Ok, I've read the guide you wrote up on mythtv.info. My problem is, I can't
envision how this works. First off, what is the difference between a null
modem cable and a serial cable, and when I'm looking at one, how can I tell
which kind it is?
Secondly, where does the usb->serial adapter plug in? The way I'm seeing it
now is I plug a usb cable into my receiver. Then on the other end of that
cable is the usb->serial adapter. Then on the serial side of the
usb->serial adapter goes a null modem cable that will plug into the serial
port of my backend. Is this anywhere close to being right?
And lastly, how would I change channels using one backend and 2+ directv
receivers?
From: Jeff Simpson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Reply-To: Discussion about mythtv <[email protected]>
To: Discussion about mythtv <[email protected]>
Subject: Re: [mythtv-users] Changing channels on a new D11 directv receiver
Date: Fri, 30 Dec 2005 10:09:03 -0500
On 12/30/05, Brian Wallen <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>
> Yesterday I just got directv in my house. I have a couple of d11
> receivers
> with usb ports in the back. The usb port is the regular rectangular
type
> like the ones in the back of a computer. Is it possible to have a cable
> that has two rectangular ends and use that to control the receiver? I
saw
> one guy say he got it working with a usb->serial converter, but I wanted
> to
> see if that was my only choice or not.
It is possible to have a cable that has USB on both ends....but that cable
will be made up of a USB->Serial, a Null-Modem adapter, and a Serial->USB
again, all connected together with electrical tape :-P
The issue is that the USB port on the computer and the one on the STB are
both host usb - and just like with two PCs, you can't just plug a USB
male->male cable in and connect them. With serial you could do that,
because
serial is a "dumb" technology - it knows nothing about how it is to be
used,
and expects the computer to know it's there and connect to it. USB, on the
other hand, requires that devices have circuitry in them so that they are
detected by the host computer as a particular type of device so that the
host knows what driver to use and how to access it. Since both ends are
USB,
they both need to be able to find that kind of circuitry, so there needs to
be two USB->serial adapters.
If the cable company decided to redesign the STB, it would make sense for
them to make it so that the USB->serial conversion is done inside the box,
so that you can just plug in a USB extension cable to use it. Problem there
is that you wouldn't be able to use it with a standard serial port anymore,
so a lot of their test equipment wouldn't be usable.
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