Changing remote controller code for Pace PVR

[urelement]

We have Shaw's Motorola PVR but find its limited capacity inadequate so recently purchased their Pace PVR plus 500G esata drive. We need to use both PVR's on the same TV. However, the Pace PVR remote control also controls the Motorola PVR and vice versa. Shaw's tech support initial reaction to this was that it must be possible to change the remote control channel but they just phoned back to say it is not. Has anyone found a fix for this problem?

We also use two Panasonic DVD recorders and their remote controllers will operate on 4 different channels to overcome this kind of problem. Usually there is no interference between controllers for equipment from two different manufacturers. Shaw seem to have deliberately created a situation where you cannot use more than one of their PVRs in the same location.

[57]

I believe that neither the Pace nor the Motorola will allow you to change the remote code. What you can do is have one unit on and one off, therefore only one will respond at a time. Hitting the power button will switch between the two. Of course covering the IR sensor will work - some people us a movable piece of something or tape over the IR sensor moving the tape.

[Jetranger]

57; Even doing that is problematic as when you hit the 'menu' or 'select' buttons the box that is off will go into the utility menus and changes might be made unintentionally.

Isolating the two is the only solution since Shaw seems to have totally missed the boat on this one (just kidding, I know they are missing so many things). This is yet another indicator of the poor (if any) user market research that Shaw does. Why not ask 'real' people what kind of features they would use on a home entertainment system component they are planning to offer?

[57]

Thanks for that Jetranger. I didn't realize that the box would accept commands from the remote if it's "off" (standby). I guess if you know this, then as long as you stay away from the menu you'd be OK?

(I guess I should have known this since the Motorola STB FAQ discusses this - I guess I assumed that you had to press menu on the STB, not via the remote and I thought you had to do it within a few seconds of turning the STB off...?)

I don't believe this happens on the SA STBs we have with Rogers.

[urelement]

Thanks for the comments. It seems the situation is as bad as it appears. Shaw has completely neglected the market of those who already have Motorola boxes, need increased capacity, and don't want to just throw away their existing investment. There are occasions when we want to record on more than two channels at once, and the capacity of the old Motorola PVR, while very low, is still usable.

On a Panasonic DVD recorder in another location which is distance from the TV set it drives I use a wireless IR link where the receiver is very directional. I can try a similar link with the Motorola box to see if pointing Shaw's controller to different locations in the room allows separate control. It would be a kludge workaround to Shaw's incredibly poor design -- all my other components allow remote to be switched across at least 4 different channels -- but it seems as if a kludge is the only approach possible.

[Jetranger]

I currently have 3 HD boxes up and running in my 'tv viewing room'; one Moto 6412P3, one Pace PVR and a Moto 6200 for my HTPC I am still tinkering with. I find that the Harmony One IR signal is so strong and seemingly non-directional that even having the units facing away from each other or even one behind me (the 6200 with the HTPC) still change channels or otherwise receive commands from the remote. The standard Shaw remote is much more 'directional' (but is limited in function, of course, when compared to the Harmony) so the problem is less noticeable but still, if you have the two boxes either beside or above or below each other, they will still both respond. I guess you could just adapt your behavior but wouldn't it have been nice for Shaw to have incorporated an addressable control system?

I wonder if this would be possible with just a software change or if it requires different hardware? I would think it should just be a software add on. Does anyone know about how this works in other addressable boxes? I know there is a 'setup' process to change the receiver and the remote to match each other but I am wondering if maybe some one like lindend would know if at least the Pace box might be capable of being 'addressable'?

Satellite receivers have had this feature for about 10 years or more now. Surely this is something Shaw could add very easily. I can just hear their excuse now; 'If we added that 'feature' it would only cause more problems for our technical support people when trying to assist customers over the phone.'

[57]

The reason Satellite STBs have this is because many of them use RF to go through walls, therefore without an addressable remote code, your neighbour would be changing your channels on you all the time (as we've seen in this forum).

With IR only devices, this is usually not necessary. I know that some devices have different codes, but to be honest I have over a dozen devices (AVRs, LD, DVD, Tape, STBs, TVs, VCR, Radio, etc) none of which is addressable.

PS, this is a manufacturing issue, so the "blame" should be with them, not with Shaw, the service provider.

[urelement]

Re "PS, this is a manufacturing issue, so the "blame" should be with them, not with Shaw, the service provider."

The Pace manual section on the remote controller just states that this is the responsibility of the cable company, and presumably Pace will support whatever spec the cable company supplies. So the poor design appears to be the result of Shaw choosing to use their existing proprietary remote control for both their cable boxes and making no provision for operating them with different codes.

[Alan Bealby]

I have two Shaw STB's, a DCT2000HT and a DCT6412. I tried using a IR extender located off to the side of my room and the DCT2000 behind my AV gear with the IR extender transmitter in front of it. It worked but was flaky. Generally losing some transmitted codes which made if quite frustrating as some code sequences with one lost command get the STB quite mixed up. I don't know whether the IR extender was flaky or whether it was the combination.

I don't use the DCT2000 that much so now I just use a cardboard flap over the STB I am not using at the time. This is tolerable as long as I don't use the second STB that much. I use the second STB to drive my DVD recorder. I don't need to record to DVD that often these days as I use the PVR mostly for time shifting and erase the programs when viewed.

[Jetranger]

Originally Posted by urelement

Re "PS, this is a manufacturing issue, so the "blame" should be with them, not with Shaw, the service provider."

The Pace manual section on the remote controller just states that this is the responsibility of the cable company, and presumably Pace will support whatever spec the cable company supplies. So the poor design appears to be the result of Shaw choosing to use their existing proprietary remote control for both their cable boxes and making no provision for operating them with different codes.

I have to agree. I am sure that it would be very easy for Shaw to provide this facility with a simple software update. But then again, we all know that is seems with each update to 'fix' existing problems, they manage to give us new and different problems and I can hear them saying this would likely do just that. Have they not heard of 'beta' testing? I would LOVE to be a tester for Shaw updates.

[Futbolista]

My workaround for this terminally stupid problem is to put one box high up on my shelves and the other low. To control one of them, I just extend my hand flat horizontally above or below the IR lenses on the remote, depending on which machine I want to control. I suppose anything could be used as a shield, but a hand seems to work well enough. No more getting up to cover the IR receivers!

[Futbolista]

After a while I found shielding the remote with my hand was not satisfactory. It didn't always work—the Pace receiver is incredibly sensitive. So my latest experiment is to cover the front of the remote with electrical tape that has a hole punched out of it. This works much better, with two DTV tuners that are above and below my TV. It's so focused now that I have to be careful to point the remote right at the relevant device or else nothing happens. The black tape blends right in with the remote so it looks fine. Problem solved.