Windows 7 and Virgin Media STB Woes [Samsung 2110c] - UK

[cliffwright]

Hi Guys,

I've asked this on the Green Button forum but got a tumbleweed response as usual on that forum (I'm starting to get paranoid I'm invisible over there!) so hopefully someone here can help somehow . . . [or point out the ineptitudes of my post so I know why nobody is responding at all . . .]

I'm in the process of upgrading the last media center box which is currently running on Vista and am upgrading to Win 7.
This Vista box currently has an Hauppage 150 analogue TV card into which I feed my Virgin Cable TV signal via a Samsung 2110c STB - This all works fine and dandy.

Yesterday I installed Win 7 on a new partition and ran through the setup process to teach it the IR codes for the STB, but Win 7 Media Centre refuses to recognise them. Having googled about, I can only really find 2 or 3 threads relating to this problem - all of which basically say that the Samsung box isn't compatible with Win 7 MCE.

So I'm a tad stuck now - Anyone any suggestions?

All's I can think of doing is;
(a) stick with Vista [I'd REALLY rather not]
(b) Switch back to Sky and upgrade to Win 7
or
© try buying another non-samsung cable box off eBay or somewhere . . . if so, how do I know which'll work?

Anyone help?!?

Cheers

Cliff

[northan]

I envy you, never got that function to work.
Still you would like something to help I guess

http://www.cableforum.co.uk/board/11/336...enter.html not sure on that

You can get a dream box http://www.dvbmonkey.com/catalog/index.p...roductId=8

Its a hard one mate, maybe cut your losses and start again

[cliffwright]

(12-07-2010 09:32 PM)northan Wrote:  I envy you, never got that function to work.
Still you would like something to help I guess

http://www.cableforum.co.uk/board/11/336...enter.html not sure on that

You can get a dream box http://www.dvbmonkey.com/catalog/index.p...roductId=8

Its a hard one mate, maybe cut your losses and start again

Thanks for these - these didn't directly help [both methods didn't work at all] but I used a couple of key phrases from the 2nd link to have another google about and found a page which suggested that if you use a universal learning remote to learn the IR commands of the Samsung box, then in turn use this to try and teach media center, it'd work.

SO . . I tried this with my Gyration remote - taught it the Samsung box codes - then used this to teach Media center - strangely it sort of works. [I can't for the life of me logically fathom why though?!]

This method gets me beyond the 'learning' phase of the STB setup process in MCE but does result in new issues . . .

After fiddling with the IR blaster a bit, I managed to get it successfully changing the channel for 'simple' channels like 101 - 102 - 103 etc, but it fails miserably when it comes to any kind of repetition. 111, 112 etc just results in the Samsung box recieving '1' and nothing else . . .

In desperation I've ordered a newer second hand Virgin V box off eBay (which I understand is a CISCO model) but not sure how different it'll be . . . (I'll just stick it back on eBay if no different).

Anyone any thoughts on the reason passing through a learning remote would make a difference? Just wondering if this is the key to why the repetition wouldn't work? Is is possible that the standard remote might emit a slightly different IR code for a repeated number press?!

This is all just so annoying . . . it works seemlessly in Vista and is totally reliable . . . but 'upgrade' to Win 7 and it's rubbish . . . go figure . .

C

[elootos]

Hmmm, I can only assume that the universal remote is designed to be very tolerant on input and very universal on output.

So do you tune Media Center to the Hauppauge input which of course shows the STB channels?

[cliffwright]

(12-09-2010 10:02 PM)elootos Wrote:  So do you tune Media Center to the Hauppauge input which of course shows the STB channels?

Um . . . not sure what you mean there fella?!

You 'teach' media center the Samsung STB box IR codes via the Microsoft remote receiver [or try to anyway] so that it can then control the channel changing on the STB that is connected to the PVR 150 via the component connections.

What makes it so damned frustrating is that it's soooo easy to setup in Vista. 2 minute job literally.

Really not sure what to do now . . .

[elootos]

(12-09-2010 10:46 PM)cliffwright Wrote:  

(12-09-2010 10:02 PM)elootos Wrote:  So do you tune Media Center to the Hauppauge input which of course shows the STB channels?

Um . . . not sure what you mean there fella?!

You 'teach' media center the Samsung STB box IR codes via the Microsoft remote receiver [or try to anyway] so that it can then control the channel changing on the STB that is connected to the PVR 150 via the component connections.

What makes it so damned frustrating is that it's soooo easy to setup in Vista. 2 minute job literally.

Really not sure what to do now . . .

Gotya! So essentially Media Center becomes just a fancy recorder for it.

What's the PQ like through the PVR 150?

[cliffwright]

(12-10-2010 03:02 PM)elootos Wrote:  Gotya! So essentially Media Center becomes just a fancy recorder for it.

What's the PQ like through the PVR 150?

that's it . . . MCE is just records one pipeline (the 'picture' pushed into the component in) but is able (or should be) to control the feed into the pipeline.

PQ is 'OK'. On a 'normal' TV (by this I mean 32" or less) you wouldn't question it - if you compare it side-by-side to the PQ of the Freesat signal it's more noticably fuzzier - and on the PJ it's almost unwatchable . . . but to be honest, the vast majority of our viewing is done via the Freesat tuners - especially with the HD channels too - but we use the Virgin box for subscription channels like Sky Sports which is rarer.

On my eventual list of 'things to do' is to investigate whether it's possible to achieve the same effect but in an HD format.

Not sure how though . . . I think the PVR 150 is probably the limiting factor . . . any thoughts on feeding a HD signal into a Media Center? Obviously getting a Virgin HD box is the easy part . . .

[cliffwright]

Update;

So I've 'fixed' it

After SKY sent me a 1/2 price for 12 months offer I cancelled the Virgin TV and switched back to SKY - Followed the STB setup process - Job done.

Whilst I was at it, I also got around to routing another Sat cable from the dish, down the wall, drilled another hole into the lounge, under the lounge floor, under the hall floor and into the under stairs cupboard where all my 'kit' is . . . so I've now got the SKY STB for 'premium' channels (Sky sports etc) and a Freesat card for 'Standard' channels which now also gives me HD on BBC and ITV

So Virgin can whistle with their stupid STB IR commands!