LinuxMCE Forums
General => Installation issues => Topic started by: rndinokc on June 19, 2009, 01:35:39 am
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OK I am at the wits end again. I have a bit of an unusual configuration. The core/hybrid is in a machine room with 4 Directv H21-200 HD receivers. The receivers are then coupled with 4 TV's throughout the house via component cables. Yes, the house was designed for this initially and I did not have much say in the matter. The problem is that I have 4 USBUIRT's connected to the core/hybrid and they all fire off at the same time sending commands to all 4 satellite receivers and changing the channels on every one. Is there any way to select which USBUIRT transmitter is used for each room? This thing is driving me to drink. The USBUIRT's all have USBUIRT 0038 as their parent. I sure hope there is a way around this. I guess I could get 4 media directors with one usbuirt on each and set it up that way but it would be pretty expensive. All I want to do is change channels etc on the cable boxes.
Any help would be appreciated.
Randy
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I can't comment on the USB-UIRT but you wouldn't need to setup 4 MD's. Check out the GC100 device, it has multiple IR ports all individually addressable.
gadget
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Technically, the system is designed to use one MD per room. That being said, there are workarounds (which are not considered supported configurations). It does depend on a number of factors in your setup, though. If all you are doing is using the core for direct a/v control of the receivers, you are better off getting an ir distribution system from Xantech or the like and sticking with the DirectTV remotes. Are you using MythTV? How is the core connected to the tv's? Are you using a vga or hdmi to component converter and sending the signal through a distribution amp? Do you just have the core connected to one monitor? A diagram of your setup would be very helpful in answering your question.
FYI - a component distribution amp and an ir distribution system would end up costing in the realm of $500. You could build 3 brand new MD's for less than $650 shipped. My point is that if you don't already have the components handy for the former, you may as well get the MD's and have a TON more functionality AND a supported configuration. All you have to do then is pipe the IR from each UIRT's output jack over cat5 down to the machine room. If you would like any specific parts info just let me know.
:Matt
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Yes, I tried the GC100 in the past with 7.10. It would not work, but I understand that it is working in 8.10 so I will check into it. I will get a diagram of the system I am working on. I think that having one MD in each room is a definate option. I can perhaps use one of the cat5's that I have to connect ir back to the machine room.
Thanks,
Randy
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I'm pretty sure you cannot control more than one USBUIRT from one media director/hybrid. The system is designed to have 1 MD per room. You can probably set up multiple EAs but its always going to send the same commands to all USBUIRTd on the same MD.
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Thanks Colin it looks like I will be in the market for 4 new media directors. I have 4 usbuirts that I will use on each media director I guess I will get the eee pc for media directors or is there something better on the horizon? Thanks everyone for your input I hope to get this system up and running in the next couple of weeks.
Randy
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Yes, the Acer Aspire Revo. Intel Atom, 1GB RAM 8GB SDD but with the nVidia 9400M GPU.... vastly better graphics grunt, and with coming support for HD video hardware decoding you can get for GBP150 here http://www.amazon.co.uk/Acer-Aspire-R3600-Desktop-Intel/dp/B00292BR1I/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1245537765&sr=1-1
In fact any new nettop type box based on the nVidia ION platform should be good. These are all just starting to roll now, so likely the prices will become even more competitive.
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Was it ever determined if the Revo actually has an optical out? There was speculation before it was released that the 3.5mm audio jack would include it, but I thought I read somewhere that the final version didn't...
:Matt
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I don't believe it does, I think you might be thinking of the Asus Eee Box, which includes an adaptor for the 3.5mm jack.... but Totallymaxed can confirm as they have some of these devices. Either way, the focus, I believe is on HDMI Audio, which they have already got working. This allows for the far higher banwidth require by some HD sources such as BluRay.
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A quick note:
The advantage of the GC100 route is, that you can define each GC100 to be in a separate room. That way, on your Orbiter, you can easily switch rooms, and have the GC100 control the relevant pieces. I would buy a single GC100 per receiver plus a single GC100 per TV set. Expensive, but rock solid.
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rndinokc:
Save your money! Use an IR router instead! Xantech makes these and they are a lot cheaper than multiple MDs (and take up less space at the same time). Check here: http://www.xantech.com/Controls/ControllersSwitches/Routers/RT8/
and here: http://www.xantech.com/Controls/ControllersSwitches/Routers/RT16-10/
You will have to add the IR routing to all of your normal IR commands to route the command before it's sent. It's a roundabout way, but it makes your installation smarter in the long run. If I were you, I would accumulate the hex code sequence (to include the IR routing commands) into a spreadsheet or database and enter it using the web admin. This way, if you ever need to adjust the sequence, change the outputs, or change your equipment, you can do it fairly quickly.
