[mythtv-users] Controlling a cable box

Ray Olszewski ray at comarre.com
Mon Jul 21 09:50:24 EDT 2003


At 08:23 AM 7/21/2003 -0700, Ignacio wrote:
>Hi, yesterday i found out a few things about my digital cable box:
>1. It has a serial port
>2. It has an R blaster port
>
>so i have 3 questions:
>1. Can i use a serial cable instead of an I.R. transmitter

Depends on what "digital cable box" you have and, usually, how your cable 
provider has configured it. The general answer to this question *seems* to 
be NO, but there are reports of exceptions in the list archive.

>2. What does the I.R. blaster port do

Who knows? Surely this too depends on what "digital cable box" you have and 
what actual hardware you are (or someone is) describing as an "I.R. blaster 
port". Do you mean an IR receiver (the same thing that would receive 
remote-control messages) or a port that enables IR transmissions in some 
way (though what a cable box would want to control this way is not apparent 
to me)?

>3. Would these transmitters work
>http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2743486907&category=44961
>http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2743025215&category=44961


There is no way to tell from the descriptions provided at eBay. My best 
**guess* is that the second (the USB one) would NOT work with LIRC, but 
that the first **might** work with LIRC. The only way for you to be sure 
either would work is to get a report from someone who has one working with 
Myth (or at least with LIRC). To facilitate that, the first link refer to 
this device: "JetEye PC IrDA Infrared data transfer! ESI-96". The second 
only identifies the device as an "USB IrDA Wireless Infrared Adapter 
External", supplying no manufacturer or model number.





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