[mythtv-users] Extending the change channel callout program?

[Scott Alfter]

On Tue, Dec 14, 2004 at 11:43:26AM -0800, nate s top-posted (grr):
> On Sun, 12 Dec 2004 19:49:05 -0500, Mike Frisch <mfrisch at isurfer.ca> wrote:
> > Would it be worthwhile extending the change channel callout program so
> > it can receive "channel up" and "channel down" commands?  Any other
> > commands that might be useful?  My goal would be to improve the
> > interactive response when using MythTV to control my Star Choice DBS
> > receiver.
>
> If you have a use in mind you might go for it, otherwise, I don't see
> any need for it.  If you change with up/down, you might be going
> through channels you don't get, and I don't see any advantage over
> switching by number anyways.

There might be extra keys you can press (or codes for lircd to send) to
improve the speed at which your cable box or satellite receiver changes
channels.  With the Scientific- Atlanta Explorer 2100 I'm using, there are
three ways you can go straight to a channel:

1) Enter the digits.  This is slowest, as the OSD will pop up, wait a couple
   or three seconds before it figures you've finished entering digits,
   change the channel, and keep the OSD up for a couple of seconds after
   changing the channel.
2) Enter the digits, then press SELECT.  This trims off the delay before the
   channel change takes effect.
3) Enter the digits, then press SELECT, then press C.  This is fastest.  In
   addition to getting rid of the delay before the channel change, it gets
   rid of the OSD after the channel change.  There might still be a delay
   before video from the new channel actually shows up, but there's an 
   even bigger delay before an ivtv tuner actually starts recording.  

At this point, my MythTV box changes channels on the cable box faster than
my TiVo did.  TiVo recordings would show a second of the previous channel
followed by the channel-change OSD.  MythTV recordings don't exhibit this
behavior.

There might be something similar that you can do with other cable boxes or
satellite receivers that will accomplish a similar speedup.

  _/_
 / v \ Scott Alfter
(IIGS( http://alfter.us/            Top-posting!
 \_^_/ rm -rf /bin/laden            >What's the most annoying thing on Usenet?

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