v0.2 Beta on a Motoroloa QIP7100 (FIOS box)

-p doesn't work, it always thinks it's on, verified with a -q, even when power is off. I can work around this since I make sure to run a script to turn on the SB every morning at about 5am. Channel changing works with both -f 6 and -f 7, but 6 is preferred of course.

What I was hoping for was the ability to press enter when you use -f 6. Since channel.dll drops leading 0's, I would love to see something that can pass "channel 0570, then the 'enter'" command, in 1 command. I'm not sure if it's possible, but I was hoping.

I have 4 Motoroloa QIP7100 boxes too. Was progress made on checking the power state? Mine love to turn off after the last update Verizon pushed out.

[wayner]

Originally Posted by NoodleNT

I have 4 Motoroloa QIP7100 boxes too. Was progress made on checking the power state? Mine love to turn off after the last update Verizon pushed out.

Do they have a setting where the box powers on with any key press? My SA/Cisco boxes have that setting which helps with this issue. Otherwise it can be kind of a pain.

[NoodleNT]

Yes, MENU button wakes it back up. Last night I setup a batch file to run at startup that turns all the boxes on and tunes them to a set channel using channel.exe.

This is what I discovered with the latest Fios update. If you accidentally tune to a channel you don't have a subscription to, say HBO, a menu screen shows asking you to hit one of the color buttons to purchase it and add to your lineup. If the cable box remains tuned to this screen for about 15-20 minutes with no input, the box will turn off. Ignoring the setting to disable the sleep feature. With the way SageTV manages multiple tuners, it is not uncommon for it to use one tuner and then not need it again for hours, in turn leaving it on the menu screen to power off.

It would be great to build into v9 the FireWire tuning and a way to add "prefixes" like you can with IR tuning. Jumping around with all these hacks gets annoying.