[mythtv-users] Cable box always on

Brian Wood beww at beww.org
Thu Mar 27 18:06:47 UTC 2008


On Mar 27, 2008, at 11:27 AM, Brad DerManouelian wrote:
> Brian Wood wrote:
>> You probably wouldn't want to record without audio, but Murphy's Law
>> says you will, if the system allows it.
>
> What?

If there is a button somewhere in your house that can screw up a  
recording, Murphy's Law says that somebody will push it.

>>
>
> Again - what? You watch commercials? And when you do, you mute the  
> cable
> box? Are you talking about using a cable box outside of mythtv that is
> also connected to MythTV and would need to use the box at the next
> scheduled recording?
>
> I'm sorry, but if you're doing that you deserve your recordings to be
> screwed up in whatever state you leave your box in.

It's not so much what I do, it's what others do. Leaving something  
like CNN on with no sound is extremely common, and it might be hard to  
get people who don't understand Myth to stop doing it.

>>
>> People also tend to leave something like CNN or the Weather Channel  
>> on
>> with the sound muted (at least I do).
>
> And you watch this right from the cable box and not through LiveTV?

Actually I sometimes use the TV set's PbyP function to have Myth on  
one side and CNN direct from the cable on the other. I don't need an  
STB to do this but others might.

> The best answer is to hide the STB's remote control and never use it.
> The STB should be dedicated to MythTV. If you have such a great desire
> to mess with the box and potentially screw up what Myth is trying to  
> do
> for you, you should get a second STB. No myth script is going to be  
> able
> to account for whatever random things you are doing that it outside of
> myth's control.

Agreed, hide the STB remote is probably the best answer.

Getting back to the original topic, using the presence or absence of  
audio to determine if the STB is on or not might work, but would be  
subject to possible problems due to factors not within Myth's control.  
There is only an indirect correlation between having audio and the STB  
being on.

Having multiple controls that each effect the audio would almost  
certainly lead to the confusion of some viewers, though I think most  
folks here would be aware of the problems and not get caught.

beww



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