[mythtv-users] Dish Network and MythTV

[Dan Wilga]

At 12:21 PM -0500 11/30/05, Robert La Ferla wrote:
>I am thinking about switching from cable to satellite and I have a 
>few questions.  For specific reasons, I am interested in Dish 
>Network only.  Is there a tuner card that will allow me to use 
>MythTV with Dish Network (preferred) or do I have to use the 
>infrared port?  If the latter, is there a more reliable serial port?

Both major US satellite carriers use encryption to ensure that you 
only receive what you pay for, so you're pretty much have to use a 
receiver compatible with Dish's encryption.

Most of the lower end receivers don't have any way of changing 
channels electronically, so you end up having to use an IR blaster. 
I'm not sure about the current state of their PVR boxes, and whether 
or not they have direct control.

Another wrinkle in the IR blaster story is that, because Dish uses a 
faster-than-normal 56 KHz IR carrier frequency, I and others have had 
problems getting LIRC to reliably change channels on their equipment. 
For me, it works about 95% of the time. I'm about to test the newest 
beta version of LIRC, since it has changes that may help this 
problem. Another user bought a MyBlaster device to use instead of 
LIRC-based hardware.
-- 
Dan Wilga                                         dwilga at mtholyoke.edu
Web Administrator                             http://www.mtholyoke.edu
Mount Holyoke College                                Tel: 413-538-3027
South Hadley, MA  01075            "Who left the cake out in the rain?"