[mythtv-users] Comcast OnDemand on Multiple STBs

[Chris Isip]

On Sep 27, 2007 2:09 PM, Paul Onley <onley at worldnet.att.net> wrote:

>
> > By my understanding, the "extra information" you're trying to get from
> > the backend is which capture card is being used to record the show so
> > that you can use it to submit the commands to the STB using the proper
> > "remote codes."
> > If this is the case, you have 2 (easy) options:
> > a) Create 4 scripts, change_channel_stb1, change_channel_stb2,
> > change_channel_stb3, change_channel_stb4. Then, map the appropriate
> > script to the "External channel change command" for the input connected
> > to that STB. Since the "External channel change command" is a per-input
> > setting, you use each of the 4 scripts for your 4 inputs.
> > b) Create 1 script which accepts 2 arguments: the STB identifier and a
> > channel number. Then, for the "External channel change command" foreach
> > input, use "change_channel 1", "change_channel 2", ... The channelnumber
> > will be appended to the command after the command and argumentyou
> > specify. So, you use the STB ID (1, 2, 3, 4) to determine whichremote
> > code to use and use the channel number to send the appropriatecodes to
> > the STB.
> > So, the idea isn't to get Myth to send additional data to the channel
> > change script, but to call the "right" script (for a, or call the script
> > correctly, for b). I used both approaches as various times to controlmy
> > 2 STB's. Granted, I haven't used firewire output, before, but sinceyou
> > mention Myth is sending channel information to an "external tuner
> > script," I'm assuming it works exactly the same way for firewire as it
> > does for analog capture cards.
>
> > HTH. And, thanks for bringing the discussion to the -users list.
> > Mike
>
> Hi Mike, Thanks for the reply but over the course of several replys
> my original intent became blured.
>
>
> >> I am trying to create a setup where I can control multiple STBs and
> >> navigate the Comcast OnDemand menus. I have the channel changing
> scripts
> >> working using the serial ports but I can't find any way to send
> anything
> >> other than the channel info to the STB. I need to send left, right, up,
> >> down and select to the STB but since there are 4 STBs this info will
> >> haveto be sent through the backend to get to the right box.
> >> Mythtv breaks out the tuning info and sends it to the external tuner
> >> script but I don't see any way to send other info to the external tuner
> >> script. Is there a hook that I don't know about or is this something
> >> thatcould be implemented?
>
>
> I need to send non-channel info to the STBs to use the On Demand
> programing feature (this is channel 1 on Comcast and once there you
> interact with onscreen menus to select a show to watch. Many feel this
> service has no value with a Myth system but it has great content for
> the kids) on Comcast cable. I have the 4 STBs working and have
> added code to DCT2000 channel_change script so that it will accept
> a command line arg for the serial port. I then give the serial arg in
> the "external tuner command" area in myth so that all 4 STBs can use
> the same script. This is all working very well. My problem is that I
> need to be able to send other codes to the STBs to interact with on
> screen menus that are not part of myth. I would like to be able to send
> these through the SAME mechanism that we have outlined here so that I
> don't have to interogate the backend to see which tuner I am watching
> and then send the left, right, up, down, and select codes to a daemon
> on the backend which will then pass them to the appropriate STB.
>
> My first approach was to choose dummy channels and setup the lircrc
> config file to send say 981 when you press the down arrow. Then I went
> into the channel_change script and setup a case that would change 981
> to DOWN and send it to the STB. This worked like a charm but Myth will
> not send a channel change to the STB if you are already on that channel
> so you could never send 2 consective down arrows for example. I posed
> this in DEV as I thought it would be possible to preface a command
> (esc code it if you will) so that myth would send it to the built in
> "external tuner command" but digging into the Myth code is above my
> ability. The best approach I have yet been able to come up with is to
> have lircrc call a script when the down arrow is pressed that will
> interogate the backend to see which STB I am watching then send the
> STBs ID and the desired code to a daemon on the backend which would
> forward the code to the correct STB. This is a lot more monkey motion
> than being able to ask Myth to do it through the channel change mechanism.
>
> Paul
>
>
>
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The change channel script does not interact solely with mythtv.  Sorry, If I
missed the rest of your post, but I was wondering if you thought about
bypassing myth's channel change to achieve what you want.  Perhaps by using
irexec executing the channel change command directly with arguments for up,
down ,etc.

.
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