HDHomeRun (HDHR) Prime + SageDCT

[brandypuff]

I just purchased a HDHomerun Prime 3 tuner box after Charter went all digital last week and killed all of my analog TV channels. I only have basic TV service. After reading all these posts I'm a bit skeptical about getting the device to work seamlessly with SageTV.

Question, does the USB (SDV) output on the Prime need to be connected to my computer hosting SageTV? I can't figure out how SageTV is able to tune the Prime to the correct channel to record.

I a=still need to activate the cable card with Charter but the device does show up aqs a DLNA device though my Digital smart TV.

I guess I'll have to see what kind of issues I run into. I am still using SageTV V6.5 for legacy reasons so I hope that won;t be an issue.

Thanks.

[rickw]

Originally Posted by brandypuff

I just purchased a HDHomerun Prime 3 tuner box after Charter went all digital last week and killed all of my analog TV channels. I only have basic TV service. After reading all these posts I'm a bit skeptical about getting the device to work seamlessly with SageTV.

Question, does the USB (SDV) output on the Prime need to be connected to my computer hosting SageTV? I can't figure out how SageTV is able to tune the Prime to the correct channel to record.

I a=still need to activate the cable card with Charter but the device does show up aqs a DLNA device though my Digital smart TV.

I guess I'll have to see what kind of issues I run into. I am still using SageTV V6.5 for legacy reasons so I hope that won;t be an issue.

Thanks.

I also had to make changes after Charter went all digital. I had already purchased a HDHR Prime and was using it to receive the Clear QAM channels available.

After Charter announced the switch I picked up a Cable Card from the local office. It took several calls before a Charter service person understood that I needed to activate the card, but eventually they got it right.

Tip #1: Use your browser to get access to your HDHR Prime's management tools. From there you can view the status of your Cable Card activation.

Tip #2: Install SageDCT to allow Sage to work with the cable card. Setup was fairly painless, but it's not without issues.

Issue #1: Not all of my recordings have been viewable by Sage. I have yet to find the common thread, but sometimes a recording will "lockup" my HD200's. The recording is viewable using other players, like VLC, from the server directly.

Issue #2: Not sure if it's related to the Prime, but I'm getting some recordings that don't relate to favorites, manual or just watching live TV. For example I'll notice that shows from E! network are recording even though we haven't been watching that channel and it's not marked as a favorite. Intelligent recording is off (and always has been)

Good luck.

[brandypuff]

Thanks for your tips.

Is the usb port needed for anything? Or is it just being connected to my LAN and cable enough?

Do i need a Tuning Adapter before the Prime? Charter provided me with one when i picked up my cable card. I wasn't sure why i needed it.

I called them twice to activate my cable card but it still shows:

Card Authentication success
Card OOB Lock success
Card Validation none

[rickw]

Originally Posted by brandypuff

Thanks for your tips.

Is the usb port needed for anything? Or is it just being connected to my LAN and cable enough?

Do i need a Tuning Adapter before the Prime? Charter provided me with one when i picked up my cable card. I wasn't sure why i needed it.

I called them twice to activate my cable card but it still shows:

Card Authentication success
Card OOB Lock success
Card Validation none

I do not need the USB or the Tuning Adapter.

It took several calls before I got someone you actually knew what to do. I thinking trick was when I called it "Pairing" and if I remember right I had to give them the HostID and the Data numbers. Available from the "CableCard Pairing" link on the Prime's web interface.

My cable card status is:

Card Manufacturer Motorola
Card Authentication success
Card Validation success
3DES encryption supported

Pretty sure the "Card Validation" changed from "None" to "Success" when they got the Pairing done right.

[KryptoNyte]

I would personally use the Tuning Adapter, at least to get the system setup with Charter. The tuning adapter is connected to the Prime device with a USB cable. I would feed the tuning adapter and the prime the cable service coaxial, using a coaxial splitter, instead of a pass-thru the tuning adapter and into the Prime like the printed instructions (came with the Prime) clearly show.

Contact Charter, and get every paired, "success"." If they can't get success to show on all devices in the status screens, then they will likely need to send a truck out to get it right.

[KryptoNyte]

Each time I've setup SageDCT, I have done so by using the instructions from the "Missing Remote" website. Although I believe they use a Ceton device, the instructions are quite similar for the Sage software portion.

