How-to Set Up IR Server Suite with HD-PVR and Media Center
I wrote a post a little while ago about How-to use the HD-PVR with Windows Media Center. A lot of people, including me, have experienced slow channel changes with the internal HD-PVR IR blaster. One of the options with the native Hauppauge drivers is to use an external IR blaster. We’ve been using the IR Server Suite which is very powerful but the documentation is a little thin. Especially since it was designed initially for other software. Below are the steps I went through to get it set up on my system. Hopefully it will help others.
Before you get started, If you also have a Hauppauge WinTV-HVR-1850 or WinTV-HVR-2250 installed, use the Hauppauge Windows Media Center remote control receiver/blaster configuration utility (Hcwcirconfig_tool_1.2.28165.exe) to enable or disable the built-in IR receiver/blaster hardware. Download it from the Hauppauge Support site (Accessories tab).
How to set up the IR Server Suite
- Download IR Server Suite – Test Build 1.4.2.3281.zip
- Run setup
- Under tools, leave everything selected and ALSO check IR File Tool and CommandLine Tools
- Click Next
- Leave IR Server as Service selected
- Click Next
- Click Install
- Leave ‘Run IR Server Configuration’ checked and click Finish
- Deselect everything except Microsoft MCE (you should see both boxes checked next to the Configure button)
- Click the Configure button next Microsoft MCE
- On the Basic tab, deselect ‘Disable Windows Media Center services’
- Click OK to close the config dialog
- Click OK
- Click OK to restart the IR Server
- Go to C:\ProgramData\IR Server Suite
- Look in the Set Top Boxes folder and see if one of the boxes is the one you have.
- If there is one, open its folder and copy all the *.ir files to C:\ProgramData\IR Server Suite\IR Commands
- Then right-click on the IR Server icon in your task tray and click Configuration
- Then click OK and OK again to restart the IR Server
- If your Set Top Box is not one of the ones listed, you’ll need to have Server Suite Learn the commands
- Click the Windows Start orb and go to IR Server Suite
- Find the IR File tool and click it to run
- Under Server at the top, click Connect
- You should then be connected to the server
- Get your Set Top Remote and get it positioned near (maybe an inch or 2 away) and pointed at your IR receiver device
- Click File – New
- Click Learn IR and press the button on your remote (start with the 1 button). Press the button but don’t hold it down.
- You’ll see a bunch of numbers and at the bottom ‘Learned IR Successfully’. If you don’t get it right away, try holding your remote a little closer or a little further away.
- Then click File – Save As and save it to C:\ProgramData\IR Server Suite\IR Commands as the key.IR. So, if you just programmed the 1 key it would be 1.IR
- Continue with the steps above for all the numbers 0 to 9 and the Select button (label it SEL.IR) I created one called E.IR that is just a duplicate of SEL.IR.
- Close the IR File Tool
- Then right-click on the IR Server icon in your task tray and click Configuration
- Then click OK and OK again to restart the IR Server
Next, you have to go into your Registry and enable the HD-PVR drivers to use your new IR Server Suite. Be careful editing your registry as you could screw up your computer.
- Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\PSWTuner\HCW49SWT\Blaster
- Set “ActiveBlaster”=dword:00000002
- Set “ExtAppName” to the path C:\Program Files\IR Server Suite\IRBlast-NoWindow.exe
- Set “ExtAppArgs” to -host localhost -delay 250 -channel %c “E.IR”
If you are interested, Wolfe explains more about these external arguments in his post on The Green Button.
Here is an export from my registry:
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\PSWTuner\HCW49SWT\Blaster]
“ActiveBlaster”=dword:00000002
“ExtAppArgs”=”-host localhost -delay 250 -channel %c \”E.IR\”"
“ExtAppName”=”C:\\Program Files\\IR Server Suite\\IRBlast-NoWindow.exe”
Hopefully these instructions will be helpful to you. Now, go enjoy some HD.
[...] I use the IR Server Suite to change channels. I’ve posted my notes on the installation: here. [...]
When i get to learning my cable box i open the IR file tool, connect to server, and then file new. But i cannot click the learn button, it is grayed out. I would really appreciate the help!
First, to be clear, have you set up an external IR receiver? We’re not going to be using the HD-PVR receiver at all. I use the one from this kit (you don’t need the remote but the receiver works fine) http://is.gd/kcH02
Do you have check in both transmit and receive boxes for MCE Remote like in this picture: http://is.gd/kcH3J
You don’t have any trouble connecting to the server? If I remember right it does make a firewall permission when it gets set up. You could try disabling the Windows firewall temporarily to see if that works.
Do you have any other TV tuners in your computer that have their own IR port?
Actually i was using the hdpvr ir receiver. But i ran into other problems like not being able to transfer and watch the recordings on my ps3. Do you happen to know if i can get it to record to like a .ts?
Sorry, should have made more clear that these instructions are for an external (non-HDPVR) IR reciever/blaster.
Check out the PS3 tab on the Hauppauge support site and see if that helps. http://hauppauge.com/site/support/support_hdpvr.html
Approximately how fast are your channel changes with this setup? With hdpvr built-in IR I started at around 20 to 25 second channel changes. With tweaks for IR timing, fixed video resolution and audio I am at about 8 or 9 seconds.
Fauppauge says that the hardware encoder resets on video or audio stream interrupt and causes a 2 to 4 second delay (real smart design). Can you advise if this delay represents the fastest possible channel change? I am presuming my set top box breaks the A/V stream on channel change even with it set at fixed video and audio output.
Your info on the hdpvr is awesome! Thank you.
It has been awhile since I timed it. I’ll see if I can get some time this weekend to do that.
I got the remote that you suggested and i am now having troubles learning my remote. I got it to learn 1 but then after that it didn’t want to learn the other buttons. How does the light on your receiver look when you learn codes?
After installing following these directions, I had trouble getting IR Server Suite to “initialize” after the PC was booted (it wouldn’t send commands.) I could get it to work if I opened the configuration, then hit OK to restart the IR Server. After disabling the IR Server in windows services, rebooting, setting back to automatic, and rebooting again, IR server now initializes fine after a reboot. I’m running Win7 64bit.
Just got this working…it doesn’t seem to be any faster than using the HD-PVRs IR Blaster, but it has the added benefit of letting the remote control everything in Media Center better.
The required registry keys are not present on my machine. Anyone have any suggestions on why and how to fix. Thx
Thank you for the guide. Same for me on win7 x64, no keys in the registry. I did get it to work with mce with remote and keyboard just fine. When trying to record the ir signal is not transmitted to the STB. So, the registry keys seem to be very important. Any help will be appreciated.
Greeting’s from Sweden
reg keys no longer required. You’ll enter these values in the Colossus / HD PVR setup application.
Once you do, the damn remote works the media center just fine….
Now ALL I NEED is a way to have 4 of these in one box, controlling 4 STB’s…
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