IR codes - anyone using Google Fiber TV with SageTV?

[timg11]

I am switching from Spectrum to Google TV. I have the fiber Internet running, but do not have the TV box yet. I assume it will be the GFHD200.

The obvious replacement approach is to substitute the GFHD200 for the Spectrum cable box, tuning the GFHD200 with the IR blaster from the USB-UIRT, and connecting the output of the GFHD200 to the HD PVR.

That will require learning the IR codes for the GFHD200's remote and adjusting the setting. It has been years since I set up IR codes for the USB-UIRT. Can anyone confirm the process? Here's what I think has to happen:

In SageTV, there is Setup / Setup Source / Tuner Control
Currently that says "USB-UIRT Transceiver SA8300hdc"

If I select Tuner Control, and then Change Tuning Device, I see a list with 3 entries: Motorola DCT2000, SA4250hdc, and SA8300hdc.

In my directory "C:\Program Files\SageTV\Common\RemoteCodes\USB-UIRT Transceiver", I have files: MotorolaDCT2000.ir, SA4250hdc.ir, SA8300hdc.ir.

I believe these are the source to the "Tuning Device" settings.

So I have to use the LrnHelper.exe program to capture the IR codes from the GFHD200 remote, and copy/paste them into a new file GFHD200.ir. Then I will be able to select that from SageTV?

Anything else I'm missing?

[timg11]

Is there any way to change channels over IP with the GFHD200 TV Box?
That would be nice to avoid the IR blaster, etc.

[timg11]

I'm adding a new Google Fiber TV box with corresponding HD-PVR2.
For testing, I want to run the GFTV in parallel with existing Spectrum Cable for a month to make sure everything works. I think others have had success using multiple HD-PVR's so that should be OK, but what about tuning the boxes?
I've got another USB-UIRT on order, but how does that work?

Looking back to this very old thread <https://forums.sagetv.com/forums/showthread.php?p=115534&postcount=8>, (sorry, but the link button does not work today...)
it appears that a special DLL was required for using multiple USB-UIRTs at the same time. Is that DLL now a part of SageTV 9?

What else has changed with respect to multiple USB-UIRT support over the past 12 years?

[SHS]

Originally Posted by timg11

I'm adding a new Google Fiber TV box with corresponding HD-PVR2.
For testing, I want to run the GFTV in parallel with existing Spectrum Cable for a month to make sure everything works. I think others have had success using multiple HD-PVR's so that should be OK, but what about tuning the boxes?
I've got another USB-UIRT on order, but how does that work?

Looking back to this very old thread <https://forums.sagetv.com/forums/showthread.php?p=115534&postcount=8>, (sorry, but the link button does not work today...)
it appears that a special DLL was required for using multiple USB-UIRTs at the same time. Is that DLL now a part of SageTV 9?

What else has changed with respect to multiple USB-UIRT support over the past 12 years?

Nothing has change.
No dll is need.
Everything is build in to sagetv.
Only zone setup will need be modified in once you get a full work ir file.

[wayner]

Actually I am guessing that you don't even need to setup zones if you are controlling two STBs of different types as they will likely use different IR codes. So you can just use the default zone and when you are tuning the GF box the Spectrum box will likely ignore the codes, and vice-versa.

However I am assuming that you can use the same tuning device, in this case your USB-UIRT, to tune two boxes. You will at least need two .ir files but that should be doable.

[dstanley]

I definitely remember having to use a 'special' uu_irsage.dll on Windows when using MULTIPLE usb-uirt devices. This file was emailed to me by the developer way back when. I kept these files for nostalgic sake.

Whenever there was a new program update I would have to replace the packaged DLL with the multi-device one to get my two usb-uirt's running properly.

The IR files had to be modified to use the second usb-uirt by adding the following as the SECOND line of the file:
DeviceNumber 2

There was also a windows utility to 'rename' the usb-uirt's to device1 and device2

I no longer use two usb-uirt's due to firewire channel changing still working on some of my stb's - one device is being used with my docker as a single channel (linux limitation).

Unless I am reading the original post wrong ...

[wayner]

You are reading everything correctly Dwight, but that is when you have two of the same boxes that respond to the same IR codes. I am thinking that he doesn't need to have two zones since he has two boxes from different providers.

Think of it this way - let's say you were trying out Bell's TV service so you got one of their boxes and still had a Rogers box. You shouldn't need to worry about zones since when the Rogers IR command is fired it won't do anything to the Bell box and vice-versa. Therefore you only need to use the one main zone as long as both boxes are within line of sight of the main blaster on the USB-UIRT.

[SHS]

Originally Posted by dstanley

I definitely remember having to use a 'special' uu_irsage.dll on Windows when using MULTIPLE usb-uirt devices. This file was emailed to me by the developer way back when. I kept these files for nostalgic sake.

Whenever there was a new program update I would have to replace the packaged DLL with the multi-device one to get my two usb-uirt's running properly.

The IR files had to be modified to use the second usb-uirt by adding the following as the SECOND line of the file:
DeviceNumber 2

There was also a windows utility to 'rename' the usb-uirt's to device1 and device2

I no longer use two usb-uirt's due to firewire channel changing still working on some of my stb's - one device is being used with my docker as a single channel (linux limitation).

Unless I am reading the original post wrong ...

You must be refer to below link for Multiple USB-UIRT's them self which I did for get about.
https://forums.sagetv.com/forums/showthread.php?t=50900
How ever one USB-UIRT can do up to 6 STB by zone and 2 different providers box.
Dish network is the only one that had no limits due and no zone IR is need just matter of setup each box on it own remote address assign number.