I always go to Google and search for "SageDCT missing remote" and the article with setup instructions are usually the first result.

[jillsy]

I've just ordered a Prime and I have a CableCARD coming from Charter next week.

My SageTV box is running Vista Ultimate, so I will have to upgrade it to Windows 7. I don't believe I can use SageDCT and/or the Prime with Vista.

I would prefer to get a 32-bit copy of Windows 7 since the motherboard in my Sage box previously had system clock issues when I used it in a desktop running 64-bit Windows 7. I was never able to solve it by tweaking BIOS settings, etc., and I just don't want to deal with that issue again. The same motherboard has worked well in 32-bit Vista environments.

I am running SageTV 7.1.9. Are there any opinions regarding the best Windows 7 version to work with SageTV?

[mikejaner]

My SageTV server is running Win 7 32bit with no issues, and has been since before the HDHomerun Prime came out. If I recall correctly, there was initially an issue with SageDCT running on 64bit, which I'm sure has been fixed by now.

[razrsharpe]

Originally Posted by jillsy

My SageTV box is running Vista Ultimate, so I will have to upgrade it to Windows 7. I don't believe I can use SageDCT and/or the Prime with Vista.

I have my Prime/SageDCT working under Win2003 32bit. I imagine it could also be made to work with Vista. I had to recreate the firewire rules manually (no big deal). I occasionally get recording failures but not sure if it is the fault of the tuner, sagedct, or the operating system.

[stewart710]

I've been having an issue with certain channels on and off for the past few months that I couldn't figure out. It was combined with one of my recording drives that went bad (this kicks up all sorts of weird, seemingly un-related problems, for the record) so it took a while to diagnose. Upgrading from 2.6 to SageDCT 2.7.2 and changing the capture mode to ffmpeg capture fixed the No Signal on the Client PCs problem I was having with NBC on Comcast in southeastern Massachusetts with my HDHR-3cc Prime. I also installed the latest HDHR software which updated the firmware. It was confusing because I could watch it on the Win 7 32bit server in the living room, but not the client in the bedroom. Thanks babgavant and everyone else! I get to watch Sunday Night Football again.

[jillsy]

Originally Posted by razrsharpe

I have my Prime/SageDCT working under Win2003 32bit. I imagine it could also be made to work with Vista. I had to recreate the firewire rules manually (no big deal). I occasionally get recording failures but not sure if it is the fault of the tuner, sagedct, or the operating system.

Thanks for the info, razrsharpe. For what are you using firewire? Channel tuning?

[jillsy]

Originally Posted by stewart710

Upgrading from 2.6 to SageDCT 2.7.2 and changing the capture mode to ffmpeg capture fixed the No Signal on the Client PCs problem I was having with NBC on Comcast in southeastern Massachusetts with my HDHR-3cc Prime.

Is 2.7.2 the latest version of SageDCT? I saw a poster in another thread stating he donated to get the latest version. I am willing to donate something. It's incredible that someone created such a helpful app and is willing to share it. I just need to know the latest version of SageDCT and how to get it.

[razrsharpe]

Originally Posted by jillsy

Thanks for the info, razrsharpe. For what are you using firewire? Channel tuning?

I said fireWALL (ie windows firewall rules so sageDCT can talk to the prime). That being said I do use fireWIRE to change the channels of a cable box I have connected to a hdpvr.

[checkbin]

Yes Jillsy, 2.7.2 is the latest version of SageDCT. I'm using it and it works great. It's in a folder on Andy's (Babgvant) web site restricted to those who contributed to his efforts. If you go to http://babgvant.com there's a link at the top to make a donation thru PayPal. Andy will then gran you access. You might wan to make a note when you donate that you'd like to get SageDCT and he will allow you to access the download site.

[jillsy]

Originally Posted by razrsharpe

I said fireWALL (ie windows firewall rules so sageDCT can talk to the prime). That being said I do use fireWIRE to change the channels of a cable box I have connected to a hdpvr.

Oh, good. When I saw firewire in your post, I was afraid there was some complex channel tuning involved. I use USB-UIRT to tune my cable box and have had very few problems over the years.

