[mythtv-users] HD PVR and IR transmitter for channel change (why)

[David McMillan]

I've had a lot of headache over getting the IR from the HD-PVR with a
newer firmware(15) and 2.6.23 Linux kernel to work correctly.
I have been unable to get lirc-zilog to modules to load up the
firmware.  lirc-dev finds something on the 250 node, but lirc-zilog
only prints out info that the driver initialization is complete.  I
initially tried the kernel in Fedora 14 but the hdpvr modules did not
support my hdpvr because of a newer productid (4903).

My STB is a DirecTV H24 and I haven't found much info on a (reliably)
working USB to Serial<->null-modem-adapter<->Serial to USB
configuration.  My new MB doesn't have a serial port only a header for
one.

My next step is to either buy a serial port that will plug in on a
serial port header on the MB and try without one of the USB/Serial
converters or to try another type of IR-Transmitter (any suggestions?)


On Wed, Dec 15, 2010 at 10:38 AM, Mike Perkins
<mikep at randomtraveller.org.uk> wrote:
> On 15/12/10 16:05, Robert McNamara wrote:
>>
>> On Wed, Dec 15, 2010 at 7:38 AM, Dave Richardson<mythtv at derdev.com>
>>  wrote:
>>>
>>> On Wed, 15 Dec 2010 07:33:57 -0800, Robert McNamara
>>> <robert.mcnamara at gmail.com>  wrote:
>>>>
>>>> On Wed, Dec 15, 2010 at 7:29 AM, Dave Richardson<mythtv at derdev.com>
>>>> wrote:
>>>>  Why is the HD PVR IR Transmitter favored over IR
>>>>>
>>>>> transmitting from the BE?
>>>>
>>>> They are one and the same.  the HD-PVR is just a capture device with
>>>> an IR Emitter.  The backend still controls it as it does any other IR
>>>> emitter.
>>>>
>>>> Robert
>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>> mythtv-users mailing list
>>>> mythtv-users at mythtv.org
>>>> http://mythtv.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/mythtv-users
>>>
>>> But physically, there's a difference between
>>>
>>> HDPVR -->  [IR] -->  STB
>>> and
>>> BE -->  [IR] -->  STB
>>>
>>> right?
>>
>> Wrong.  It's not a functional equivalence, it's a literal equivalence.
>>  It will *always* be:
>>
>> Backend->SomeHardware->[IR]->STB
>>
>> where "SomeHardware" could be a PVR-150, a PVR-250, a Serial to IR
>> adapter, whatever.  It's literally 100% the same as using any other
>> device to do IR blasting.  The HD-PVR wiki page emphasizes configuring
>> IR on the HD-PVr because the wiki page is about the HD-PVR.  Just as a
>> PVR-150 page would emphasize configuring IR on a PVR-150.
>>
> The IR transmitter on the HD-PVR has a well-known and well-tested driver,
> which is not necessarily the case for other kinds of IR blaster. Integration
> into mythtv is straightforward.
>
> It is possible you don't need an IR transmitter, however. You may be able to
> change channels using Firewire, depending on which STB you're using to
> receive content. Thus the mention of a (free) IR blaster in the HD-PVR wiki
> entry is appropriate, but that does not make it the exclusive method you
> must use.
>
> --
>
> Mike Perkins
>
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