tv tuner and the problem with ir connectivity with set top boxes

[182ndinfantry]

i have a motorola set top box fairly new and a hdx 16 laptop with integrated tv tuner i get everything connected and going along great until it says ir reciever cannot connect to set top box

what is the problem here is there anyone struggling with the same irritating halt in viewing cable tv from your laptop.

is there any way to bypass this

or product which will solve the problem i have heard something about an ir blaster something i aploigize for my not so tech savy words....its true what they say about infantry soldiers were not to savy but get the dirty work done HOOAH

all your help is appreciated

[Scottgem]

This is actually an industry wide problem. Settop manufacturers have not played well with computer manufacturers on allowing computers to control the settop box. Until that happens, you have to control the settop box directly. So if you want to watch channel 2 on your laptop, you have to manually tune the settop box to channel 2 and leave your computer's tuner on the channel for your area (usually 3 or 4).

If you want to use your laptop's tuner, you have to connect the cable directly, bypassing the settop box. Of course this means you can't watch scrambled channels. 

An IR blaster is a device placed over the IR remote receiver on the Settop box whichc will then send a channel change  signal from another device. TIVOs use this method to change channels for scheduled recordings. So it does work. SnapStream makes one for PCs.

[JoE-P]

Hi.....

  .......I just returned an HP Pavillion to HP for repair. They haven't returned it yet. It was customized with a TV-tuner, and the HP and Windows Media TV setup wouldn't commit through installation. Hp Media couldn't detect anything, and couldn't download programming info. The Windows Media TV setup wizard detected anything my HD setop-box channelled, but displayed only in the little window just before the end of the setup. ( I could change to any channel using the remote for the setop-box, but the wizard decided my system does not have the necessary IR set-up to allow control of the set-top-box using the Windows Media-Remote, and see only in that very small screen towards the end of setup).

  I talked with customer service on two occasions, one leading to another level of tech-support, to no avail. Seems HP didn't engineer software/hardware infrastructure for our laptops. They don't seem to have a clue. (I have an HP IQ 506 TouchScreen with a customized TV Tuner addon, the difference in this computer is there's a female-plug for the end of an IR emitter on the chassis, the other end being glued (with a self-adhering) to the IR receptor on front of the Set-Top-Box.

   My laptop has an IR receiver on front, but that alone will not allow control of the setop-box, using the Windows Media remote. The first HP techie I spoke with insisted my laptop had no listing for an IR Receiver in his spec-sheed/manual. I  led him to the 'device-manager' where the indication of the hardware is displayed. Soon after he referred me to a higher level tech, who initiated the process of returning the laptop for repair, or whatever.

    On the web, and in eBay, if you search "IR Receiver/Emitter", you should find branded OEM HP products of that kind, but they're not listed in HP's Home-Site. And there's no compatability info regarding anything but reference to Windows Vista (but they contain a USB plug-in that I assume has a receptor to attach the included IR Emitter). And Logitech has a product listed that offers a telephone help-line if there's need to verify compatability.

   Seems if I bought the USB TV Tuner HP has advertised in their home-site, and did not have a TV Tuner included in my customized laptop, I'd have control of my laptop for TV, since they include an IR Emitter in that package.

   Looks like there's a glaring hole in HP's laptop developement. My laptop's due to arrive tomorrow, and I don't anticipate the problem being resolved, given my experience so far.

[JoE-P]

   This is an addendum to my previous response, and the laptop (a dv4t) was returned in the same condition I sent it.... with the exception...

      .....The HP Media center had listed TV call-letters that I recognised as being from the San Fransisco Bay-Area. I figured they addressed my problem by connecting the TV cable directly to the computer, without indicating 'what' I need to run a set-top-box using Windows Media Remote, to operate the set-top box. I explained with screen-captures and typed correspondence of my experience with the Windows set-up proceedure, indicating the TV tuner received every digital station my TV receives, but only in the tiny screen almost at the end of the TV Set-up proceedure, and I must change the station with the Comcast-Remote. Then the setup-wizard kicks in to the next step and tells me my system can't operate with my IR infrastructure, and it tells me it's closing without saving anything.

