Brute force search? Viola T DVB-T receiver

mappedyr · Post by **mappedyr** » Sat Apr 22, 2006 1:32 am

Hi forum.

I have been using the JP1 interface for several years and I really love this forum an all the people supporting it.

I have done something I really regret. I bought a DVB-T receiver on Ebay from Germany. It's a Viola T. Only information I have about it I found here http://www.digitalsat.info/Marken/files/db_viola_t.pdf and here http://www.satellite-heaven.de/frameset ... lestar.htm (almost bottom of page). The thing is, as you might have guessed, that there is no remote control.

I have a Topline 8, a URC-7550 and a URC-8910. I tried all the satellite receivers on all three remotes without luck. Now, if someone here on the forum owns a Viola DVB-T receiver I would love to hear from you. But since I think that has very low probability I would like to ask: What would you do? Do you know of a program that can traverse a range of { protocol, main device, button }? Maybe it would take some days to search through the entire range, but I'm desparate so I wouldn't mind

/Kjeld

Post by **The Robman** » Sat Apr 22, 2006 7:08 am

Trying to find the code by your brute force method would be like trying to find a needle in a haystack. There are many different protocols that could be used for this device, but let's start with the NEC protocol. This protocol supports 256 device codes, 256 sub-device codes and 256 buttons, so that's over 65k different device code combinations that you'd have to try, and as you can only squeeze about 30 buttons into an upgrade, you'd have to make abot 8 upgrades per combination, so you're lookin at about 525k upgrades, just to test the NEC protocol and there are several more protocols that you'd have to try when you're done with NEC. And at the end of the day, it's quite possible that this device uses a custom protocol.

So, you're only chance of controlling this is to find the code info somehow. I'll try asking the folks at UEI if they've captured this device already and you should try contacting the Viola folks to see if they're willing to share the remote code info (but don't be surprised if they say that it's "proprietry"). Failing that, see if you can find another Viola user who might let you borrow his remote. If you find a user but he's not willing to loan you his remote, offer to send him your URC-8910 so he can learn the signals and return it to you. If there are more than 30 buttons on the Viola remote, he won't be able to learn all of them, but the ones that he does learn will be enough to give us the protocol and device code info, and you can try the gap OBCs to fill int he blanks.

Capn Trips · Post by **Capn Trips** » Sat Apr 22, 2006 8:24 am

For what it's worth, the Viola appears to be a subset of the Imperial brand. If you look at OFA-Europe's website, in the support section, Viola does not appear, but Imperial DOES, and the setup code they have is SAT/0254.

According to the devices.xls spreadsheet, that code is resident in only a handful of the more recent European OFA remotes, and uses protocol ID 00B2 with no device number.

I don't know if that's sufficient info to commence a code search, but ...

Capn Trips · Post by **Capn Trips** » Sat Apr 22, 2006 8:30 am

...and here's an OFA-Europe wav download for the Topline 8 for the Imperial SAT boxes.

It fills about 90% of your memory, so you'll need to make room for it, upload it to your Topline 8, then you can decode it with IR (it's probably SEVERAL upgrades), and see if any of them work for you.

Then use that to build yourself a TAILORED upgrade for any of our remotes.

whompus · Post by **whompus** » Sat Apr 22, 2006 8:33 am

Also with Capn,s suggestion. If the imperial downloads don't work while there get the telestar also. I would think the imperial or telestar one will have the code for you.

Capn Trips · Post by **Capn Trips** » Sat Apr 22, 2006 8:44 am

You know that you can directly import that wav file into IR and extract the Device and protocol upgrades, right?

(But you have no direct importation of those upgrades into KM or RM, however

)

Open IR, and in the file drop-down menu there is an "import from wav" selection. If you do this, you will see that the wav file has an ENORMOUS protocol upgrade (00A1) and two device upgrades (SAT/485 and SAT/492).

