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

Robert Kulagowski rkulagow at gmail.com
Tue Dec 15 03:34:56 UTC 2009


Bob Cunningham wrote:
> 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.

I pinged the Iguanaworks people a few months ago about developing 
something like this because of all the DirecTV people.  I guess they're 
not interested.



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