Windows 7 TV Tuner Issue

[Losenas]

My TV broke a few days ago, so I got a TV tuner in order to plug my cable box into my laptop. It is a Hauppauge WinTV-HVR 950Q Hybrid TV Stick. I installed the drivers and tried to use Windows Media Center to watch TV. Things went fine at first, but then I got a screen with the following message:

"Your IR reciever does not support set-top boxes. Using your current IR receiver, Windows Media Center cannot change channels on a set-top box. To control a set-top box, you must have an IR receiver with IR control cable connectors."

Now, basically what I'm getting out of this is that I won't be able to change the channel/go to the guide/etc. on my cable box from my computer. That's fine - I have a remote that can do that. But Windows isn't letting me go on anyway... help?

 

[Saltgrass]

Don't most cable boxes have only one output channel? So you would need to change the channel on the cable box anyway?

Do you have the type of system you can connect the cable input directly to the tuner card and bypass the cable box?

Do you have some type of adapter that might plug into the cable box to allow a separate IR control?

I am also a little confused by the IR receiver comments, and have no idea what "IR control cable connectors" are. I did find this if it makes a difference on the Hauppauge site.

The Hauppauge remote control is not MCE certified and does not replace Media Center remote control.

 

[Losenas]

Thanks for the fast reply!

Don't most cable boxes have only one output channel? So you would need to change the channel on the cable box anyway?

Yes, I would have to change the channel on the cable box, which is part of the reason why this is so annoying...

Do you have the type of system you can connect the cable input directly to the tuner card and bypass the cable box?

I'm not sure if that would work or not, but I'm more worried about being able to view the shows that the cable box recorded than viewing live TV. :/

Do you have some type of adapter that might plug into the cable box to allow a separate IR control?

I don't know if I do... I don't know what an IR control is. What would it look like?

I am also a little confused by the IR receiver comments, and have no idea what "IR control cable connectors" are. I did find this if it makes a difference on the Hauppauge site.

Hmm... well, when I went to the Hauppauge site it said that it should work with WMC. I was actually following the instructions on their site when this error popped up, so they think that it should work. :/

 

[jackoab]

The Hauppauge remote control is not MCE certified and does not replace Media Center remote control.

The WinTV-HVR-950Q is AQ certified for use with Windows 7 Media Center application

This is a direct quote from the Hauppauge website, the unit is MC compatible the Remote control isn't, this is a common problem with TV Cards you have to look for one that is Microsoft certified.

 

[Losenas]

Is there any way to get around this? I don't really need the remote to work with my computer, I can just control the cable box itself with its remote. It seems like a waste to get a separate remote for the computer.

 

[jackoab]

I don't know the unit you have but I would imagine you can either unplug it or disable the driver in the software.

 

[Losenas]

Unplug what? If I unplug the tuner, I can't get the signal, and nothing else is plugged in... what would disabling the driver inolve?

 

[jackoab]

I would suggest you look on the Hauppauge Support Page as I don't know the unit you are using and I've always found them very helpful.

 

[Saltgrass]

Have we now determined that you are not using the Hauppauge remote for anything?

We have determined that the cable remote works normally?

Is there a need for you to set up Media Center to work with more that one tuner/channel? I am still a little confused by what is the device being referred to as the IR receiver, but if Media Center does not need to change the channel, I do not see why you get the message, unless the setup is not being handled correctly. Does the Media Center setup give you the ability to change channels or select content through it?

Does your computer have a hard wire cable or an IR port or transmitter that could be used to change the channels on the cable box?

Sorry about the questions, and I know I am probably just aggravating you, but I cannot remember the requirements/procedures for setting this up. I do have a TV card I have not yet added to my install, but I might try that tonight. My content will come from a Satellite box, which really should not make a difference.

 

[JessicaD]

What type of a cable box do you currently have? (Analog / Digital)

Some TV Tuners have a special IR adapter for use with a remote that comes with the hardware. Simultaneously, some laptops come with a remote control that can be used with WMP.

Are you able to see any image from your cable box at all?

 

[Saltgrass]

I just set up my tuner with Media Center. During the install I saw a screen that asked about the IR. Since I do not have that capability, I selected cancel and the install completed.

I will check later on getting an IR transmitter for my system or possibly a cable to substitute, but this would depend on your setup.

Edit: I may have spoken too soon. I did not notice the setup did not finish. It appears MCE is looking for a compatible IR receiver to use. My card is not MCE compatible, so the IR input for it may not be usable.

I am currently installing the WinTVv6 to see if I can get it to work. If it does I will try again to get the MCE setup to finish, but I do not really think it will.

 

[Saltgrass]

OK, unless someone knows differently, I will say in order to use a TV tuner card with MCE and a set top box, you will need to have the Media Center Remote Control Kit. The USB device shown is the IR transmitter I believe the MCE setup is looking for.

 

[Saltgrass]

If you do not want MCE to change the channels on the set top box, you might try setting up MCE manually and select Antenna. This does not seem to be able to find the S-Video input to my card, but I am using a PVR-150 which may not be compatible with Win 7. Since your device is newer, it might work better. This seems to be the only way to get away from the IR problem.

 

[Saltgrass]

I got my tuner to work in Vista 32 bit. I had to download and install a Link Removed - Invalid URL for WMC to complete the install. There is a pdf file that explains how to install the driver and setup WMC, or at least a version of it.

I have not tried, but it sounds like this driver does not appear to work with x64 versions.

Will it work in Win 7..have not tried because mine is x64, but it might very well work in 32 bit versions. If I can get it to work in x64, I will post back.