Registered: Oct 2000
Location: LLantwit Major
Posts: 49

Tivo Serial Link to Sky Box

Hi all
Im really really really starting to get p**Sed off with the IR link
to my grundig box. Ive lost a load of recordinf where the digits
got doubled up :-( Ive tried all the codes, built a fort, even opened the sky box blanked off the front panel and put the tivo led inside!
I still get the double digits occasionally. Why does the tivo not
come with a serial link to the rs232 on the sky box. I have seen several products out there that connect to the 232 on a sky box. So if tivo are recommended by sky why can they not work a little more closely and get a serial link working ?
Im going to see if I can work out how the sky 232 port works and then it will be time of a little tivo hacking. Has any one at all got any pointers to the 232 port on the sky boxes.

Alun

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Registered: Oct 2000
Location: Isleworth, UK
Posts: 121

I was having problems last week until I switched to using the wired IR and most of the times it works properly now. It does still occasionally give double numbers, though. Surely this is a software problem?

Kevin

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I have the same problems, and also a Grundig Sky Digibox. Is anyone having this problem with a digibox that isn't a Grundig?

If you watch the tivo change channel, it looks like it blips the grundig led 3 times for each number, yet if you change it with the sky controller it just lights up once. I'm not sure if the code is exactly right yet...

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Registered: Oct 2000
Location: Leeds U.K.
Posts: 11

I have an amstrad box and it has work every time for me over the last week or so that I have had the TiVo. I am using 2000 fast as the code`s sent.

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I've just had a new Grundig Digibox installed and my TiVo seems to control
it on 2000 medium without any problems, 2000 fast gives the duplicate
first digit of the channel number problem as discussed elsewhere.

A serial link would be much better...

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Grundig Sky box, duplicated digits. I have it set to 20000 slow and actually switched back to the built in blaster; but still occasionally doubling up. I must report it to customer services again - if we all do they they should check into it.

Simeon

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Simeon Tankard

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I get the extra/missed digits sometimes using 2000 medium on a Pace Digibox.

Also mine can never get the channel up/down when watching Live TV.

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Registered: Oct 2000
Location: Hull, East Yorkshire,England
Posts: 4

I use a Tivo with a Sky digibox from Panasonic and it works fine (sound of explosion in distance...)

I thought that all Sky digiboxes were shipped with identical Remote Controls (so as not to confuse us punters). They must all use the same IR messages otherwise the Open keyboard wouldn't work on all models. Therefore I'd reccommend trying the Pansonic settings if the specific ones for your digibox give you grief.

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Registered: Oct 2000
Location: Isleworth, UK
Posts: 121

quote:

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Originally posted by RobMiles:
I use a Tivo with a Sky digibox from Panasonic and it works fine (sound of explosion in distance...)

I thought that all Sky digiboxes were shipped with identical Remote Controls (so as not to confuse us punters). They must all use the same IR messages otherwise the Open keyboard wouldn't work on all models. Therefore I'd reccommend trying the Pansonic settings if the specific ones for your digibox give you grief.

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Registered: Oct 2000
Location: Pleasanton, CA, USA
Posts: 25

The codes are the same for all Sky boxes. Code 20000 for Amstrad is identical to code 20000 for Panasonic. Even though the IR format is identical, each box will respond differently. We will continue to investigtate these issues, as well as the serial control option.

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Registered: Oct 2000
Location: Pleasanton, CA, USA
Posts: 25

I have just posted a reply in another IR thread suggesting you try Panasonic code 31, Philips code 32 and Philips code 33 with the Grundig box. This may work better. Seeing that the old (slow) Amstrad box works fine leads me to believe that it is possibly an interference problem with the IR receiver in the Grundig box, but these codes may work better. Make sure you are only using one of the emitters, and try to aim it straight at the receiver instead of at an angle.

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Registered: Oct 2000
Location: Isleworth, UK
Posts: 121

But I get exactly the same problem with my Pace box, so its not just Grundigs with the problem. FYI I never have tee problem with the original remote, or any of my Universal remotes.

Kevin

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I have exactly the same problem with a Pace Digibox. It is extremely frustrating pressing channel up or down and having to wait for the codes to be inputted into the box. If I try to flick through channels quickly, the box gets mixed up and out of synch. It would be far better if pressing channel up/down did exactly that and it was up to us to make sure that the Digibox is tuned to the channel that the Tivo thinks it is (or even if the Tivo only inputs the three digit code when it is going to make a recording).

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Whilst I experience similar problems on my TiVo + Pace Skybox system (additional first digit) and do not like waiting for the channel up/down to send the full 3-digit number, I do not think that it is possible for the TiVo to remain in sync with (on the same channel as) the Skybox for too long if it merely send the channel up/down command.

If you deselect items in the TiVo channel setup, TiVo (I think) will skip these out whereas the Skybox will not (as it doesnt know they're deselected).

Question: Does the Sky digibox support control via it's serial port (by anything, not just the TiVo) and does anyone know what the skybox serial port is for?

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Registered: Oct 2000
Location: W. Yorks, UK
Posts: 1833

Maybe Sky Digital runs on Linux and we can hack it via the serial port

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This is something that is getting totally p***ed off!
Three days in a row now Working Lunch in BBC1(101) has not recorded but I get half an hour of a static UK gold 2 banner!

Would use Terestial to record, but the sound quality is unbearable!

Ho Hum....
Adam

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Registered: Oct 2000
Location: W. Yorks, UK
Posts: 1833

Are you using Grundig code 20006? If not do - its the only Sky code that works reliably (regardless of Sky box type).

Also make sure you turned off the front IR blaster if using the external wired one (recommended).


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Registered: Oct 2000
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quote:

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Originally posted by alunj:
Has any one at all got any pointers to the 232 port on the sky boxes.

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