SerialChannel 
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Turn your Mac into a awesome PVR with EyeTv and SerialChannel and leave the wires behind.COMING SOON SUPPORT FOR CABLE BOXES!! Learn MoreYes! Snow Leopard OS X 10.6 compatible |
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Also comes in 3 convient packages |
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USB CableSet 1For USB equiped Directv boxes H20-100 and -600, HR20, HR21, D12, D13 Includes Cables and Software
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Get everything you need to get hooked up in 1 set at a great price! Set Includes:
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Get everything you need to get hooked up in 1 set at a great price! Set Includes:
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Own an EyeTV box and use Directv or a Cable Box? SerialChannel is the application for you.
The original serial cable solution for EyeTV. This mature software offering is designed to work with our cables to give the user a clean uncluttered installation. With SerialChannel Eyetv can effortlessly change the channel on a Directv box and now your cable box.
SerialChannel is a small cocoa application that runs in the background to listen to EyeTV for the channel change event and pass that information to a built in perl script (directv.pl). The perl script then executes the necessary commands to change the channel through a serial connection. With this program you can now change the channel on your Directv box by simply changing the channel as you normally would on EyeTV. The perl script is the same tried and true script used on mythtv and other dvr projects with some minor changes to support Mac OS X. The program is free to any one interested on the download page. The original directv.pl script can be found here.
There are now two versions of SerialChannel. In Version 1.0 all configuration of SerialChannel is done by editing the directv.pl script. Version 2.1 configuration is done in the GUI.
Instructions for SerialChannel 2.1 can be found here.
Editing of the script is available by control clicking on the SerialChannel.app. Go to Show package content-->contents-->resources then edit the script to the appropriate box, baud rate and serial port. The serial port can be obtained by installing the usb adapter on the mac then go to /dev/ directory and look for the usb to serial port name. The name that begins with cu. is the one you want (eg Keyspan adapter appears as /dev/cu.KeySerial1).
The following is a description of the cable set needed for each box
H20-100, H20-600, H21
These boxes have a usb port and thus need a usb adapter, any pl2303 adapter can be used. However, for convience I suggest purchasing a serial cable setup from us. It will take the guesswork out of the task and it will cost you about the same if not less than buying the components individually. After answering numerous emails trying to help people set up their boxes, it always boils down to the user not having the right cables.
To connect the mac to the box you will need a usb to serial adapter. Keyspan and pl2303 based adapters will work. A null serial cable is required between the two. As of late all Directv Boxes use a baud rate at 9600.
This is a picture of the back of an H20-100
D10-100 and D10-200
These boxes have a low speed data port which require a special cable and adapter.
This is a picture of the back of a D10-100
SerialChannel How To
The following descibes setting up SerialChannel 1.0. For SerialChannel 2.1 simply go to preferences and set your options then skip to step 4.
IT is assumed you have EyeTV 2.4 or greater and have downloaded and installed it.
1. Download and unzip SerialChannel. Move the app to your applications folder
2. Install the usb to serial adapter on the mac. Open terminal and type the following at the prompt
prompt$> ls /dev
The output should show a bunch of devices. The one you are looking for will begin with cu. folowed by some name given by your usb adapter driver. Example a Keyspan adapter would show up in /dev as cu.KeySerial1. Write down the name of the adapter.
3. Control click on the SerialChannel.app in your applications folder and choose Show Package Contents. Then open the contents folder followed by the Resources folder. There you will see the directv.pl script. open in you favorite text editor and edit the following with your info: Remeber the baud rate is 9600
$serport
$baudrate
$box
save the file.
4. Configure EyeTV for an external by Following the directions found here.
For Cable Box Users
PREREQUISITES
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1. Motorola/GI DCT-2000 series box. (DCT-2244, DCT-2224 etc) with serial port,
2. Firmware version 7.54 or higher on the box.
3. Your serial port has to be enabled.
FireWire boxes
- All Motorola firewire boxes (6200 series officially tested)
- Scientfic Atlantic firewire boxes (SA 3250HD and 4240HD officically tested).