[mythtv-users] controlling two digital cable boxes

[Andrew Dodd]

Quoting Robert Kulagowski <bob at smalltime.com>:

> > I'm sure that I'm not the only one with this kind of arrangement.  Is
> there
> > a cheap/easy way to, say, run a cable from a usb port on the myth box
> into
> > the serial port on the second cable box, and then use a second instance
> of
> > the "channel" script for this?
> 
> There do exist USB->Serial converters.  It may or may not work under 
> linux.  Failing that, you could purchase a PCI serial card.
The majority of USB->Serial converters will work under Linux.

Whether it will work with LIRC is a different story - The LIRC driver depends on
toggling of non-data (control) lines on the serial port, and some converters do
not support reading/setting of all of these lines.  (Some don't support ANYTHING
other than TxD and RxD - This is a hardware limitation under ANY OS.)

Plus lirc_serial depends on accessing a 16550's registers.

If your cable box allows serial control, an external USB->Serial converter
should work wonderfully.  If you want a second LIRC emitter - USB->Serial isn't
going to cut it.  :(