According to the SageDCT site, "Many people have reported issues with SageDCT when they disable the Windows Firewall. Please make sure you have it enabled before seeking assistance if something doesn't work."

Do they mean those users have their Windows Firewall turned off, or that they just don't have it configured correctly? I use my Sage box only for Sage, so I don't have any third-party antivirus/security software installed. The Windows Firewall is enabled and I have not manually configured it in any way.

[jillsy]

Originally Posted by checkbin

Yes Jillsy, 2.7.2 is the latest version of SageDCT. I'm using it and it works great. It's in a folder on Andy's (Babgvant) web site restricted to those who contributed to his efforts. If you go to http://babgvant.com there's a link at the top to make a donation thru PayPal. Andy will then gran you access. You might wan to make a note when you donate that you'd like to get SageDCT and he will allow you to access the download site.

Thanks so much for this info, checkbin. I will follow these steps when I'm ready to download SageDCT. Is there a suggested/minimum donation?

I'm still trying to find out if Windows 7 is required to run SageDCT. If I can't find out for sure, I'll probably try it with Vista and then order another copy of Win 7 if Vista is a no go. I just reformatted/rebuilt my Sage box a couple months ago (before the new fall season), upgrading to SageTV 7.1.9 in the process. I used Vista Ultimate since I had a spare copy lying around and I had good luck with Vista Home Premium on my previous Sage installation.

[razrsharpe]

Originally Posted by razrsharpe

...I had to recreate the firewire rules manually (no big deal)...

Originally Posted by jillsy

...For what are you using firewire? Channel tuning?

Originally Posted by razrsharpe

I said fireWALL...

Originally Posted by jillsy

Oh, good. When I saw firewire in your post, I was afraid there was some complex channel tuning involved…

Man my brain must not be all there today… i reread my original post multiple times and always read it as firewall… sorry for the confusion and my snarky response (should have read "Sorry, I meant to say firewall…)… Anyway we are finally all on the same page (and I'll edit my original post).

Originally Posted by jillsy

...According to the SageDCT site, "Many people have reported issues with SageDCT when they disable the Windows Firewall. Please make sure you have it enabled before seeking assistance if something doesn't work."

Do they mean those users have their Windows Firewall turned off, or that they just don't have it configured correctly? I use my Sage box only for Sage, so I don't have any third-party antivirus/security software installed. The Windows Firewall is enabled and I have not manually configured it in any way.

I believe they mean people who have windows firewall completely turned off. If you use win7 i believe SageDCT will automatically create the firewall rules for you. In older (non supported versions of windows) you will need to manually create the rules (pretty simple allow connections to sagedct on certain ports).

[jillsy]

No need to apologize, razrsharpe. I know exactly what you mean about re-reading your own writing and seeing what is supposed to be there. I was seriously relieved by your "snarky" clarification because I had been thinking I'd missed something while researching Prime and SageDCT.

I appreciate your help and advice. If SageDCT doesn't work with Vista initially, I'll know to at least try configuring the firewall before giving up. I'm not against moving to Win 7; I just don't really want to do so right now. I'd rather wait until next summer when there's a lull in my recording schedule.

[Hunter69]

I just got a hdprime and sagedct up and running. SO I have been reading on different suggestions. I have read it is good to switch to ffmpeg. I am running Sage 7 on Win 7 64. I switch sagedct to ffmpeg. I get nothing but a black screen. I am looking for suggestions? One suggestion I saw was to make sure sage is outputting a TS and not a MPG. I really don't remember how to check and change this if necessary. I would appreciate any help with this issue.

Bill

[nyplayer]

Originally Posted by Hunter69

I just got a hdprime and sagedct up and running. SO I have been reading on different suggestions. I have read it is good to switch to ffmpeg. I am running Sage 7 on Win 7 64. I switch sagedct to ffmpeg. I get nothing but a black screen. I am looking for suggestions? One suggestion I saw was to make sure sage is outputting a TS and not a MPG. I really don't remember how to check and change this if necessary. I would appreciate any help with this issue.

Bill

When I first Install SagDCT one of the first things I do ... try it with the firewall off first.... If that works then I make sure SAGDCT and SAGETV and SAGETVSERVICE have full access in the firewall and turn the firewall on again.