Sony DVP-S9000ES DVD player

[trout]

Device: Sony DVP-S9000ES
Type of device: DVD player
JP1 Remote model: Outlaw Audio (Catalyst 48)
JP1 user? Yes
Still have original remote? Yes
Checked the file section? Yes (see dicussion below)
Checked the Pronto file section (at R/C)? Yes (see dicussion below)
Partially working setup code? No.
Learning remote question? No.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I was going through the How-to page and everything was going fine. It all seemed to be coming together. The Pronto site even had my needed devices. I downloaded the CCF files for the DirecTV D10 satellite receiver, that I belive should work for my D10-300 and I downloaded a CCF for my Sony DVP-S9000ES (though I'm not sure it's the right one. It had codes for tuner, amp and other stuff to when I looked into the .txt file.)

Anyhow, the files seemed to be converted fine to .txt format using decodeCCF.exe. Yet, when I tried to load them into keymap-master (KM) it gave me an error of:

"This file does not appear to be a valid keymap-master Device Upgrade.

Please select another file..."

Any idea what's going on here, or should I even be posting this topic in this forum or another one?

Also, I got the most recent Sony DVP-S9000ES CCF, but it said something about other codes included. It states "Part of a complete color system CCF file" and in the details:

"Other items inside this file:
Sony Preamplifier TA-E9000ES
Sony Television KV-32XBR96S
Sony Tuner ST-SA50E"

I don't think this has anything to do with my Invalid Keymap-Master problem. Still, should I look for a different CCF file, and if so can you give me any hints of what I should look for?


Thanks again.

[johnsfine]

(though I'm not sure it's the right one. It had codes for tuner, amp and other stuff to when I looked into the .txt file.)

That's a big part of the reason that the software doesn't even try to convert CCF files all the way into a form JP1 can use. There is too much variety and disorganization in the internal structure of CCF files available for download. Hopefully a human can make decent guesses about which signals in a CCF are for the desired device and about which names, abbreviations and/or icons associated with a signal indicate the function that signal invokes. A program can't make those guesses.

Anyhow, the files seemed to be converted fine to .txt format using decodeCCF.exe. Yet, when I tried to load them into keymap-master (KM) it gave me an error

The txt files generated by DecodeCCF are not understandable by any other program. The best you can do is load them into a spreadsheet program such as Excel that can display them in the best practical human readable form, and then make your best guesses about which signals are for the desired device and what they do.

Once you've identified the right signals, you will have the protocol, device, subdevice and obc for each signal. You use those to build an upgrade.

In the simple cases all the signals you want will have the same protocol, device and subdevice, so you can enter those once on KM's setup sheet.

In the cleanest cases, Excel's sort command can bring together all the lines that define desired commands, so you can then copy/paste a contiguous set of function names from the sheet of decodes to KM's functions sheet and copy paste the associated set of OBC numbers from the decodes to the OBC column of KM's functions sheet.

When the CCF is messier you need to copy the function names and OBCs you select one at a time from the decodes to the functions sheet.

[The Robman]

I was going through the How-to page and everything was going fine. It all seemed to be coming together. The Pronto site even had my needed devices. I downloaded the CCF files for the DirecTV D10 satellite receiver, that I belive should work for my D10-300 and I downloaded a CCF for my Sony DVP-S9000ES (though I'm not sure it's the right one. It had codes for tuner, amp and other stuff to when I looked into the .txt file.)

Unless this is a learning exercise, why not just download the upgrades file that other people have already created?

DirecTV D10
Sony DVP-S7000 DVD player

[trout]

Thanks Robman, I thought I had searched the existing files before, but apparently I had not. Two little problems with those files; The D10 file does not work properly and the DVP-S7000 file doesn't load into keymap-master; it gives the same error the previous files give about the file not being valid. The buttons are a little mixed up for 'guide' and 'info'. Also the arrow keys don't seem to work, along with the 'exit' key. As well, the DVP-S7000 doesn't appear to load into keymap-master. I have downloaded it twice. Any suggestions? I will go to the 'Code Search' section from now on to continue this discussion.

Thanks

[Capn Trips]

The D10 file does not work properly ... The buttons are a little mixed up for 'guide' and 'info'. Also the arrow keys don't seem to work, along with the 'exit' key. ... Any suggestions?