[timg11]

I'm trying to learn the codes from the Google Fiber TV remote with the LRNHELPER utility for the USB-UIRT.

LRNHELPER has always worked before for all my remotes used with SageTV, but this one gets no response at all from the USB-UIRT or LRNHELPER.

LRNHELPER reports the USB-UIRT is Firmware 5.9 ProfVer=1.1. Firmware Date 3/26/2004. LRNHELPER itself reports version 0.5.0

Does anyone use Google Fiber TV with SageTV? How are you tuning the TV Box?

[timg11]

After more searching, I learned that the Google TV Remote defaults to operating by Bluetooth. That explains why there was no IR activity detected.
After using this article <https://support.google.com/fiber/answer/7106655?hl=en&ref_topic=7106414> to change it to IR mode, I was able to capture the IR codes.

One strange thing I notice is the LRNhelper strings for the keys 0 to 9 slightly vary in length. Sometimes I was able to re-learn the key and get the longer length, but other keys consistently record the shorter sequence.


PS - does anyone know why the Insert Link function on this forum doesn't work anymore? It still displays the Insert Link dialog, but there is no effect in the text editing window.

[SHS]

Originally Posted by timg11

PS - does anyone know why the Insert Link function on this forum doesn't work anymore? It still displays the Insert Link dialog, but there is no effect in the text editing window.

If your using Windows 10 Edge try a diff web browser like Google Chrome web browser.

[timg11]

Testing with Chrome Browser

Interesting. The link button works with Chrome. I was using Firefox. It has worked for years. I wonder why not now?

[SHS]

Originally Posted by timg11

Testing with Chrome Browser

Interesting. The link button works with Chrome. I was using Firefox. It has worked for years. I wonder why not now?

Oh that easy any time there changes in codes it can brake something else

[timg11]

To provide an update on Google Fiber IR. I tried using a second USB-UIRT dedicated to the Google Fiber TV box along side my existing USB-UIRT for spectrum's cable box.

I followed Jon's instructions for a second USB-UIRT. I installed the modified UU_IRSAGE.DLL, and added a line with "DeviceNum 2" as the second line in my .IR file. I renamed the second USB-UIRT to #2 by using the UURENAME utility also provide by Jon. I had to perform the renaming on a different computer, since the UURENAME utility itself does not have awareness of multiple USB-UIRTs.

Unfortunately I could not get any response from the second USB-UIRT from SageTV as a tuning device.

I had a double-emitter IR blaster on hand, so on a whim, I tried connecting it to my original USB-UIRT, with the emitters on both boxes. I removed the line with "DeviceNum 2" in my .IR file.

I tested and found that the single original USB-UIRT could tune both Spectrum and Google boxes without interfering with each other. Apparently the codes are different enough, and SageTV handles the multiple .IR files associated with multiple video sources just fine.

Finally, the inconsistent lengths of the Pronto code strings captured in LRNHELPER doesn't seem to cause any problem.

[Tiki]

If all the cable boxes use different remote codes and they are near each other, you can control them all from a single USBUIRT without any extra emitters.

If the boxes use the same remote codes, then you need to use the emitters and you need to isolate the boxes a little so that the emitter intended for one box isn't seen by a different box. This can be done by taping the emitter to the STB with electrical tape or making "tent" out of cardboard. You can control up to 3 boxes that all have the same remote codes by using this method (external emitters and zone control).

The only reason I can think of to use more than one USBUIRT is if you need to control more than 3 cable boxes that all use the same remote codes.

[timg11]

@tiki, when I re-read your post, I have a question:

You said

If the boxes use the same remote codes, then you need to use the emitters and you need to isolate the boxes a little so that the emitter intended for one box isn't seen by a different box.

That would imply that the USB-UIRT had multiple, independent outputs to drive those multiple emitters. My USB-UIRT has a single 3.5 mm mono jack for the emitter. My understanding is that would drive a single external emitter. If the emitter has multiple IR LEDs (in series or parallel), they would all get the same signal. So there would be no concept of "emitter intended for one box" since all emitters send the same thing.

Is there another way for the USB-UIRT to send unique signals to multiple IR emitters?

[wayner]

The USB-UIRT can drive three zones. One comes out of the main LED out of the front of the unit. The 3.5mm jack is not a mono jack, it is stereo. The tip drives a second zone and the ring drives a third zone.

For more info see this thread from thirteen years ago: https://forums.sagetv.com/forums/sho...16&postcount=9

[SHS]

Originally Posted by timg11

@tiki, when I re-read your post, I have a question:

You said

That would imply that the USB-UIRT had multiple, independent outputs to drive those multiple emitters. My USB-UIRT has a single 3.5 mm mono jack for the emitter. My understanding is that would drive a single external emitter. If the emitter has multiple IR LEDs (in series or parallel), they would all get the same signal. So there would be no concept of "emitter intended for one box" since all emitters send the same thing.

Is there another way for the USB-UIRT to send unique signals to multiple IR emitters?

It not single 3.5 mm Mono jack it really a single 3.5 mm Stereo for zone 1 and zone 2 what you need is 3.5 mm Stereo to Mono Y adapter and 3 zone is front of the USB-UIRT
See this click here on this page

[timg11]

@SHS,

Wow, thank you for posting the link to the diagram, and wayner for the link to the the 2004 post on zones. I thought I had reviewed every page at http://www.usbuirt.com, but I never saw the multi-emitter connection diagram. I had always thought the USB-UIRT had one IR transmitter that was emitted locally and the same signal was echoed out the 3.5 mm jack.

So I definitely did not need to buy a second USB-UIRT...