Other Compatible USB-IrDA Tranceivers

[gnutech]

I've signed up for a new cable service and need to do some IR blasting with their Motorola STB's. I've looked at some of the IR blasting solutions listed on the GB-PVR wiki (i.e., usb-uirt, ir200l, redrat, etc), but these solutions are quite costly. I also noticed that an .exe Changer Plugin is listed for other IR blasters that have an executable interface that can transmit a channel. Is anyone aware of any third-party IR blasters that will work with this plugin?

I noticed there are many affordable USB-IrDA (with extension cable) options available on e-bay.

http://computers.search.ebay.com/usb-ird...sofocusZbs

Might one of these work?

Thank you for your assistance.

Respectfully,


Gary

[stustunz]

mce remote comes with one they are like $70 nz
how cheap are you

[gnutech]

I presently have a MediaMVP, but I now need something for the back-side.

Something for less than $20 US would be good.

My wife likes to call me parsimonious.

Thank you for your response.

Respectfully,


Gary

[stustunz]

owell i guess you get what you pay for
if you want something that misses recordings
causing the wife to rip your head off go for it

personally cheap is just that

see what other people recommend then buy
be nothing worse than something that misses changing the channels

[gnutech]

Upon further investigation, it appears that the IrDA signaling is different than the A/V Infrared signaling and is not compatible.

I did find a number of other IR Blasters (HP Media Center, ReplayTV, Tivo) out there, but most of them do not use RS-232 or USB type connectors.

If anyone knows of any alternative solutions, I would be grateful if you would share them with me.

Thank you for your assistance.

Respectfully,


Gary

[gnutech]

I think I've settled on WinLIRC and the http://www.irblaster.info/ hardware, unless someone is willing to part with their usb-uirt for $20 USD.

Regards,


Gary

[kayleigh]

I had problems getting a serial blaster going (yes, specifically irblaster). Before you make your purchase, make sure your serial port supports IR communication (set in the BIOS). USB doesn't have this issue; it's built in to the communication protocol.

[gnutech]

Thank you for the advice. I'll be sure and check.

What did you end up using instead?

Respectfully,


Gary

[kayleigh]

I now have DirecTV, which offers an Autotune feature. When I schedule my recordings, I set up Autotune for about 5-10 minutes before the show starts. I don't record back-to-back programmes often, so the pop-up window confirming the channel change isn't a big problem for me.

On the new PVR I'm building, I have MCE 2005, so I have the MCE remote, USB beanbag & blasters to change the channel for me. I think I'll look at getting another & port the drivers over to XP Professional for my current PVR. The MCE remote/USB beanbag/blasters from Microsoft are incredibly affordable (about US$30-$40). If you check the Wiki, they're very programmable, too.