"A little mixed up" isn't really a problem with the file, per se. If it partly works, you know you're on the right track. (Although that manual protocol upgrade is ENORMOUS! That'll put a serious dent in your upgrade memory.)

You need to go into KM and assign the functions you want to buttons you want for your remote and your sensibilities. If the button assignments don't suit you, then change them.

If an actual function is misnamed, oh well, then fix it and make it better for the next guy, please. The guy who wrote that upgrade is human just like you and me - capable of mistakes.

...and the DVP-S7000 file doesn't load into keymap-master; it gives the same error the previous files give about the file not being valid. .... As well, the DVP-S7000 doesn't appear to load into keymap-master. I have downloaded it twice. Any suggestions?

This appears to be a pretty old file, made with KM 5.04 (we are currently on version 8.33!). I'm not sure how to fix it so that it works with the current version of KM, but you can certainly open it as a text file, or even paste into a blank Excel worksheet (NOT KM) and determine what all of the entries for your KM worksheet should be by inspection. Transfer those to a blank KM worksheet - you can cut/paste entire columns of functions and EFCs at once. It looks pretty straightforward, so it shouldn't take more than a half-hour or so to assign the buttons the way you prefer.

Good luck.

[The Robman]

Sony uses the same codes for all their DVD players, so I just picked the file with the closest model number in the hopes that it has the closest complement of buttons, but in truth you can use any of the Sony DVD upgrades if there's something wrong with that upgrade. Then if there are any functions missing, you can find them in the Sony section of this web site.

[underquark]

...and the DVP-S7000 file doesn't load into keymap-master; it gives the same error the previous files give about the file not being valid. .... As well, the DVP-S7000 doesn't appear to load into keymap-master. I have downloaded it twice. Any suggestions?

This appears to be a pretty old file, made with KM 5.04 (we are currently on version 8.33!). I'm not sure how to fix it so that it works with the current version of KM, but you can certainly open it as a text file, or even paste into a blank Excel worksheet (NOT KM) and determine what all of the entries for your KM worksheet should be by inspection. Transfer those to a blank KM worksheet - you can cut/paste entire columns of functions and EFCs at once. It looks pretty straightforward, so it shouldn't take more than a half-hour or so to assign the buttons the way you prefer.

Good luck.

Or you can do it a quicker way:
Download file and choose to "Open it" (or save it first and then open it)
Press [ctrl]-a (aka Edit...Select All)
Press [ctrl]-c (aka Edit...Copy)
Run KM (8.33)
Click on "Import"

As a favour to others, save the upgrade with a new name and upload it to the file area from whence it came.

[trout]

OK, the fault is not the original posters for the D10 receiver error, it was mine. I'm only human too. I noticed it when I went to try and load it again and switch the buttons for info and guide. Apparently keymap-master either resets the Remote selection when it loads a file to its initial selection 15-1994, or either it loads a remote definition from the loaded file. I think the first though.

Anyway, I noticed it this time and switched it back to Outlaw Audio and then copied over the Device Upgrade and Protocol to IR. I then uploaded it to my remote and it works fine. So no problem there. The file is fine. Yet, I wouldn't mind a code for the menu button, but it's not that necessary right now. By the way, is there a way to have keymap-master save your Remote selection, so you don't have to pick it everytime?

Now the DVP-S7000 is another story. I went ahead and opened the text file and selected all, then copied it. I then imported it to keymap-master, that did the Remote switch too. It went fine for the import, and the buttons appeared to be mapped well. I then copied into IR's Device list and uploaded it to my remote. No luck. Nothing worked. I will say this has been a problem since day one, that none of the codes I try to use for it seem to work for my DVP-S9000ES.

I'll say this, the remote that came with the DVD player is a RMT-D122A. If that helps at all. Also, I guess I should go about going through the Pronto CCF decoded file and see what to do there, but I think I might need some help figuring out how to enter the codes in to keymap-master.

Another question though; Do you need to take your remote batteries out for programming or can you leave them in? I haven't seen any thing about that in the How-To or JP1 for Beginners pages. It may not matter, but my thinking was better safe than sorry, so I have always taken my batteries out for programming. Should I?

Thanks for all the help so far.

[Mark Pierson]

Apparently keymap-master either resets the Remote selection when it loads a file to its initial selection 15-1994, or either it loads a remote definition from the loaded file. I think the first though.