Post by **The Robman** » Sat Apr 22, 2006 11:38 am

Capn Trips wrote:You know that you can directly import that wav file into IR and extract the Device and protocol upgrades, right?

(But you have no direct importation of those upgrades into KM or RM, however ).

Actually, once you've import a WAV file into IR, you could then copy the code over to RM as a raw upgrade. But, if you were to find an upgrade that even partially works, one of us would convert it into a KM upgrade that you could then manipulate using either RM or KM.

mappedyr · Post by **mappedyr** » Sat Apr 22, 2006 12:22 pm

Hi.

Thanks a lot for all the good replies.

I actually did as Robman suggested. I found a guy from Germany on Ebay who had just purchased a Viola T. I asked him politely if he would train my remote control. He appeared to be very friendly, so I sent him an old Philips learning remote control I had in the drawer. Unfortunately he wrote me that the Philips would not accept the Viola codes. He successfully learned the codes from another remote, so he obviously knew how to do it. Too bad.

I was really anxious to try out the WAV-file suggested. Unfortunately I had to go to McDonald's with wife and kids before I got the chance. First, I tried the SAT/0254. It doesn't seem to work. I try the power key and the number keys. I expect the display on the Viola or the picture on the TV to give me some kind of response, but there isn't any. Then I tried the WAV-file. (My wife wondered what kind of strange noise that was

. I tried the SAT/0485 and the SAT/0492. None of them seemed to impress the Viola.

I also tried the Telestar setup code (501) as whompus suggests. Didn't work either.

Perhaps I will have to buy one more Viola T (with remote control included) to solve my problem. I don't know if the receiver is any good in the first place so I would really hate to end up with two of them...

I really appreciate all the help from you guys.

Cheers,
Kjeld

Post by **The Robman** » Sat Apr 22, 2006 12:24 pm

mappedyr wrote:I actually did as Robman suggested. I found a guy from Germany on Ebay who had just purchased a Viola T. I asked him politely if he would train my remote control. He appeared to be very friendly, so I sent him an old Philips learning remote control I had in the drawer. Unfortunately he wrote me that the Philips would not accept the Viola codes. He successfully learned the codes from another remote, so he obviously knew how to do it. Too bad.

If he's still willing to help, maybe you should send him your URC-8910, but wait until Monday when I'll find out if UEI has a code for this receiver.

mappedyr · Post by **mappedyr** » Sat Apr 22, 2006 12:40 pm

Hi Rob.

I wrote the European OFA support group about the Viola T. I got the reply, that the did not support it. But maybe you have better connections. I look forward to hear from you.

Cheers,
Kjeld

whompus · Post by **whompus** » Sat Apr 22, 2006 12:56 pm

I did put up a couple ir files for the 7550 with 10 upgrades in each for telestar. May be no good for you as they said they don't support it. Cant hurt to test them if you want. They are here.

https://www.hifi-remote.com/forums/dload ... le_id=3118

https://www.hifi-remote.com/forums/dload ... le_id=3119

mappedyr · Post by **mappedyr** » Sat Apr 22, 2006 1:10 pm

Found it! The telestar1.ir posted by whompus did the trick. It works with setup code 1334. I'm amazed. Of course I'll upload the Viola T device when I'm done. Thanks a lot!

Cheers,
Kjeld

Post by **The Robman** » Sat Apr 22, 2006 2:11 pm

Here it is as a KM upgrade file. Obviously, I could only use the button names as they appear on the URC-7550, so you'll have to correct them to reflect what functions they really perform on the Viola.

https://www.hifi-remote.com/forums/dload ... le_id=3120

whompus · Post by **whompus** » Sat Apr 22, 2006 5:50 pm

Glad to hear it worked out for you. So they do support it and whoever you talked to just don't know it. Those 2 ir files where wav at one point from them.

mappedyr · Post by **mappedyr** » Sun Apr 23, 2006 11:25 am

I uploaded a KM upgrade for the Viola T for my URC-8910. I found a few more keys.

Cheers,
Kjeld