Digital Cable Set Top Box Question

[lajams]

Hey guys,
My cable co has some digital channels I'm finding it necessary to record. Apparently, Dora The Explorer has become a hot item for my kids.
Anyway, I am looking at picking up a DCT700 Digital box and have some questions.

I currently have a PVR150 Retail package with the cable running straight to the card, using GBPVR to do the scheduling and recording. I need to change this up to a digital set top box.

1) Can I use the IR Blaster I got with my PVR150 with the DCT700? I have heard this will not function properly, or is not supported by the Hauppage software. (I also heard the emitter isn't powerful enough or something like that, but unconfirmed).

2) If I have to, I can pick up a USB-UIRT to function with the DCT700. Do I have to also purchase Girder to make this work, or does the GBPVR software support this natively somehow? And what STBs are supported by this kind of config?

3) What are the pitfalls I could experience by changing out to a digital STB?

Thanks in advance.

Regards,

LA.

[bdgbill]

I have a digital STB dedicated to GBPVR. I taped the PVR-150 IR emitter directly over the sensor on the box. This works fine. I seem to remember I had to do some tinkering with config to get it to work but nothing difficult.

If the STB for the computer is in the same room as another identical STB for the TV make sure the computers STB is shielded from the TV remote. I have lost a few recordings because my GF shut both boxes off with the tv remote when going to bed.

[Zato]

The IR Blaster should work ok. The cables are known to be faulty, I had to get Hauppauge to send me 2 replacements before it worked for me.

Occassionally my STB doesn't pick up one of the numbers emitted by the blaster, which obviously ends up recording something else.

What I do is still retain the PVR150 tuner for non-digital channels, and only use the blaster when I absolutely have to.

[Koenie]

I use the IR blaster from the Hauppauge PVR150 too with very seldom a hickup. However you should check whether the settop box you want to purchase is listed in the boxes of the Hauppauge software. If not then haupblast.exe (the program called by GBPVR to send the IR signals) does not now the commands.
I suggest you download the latest Hauppauge IRblaster software and check then because new boxes are added regularly.

[lajams]

I have a digital STB dedicated to GBPVR. I taped the PVR-150 IR emitter directly over the sensor on the box. This works fine. I seem to remember I had to do some tinkering with config to get it to work but nothing difficult.

If the STB for the computer is in the same room as another identical STB for the TV make sure the computers STB is shielded from the TV remote. I have lost a few recordings because my GF shut both boxes off with the tv remote when going to bed.

Thanks much. My server is in the basement, no other devices around besides the networking equipment and infrastructure to tie it together. If you remember what tinkering you had to do, let me know...it might save some pain for me later on.

[lajams]

The IR Blaster should work ok. The cables are known to be faulty, I had to get Hauppauge to send me 2 replacements before it worked for me.

Occassionally my STB doesn't pick up one of the numbers emitted by the blaster, which obviously ends up recording something else.

What I do is still retain the PVR150 tuner for non-digital channels, and only use the blaster when I absolutely have to.

Yea, I wondered at the IR cable, it is pretty slim (like a radio shack piece or something). Hopefully mine will work ok. But the problem with the STB not picking up the IR Blaster worries me. So even if I have a working cable I could expect to maybe have an issue?

I hadn't thought of using the PVR150 tuner AND the cable box together...that may not be a bad option. But I like to keep things simple, so I tend to be an "all-or-nothing" guy. I'd prefer to do it all over analog, or all over digital. I'll keep that option in mind though as I work through an implementation.

Thanks much for the feedback.

[lajams]

I use the IR blaster from the Hauppauge PVR150 too with very seldom a hickup. However you should check whether the settop box you want to purchase is listed in the boxes of the Hauppauge software. If not then haupblast.exe (the program called by GBPVR to send the IR signals) does not now the commands.
I suggest you download the latest Hauppauge IRblaster software and check then because new boxes are added regularly.

Yep, I checked and none of the cable boxes is specifically listed as being supported. I'm worried, too, that the hauppage support for STBs is not updated all that often....I think it was last updated in June for 1.3, or something?

I've also heard the IR Blaster doesn't work well with either the DCT700 or the higher-end models in this line either, something ot the effect of the frequency output of the emitter.

So I started looking at the USB-UIRT as an alternative. But that would be around 80.00 to buy a set-top-box, 50.00 for the usb-uirt, and maybe 50.00 for the girder software, if required. Kaching Kaching Kaching....

I guess the bottom line is I just want something that works 99.9% of the time and is reliable. With two young children and a demanding wife, I don't have time to tinker like I used to.

[lajams]

Another question for you guys with the IR Blasters....do you have to be logged into your PVR pcs for the software to be able to control the STB? One additional requirement I have is that I don't have to be logged in for everything to work.

Thanks again for all the feedback.

[Ted the Penguin]

are you buying the cable box yourself? or is it being provided by the cable company, and you just know the exact one you are getting.

I strongly suggest trying to get something in the DCT2xxx series, they are very well supported in many other apps, and you can change channels through serial (assuming its enabled) which is much more reliable.

I would imagine that it will work fine when you are not logged in, assuming things like post/parallel processing work as well

[Zato]

The problem with ANY IR blaster is that it's a one-way signal. There is no way for the system to know if it changed to the appropriate channel, or even if the STB is on.

If you can get a STB with serial connection, that's the best way to go.