Firewire channel changing 2 different STBs

[gdippel]

I've been changing channels on my stb (SA 3250 HD) with firewire (using EXEmultituner) and decided to add a second box (CISCO 4640) to my server. I installed the drivers and can change channels on the Cisco box by modifying the standard registry entry "...\channelw.exe %DEVICE% %CHANNEL%" by adding the -f -a0 parameters.

However, my SA 3250 won't accept these parameters.

Is there a way for these boxes to co-exist by passing the parameters to only the Cisco box by means of the registry setting?

BTW, my os is Windows XP 32 bit and I using Sage V7 in service mode.

[sleonard]

I had the exact same problem. I had to exchange my remaining SA3250's for more SA4250's because they will not co-exist using EXEmultituner.

Maybe they will if using the FWProxy thing that replaces EXEmultituner but I don't know anything about it since I've never used it.

S

[wayner]

Have you tried the "other" drivers from exdeus and tried using these parameters from the command line? Don't you always have to have a device number, even if you only have one STB, as the STBs show up to the OS as two devices? The difference with having two STBs vs one is that you have to use device numbers 2 and 4 rather than just 2 (or whatever)?

The other option is to use the unique ID - here is a post on this from a few years ago http://forums.sagetv.com/forums/show...07&postcount=8

I had more luck with a 3250 vs a 4250 as the original Tim M Moore drivers worked for my 3250 but I needed the exdeus drivers for the 4250.

[sleonard]

It's more than just the drivers and unique ID's. EXEmultituner has only one registry entry for the command line that is passed to all the boxes and the 3250 requires different command line parameters than the 4640.

LSS, EXEmultituner requires all of the set-top boxes to use the same command line.

S

[wayner]

Is it possible to fudge this using the %DEVICE% variable setting in sage.properties? That likely depends on where these parameter have to go.

The other thing is to find out who wrote EXEmultituner and see if they could recompile it with a different exe name like EXEmultituner2 and you could then use a different dll for each box. Try PMing Meinmaui as I think he had something to do with it.

One other idea - this is beyond my skill these days but you could change the registry entry to call a batch file rather than channelw directly. You could put logic in that batch file that, depending on the unique ID, would pass either set of parameters to channelw.exe.

For example change the registry entry from "channelw.exe %DEVICE%" to "channelfix.bat %DEVICE%"

Your channelfix.bat batch file would like something like this

If %DEVICE% = 3250HD then
            run channelw.exe with parameters for SA3250
else if %DEVICE% = 4250HD then
            run channelw.exe with parameters for SA4250HD

[sflamm]

That is the suggestion I was going to make - there is nothing special about the registry entry. Instead of it calling the actual program instead call a new program "myChannelTuner". Create the new executable by compiling a bat file (free tools available to download) with the same name. In the bat file use an IF statement conditioned in the device number to call the real progr with the correct command line. To make it easy to write the bat file pass only the args without the command line flags to "myChannelTuner" from the registry entry (I.e pass "value" instead of "-flag value"). Add the flags back in when you call the real program.

Use this to compile BAT to EXE
http://download.cnet.com/Bat-To-Exe-...-11654431.html


Hope this helps.

[sflamm]

Originally Posted by sleonard

It's more than just the drivers and unique ID's. EXEmultituner has only one registry entry for the command line that is passed to all the boxes and the 3250 requires different command line parameters than the 4640.

LSS, EXEmultituner requires all of the set-top boxes to use the same command line.

S

Doesn't matter if the command line params are completely different.
Use the technique I just posted.

Pass all the parameters and use the appropriate ones based on the IF

I.e. " myChannelTuner deviceID device1param1 device2param1 ...

[gdippel]

Thanks for the suggestions. I'll give the batch file a shot, otherwise I'll swap one stb so I have two alike.

[sflamm]

Here are the steps:

1. Edit the registry entry to: "...\myChannelTuner.exe %DEVICE% %CHANNEL%"
2. In a temporary directory create a file named "myChannelTuner.bat" which contains:

@ECHO OFF

SET DEVICENUMBER=%1
SET CHANNELNUMBER=%2
SET STB1CMDLINE="-f -a0"
SET STB2CMDLINE=

IF %DEVICENUMBER%==1  (
SET CMDLINE=%STB1CMDLINE%
) ELSE (
SET CMDLINE=%STB2CMDLINE%
)
START channelw.exe %CMDLINE% %DEVICENUMBER% %CHANNELNUMBER%

3. Edit the "STB1CMDLINE" and "STB2CMDLINE" params to the respective parameters for your STBs

4. Use this to compile BAT to EXE
http://download.cnet.com/Bat-To-Exe-...-11654431.html

NOTE: Click the "Invisible application" checkbox

5. Place the compiled "myChannelTuner.exe" in the SAME directory as the channelw.exe


Enjoy.


<Sorry - no time to test but should be very close>

[gdippel]

Thanks Sflamm, tried it but no go. I suspect that as there are so many "moving parts" i.e., Sage calling Exemultituner, calling compiled Mytuner, etc., there's a subtle error somewhere along the chain. But programing is not my thing so I think I'll go the box switching route. Anyway, thanks everyone for your suggestions.

