Discrete command for closed caption?

[Mike88]

Did Dish ever provide a discrete remote command to enable closed captioning with just one button? Perhaps a command that I could enter into another remote such as a Harmony?

The last time I checked no such code existed, but perhaps something has recently been discovered.

 

[KAB]

Sadly, no.

 

[mdavej]

Mike, if you have a JP1 remote (you have an RCA RCRP05B, correct?), you can check for yourself anytime you want. Since each Dish command is one byte, there are only 256 possibilities. It takes about 15 minutes to try them all. To do it, just start in CBL/SAT mode, tap the Setup button, followed quickly by a 5 digit advanced code (EFC). On the last digit pressed, the associated command is sent. So just try each one, 00000 through 00255. You'll find every known code along the way and perhaps a few unknown ones. Here are all the known ones that you can skip, or test if you want to confirm you're doing it right:

0 00240
1 00146
2 00114
3 00210
4 00019
5 00243
6 00083
7 00147
8 00115
9 00211
Channel Up 00081
Power 00082
Input 00176
Recall 00049
Menu 00051
Guide 00144
Up Arrow 00081
Down Arrow 00209
Left Arrow (Themes) 00145
Right Arrow (Browse) 00017
Select 00016
PIP On/Off 00077
PIP Swap 00109
PIP Move 00045
Play 00050
Pause 00014
Channel Down 00209
Rewind 00236
Fast Fwd 00076
Stop 00238
Record 00177
Cancel 00080
DVR (OnDemand) 00237
PageUp 00179
PageDown 00178
Live 00208
* (Format) 00110
# (Search) 00206
SAT 00239
Recover 00175
Info 00018
Discrete On 00242
Dish 00140
Red 00048
Green 00108
Yellow 00078
Blue 00046
Search 00111
Skip Fwd 00172
Skip Back 00204
Discrete Off 00174
System Info 00142
System Wizard 00013
PIP Side by Side 00141

 

[Skee7ix]

I would like that feature, or the one to change language with a button, like DirecTV that have the blue button, I think, to do that. On Dish I have to go to the menu and select the options and blah, blah, blah...

 

[mdavej]

I would like that feature, or the one to change language with a button, like DirecTV that have the blue button, I think, to do that. On Dish I have to go to the menu and select the options and blah, blah, blah...

It's still a few more steps on DirecTV, not a single command. So a macro is still required. In fact it's even worse now that DirecTV removed the colored buttons from their latest remotes.

 

[DishSubLA]

And this has been a request for MANY years. I was surprised not to see such a "one-button" or much easier way to turn on and off CC on the ViP's, but I was FLOORED that Dish didn't include it for the Hopper remotes. Good Grief! It could even be a TWO button process if Dish is worried about people accidentally turning CC on and calling CSR's (costing Dish money) trying to figure out how to shut it off.

 

[Mike88]

Mike, if you have a JP1 remote (you have an RCA RCRP05B, correct?), you can check for yourself anytime you want.

You are correct about the RCA. What a memory you have!

Thanks for the code list. I'll try some unknown ones but I'm not counting on any success.

So far I have not needed to use a JP1 cable to program the remote via the PC. I do have a macro programmed for CC, but I seem to recall reading that the sequence of keystrokes can be sped up if re-programmed using a JP1 cable. Is that correct? If so do you have any idea how much faster the macro would run? IOW would it take half the time, etc? I don't turn on CC that often but sometimes I cannot understand some dialog that may be important so I'll temporarily toggle it on/off. If the process of cycling through all the commands can be sped up I might get a JP1 cable.

Thanks,
Mike

 

[eddie willers]

I just answered my own thread about setting up a shortcut for CC (ie., a little macro) on Harmony remotes (in this case, an 890)
Apropos here as well:

Log in to your Harmony software:

1. Under 'Activities', click on 'Customize Buttons' under your 'Watch TV' activity
2. On bottom of the 'Customize Buttons' pop up menu, you will see a blue button saying "Add Sequence"
3. Click on that and you are sent to a page with 3 columns of edit boxes.
4. In the first box you name you sequence. In the second column drop box you select the device you wish to send commands to. (ie. PVR)
5. In the third row there are 5 edit boxes for the (up to five) sequence(s) you desire.
6. Each of those edit boxes does a drop down of all the commands the Hopper has. I entered 'Yellow' in the first box and '3' in the second drop down box.
7. Clicked 'Done'.
8. When it went back to the regular 'Customize Buttons' page, I simply selected the button where I wanted my Closed Caption shortcut and when I went to the 'Device' column, one of the choices was now 'Sequence'. Selected that and then in the next column (Command) it gives you a choice of any sequences you made. Since I had named my sequence 'CC', there it was and I inserted it.

