[mythtv-users] Remote Control confusion

[jds]

"MasterC" writes:
> I have no external box to change my channels, it's all done through the
> TV, or MythTV.

then you don't need a "simple" IR blaster such as the one at
www.irblaster.info.

> But the tuner I have doesn't come with a remote control feature, it's a
> plain capture card and that's it (the philips does, and I'll toy with that
> later, but on various other boxes I'm tinkering with, they just have the
> basic capture card).  I was curious if the IRBlaster would give me a
> generic receiver to my MythBox that I can control with a (supported)
> remote control via LIRC?

an IR blaster is a *transmitter* attached to your serial port for purposes
of controlling an external box by mimicking the external box's remote.  an
IR blaster *will not* help you control your mythtv box via a universal
remote.  for that you need an IR receiver, and some LIRC infrastructure to
support it.  visit the LIRC home page for details on building you own
receiver, or investigate buying a ready-made one from the various
mythtv-related web sites.  again, you will need to set up LIRC once you
have the hardware in place.  this is certainly not plug-n-play -- but many
others have been down this road, so hopefully there are some
writeups/postings for you to work from.

> The last part of my message was just a generic one for various problems
> one might run into, the latest reason was the cable to connect an DirecTV
> RCA receiver to MythTV, and found a link to the accessories page on
> BeyondTV.

you are taking us in circles -- which is very frustrating.  first, "i have
no external box"; now you are asking about "the cable to connect a DTV RCA
receiver to mythtv".

n.b.: many DTV receivers have RS232 ports on the back, and this
facilitates using a generic serial cable to allow mythtv (specifically via
a perl or similar script) to change channels.  other types of set top
boxes (some cable and all DISH) do not have a serial port, necessitating
the use of an IR blaster and a LIRC instance to control the external box.

> I've also been linked there for the IRBlaster from several
> messages on the list and other forums.  I don't have any external box, but
> if I were to get one, I'd like to know how to hook it up, so I'm just
> checkin out everything ;)

in a nutshell:
if the external box has a serial port (e.g. most DTV, some cable boxes)
you can use an RS232 cable and a script.  you don't need an IR blaster for
this BUT you can use one if you wish.
if the external box does not have a serial port (or it has been
administratively disabled by the pole-up-the-ass types at your local
service provider) you need an IR blaster and a separate instance of LIRC
to drive it.  in that case see my writeup at
http://losdos.dyndns.org:8080/public/mythtv-info/IR-BLASTER-HOWTO.html

> Just to re-itterate:
> I'm wondering if I were to get the IRBlaster from www.irblaster.info would
> I then be able to use a remote to control MythTV (I have no external box)
> with one of my 4-in-1 remotes (supported by LIRC).

no.
IR blaster = IR transmitter.
ergo, you need an IR receiver compatible with your remote and some LIRC
infrastructure.  some commercially available products implement both a
receiver and transmitter.  the functionality you are interested in is (for
now) the receiver part.

jds

ps:
as a courtesy, next time please do NOT include my cleartext email address
in your reply.  all this does is give the spam-bots valid addreses as they
scan the mail list archives.