The 2 files referenced earlier in the thread have the 15-1994 as the selected remote. The only time KM will ever change the remote type is if the selected remote in the upgrade doesn't match one of KM's (highly unlikely, but a safeguard is in place). If this occurs, the 15-1994 will be selected.

[trout]

I think I understand that the Load button in KM will switch the Remote to what ever was specified in the upgrade text file.

As to my work with the Pronto CCF file. I already decoded it and have imported it into an Excel spreadsheet. I then deleted all the rows that didn't have DVD as the DevName. There is a mix of Sony20, Sony15 and Sony12 Protocols. There are also Panasonic and Gap-833 Protocols. Are those other Protocols (not Sony) used by the original file poster's remote and don't have anything to do with the Sony DVP-S9000ES? Should I pay more attention to the Device column and stick with the same Device number, #26? The ones that show different Protocols also have a different Device number, so maybe that is part of a macro the user had so that it would switch other equipment. Is that a possibility? All the rows with Device #26 also have a SubDev of #73, where as the rows without Protocol Sony 20 don't have any SubDev entries.

How do you use the OBC and EFC codes? Do you enter them in to the Functions tab on KM?

Thanks for the help thus far. Maybe I can get this working.

[The Robman]

The most important thing to keep in mind when you're working with a CCF file is that it was created by another user with just himself in mind. So, the group of buttons that he calls "DVD" are not necessarily all really for the DVD player. The obvious exception might be volume buttons, which are more likely to work a stereo receiver or a TV than the DVD player. Also, the DVD buttons included in the DVD panel are not necessarily all of the DVD buttons, many Pronto users have a seperate panel where they store all of their discrete power commands as they only use this within macros.

So what's the button line? Given that each Pronto user is unique, there is no one perfect method to sorting out the contents of a CCF file, but my recommendation is that you sort of the output first by protocol, then by device code and then sub-device code. The Sony20 26.73 functions are the ones that we would expect to be the DVD functions, as these are the standard Sony DVD functions that can be found in all of the DVD upgrades in the JP1 section and they are also to be found in the built-in DVD/0533 setup code.

Once you've made a note of all those functions, you could try sorting the output by device-type (eg, DVD), protocol and device-code to see what else the user stored in his DVD panel. Chances are that any functions found this way are for other devices, but you might find some buttons that weren't learned properly so the decode routines weren't able to decipher them.

If you find "Gap" type decodes for buttons that you already found in para #2 above, ignore these as it's not uncommon for the decode routine to spit out a "Gap" decode along with a valid decode. This is usually due to a button not being learned properly, but it doesn't affect you as you already have the valid decode.

If you find functions where there isn't a valid decode at all, and it's a button that is really for your DVD player, normally I'd say to come ask us for help, but as this is a Sony device, you can look up the missing function here:

http://www.hifi-remote.com/sony/

As for the question about OBCs vs. EFCs, my advice is to always work with OBCs whenever possible. OBC values will be consistent no matter how you set up your upgrades, whereas EFC values will change based on a number of variables, such as whether you're using device1 or device2 (for a Sony12/15 signal) and which combo protocol you might chose to use.

[trout]

Thanks Robman. I just received a message from the Outlaw Audio Saloon message area, from the one that led me to you guys, and someone there said they had a model 1050 remote, have a model 990 remote, and a Sony DVP-S9000ES as well. They used the 0533 code for their AUX button and it worked fine with their remote and their player.

I will say that I've never gotten my AUX button to work with any Sony DVD player I've had, and I haven't tried programming it for anything else. So perhaps my remote AUX button has a problem. Is that possible? I thought it was just the model of Sony DVD players I was getting that it wasn't working with it. Any suggestions for checking this out?

Thanks again

[The Robman]

I think I see where you might be going astray. When you try assigning a setup code to a device button, you first have to ensure that the device button is in the correct device mode for the code you are trying to program. For example, if the AUX button is currently set for AUDIO codes, and you try assigning the 0533 setup code to it, it's not going to work. You'll either get a "not found" response or you will inadvertently assign AUDIO/0533 to it rather than DVD/0533.

[trout]

Hmmm! I'll check that, but when I initially got my remote, I don't believe they gave a way for me to set the device mode for a button. At least there was nothing apparent in the Manual that came with it. I can check the button device mode through IR, right?

Thanks again.

[gfb107]

Yes, you can do it through IR.

The instructions for doing it manually are also included in the manual, on page 33 of 45, under the heading "Reassigning Component Keys"