[mythtv-users] Digital Cable

[John F. DeLuca]

I actually have 2 cable boxes.....a Motorol DCT2224 with a serial port that is inactive 
and a HD Motorola 6xxx (can't remember off the top of my head) with a whole bunch 
of outputs (firewire, etc) but no serial port at all.  I was rather surprised that it had no 
serial port at all.

I determined on my cable box which has the serial port that the port was inactive as I 
plugged in my Tivo serial cable, configured Tivo (though the Tivo setttings) to use the 
serial port vs. the IR blaster and told it the make of my box.  Tivo tested the port and 
determined it was unable to change channels via the port. :(

My cable co is Comcast (Atlanta) and the good folks there just don't know what I am 
talking about when I asked about the serial port.  Useless.


On 26 Feb 2004 at 12:38, jonasb at alum.rpi.edu wrote:

> 
> I haven't had a chance to check if mine has a serial port, but I'm
> pretty sure it has a USB.... any chance that this C program you
> mention would work over USB?
> 
> How did you confirm that yours was active?
> 
> <-----Original Message-----> 
> From: Ray Olszewski
> Sent: 2/26/2004 2:53:48 PM
> To: mythtv-users at mythtv.org
> Subject: Re: [mythtv-users] Digital Cable
> 
> At 01:35 PM 2/26/2004 -0500, John F. DeLuca wrote: 
> [...] 
> 
> >True.....IR Blaster is neither best nor only option if you have an
> >active serial port on your cable box. Sadly, my cable box does not
> >fall into that category so *my* best and only option to view digital
> >cable channels with my Myth or Tivo is via IR Blaster 
> 
> Just curious ... does your cable box entirely lack a serial port or is
> it present but not "active"? I ask because it took me quite a bit of
> work to confirm that mine was active ... only the *very* latest
> version of Jim Paris' C program, for example, works with it. I was
> about ready to give up until I discovered a neighbor had his port
> working with his TiVo. (A lot of my blundering around is reflected on
> a recent thread I started on this list .... Ian was quite patient and
> helpful there.) 
> 
> Given the general unhelpfulness of cable providers with respect to
> information about this interface, I've wondered how many people give
> up on it too soon.