No Irblast.exe in IR Server Suite

[markbb1]

I've been using IRSS for a long time. Irblast has always been included but there have been some changes. I'm currently running v1.4.2.3136, didn't know there was a new version out there so thanks for the heads up!

I think you'll find that the installer package has changed, on the install you must select 'command line tools' as an install option. Irblast.exe is a command line tool. I think you'll still find this in .3158

IRSS is a very stable and well written installer so if you are mssing this just run the installer package again and add as above.

Thanks though, Wiki may need to be changed to update, will check it out.

Cheers

Steeb

I think v1.4.2.3136 is what I got, but I did not install the command line tools, so that explains where Irblast.exe got lost.

If you are inclined to update the wiki, maybe you could add some text to the effect that, if you want to use Irblast.exe or Irblast-nowindow.exe, you need to install the command line tools, as well as, if users don't want to install the command line tools, how they can use translator.exe.

[steeb]

I think v1.4.2.3136 is what I got, but I did not install the command line tools, so that explains where Irblast.exe got lost

I think this is right, IRBlast (& all command line tools) used to install by default but as IRSS has grown it became an option, I'm sure I got caught out on this but as few seem to use IRSS here (don't know why, soooo easy and well written prog (Thanks Aaron)!) never bothered telling anyone

If you are inclined to update the wiki, maybe you could add some text to the effect that, if you want to use Irblast.exe or Irblast-nowindow.exe, you need to install the command line tools, as well as, if users don't want to install the command line tools, how they can use translator.exe.

I'm always inclined to update the Wiki But always like to check 1st as I wasn't the author of that page.

I am very interested to see how this works with translator.exe as otherwise why need IRBlast? i.e. translator.exe is a silent prog so why need to call IRBlast?

Cheers

Steeb

[gbpdem]

I don't think you are missing anything. I don't think Irblast.exe is included in 1.4.2.

But translator works just fine for me now. I had to relearn some of the channels and fiddle with the ir bud to get it positioned correctly, but I am getting consistent channel changes.

If translator is not already running, Right mouse click on the IRServerSuite icon in the tray and select "Translator". Right mouse click on the translator icon and select "setup". Click on the "IR Commands" tab and select "New". In the "Name" box, type the number 1. Click on the "learn" button, then press the 1 key on the remote for your STB two or three or four times until the box at the bottom of that dialog has green text indicating it has learned the code. Make it learn all the numbers 1 - 9 and 0. After learning all the numbers, check the checkbox at the bottom of the Translator dialog box that says "Start Translator with Windows". Then set up GBPVR like the GBPVR IRServerSuite wiki says, except instead of “C:\Program Files\IR Server Suite\IR Blast\IRBlast.exe” or “\C:\Program Files\IR Server SuiteIR Blast\IRBlast-NoWindow.exe” you want to use
"C:\Program Files\IR Server Suite\Translator.exe" -channel [Number] [Padding] [Port] [Delay]
Use the quotes as they appear in that command. Change [Number] to [c] and use your own numbers for Padding (3 if your STB only goes up to three digits, 4 if it has four digit channels), Port (1, 2, or Both), and delay in milliseconds (I use 150). No quotes or brackets around any of the parameters except the [c]. My command looks like this
"C:\Program Files\IR Server Suite\Translator.exe" -channel [c] 3 1 150

Thanks, I am keen to try out the Translator.exe option as I have always used IR Blast.exe in my previous GBPVR installations to send commands to the set top box.
I remember I did have translator running as well previously but I had used the IR Blast.exe option in the GBPVR config. (so which of them was actually doing the work ? )

A curious thing happened as I tried to learn the commands in Translator:
when I pressed 'Learn' it immediately says 'learnt' even though I have yet to press any key and I also made sure that there were no other remotes nearby messing with the learning process ... well, thats for another time ...

I also considered the possibility that there may be some conflict between the MCE remote transceiver with Windows 7 but will have to try again to confirm.

Incidently I am using the same hardware set up as my previous XP Pro
environment (I installed Window 7 on another drive as a dual boot option until I am ready to wipe out the old OS and yes, I did change the necessary drive letters in the GBPVR config)

Am travelling these few days but will try Translator.exe asap when I get back home
Again, thanks for the heads up.

