[mythtv-users] Satellite TV and MythTV, getting started

[Anthony R. Baker]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "john" <jppoet at gmail.com>
To: "Discussion about mythtv" <mythtv-users at mythtv.org>
Sent: Friday, January 23, 2009 12:35 PM
Subject: Re: [mythtv-users] Satellite TV and MythTV, getting started



On Jan 23, 2009, at 9:54 AM, David George wrote:

> On 1/23/2009 11:16 AM, David Asher wrote:
>>> ...I thought the problem was the DirecTV box, not Linux.
>>>
>>
>> I don't think that is correct.  Most (all?) of the directv receivers
>> work with serial channel changing scripts, but the trick is to get  the
>> serial output from MBs which only have USB.  The chipset used in the
>> usb->serial converters that was compatible with linux has started to
>> disappear, so finding a source with the correct chipset has become
>> difficult.  The MythTV wiki has a page on it:
>> http://www.mythtv.org/wiki/Controlling_DirecTV_Set_Top_Box_(STB)_via_USB_or_Serial
>>
>> Again, this is just what my research has told me, I have not tried  any
>> of this yet.  (Though I did buy 2 of those adapters in preparation to
>> getting 2 directv HD receivers and a HD-PVR and a PVR-150).
>>
>
> This is incorrect.  Linux supports a lot of USB serial interface  chips. 
> It is the Directv box that only supports the pl2303 chip.   Several of us 
> have tried many different serial cables.  So far it  appears Directv only 
> supports the original pl2303 (as of March 2008  anyway).

>David is correct.
>
>In doing a search, I came across:
>
>http://cgi.ebay.com/PL2303-ADAPTER-CABLE-SERIAL-DB9-PIN-TO-USB-RS232->A06_W0QQitemZ380096172717QQcmdZViewItem
>
>Which claims to be pl2303.  The specifications seem to back this up,  since 
>it lists usb 1.1.  I seem to remember the pl2303x as usb 2.0  (but my 
>memory may be faulty).
>
>
>John


I've used one of these for the last two years. the only problem I have had 
is on reboot it would try to change to the last channel by entering the 
numbers X4. (channel 123 was 111122223333) But this has only happened twice 
once I rebooted the other time I unplugged and re-plugged it in. Both times 
it solved the problem. Other than that it has worked fine.

http://www.targus.com/us/product_details.asp?sku=PA088U