[mythtv-users] Connecting Myth box to cable box - 8-pin/9-pin serial vs. LIRC

[Steve Pugh]

Hello all,

After ordering components in November of last year and going through a 
cycle of alternating short bursts of frustration and long bouts of 
non-activity, I am the proud papa of a Myth system (dual 2.4GHz 
backend/frontend, one PVR-250 and one PVR-350 for input and TV out, 
Pioneer DVD-R).  Have been playing music and videos for about a week, 
and once I installed the latest 0.3.6g drivers for ivtv and fixed my 
system clock (I was an infuriating five minutes off, which made every 
recorded show a cliffhanger for me ;-)  I have been watching live 
television and recorded programs with glee.

Another week or so of testing and hacking on the 'black screen when 
exiting Program Guide' bug, and I might even disconnect my lovely wife's 
ReplayTV and pronounce Myth the ruler of the household's media domain.

Enough of that, on to the question.  So far, I've been sticking to the 
bare cable input for the Myth.  Looks great, but it's limited to 
channels 1-99.  I would rather use it to control the cable settop box, 
which means either LIRC or finding a suitable 9-pin to 8-pin serial cable.

Does the collective group of Those Who Have Gone Before Me have a 
preference?  Seems that direct control via serial would be more 
reliable, and I've seen cables online for $10-15.  Is there a specific 
pinout I need to worry about for a Pioneer V1100 box, or will this 
off-the-shelf cable do the trick?  Or, if there is a standard pinout, 
I'm not afraid of a little solder, as long as I'm just attaching 
cables.  What are your thoughts?

Many thanks and best regards,
    Steve