DecodeIR.dll and Panasonic

[Mark Pierson]

Since I've seen this come up a couple of times in the past week, I'd like to ask if the decoder can distinguish between Panasonic and Panasonic VCR Combo signals? A few people have reported learning signals from VCR/1062 (Panasonic VCR Combo) that decode simply as Panasonic (VCR/0162).

Since the combo (1062) is a 2-byte command and the other (0162) is 1-byte, shouldn't the decoder be able to tell/report the difference?

Or am I missing something obvious (as usual)?

[gjarboni]

DecodeIR.dll only looks at one signal at a time. So it has no way of knowing whether the signal was generated from a regular protocol or a combo protocol. Both protocols are capable of generating a given Panasonic command, it's the ability to combine multiple subdevices into a single device upgrade that distinguishes the regular protocol from the combo.

[Mark Pierson]

So these 2 hex streams decode exactly the same way (EFC 185, OBC 1) when sent from the remote?

Panasonic ($0C9): F6 BF FB F6 FF 7F
VCR Combo ($01F): BF FB F6 FF 7F 00

[The Robman]

Mark,
Every signal produced by the VCR/1062 code can be reproduced using either the VCR/0162 or VCR/0454 codes. The 1F combo, like all the other combos, was created to handle the fact that a single device uses multiple device codes.

If DecodeIR were to look at the big picture and see what device codes and command codes every signal used by this device uses, it could certainly suggest the best UEI protocol to re-create it, but in reality, it only looks at one signal at a time, so the best it can do is tell you what protocol the signal uses.

In hindsight, it was a mistake to call the UEI protocols "protocols", we should have called them "executors", which is how UEI refers to them, because there isn't always a 1-to-1 relationship between IR protocol and UEI executor.

[Mark Pierson]

Every signal produced by the VCR/1062 code can be reproduced using either the VCR/0162 or VCR/0454 codes. The 1F combo, like all the other combos, was created to handle the fact that a single device uses multiple device codes.

I realize that... but I thought there might be some subtlety in the IR data stream that could be picked up (apparently not).

I was only asking this question to see if there was a way to let the user know that when they're learning signals from a VCR/1062 (or 0162, or 0454) device, they can't use just the decoded EFC in a key move referencing VCR/1062, since that setup code requires 2-byte commands.

[The Robman]

Nope sorry, the user is going to have to look at all the signals together to make a judgement regarding the best executor to use for these signals.