Configuring Media Center with 1 or 2 set-top boxes

In my last post we covered how to get a tuner installed and hooked up to basic cable.  Going to a set-top box allows you to get more channels also it allows you to use Media Center with other signal types, like DirectTV, Dish Network, or U-verse for example.  The setup is pretty simple you’ll just need to make sure you have the remote that came with your set-top box and a Media Center IR receiver that has IR Blaster ports on the back like the image below.

You’ll plug the IR blaster cables that came with the receiver into the jacks, if you’re only setting up one box use jack 1.  The other end of the cable sticks to your set-top box over its IR sensor like the picture below.

If you are hooking up 2 boxes you’ll want to make sure that the IR Blaster from one box can’t control the other box.  When I used set-top boxes I would stack them on top of each other but stager them so that the top one would hang a couple inches off the back of the bottom one.  You could also locate them on different shelves, whatever works best for you and the WAF (wife acceptance factor).

Now you need to hook the boxes up to your tuners.  Just like if you were hooking the box up to your TV the cable from your provider goes into the the input of the box.  You have a few choices depending on your tuner card on how you hook the box’s output up.  The most common setup I’ve seen is to use an S-Video cable for video and RCA cables for audio(usually red and white), you could also use a composite cable (usually yellow) with RCA cables for audio or just a standard piece of coax that handles both audio and video.  S-Video will usually give you the best picture so if your tuner and set-top box have that connection I would go that route.

Now that all the hardware connections have been made we need to run the TV signal setup wizard in Media Center to configure it to use your boxes.  In Media Center go to Tasks then Settings then choose TV then Setup TV Signal. 

For set-top boxes I find it easier to choose the manual setup, you can give auto setup a go and if things don’t work out come back and go through the manual process.  After choosing manual you’ll be asked what type of signal you want to configure, choose either cable or satellite.  If you chose satellite Media Center automatically knows you’ll be using a set-top box, if you chose cable choose the set-top box option. 

The next screen tells you all the things we went through in the previous steps to get ready for this setup.  On the next screen you’ll see a list of sources to choose from, Media Center is usually good about choosing the one you hooked up, if it doesn’t auto detect it just choose the option you used to connect your set-top box to your tuner card, you should see the channel your box is tuned to in the box to the right.  If you are setting up 2 tuners you’ll do this again for the other tuner. 

Next Media Center will ask you to identify your set-top box by using the remote that came with it, using your set-top box remote just press and hold the button Media Center asks you to usually it can detect the settings, in some cases it won’t and you’ll have to go through teaching Media Center all of your number keys, your enter or OK key and channel up and down keys. Set aside your set-top box remote you won’t need it any longer.

Next Media Center will ask you how you high your channel range is 2, 3 or 4 digits, select the setting that is correct for your signal. 

Next Media Center will ask if you have to press an enter or OK key on your set-top box remote to change the channel or if you just enter the channel, choose the option that is correct for your box. 

Now grab your Media Center remote and enter a channel you know you get and verify Media Center is able to control your set-top box.  If you setup 2 boxes and the channel doesn’t change flip the IR blaster cables on the back of your IR receiver and try it again.  If all is good select the option that says that the channel changed correctly. 

Now Media Center needs to find out how fast to send the IR signals, use the channel up and down keys on your Media Center remote and few times in each direction and make sure the channel changes correctly.  If it doesn’t select the option that it didn’t change and then try it again until it works, when it does work select that option and then Media Center will know how fast to send the IR commands to your box. 

That’s it!  Your set-top boxes are configured and now you just have to setup your guide listings, which was covered in my last post.

If you get stuck on a step or something just isn’t work for you check out the green button or digital lifestyle forums or leave me a comment and we’ll do our best to get you up and running.