[sflamm]

dont give up so fast. this will definitely work with a little patience even if your not a programmer.

to debug simply track down what is going on. to begin with let's use the bat file instead of the exe. (replace the exe with the bat)

now start by bringing up a dos prompt in the same directory as the bat file (which should be in the same directory as channelw.exe and issue the same command that will be called from the registry:

"mychanneltuner 1 100" (to change device number 1 to channel 100)

if this did not change the channels on the device to channel 100 properly then the most likely problem is the command line. are the command line flags correct? are they in the right order? change as needed.

next step is to make sure the registry entry is changed correctly and calling the new "mychanneltuner:

to do that modify the bat file to:

@ECHO OFF

SET DEVICENUMBER=%1
SET CHANNELNUMBER=%2
SET STB1CMDLINE="-f -a0"
SET STB2CMDLINE=

IF %DEVICENUMBER%==1  (
SET CMDLINE=%STB1CMDLINE%
) ELSE (
SET CMDLINE=%STB2CMDLINE%
)
START notepad.exe %CMDLINE% %DEVICENUMBER% %CHANNELNUMBER%

this should pop up a "notepad" window

if that works the next step is to check the parameters that are being passed
to do that modify the bat file to:

@ECHO OFF

SET DEVICENUMBER=%1
SET CHANNELNUMBER=%2
SET STB1CMDLINE="-f -a0"
SET STB2CMDLINE=

IF %DEVICENUMBER%==1  (
SET CMDLINE=%STB1CMDLINE%
) ELSE (
SET CMDLINE=%STB2CMDLINE%
)
ECHO START channelw.exe %CMDLINE% %DEVICENUMBER% %CHANNELNUMBER% > OUT

Now check the "OUT" file to see it contains the right command line to "channelw.exe"

If all of the above work then the problem is the exe you compiled.

[gdippel]

sflamm, I am able to change files with the batch file by executing it within the channelw.exe directory (step 1), but no luck with the registry calling up notepad in step 2. In step 2, I tried changing channels within sage after modifying the registry to call the modified batch file. BTW, I shut down both sage and sage service before modifying the registry.

I've attached screen shots of my registry unmodified and modified.

[PiX64]

I dont' use firewire and haven't for some time..nor can i really offer any valid input, but in looking at your pics i noticed that your path in the registry has

" \\channelw.exe"

is that right?

double \

[sflamm]

gdippel,

Ok - well you're making progress. That means the BAT file is good.
You should compile it to an EXE and retest/use the EXE going forward.

The 'notepad' check is a good one and indicates that the path in your registry is NOT correct. Once we get a good path you will be fine. Your pictures show the path as:

c:\Program Files\Timmmoore\MCE 2005 STB Controller\\myChannelTuner.bat %DEVICE% %CHANNEL%

change this to:

c:\progra~1\timmmo~1\mce200~1\myChannelTuner.exe  %DEVICE% %CHANNEL%

[PiX64]

i thought that looked goofy!

[gdippel]

Originally Posted by sflamm

gdippel,

Ok - well you're making progress. That means the BAT file is good.
You should compile it to an EXE and retest/use the EXE going forward.

The 'notepad' check is a good one and indicates that the path in your registry is NOT correct. Once we get a good path you will be fine. Your pictures show the path as:

c:\Program Files\Timmmoore\MCE 2005 STB Controller\\myChannelTuner.bat %DEVICE% %CHANNEL%

change this to:

c:\progra~1\timmmo~1\mce200~1\myChannelTuner.exe  %DEVICE% %CHANNEL%

I compiled the batch file, changed the path and when I try to change channels (on either box) I hear a windows "error bong", but no channel change. The changed path works with channelw.exe but not with myChannelTuner.exe.

[sflamm]

Use the BAT and use the ECHO commands previously given to figure out what arguments are being passed and the output being generated.

Let me know what the data is...

[sflamm]

Two thoughts:

1. To debug, compile the EXE with "visible application" set - that should allow you to see what is going on with the application (errors etc)

2. You should also change properties on the "myChannelTuner" executable to "run as" a user that has permissions to change the channels...

[gdippel]

Well, I tried all the suggestions and I still only get the windows error "Bong" sound. I know the registry is calling the compiled batch file as the task manager shows it as a running process (it hangs and I have to kill the process.) I think that EXEmultituner will only call the actual channelw.exe file. As a last resort, I changed the name of the compiled batch file to channelw.exe and had it call the original channelw.exe (which I renamed channelw1.exe) but I still only got the error "Bong."

I want to thank everyone for their suggestions, but I think I'm beating a dead horse, so its off to Time Warner to exchange cable boxes.

[sflamm]

I think that EXEmultituner will only call the actual channelw.exe file.

Definitely not true. The whole point of the registry key is to allow for a dynamic call path. It is calling whatever is in that registry entry and with those parameters

I still only get the windows error "Bong" sound

I suspect that the 'Bong' is a problem with permission - like you have UAC active and it is unhappy... hard to debug that remotely. I would make sure I check the permission path - SageTV is running with a specific NT account/identity and it will need permission to run the executable...