[mythtv-users] Getting HVR-1600 IR receiver to work

[faginbagin]

Jarod Wilson wrote:
> On Sun, Apr 18, 2010 at 5:48 PM, faginbagin <mythtv at hbuus.com> wrote:
>> Jarod Wilson wrote:
>>> On Sun, Apr 18, 2010 at 1:54 AM, faginbagin <mythtv at hbuus.com> wrote:
>> <snip>
>>
>>>> I was hoping that mythbuntu lucid (2.6.32) would work out of the box, but
>>>> a
>>>> short trial with the beta 2 live CD didn't seem to work. Maybe my problem
>>>> was that I was trying to use lirc instead of keyboard emulation that I
>>>> gather is making its way into the kernel?
>>> No, "making its way" does not equate to "present in a kernel that was
>>> released more than four months ago". :) The work we're currently doing
>>> is more likely destined for 2.6.35.
>> This is where I get confused. Mark is suggesting using keyboard emulation
>> and apparently has it working with 2.6.32. You seem to be suggesting
>> keyboard emulation is not functional in 2.6.32.
> 
> I figured you were talking about the new ir-core bits in the v4l/dvb
> tree, which handle most remotes as pure input layer devices (similar
> to keyboards). Not sure what Mark you're referring to, but there *is*
> an ir-kbd-i2c module that can bind to many i2c IR receivers, but its
> nothing new, been around for ages. It does behave keyboard-ish too.

I dunno, maybe I was without knowing it :) 

Mark specifically mentioned modprobing ir-kbd-i2c in his reply to my initial query.

>>>> Or perhaps there's some kernel
>>>> modules and/or package I need to download/compile or some other bit of
>>>> magic
>>>> I need to do?
>>> I believe you need either lirc_i2c or lirc_zilog, not sure which.
>> How would I nail this down? modprobing? Will modprobing the right module
>> create a /dev/lirc0 or do I need to look for some other device? I recall
>> some confusion about device names and what to reference in /etc/init.d/lirc
>> when I tried to do this last fall.
> 
> Does your card have a receiver only? If so, you probably want
> lirc_i2c. If its got a receiver and transmitter, lirc_zilog. (lirc_i2c
> has no transmitter support, lirc_zilog is an updated lirc_pvr150,
> which was originally a fork of lirc_i2c).

The HVR-1600's cable looks the same as the PVR-150, with both receiver and blaster. I just haven't needed a blaster, although maybe my cable co (WOW - Wide Open West) will force cable boxes on me some day. So it sounds like lirc_zilog is probably the right module, even though I don't have near term plans to use the blaster, right?

>> I welcome thoughts on lirc vs keyboard emulation, like which might provide
>> the best user experience in 2.6.32? Right now, I'm wondering which to try
>> first. Has anyone played with both and formed an opinion?
> 
> Both can be used with lirc, so there's really not a big difference in
> the end, if you want to control mythtv. The input layer ("keyboard
> emulation") route Just Works for anything that knows how to talk
> native linux input layer without requiring any end-user configuration
> work, but mythtv is not in that class (yet).

I assume you're referring to the "new ir-core bits" you mentioned above and not to the ir-kbd-i2c module. Yes, I do want to control mythtv. Controlling other apps would be nice, but it's not a "must have". Let me see if I understand the options:

1) lirc with the lirc_zilog module (or maybe lirc_i2c).

2) lirc with the ir-core module.

3) input layer/keyboard emulation with the ir-core module, with configuration via a configuration file and input-kbd, right?

4) input layer/keyboard emulation with the ir-kbd-i2c module, with configuration via a configuration file and input-kbd, as suggested by Mark.

Assuming all of these options are viable, I'm wondering if one is faster and more reliable in delivering key presses to mythtv than the others. I believe option 1) is closest to what I was used to on kernels <= 2.6.28. On those older kernels, my impression was that lirc, with both PVR-150 and HVR-1600 IR receivers, was somewhat sluggish and would drop second, third ... presses of the same key if done too soon after the first. If one option is a little more efficient in how IR codes propagate up from the receiver to the driver to the application, and is better at handling multiple key presses, then that's the option I'd like to pursue. If it's all the same, then I'm thinking options 1) or 2) are probably going to be less work, since I can use the same configuration files for lirc I've always used, right?

>> I'll check the kernel config files and /lib/modules to see what's there in
>> both karmic & lucid. When the time comes, I'll also be installing to a
>> separate partition on her system. I'll make sure there's some way to use the
>> IR receiver before swapping video cards. Does that make sense?
> 
> Sure, sounds like a plan.

Thanks,
Helen