After updating the remote it worked great. Just a little delay (as would be expected when a remote is sending two signals). Pressed my new 'CC' button and then I was soon on the Hopper's CC page. Click either ON of OFF and you are good to go.

 

[Bobby]

You could add just a few more moves and have it turn on and off with one button push.... but it might take a button push to turn it on an another to turn it off.

 

[Teehar]

If the process of cycling through all the commands can be sped up I might get a JP1 cable.

I was cleaning out my closet and a couple of cabinets the other day,came across a box I haven't opened in I know 2 years.Saw this funny looking cable inside,had to think about for a minute,it's a cable to program a remote,what was the name?I was stumped until you mentioned JP1!Think I still have a one for all around somewhere that the cable will work with,doubt I will ever use it again though.If you want the cable you are welcome to it.

 

[eddie willers]

You could add just a few more moves and have it turn on and off with one button push.... but it might take a button push to turn it on an another to turn it off.

So far it seems that the cursor of the Hopper is sitting over the 'OFF' button after I do my CC button. IF, (and its a big if) the cursor is always hovering directly over the CC 'On' button (if the Hopper has CC off) but is hovering over the OFF button if CC was already on, then the sequence Yellow/3/Select/Live TV would be as close to a discrete ON/OFF as we could get.

I'll try it tomorrow.

 

[n0qcu]

So far it seems that the cursor of the Hopper is sitting over the 'OFF' button after I do my CC button. IF, (and its a big if) the cursor is always hovering directly over the CC 'On' button (if the Hopper has CC off) but is hovering over the OFF button if CC was already on, then the sequence Yellow/3/Select/Live TV would be as close to a discrete ON/OFF as we could get.

I'll try it tomorrow.

The problem with that is there is currently a bug in the software when using yellow - 3 that is causing the cursor to not actually be on the "OFF" button so you need to move the cursor up then down (or down then up) to get it onto the off button.

 

[Bobby]

So then you add a down arrow to make up for it....

 

[Mike88]

The Hopper must be a lot different than the 722K. I have to enter the Menu & then go through several steps.
Menu, 8, 6, 1, <, OK, >, 0, 0, 0, Cancel.
That's 11 button pushes to turn it on or turn it off. The RCA remote has a couple macro buttons so I have all those steps programmed into one button press. Sometimes I just have to grab that remote & hit the macro button.

I tried setting this up on my Harmony 550 remote which I understand some people have done but it's tricky. You have to manually have 3 buttons learn a series of 3 or 4 commands by sending them into the 550 at just the right speed so it thinks 4 commands are actually just 1. Obviously timing is critical. And then you have to set up a sequence using those 3 buttons. I tried & tried but never got it to work.

 

[Mike88]

I was cleaning out my closet and a couple of cabinets the other day,came across a box I haven't opened in I know 2 years.Saw this funny looking cable inside,had to think about for a minute,it's a cable to program a remote,what was the name?I was stumped until you mentioned JP1!Think I still have a one for all around somewhere that the cable will work with,doubt I will ever use it again though.If you want the cable you are welcome to it.

Thanks for the offer. I just have to find out if programming via JP1 really will send out the macro series of commands faster than just programming the macro button the regular way. I'll have to look into this & will keep you in mind.

Thanks again.

 

[mdavej]

Thanks for the offer. I just have to find out if programming via JP1 really will send out the macro series of commands faster than just programming the macro button the regular way. I'll have to look into this & will keep you in mind.

Thanks again.

IIRC, loading the fast macro patch via JP1 gives you about 10 steps per second, which is very fast. Problem is that's too fast for the Hopper to respond. So you have to add some delays back in. The fastest I could get it to work reliably was about 3 seconds total.

 

[eddie willers]

The problem with that is there is currently a bug in the software when using yellow - 3 that is causing the cursor to not actually be on the "OFF" button so you need to move the cursor up then down (or down then up) to get it onto the off button.