[markbb1]

Thanks, I am keen to try out the Translator.exe option as I have always used IR Blast.exe in my previous GBPVR installations to send commands to the set top box.
I remember I did have translator running as well previously but I had used the IR Blast.exe option in the GBPVR config. (so which of them was actually doing the work ? )

A curious thing happened as I tried to learn the commands in Translator:
when I pressed 'Learn' it immediately says 'learnt' even though I have yet to press any key and I also made sure that there were no other remotes nearby messing with the learning process ... well, thats for another time ...

I also considered the possibility that there may be some conflict between the MCE remote transceiver with Windows 7 but will have to try again to confirm.

Incidently I am using the same hardware set up as my previous XP Pro
environment (I installed Window 7 on another drive as a dual boot option until I am ready to wipe out the old OS and yes, I did change the necessary drive letters in the GBPVR config)

Am travelling these few days but will try Translator.exe asap when I get back home
Again, thanks for the heads up.

If you were using Irblast.exe, then translator was probably just idling and not doing anything. I originally used the GBPVR MCE native support to blast, which worked fine for me, so getting IRSS to blast was just an experiment more than anything else. In my set up I did not make the registry settings because I wanted to retain/use the MCE receive capabilities. In the IRSS config I made a couple of changes from default. I think there were check boxes for receive and transmit on the first screen of the IRSS config app, I think I unchecked the receive box. Somewhere there was a check box to disable native MCE functions, I made sure that was NOT checked. There may have been other changes that I can't remember off the top of my head. Let me know if you need my exact set up. Good luck.

[gbpdem]

If you were using Irblast.exe, then translator was probably just idling and not doing anything. I originally used the GBPVR MCE native support to blast, which worked fine for me, so getting IRSS to blast was just an experiment more than anything else. In my set up I did not make the registry settings because I wanted to retain/use the MCE receive capabilities. In the IRSS config I made a couple of changes from default. I think there were check boxes for receive and transmit on the first screen of the IRSS config app, I think I unchecked the receive box. Somewhere there was a check box to disable native MCE functions, I made sure that was NOT checked. There may have been other changes that I can't remember off the top of my head. Let me know if you need my exact set up. Good luck.

You were right in that the translator was not doing anything under my old XP Pro PC because my set top channel changing still works when I disabled it. So I have to think the IRSS was blasting my set top box using some other remote codes from somewhere else ...
(I am using a digital SCV-3800C box btw)

Back to the new PC ...
I followed your instructions using the translator.exe in GBPVR config. The problem I encountered is the same problem that I had earlier i.e. the Translator program could not learn the remote codes so that I get error messages (from memory) to the effect "6 is not recognised" when I tried to watch channel 6 on PVRX2 (apologies as I switched back to XP Pro when writing this) and when I tried to up or down the channel number inside PVRX2 it will say something to the effect 7 and 5 not recognised respectively.

I guess the solution lies in getting the Translator to learn the codes.
Sometimes when I click on the 'Learn' tab it tells me 'Learned successfully' although I have yet to press any remote button at it ...

I checked under devices and found the eHome transceiver installed properly, so I am still cracking my head as to why it is not learning properly ...

As a quick solution, can I somehow import the SCV-3800C codes from somewhere as I recalled seeing my set top box listed among the numerous boxes in IRRS ? Any idea where I should look as I cannot seem to find the file containing the SCV-3800C codes?

Sorry for the long post and any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

regards,

[markbb1]

Back to the new PC ...
I followed your instructions using the translator.exe in GBPVR config. The problem I encountered is the same problem that I had earlier i.e. the Translator program could not learn the remote codes so that I get error messages (from memory) to the effect "6 is not recognised" when I tried to watch channel 6 on PVRX2 (apologies as I switched back to XP Pro when writing this) and when I tried to up or down the channel number inside PVRX2 it will say something to the effect 7 and 5 not recognised respectively.

I guess the solution lies in getting the Translator to learn the codes.
Sometimes when I click on the 'Learn' tab it tells me 'Learned successfully' although I have yet to press any remote button at it ...

I checked under devices and found the eHome transceiver installed properly, so I am still cracking my head as to why it is not learning properly ...

As a quick solution, can I somehow import the SCV-3800C codes from somewhere as I recalled seeing my set top box listed among the numerous boxes in IRRS ? Any idea where I should look as I cannot seem to find the file containing the SCV-3800C codes?

