[mythtv-users] Possible to change channels via USB?

[Bob Cunningham]

On 12/14/2009 06:30 PM, Jarod Wilson wrote:
> On 12/14/2009 09:21 PM, Bob Cunningham wrote:
>> On 12/14/2009 06:04 PM, Ajay Sharma wrote:
>>> I have a Scientific Atlanta Explorer 3100 and it has a USB port on the
>>> front. So naturally I plugged in a keyboard and was able to change
>>> channels on the cable box! So now this begs the question, how can I
>>> script this?
>>>
>>> Does anyone know of a way to make my system "appear" as a keyboard to
>>> the cable box and a way that I send send keyboard commands to the box?
>>>
>>> OR should I just get an ir transmitter and go that route?
>>>
>>> Thanks,
>>> Ajay
>>
>> I previously posted about my $10 "PHX01RN" remote (check the archives)
>> that has a USB IR receiver that shows up as an HID (keyboard) device. If
>> the button assignments work for your box, that may be one solution.
>
> Not quite. He wants to have the system send commands over usb to the
> cable box. Not aware of a way to do that at the moment.

For a PC to talk to a USB host port, you need a system with either a USB slave port or a USB OTG port, as well as the code needed to mimic a keyboard.

I've done this in embedded systems where I had access to the bare metal (for a Phillips OTG USB interface), but not in Linux systems using the OTG stack.

The BeagleBoard and the Nokia N800 have a USB OTG port with full Linux support.

There are "bridge boxes" available that contain an OTG port, but most have internal storage and are dedicated to pulling data from a digital camera, then dumping it to a PC.


Yeah, an IR transmitter seems easier.


-BobC