   So I can get local stations to some extent, but nowhere close to what I receive thru my set-top box.

Seems those geniuses could develope drivers and software to allow my tuner to show all that it's capable of on the full-sized screen. Or modify what's already available to work with Windows 7, or other OS's.

[JoE-P]

If you search on eBay or Google, etc., ....using the terms 'IR receiver/emitter' you'll come accross an HP produce that seems to be only available from Indonesia or China. It's a Windows MCE remote (HP branded) with Ir receiver and emitter. Since it's not shown on HP' Home/Shopping site, I don't know how compatable it could be. In cross searching I've found reference to compatability primarily with Windows Vista, and a + reference to Windows 7. There are other similar products by other manufacturers. The element present in these products that allows use of Windows Media Remote to control the Set-Top Box is the IR emitter.

[JoE-P]

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3390588&csid=ITD&recordsP...

    Try the link above for a device that has properties, with testimonials, to operate Windows Media. This is the only one I've come accross that has positive testimony as to successful operation. The HP units available on eBay are NOT available on this site.

                                        JoE.P

[JoE-P]

   .....H'lo 182ndinfantry......

                .....................my previous replies may not have covered he subject in the most connected manner, and it seems we may be having the same problem. My dv4t has been customized with a tv-tuner, and the IR element that was installed along with it does not have the IR blaster, which is needed to connect to the set-top-box through a device that includes an IR receiver/ emitter(aka blaster).

   HP has a USB TV-tuner here on this site as an accessory, and it includes what appears to be the same equipment I mentioned previously here, referring looking for an IR Receiver/emitter on eBay or Google.

   I'm not suggesting buying another TV tuner, but the IR receiver/emitter, as I wrote just previously, appears to be identical to the HP IR receiver/emitters available through Google and eBay, but minus the USB TV/FM Tuner.

  Though the HP branded stuff on eBay/Google seems identical, I didn't see adaptablity beyond Windows Vista Home Premium, and the Hp TV Tuner setup here at HP appears to be adaptable to Windows 7. 

    I haven't tried the Ebay/Google stuff yet, and would probably, but the HTML address in my previous reply is where I'll probably go first, since most of the reviews make it seem perfect as first choice.

   One of the possibilities anticipated when trying the Tiger Direct appliance, (or the HP -eBay/Google stuff) is a conflict with the IR receiver already installed in my laptop. I know that device can be disabled in device manager, but I may try installing the IR receiver/emitter to see if the laptop accepts it as the default-device for my TV tuner.

   If you're still reading this thread, you could find this useful.

[ig88d]

JoE-P  any luck resolving your issue?

((I'm trying to connect a dv8 to a comcast dta with win7 mce.))

I just bought a hp dv8 that is supposed to have a tranceiver preinstalled. and i can't get mce (win7) to get beyond the "ir hardware not detected.' so i called hp and i've done a full system recovery 3 times and updated all the drivers and still get the same message. my understanding is that i shouldn't need a separate ir emitter. however, hp claims that i need to send my laptop back to get fixed.

i don't want to send the computer away if all i need to do is buy a blaster cable. however, i don't want to buy a blaster cable if i paid for a tranceiver and it's not working.

[JoE-P]

   If you didn't receive an IR blaster cable with your unit, chances are the receiver you got is an IR receiver that receives signals from your remote-control/s and that's not designed to operate through your 'Cable-Set-Top-Box', it's meant to control aspects of Windows Media.