Yep....I found that out. Hope it is really just a bug and so the idea might work in the future. (Or they could add a discrete ON/OFF....where's that grrrrr smily?)

Oh....there is is....

 

[eddie willers]

The Hopper must be a lot different than the 722K. I have to enter the Menu & then go through several steps.
Menu, 8, 6, 1, <, OK, >, 0, 0, 0, Cancel.
That's 11 button pushes to turn it on or turn it off. The RCA remote has a couple macro buttons so I have all those steps programmed into one button press. Sometimes I just have to grab that remote & hit the macro button.

I tried setting this up on my Harmony 550 remote which I understand some people have done but it's tricky. You have to manually have 3 buttons learn a series of 3 or 4 commands by sending them into the 550 at just the right speed so it thinks 4 commands are actually just 1. Obviously timing is critical. And then you have to set up a sequence using those 3 buttons. I tried & tried but never got it to work.

My new Hopper replaced a 722. Though not a 722K, I imagine they are similar since the sequence you gave is the same as on my old 722. I do not know what your '0, 0, 0, Cancel' did, but after changing the CC from OFF to ON (or vice versa) you can hit the 'View TV' to clear all the way out to watching TV with just one touch.

So what I would do is create a sequence that was 'Menu/8/6/1/Left Arrow' leaving you ready to go from ON to OFF, then you manually punch 'Live TV' and you are good to go. All those commands (Menu, 8, 6, 1, Left Arrow) are in the Harmony database and so you should be able to add that sequence without having to 'learn' an IR command from the Dish Remote into the Harmony. Piece 'O Pie, as they say.

 

[Mike88]

My new Hopper replaced a 722. Though not a 722K, I imagine they are similar since the sequence you gave is the same as on my old 722. I do not know what your '0, 0, 0, Cancel' did, but after changing the CC from OFF to ON (or vice versa) you can hit the 'View TV' to clear all the way out to watching TV with just one touch.

So what I would do is create a sequence that was 'Menu/8/6/1/Left Arrow' leaving you ready to go from ON to OFF, then you manually punch 'Live TV' and you are good to go. All those commands (Menu, 8, 6, 1, Left Arrow) are in the Harmony database and so you should be able to add that sequence without having to 'learn' an IR command from the Dish Remote into the Harmony. Piece 'O Pie, as they say.

I used the "0,0,0,Cancel" to back out of the Menu screen. I tried your process & used "Live TV" after the "Menu, 8,6,1" but I get a Confirmation screen asking if I want to keep the changes. I then need to "<,<,OK" to select Yes.

However I can replace the "0,0,0" with "Live TV" which does save 2 steps. I still use the "Cancel" in order to get rid of the info screen that appears, which is the one that appears/disappears when pressing "Cancel". It does go away by itself but takes a few seconds.

Initially I had 12 steps: "Menu, 8, 6, 1, <, OK, >, OK, 0, 0, 0, Cancel"
Now I have 10 steps: "Menu, 8, 6, 1, <, OK, >, OK, Live, Cancel"

I can eliminate the "OK, 0, 0, 0".
That would give me "Menu, 8, 6, 1, <, OK, Live, <, <, OK, Cancel" which is 11 steps.

At this point I'll stay with the 10 step sequence.
Thanks for the helpful info.

After you mentioned those Harmony commands it jogged my memory. I did try that method also but could not get it to work. I tried programming the “A” & “B” buttons on the Harmony 550. I even tried using just the “Menu” command all by itself on those buttons & that did not work. And I tried several times.

However the Menu button on the Harmony did bring up the Dish Menu. But when I programmed the A or B button with the “Menu” command the Dish DVR did not respond. I was at a complete loss why even this single re-programmed command did not work.

So I'm using the RCA remote when needed to toggle the Dish CC. I also have the second macro button set to toggle the CC on the HTPC.

 

[Mike88]

IIRC, loading the fast macro patch via JP1 gives you about 10 steps per second, which is very fast. Problem is that's too fast for the Hopper to respond. So you have to add some delays back in. The fastest I could get it to work reliably was about 3 seconds total.

I timed the RCA 12 step macro best possible & several times & it took about 5 seconds. I then changed the macro to 10 steps as per the above posting. This reduced the time to about 4 seconds. So it looks like there might be 1 second left to be squeezed out. Of course the 722K may be faster or slower than your Hopper. But I would think if anything that the newer Hopper would be faster