[mythtv-users] Cable box always on

[David Shay]

On 3/25/08, Steve Peters - Priority Electronics
<steve at priorityelectronics.com> wrote:
>
> Hello all. I'm using a channel changer script with an ir blaster to change
> my cable box channels for recordings. I'm sure a lot of myth people do this.
>
> So does everyone just leave the cable box on all the time? Or is there
> something that can be done to turn it on and off automatically in myth (or
> by an external script)?
>
> I just found a couple of all black recordings...the cable box was turned off
> for some reason. Not sure if it just went off by itself, or if someone
> turned it off accidently, but it was off.
>
> What do you guys do?

Can't comment on the heat/cooling issues.  I don't have any issues
there. By default I leave the box on all of the time.  However,
occasionally it will get turned off.  I think the cable company does
this remotely from time to time, when they send updates to it, since I
have it on a UPS and have eliminated other sources of IR interference.

In order to guard against this, I use a script that does a quick
detection of whether or not there is a "real image" being displayed or
not.  See this web site here:

http://evuraan.blogspot.com/2008/01/how-to-ensure-set-top-box-stb-is.html

Basically, if no image is being displayed, it forces a power on.
Since having this installed, I have had absolutely zero issues with
this. To be truthful, it had only failed on 4-5 occasions over 2-3
years (some prior to having a UPS), but even that disrupts WAF...