[mythtv-users] Remotely controlling Comcast "On Demand"

[Byrne, Tim]

I finally decided to take the plunge and setup a MythTV system.  I
ordered parts for the new computers, and scheduled Comcast to come out
and install digital cable.  I just got a call from my wife that Comcast
finished the install, and she LOVES the On Demand service they provide.
I haven't gotten to setup the MythTV system yet, but now that she's seen
that On Demand is available, I know she'll want access to it.  I'm sure
that the On Demand channel will be accessible to Myth, but my plan was
to have the cable boxes tucked away with the backend.  I did some
searching but haven't found much of anything with folks using On Demand
and MythTV.  Does anyone know of a good way to control the On Demand
screen when the cable box is far away?  I'm curious about what others
have done.

This was the planned setup:
  Backend machine located in the basement with 2
  PVR-150s and 2 Digital Cable boxes from Comcast
  
  Frontend machine (and slave backend) with a PVR-350
  for output and a as 3rd tuner that uses the analog cable.

I do have a few ideas (granted, I don't really have operational
experience with MythTV yet, just been doing a lot of reading so I
welcome useful feedback here).

1. Get a third cable box, and have that hooked up to the PVR-350 on the
front end (making all three tuners have signals from the digital cable
boxes).  Then the On Demand (on the third cable box) could be controlled
where the main front end is via a remote.  (I'm not sure here if this
would work because I think using an IR blaster to control the cable box
might cover and prevent other IR signals from getting to the box.)
Costs me an extra $5/mo for the extra cable box, but all tuners have the
digital channels available.

2. Locate one cable box with the front end, and one with the backend,
and hookup the second tuner on the backend to analog cable.  The On
Demand could be controlled like in option 1, and the tuners would be
prioritized so the analog tuner on the backend had a lower priority.
This doesn't cost extra, but requires the front end to be up for two
shows in the digital range to be recorded at the same time :(

3. Stay with my original setup and somehow send IR signals for
controlling On Demand to the cable boxes located with the backend.  I
haven't gotten my hands wet with LIRC yet, how difficult is it to have
my PVR-350 IR receiver get signals that then get sent out the backend's
PVR-150 IR blaster?

What options can you think of?

-Tim