On Thu, 03 Jun 2004 18:23:50 -0400, *bicker*
wrote:

A Thu, 03 Jun 2004 13:07:22 -0700, Top Spin
escribió:
I'm using the serial connection -- not the IR. Is interference still
an issue?

The serial connection is only supported if your cable system
has the support enabled. Comcast here does not support it,
so if your Comcast system is the same, what you're really
seeing is the impact of the very poor emitter on the front
of the unit. In that case, you're definitely better off
using the wire emitters, and putting the cable box in a
cabinet.

Is there some foolproof way to test if the serial connection is
working? Can I cover up the IR input or output and see if anything
works at all?

What's weird is that it never has any trouble changing the
lower-numbered channels. The ones in the 200s cause it problems.

--
For email, use Usenet-20031220 at spamex.com

A Thu, 03 Jun 2004 16:35:24 -0700, Top Spin
escribió:
The serial connection is only supported if your cable system
has the support enabled. Comcast here does not support it,
so if your Comcast system is the same, what you're really
seeing is the impact of the very poor emitter on the front
of the unit. In that case, you're definitely better off
using the wire emitters, and putting the cable box in a
cabinet.
Is there some foolproof way to test if the serial connection is
working?

No. Generally, it is only available where the company has
guaranteed that it would be, typically as part of a
co-marketing arrangement with Tivo whereby you buy your Tivo
through the company (AT&T Broadband was the only company
that did this) and they'd support the serial connection. I
don't know if Comcast is honoring that agreement for those
systems that it bought from AT&T, but your related
experience indicates, almost assuredly, that it is not
supported in your area.

What's weird is that it never has any trouble changing the
lower-numbered channels. The ones in the 200s cause it problems.

As much as I make fun of the emitter on the front of the
Tivo unit, it does work, to some extent.


--
bicker®
http://abcnews.go.com/sections/GMA/D...ry_040602.html

On Fri, 04 Jun 2004 06:14:32 -0400, *bicker*
wrote:

Is there some foolproof way to test if the serial connection is
working?

No. Generally, it is only available where the company has
guaranteed that it would be, typically as part of a
co-marketing arrangement with Tivo whereby you buy your Tivo
through the company (AT&T Broadband was the only company
that did this) and they'd support the serial connection.

OK. I went through the setup routine again. About 7-8 levels deep,
there is an option to test the serial connection. I tried it and it
said that it was able to change channels. As far as I could tell, no
channels were actually changed -- at least the display on the cable
box didn't change -- but it said it was happy.

I also tried covering up the IR receiver. I was able to get it so that
the cable remote couldn't change channels, but I could not find a way
to block the TiVo from changing channels.

The combination makes me think that the serial connection is working.

I suspect the cable box. Even using the cable remote, I can't get all
of the channels on the TiVo set that I can on the other (supposedly
identical) cable box in another room.

When I try to tune to channel 272 using the cable remote, it tunes the
channel (at least the cable box display shows "272"), but the TV shows
a black screen with "This channel will be available shortly" message.
That channel is available on the other TV.

When I try to tune to channel 272 using the TiVo remote, the whole
TiVo box goes haywire. It first tunes 272, then 273, then 274, ...
then is jumps around in the 400s. When it finally stops, I am no
longer able to change channels at all using the TiVo remote. The cable
remote will work just fine and if I tune it to a channel lower than
100, everything is back.


--
For email, use Usenet-20031220 at spamex.com

A Fri, 04 Jun 2004 16:29:07 -0700, Top Spin
escribió:
As far as I could tell, no
channels were actually changed -- at least the display on the cable
box didn't change -- but it said it was happy.
I also tried covering up the IR receiver. I was able to get it so that
the cable remote couldn't change channels, but I could not find a way
to block the TiVo from changing channels.
The combination makes me think that the serial connection is working.

Sorry, but your logic is faulty. From what you describe,
you can conclude that the serial connection is not working.
Time for you to move on, recognizing that the way your Tivo
changes channels is using IR.


--
bicker®
http://abcnews.go.com/sections/GMA/D...ry_040602.html

*bicker* shaped the electrons to say:
escribió:
I also tried covering up the IR receiver. I was able to get it so that
the cable remote couldn't change channels, but I could not find a way
to block the TiVo from changing channels.
The combination makes me think that the serial connection is working.

Sorry, but your logic is faulty. From what you describe,
you can conclude that the serial connection is not working.
Time for you to move on, recognizing that the way your Tivo
changes channels is using IR.

How do you figure that? He's blocked the IR receiver, the IR remote
does not work. The TiVo *does* change the channels. How do you think
it is doing that via IR when the receiver is blocked and the remote
doesn't work.

Sounds like the serial cable DOES work, but the cable box is broken
and not tuning some channels.

-MZ, RHCE #806199299900541, ex-CISSP #3762
--
URL:mailto:megazoneatmegazone.org Gweep, Discordian, Author, Engineer, me.
"A little nonsense now and then, is relished by the wisest men" 508-755-4098
URL:http://www.megazone.org/ URL:http://www.eyrie-productions.com/ Eris

A 05 Jun 2004 23:56:47 GMT,
(MegaZone) escribió:
How do you figure that? He's blocked the IR receiver, the IR remote
does not work.

He didn't block the IR receiver. Read it again. It is the
emitter he tried to block, but in reality all he covered
what he thought was the emission "point." The reality is
that the built-in emitter isn't a pinpoint tunneling device.
It emits so much that some folks have to wrap their cable
boxes in foil in order to control the interference the
built-in emitter causes with its own IR remote emissions!


--
bicker®
http://abcnews.go.com/sections/GMA/D...ry_040602.html

*bicker* shaped the electrons to say:
He didn't block the IR receiver. Read it again. It is the
emitter he tried to block, but in reality all he covered

Again - where does he say that?
---
I also tried covering up the IR receiver. I was able to get it so that
the cable remote couldn't change channels, but I could not find a way
to block the TiVo from changing channels.
---

If he blocked the emitter just what stopped the CABLE REMOTE from
working? The TiVo wouldn't even be in the loop.

what he thought was the emission "point." The reality is
that the built-in emitter isn't a pinpoint tunneling device.

I know all about the built in emitter in the TiVo.

-MZ, RHCE #806199299900541, ex-CISSP #3762
--
URL:mailto:megazoneatmegazone.org Gweep, Discordian, Author, Engineer, me.
"A little nonsense now and then, is relished by the wisest men" 508-755-4098
URL:http://www.megazone.org/ URL:http://www.eyrie-productions.com/ Eris