Newby issue TV Tuner with Direct TV- I've searched FAQ and forums first! (1 Viewer)

rxrep

New Member
December 2, 2011
2
0
Hello all and thanks in advance. I need specific help with set up of TV Tuner via Direct TV STB. All I want to do is keep PC on channel 3 and watch live TV and change channels from Direct TV set top box, as if PC were a TV. I don't need to record or have any other bells and whistles, although I'll take it forced to as only option. I have whole house DVR so I can do that from most anywhere else and won't need that in the kitchen where this PC sits.
Equipment-

HP All-in-one Touchsmart PC with HP USB RG6 Coax TV Tuner
Direct TV Box
Windows 7 64 bit

Media Center wouldn't let me set up Direct TV in any shape or form. It wants to run an IR Blaster through the STB, and neither my PC nor my Direct TV STB are set up for that. I was hoping mediaportal gave me another alternative to do this.
This PC sits on my kitchen counter and is used as a tablet type option, but I also want to watch TV through it as well.

Please help me find a solution through mediaportal that works. Best case is I just show a live feed of Direct Tv and I'll change channels and what not via the STB. Ultimately I just want the PC to act like a TV that is getting a RG6 coax feed from the set top box.

I'd be willing to explore other software, add ons, or hardware (except for the PC or Direct TV itself) to make this happen.

Please guide me in the right direction!
 

mm1352000

Retired Team Member
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  • September 1, 2008
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    Hi and welcome rxrep :)

    So basically you have two options for integrating DirecTV with an analog tuner:
    1. Blaster setup.
    2. Change channels on the STB with the STB remote.

    It sounds like you want option 2, which should be very easy with MP as long as your tuner is supported.

    First the basics...
    Check if your tuner is listed in TV Server configuration in the tuner list (example: here) as an analog tuner. If it is listed then that is a good first step.

    Next thing you'll need are software encoders to convert the analog signals from the STB to digital signals that the PC can handle. For that try the ATI encoders mentioned -->here<-- or contact the guy from -->this thread<--. After installing (a reboot will almost certainly be required), check that the encoders are recognised on the "software encoder" tab in the "general" section of TV Server configuration. If you don't have at least one encoder marked as installed there then nothing will work, so don't proceed until you have that sorted.

    Next step is to scan for channels. Since you're only interested in channel 3 you can cancel after channel 3 (or after the first channel is found). Basically:
    1. Open TV Server configuration.
    2. Expand the "TV Servers" section.
    3. Expand your TV Server.
    4. Select the analog tuner - you should see something like -->this<--.
    5. Select the correct country and then click "scan for TV channels".

    Hopefully channel 3 will be recognised as having signal. If not, you may need to try changing source (ie. "cable" instead of "antenna" or vice-versa).

    Once you have that sorted let me know and I'll provide further info. I also need to know whether you want to see the electronic programme guide data in MediaPortal...

    mm
     

    rxrep

    New Member
    December 2, 2011
    2
    0
    Thanks so much for giving the detail, explanation as to what we need to do (swithcing analog to digital) and url's to get this rolling. The Evil Comcast internet broke down last night, and they finally fixed it, so I'm going to try this all this afternoon.

    I'd have never figured this out on my own, even though the logic and steps make perfect sense to me.

    I don't need a guide on the CPU screen.

    I'll get as far as you'd given direction for and get back to you. Thanks again; I'm amazed at the level of help you've given.

    LEE
     

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