[mythtv-users] Remote Control Hardware

[Gordon Rimac]

> What kind of hardware do I need to have MythTv control my 2 DirectTv
> boxes?  Both have serial interfaces so my thoughts are that I plug a IR
> receiver into a USB port and have two serial cables running from the
> myth box to the directtv boxes?  And I control this whole setup with
> LIRC and MythTv?  If the fancy new Asus motherboard I am looking at only
> has one internal serial connector (no external?)  am I in trouble?  Are
> addon serial cards supported?

You can control the DirecTV receivers using a cable connected from
your serial port on your pc to the receiver.  I have 2 RCA receivers
equipped with the low speed data port and am using the cables from
here:

http://store.snapstream.com/dicaparre.html

If you want to make a cable yourself, there is information here:

http://www.dtvcontrol.com/page.aspx?content=cable

In order to actually change the channel you use a script that you tell
MythTV to use.  I am using the following script: modified slightly (a
seperate script for each receiver)

http://tarek.2y.net/myth/RCA.pl

Any additional serial ports you add that are detected by Linux should
work.  I am using some white box OEM serial port board I bought at
Microcenter and it is working just fine.

LIRC really doesn't factor into the controlling of the receiver
portion of this, you will use that only for the IR receiver and your
remote.

The information above is for the RCA receivers, similar cables and
scripts exist for the Sony boxes.