   When I first got my HP laptop, I tried relating the 'Live-TV' Windows-Media and HP's media configuration. There was no operability for ANYTHING through the set-top-box. The few stations received through cable, to me, were not worth watching. Trying to ordinate TV with software scrambled me to a point where I tried a system restore.The 'restore' announced 'restore-unsuccessful' several times after the lengthy restore processes. HP  tech support didn't seem to be aware of all possible equipment needed to operate through a 'set-top-box'. (how many types of computers do they make and sell?)I sent the machine to HP for repair, and when it was returned, I found the technicians had successfully programmed a range of San Franciscos' TV stations, but none that could be accessed thru a set-top-box. It was about the same range of stations I receive here in Harrisburg, PA.  (By the way, I have an HP IQ 506 Touchscreen, that CAN be operated through a set-top-box, and had little or no trouble setting it up. It'll receive anything my digital TV SET-TOP receives. And it came with an IR cable to attach to the IR receiver on the set-top-box.)  Customer/Tech support didn't connect mentaly with my problem by phone. One maintained my laptop  did not have an IR receiver 'till I pointed to it in Device Manager. But it was tha IR receiver that controls Windows Media and HP Media, and has no relationship with Set-Top-Boxes.

   In a previous letter in this thread, I mentioned an IR setup available thru TigerDirect, that was stated by a purchaser to be operable with Windows 7 64 bit. He stated it worked. I eventually bought it and hesitatingly tried it. (I also thought I should uninstall the IR driver that came with the machine, but I didn't. Maybe that was part of the problem that ensued). Anyway, I screwed up my system and tried system-restore, and each of the lengthy attempts resulted in 'restore-unsuccessful'.  Sent it back to HP for another repair.

   A week or so ago, I tried installing a couple dialup programs for economic emergencies, and 'tho 'Net-Zero' went almost flawllessly, MSN Dialup accepted my account (took my financial info)  but their software assaulted me with conflicting info, so thinking it could be a problem with my laptop, decided to do a system-recovery, with the same results mentioned previously.

   Just got it back yesterday, and am reluctant to try using the TV setup bought from Tiger Direct. (HP did replace my hardrive, even 'tho telephone tech-support, after having me run a diagnosis, stated there was nothing wrong with it)

     Somewhere in forums, etc.,  someone mentioned there seems to be a lack of knowledge in the industry about TV/Laptop relationships.

    My HP all-in-one works with a TV Set-Top perfectly. It would be nice if ads in the HP site would state their TV tuners DO or DO NOT work with set-top boxes, and will only pull a limited range of signals from only cable ot external antennae.

[JoE-P]

   H'lo ig88d,

      This is a followup to my previous response to you. I checked your dv8 configuration in HPs' product-site, and it seems we have the same TV tuner. My guess about laptop TV hartdware/software is that the manufacturers or designer/engineers believe since they're making a portable device, carrying around a set-top box to watch the full range TV schedule is impossible, so they included only an IR receiver that you point at your laptop, and it can control Windows and HP MEDIA  software, but in regards to TV, only the channels receivable directly through the cable or an external antenna. If you want to risk trying an element that includes an IR CABLE (BLASTER)  that attaches to your Set-Top-Box, HP has a USB TV with IR Blaster unit that is not available on their sit e(you can check otherwise), but is available on eBay. The only shipping point I remember from eBay is China. (I discovered my HP DV4T-1500 is made i9n China. (worried about counterfeit devices). Then there's the unit from Tiger Direct (that's out of stock).  But since you already have a TV tuner, adding the HP USB TV tuner with blaster cable could cause a conflict with your tuner, and even if you uninstall it, whenever you reboot your computer, the 'found-new-hardware-wizard' could detect it. Wish I could be of more help, but I'm not that tech savvy. (the two "v"s to the left look like a "W".) Seems HPs' tech support, though congenial, doesn't have enough knowledge about the diverse properties of their products. I've returned my laptop three times for in warranty repair. If I thought this would be a positive learning experience, I'd have tried my hand at reinstalling the 'cable-blaster' containing device from 'Tiger Direct', but I'm feeling a little leary. When Fedex delivered the machine yesterday, I thought the first thing I should do is do a 'system-restore', (to see if I have the same problem) but I chickened out. Just hope if things go badly again,  and I still can't do a 'system-restore' it will be 'in warranty'