Sorry for the long post and any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

regards,

I don't know how one would get the codes into translator without making it learn them. And I had trouble getting it to learn codes. The first time I fired up the translator setup I got nowhere. It just sat there waiting for me to press the button on the remote, even though I had pressed the button. I closed it and opened the IRSS debug client and fiddled around and learned a button. When I opened translator setup again, there was a button named "Debug" or something. When I tried to learn a new button after I did that, it learned it. But I couldn't get it to learn any more. In the course of fiddling with it, I think I probably closed translator, opened it again, rebooted and stuff like that. About the third time I ran translator setup, it learned the commands pretty quickly and easily, but I found that afterwards (when trying to change channels in the TV window) that the 2, 3 and 4 buttons weren't working. I went into translator setup again and edited/relearned them and now everything works. All I can suggest is to keep trying. It worked for me once I learned the timing from hitting the "learn" button to pressing the button to be learned, and releasing it fairly quickly. When you get the timing down, it learns a button after only about 2 presses. Does that help?

[steeb]

Once you get the 'knack' of it very easy to use the learn. I often used to get a few 'blasts' that wouldn't learn and had to 're-learn'.

It is IMHO a timing issue combined with proximity (of original remote to learn IR device). Also have found for some reason that some USB ports on my PC seem to react better than others. (Could just be my Mobo?).

Still fascinated to find out why we can't just use 'translator.exe' now and not need the 'blaster.exe' but really don't want to play with it as my system is v stable!!!

Cheers

Steeb

[gbpdem]

.... And I had trouble getting it to learn codes. ...

At least I now know that I am not alone in that department

I just don't know why it is acting up right now, maybe I will change USB ports and keep trying.
The funny thing is I've never had problems with the past 2-3 installations.
In the course of exploring the folders and files in IRSS I remember seeing quite alot of set top box models so I presumed there must be some way to "auto learn" or import the respective box codes.

Thanks for both of your replies and I will keep at it. It's just a pain switching back and forth between XP Pro and Win 7 . The reason I have to do that is I still have quite a number of scheduled recordings going on in the older set up so every time that a programme recording is due, I have to switch back to the working one.

Thanks again for the help !

[markbb1]

At least I now know that I am not alone in that department

I just don't know why it is acting up right now, maybe I will change USB ports and keep trying.
The funny thing is I've never had problems with the past 2-3 installations.
In the course of exploring the folders and files in IRSS I remember seeing quite alot of set top box models so I presumed there must be some way to "auto learn" or import the respective box codes.

Thanks for both of your replies and I will keep at it. It's just a pain switching back and forth between XP Pro and Win 7 . The reason I have to do that is I still have quite a number of scheduled recordings going on in the older set up so every time that a programme recording is due, I have to switch back to the working one.

Thanks again for the help !

I had trouble learning the IR codes when I was using the native GBPVR MCE capability. It is like the first time you fire up the learning part of any program that learns IR codes, it isn't ready to learn. You have to fiddle around and close it and try some other stuff and come back to it a couple or three times before it works. Part of it is learning how long to keep the button depressed before releasing, and how many times you have to press it. All I know after 15 years of messing with computers is that persistence usually pays off. But sometimes it ends in frustration and failure. Keep trying and tell us when you achieve success.

[gbpdem]

After many unsuccessful atempts with earlier and the latest versions of IRSS, I now know that ...
Translator does not work for me i.e. when using the Translator.exe in the GBPVR config etc I always get an error "unrecognised command line parameter '1'" if I am trying to watch channel 1 for example
So I reverted back to using IR Blast.exe

I've also decided to stick with the latest version of IRSS and use IR Blast.exe
So far, I managed to learn '0', '1' and '2' using the translator tab IR commands (after many many attempts ... sigh)

Since the translator stopped learning beyond the above-mentioned 3 commands, I then tested the PVRX2 using just these 3 and it works as normal i.e. I can 'watch' channels 0, 1 or 2 or any of the combination such as channel 12, channel 10, channel 120 etc

So I guess I am on the right track and it also confirms my suspicions that somehow IR Blast.exe uses the commands learnt from translator even though I killed the translator.exe process after learning the aforesaid 3 commands only.
So steeb there's your answer .. i.e. we need translator to learn the codes that IR Blast.exe uses but we do not need it after the codes have been learnt

I will keep on trying to learn the rest of the IR codes
I think I see the lights at the end of the tunnel now ...

regards,