Magnavox digital converter controlled by IR blaster?

[sub]

An IR Blaster is a device that pretends to be the remote control that came cable box (or satellite receiver, or ATSC digital converter etc), telling the device to change channels when required.

These types of boxes are only ever outputting one channel, the one that is currently tuned on that box, so if you want to record/watch a different channel then you need an IR Blaster to tell the box to change channels.

[paperchaser]

To be a little more specific, there will be a wire coming out of some port on your computer, either USB, the PVR card, or a com port. At the end of the wire will be an IR transmitter (LED). So your computer will become, in effect, a programmable ("universal") remote control unit. You place that transmitter right over the input LED on your device/box that needs to be controlled. The problem is your computer will need the correct remote "codes".

Many times the manufacturers reuse the same codes on their devices, which is why in another thread somebody suggested zenith to me, because for some reason the magnavox cable box codes aren't working on the digital converter box...maybe the zenith ones will work on their converter.