[mythtv-users] Remotely controlling Comcast "On Demand"

[Michael T. Dean]

On 06/16/2006 11:25 PM, Ivan Kowalenko wrote:
>> and I'm not so sure how that would function because there is no way  
>> for
>> Myth to arbitrarily send commands via IR.  It only runs a channel  
>> change
>> script which sends a channel command to the STB when a channel  
>> change is
>> requested.
>>     
>
> I dunno, it seems to make sense that Myth *could* do it, but you'd  
> have to have something like a special "On Demand" mode (kinda like a  
> LiveTV mode) during which you would map your remote buttons to assume  
> the functions of your cable remote's buttons, with an "Escape"  
> button, which brings up a Myth control panel. The biggest problem is  
> the often complained about multi-second lag between reality, and what  
> you see.

Why?  The channel change script detects when the channel is an on-demand 
channel and simply causes an IR transmitter to send the appropriate 
start codes with the channel change.  Then, the on-demand starts playing 
and Myth records it.  From the point it's started, it's no longer 
on-demand--i.e. you don't pause it or fast-forward or rewind--it just 
plays.  Since Myth is recording it, you can pause/rewind/etc. in Myth.

Note that there's absolutely no "remapping of remote buttons" or 
"passing the IR signal from the PVR-350's IR receiver to the PVR-150's 
IR blaster" or anything special except the sending of the appropriate 
start codes because it's an on-demand channel.

Mike