ReplayTV with the 4DTV

Last update: October 15th, 2007

Executive Summary

This guide should allow the savvy person to have full program guide and control of their 4DTV Satellite receiver from their ReplayTV 4000 or 5000 series PVR.

Extended Summary

The ReplayTV provides DVR services, and the 4DTV is a C and Ku band satellite receiver. The ReplayTV gets its program guide information from its manufacturer -- now D&M Holdings, formerly Sonicblue, formerly ReplayTV.

The guide data, however, includes US broadcasters of OTA programming, cable programming, and Dish and DirecTV networks. It does not include other North-American programming such as, in this case, C-Band or Ku-Band programming.

This is accomplished on the hardware side by connecting the ReplayTV's serial port to a 4DTVBB (4DTV Black Box, formerly DVRBB) which then connects to a standard IR emitter... which sends codes to the 4DTV. The program guide is provided by using DirecTV lineup and DVRBB maps it to the 4DTV equivalents, or the MetaConnect lineup via WiRNS.

What to get

  1. 4DTVBB (formerly DVRBB) from dvrblackbox dot com
  2. An IR emitter from Home Depot $5.99 (10/07) or from smarthome dot com

What I have as the test setup

My setup: ReplayTV 4040 upgraded to 4320
Input 1 - Comcast cablevision digital tuner box Input 2 - 4DTV, Serial control to to 4DTVBB IR emitter controlling the 4DTV

A 4DTVBB hooked up to the ReplayTV's serial port, an IR emitter hooked up to it, and the IR thingie stuck to the front of my 4DTV unit.

The "DirecTV National" lineup selected so as not to have locals, set for input 2.

That's it... If anyone has questions, post them, or email me...

Ehud