[ronaks]

Hello,


I'm thinking through an automation project and am curious about controlling set top boxes.


Do most home automation systems (Crestron, Control 4, etc.) use RS232 to control a cable or satellite set top box. Do most set top boxes offer RS232 or will I need to carefully pick the box?


If automators aren't using RS232, what are they using?


Thanks!

 

[fletch999]

Ir

 

[smarty125]

STB's generally allow very little in the via of control except for control via IR.


I am hoping that someone will soon hack TimeWarner's latest Ipad APP that allows for channel changing, DVR control ect. STB control via IP would be cool, but don't expect to see this via a commercial HA package.


Note, I believe DISH allows for legitimate RS-232 control.

 

[MurrayW]

DirecTV via RS232 or IP.

 

[fletch999]

FYI, Directv has pretty much closed their IP channel to anything but their own iOS App.

 

[MurrayW]



Quote:
Originally Posted by fletch999 /forum/post/20787662


FYI, Directv has pretty much closed their IP channel to anything but their own iOS App.

Not true. You can still do everything you can with RS232 and IR. It is some of the advanced playlist functions and other things that are allowed only on the iPad.

 

[fletch999]

Didn't say anything about IR or 232. They have blocked IP control pretty much except through their own app.

 

[GoGo Delicious]



Quote:
Originally Posted by fletch999 /forum/post/20787662


FYI, Directv has pretty much closed their IP channel to anything but their own iOS App.

This is incorrect. DirecTV has special support page, for CEDIA members, on how to control their STB's via IP.


There is also a document created by DirecTV STB Engineering to aid CEDIA Members (installers and system integrators) with the interface between certain STBs (H21 and newer receivers and HR20 and newer DVRs) and web applications via IP (HTTP) requests.


For Crestron Control we use TIVO for cable and DriecTV for Sat. I believe DISH does not offer an STB with IP or RS232 control, only IR.


Hope that helps.

 

[MurrayW]



Quote:
Originally Posted by fletch999 /forum/post/20787804


Didn't say anything about IR or 232. They have blocked IP control pretty much except through their own app.

Maybe I wasn't clear. I was saying you can do everything you can do with IR or RS232 with IP. They have NOT blocked IP remote control. Only some of the advanced 2-way features like displaying the playlist on a tablet and clicking on that playlist and having the show play on your TV. Normal remote control functions are still fully functional. You can't do anything via IR or RS232 that you can't do through IP.

 

[GoGo Delicious]



Quote:
Originally Posted by MurrayW /forum/post/20787893


. . . I was saying you can do everything you can do with IR or RS232 with IP. They have NOT blocked IP remote control. Only some of the advanced 2-way features like displaying the playlist on a tablet and clicking on that playlist and having the show play on your TV.

That is incorrect also. DirecTV has given us, CEDIA members, documentation on all the protocols their STB's (H21 and newer receivers and HR20 and newer DVRs) uses. You can do the same things on on a TP that you can do using the DirecTV remote or App. You just need access to the documentation to get the proper command set and programming notes.

 

[fletch999]



Quote:
Originally Posted by GoGo Delicious /forum/post/20787927


That is incorrect also. DirecTV has given us, CEDIA members, documentation on all the protocols their STB's (H21 and newer receivers and HR20 and newer DVRs) uses. You can do the same things on on a TP that you can do using the DirecTV remote or App. You just need access to the documentation to get the proper command set and programming notes.

Is this a current situation? I know at least one integrator that had a very nice DTV interface in a command fusion project that doesn't work anymore, and I' am talking about advanced features, not standard control.



Here is a link the a discussion about this subject.

http://www.remotecentral.com/cgi-bin...fiasco|directv

 

[GoGo Delicious]



Quote:
Originally Posted by fletch999 /forum/post/20788669


Is this a current situation? I know at least one integrator that had a very nice DTV interface in a command fusion project that doesn't work anymore, and I' am talking about advanced features, not standard control.



Here is a link the a discussion about this subject.

http://www.remotecentral.com/cgi-bin...fiasco|directv

We have not had any issues at all. We are using a module I created using the documentation from DriecTV on Crestron TP's

 

[jautor]



Quote:
Originally Posted by GoGo Delicious /forum/post/20789474


We have not had any issues at all. We are using a module I created using the documentation from DriecTV on Crestron TP's

Is this a different document from the SHEF v1.1 (I think that's the right version) spec they posted for CEDIA and updated late last year (Dec 2010)? The guide / playlist calls were marked as deprecated and the docstrings stated support would be removed in June, 2011...


But I'm also using the remote control commands and pulling the current program info (basic - title, channel, time, etc.) currently, and don't expect that to change, either...


Jeff

 

[theat]

So, can the samsung SMTH3270 DVR be controlled by the crestron prodigy pmc3?

 

[Fiasco]



Quote:
Originally Posted by GoGo Delicious /forum/post/20789474


We have not had any issues at all. We are using a module I created using the documentation from DriecTV on Crestron TP's

getPlayList still works, however they stripped a bunch of critical tags out that allowed integrators to correlate what was coming out of the getPlayList call with 3rd party sites like the theTVDB, rageTV ect.


Does someone have the latest SHEF protocol, or the command for introspect to list all the commands via SHEF?