On another note, I wonder if one could connect USBUIRT units to remote MDs and maintain control of equipment local to the MD. Is this possible?
-W
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On another note, I wonder if one could connect USBUIRT units to remote MDs and maintain control of equipment local to the MD. Is this possible?
That's what you are supposed to do with these. Each USBUIRT connects to a different MD to control the equipment in that "room". The routing option you mention isn't going to work, the limitation isn't in the IR blasters, it is in the logic that LMCE uses... a USBUIRT connected to an MD is assumed to be controlling equipment in that room, it can't be used to control equipment in other rooms.
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not exactly.. of course each child of the UIRT can be assigned to another room. I've not tested it, but the device structure allows for such a szenario.
br, Hari
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not exactly.. of course each child of the UIRT can be assigned to another room. I've not tested it, but the device structure allows for such a szenario.
I tried it a couple of month ago without success.
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colin,
It WILL work. Add the routing commands to the IR database and adjust the scenario's commands in the webadmin. The other method is too ugly to offer here.
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colin,
It WILL work. Add the routing commands to the IR database and adjust the scenario's commands in the webadmin. The other method is too ugly to offer here.
I have an RT8 and it works great, but since you need to feed it the correct code to select the output first, it wouldn't really work in this situation. This is especially important when more than one device is being controlled at the same time. Since I don't think rndinokc is already using a zoned ir system, control is probably being done either on-screen or on a mobile/web orbiter. Either way, the hybrid has no way of knowing what routing code to send to the RT8 to begin with since it can only be assigned to a single room. Plus, an RT8 runs $150, the RC68+ programmer is another $100, so it's a $250 investment for a workaround that is kind of a pain.
Get the other MD's. It's cleaner and will give you so much more functionality than an independent hybrid.
:Matt
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Thanks for the ideas. I think I will end up with MD's in each room. The problem I have is that when I designed the house I was not aware of LMCE. I took the expensive route and ran component cables to nine rooms from the central media closet. Sounds crazy now but I hate to abandon $2000.00 worth of cable. Not to mention I will have to run some Cat 5 to some places where there are none now. I think I can use the componet cable for Live HD content somehow. I can put a MD in every room and have one LED emitter in the room and a LED emitter in the media closet to control the satellite box. Unfortunately, the audio is a question too, since the speaker cables for the rooms are also routed back to the media closet. I guess I could just use the audio from the MDs to the TVs without utilizing the wall speakers which are routed to the closet. Confusing? I will make a diagram of what I have. In addition I still dont have a working remote for my satellite boxes. Man this stuff is fun but taxes the mind. Again thanks and I am open to any suggestions.
Randy
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Are there receivers for each room in the media closet? How many coax/component/cat5 cables do you have run to each room? Was the goal of your original setup to have no visible external hardware?
:Matt
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Well you could centralise your MDs and then use the cabling to distribute your AV, but you would be better to have the MDs in the rooms for quality reasons
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Yes, in the beginning the idea was to have no visible components in any of the rooms. A very clean install. Now with nice little goodies like the revo etc. that is not an issue. I think I will go with the media directors in each room and run an IR cable back to the closet to control the receiver and the satellite STB. I have fours STB's in the closet so I have been thinking of having two controller by MD's in the rooms and maybe having two MD's in the closet with their only purpose to control the STB's and record video. I guess I could get 4 more STB's and have one for each TV. Therefore I would have a total of 8 STB's which gets a little pricey every month. I think the 4 kids rooms could maybe get their video from a couple of HDHomerun's on the network. Man this thing can fry the ole brain. I guess the nuts and bolts of the thing is how do I get 8 MD's to work with 4 STB's and have access to the 4 different satellite channels? Any ideas? Again thanks for your input.
Randy
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There are a number of factors involved. A wiring diagram of your house would be a huge help - # of component, hdmi, coax, and cat5 going to each room, types/resolution of TV's etc. If you have 8 tv's, you might want to consider a few distribution amps. They're normally $150+ but you can find some good deals ($20-60) right now on ebay for Calrad 40-934M units pulled from all the Circuit City stores that closed not too long ago. If you have some tv's that don't have component inputs or don't have wiring run to those rooms, you can always use modulators over coax. If you want to centralize the MD's, you will need to have either hdmi run, use hdmi over cat5 baluns, or use HDFury2 HDMI->Component converters. If you want to use 4 MD's for 8 tv's you will definitely need the distribution amps and the HDFury2's (best price at Monoprice.com).
:Matt