I am extremely new to this, having built my first computer and first time working w/linux. It is fun when things start to work !!! I have a start up question about using my cable box.

I have comcast that uses encrypted QAM.. my cable box is a moterola DCT2224. I figured I could just use my cable box to unencrypt the signal first, before going to my computer. I am aware that I will need an IR blaster and will get one as soon as I feel confident that I can make this work (i've been reading up on this a lot).

I have an HD-3000 card set to DVB. My question:
how do I channel scan with the cable box and no IR Blaster? I get a signal but it always fails to lock and obvoiusly the channel on the cable box doesnt change. Do I have to manually change the cable box channels as it scans?

I don't have the right cable to use firewire yet (I am assuming it's that port in the back that says "DATA" and has nine holes, looks like what you would plug a monitor in).

The only other thing I can think of, is that I need to get an IR Blaster first and mythTV will change the channel while it scans. In that case, I guess I should do some more searching.

Any extra info would be nice, I'm sick of looking up cable box installations and finding a million posts about firewire.




Accomplished:
MythTv installed
Nvidia drivers installed
channel info downloaded
mythfill database populated
script DVB_fixer used
DVD playback working
DVD ripping working
weather and web working

Not working (yet):
Watch TV
mythphone

_________________
not working yet: R5A30-1.2,hd-3000,p4 3.2 ghz, asus p4p800e deluxe, 1GB RAM.

i do NOT know what i'm doing
(but that's half the fun, right?)

You don't generally channel scan in the US exccept for HDTV. You get you channel info along with your program guide info from zap2it labs. This is explicitly called out in the setup instructions, please go back and reread them: http://www.knoppmythwiki.org/index.php?page=KnoppMythInstall

BTW - The port you're talking about sounds like a 9 pin serial connector, a 4 sided trapezoid like a truncate equilateral triangle, two rows of pins/sockets, with 5 on the wider side, and 4 on the narrower side. There is info on the wiki about doing control via a serial cable if it hasn't been disabled. Firewire ports come in two shapes, the older slower ones are 5 sided with a post down the center, the newer faster ones are smaller and more rectangular.

yes, I understand. I have already done that.

I followed those instructions and set up the zap2it labs channels just fine before I posted the question.

I guess I am unsure of how to proceed from there. My HD-3000 card is set to DVB as I just want to get regular TV working from the cable box.

I just don't understand how this should work with the cable box. I have coax from cable IN to the box... and coax going OUT to the computer (with the correct input/output).

My channels are populated and I ran DVB_fixer.sh

I will keep searching !

What I want to do is be able to see TV on my screen, and change the channels via cable box. Is there a certain default channel that mythTV needs to be set to?

thanks! : )

_________________
not working yet: R5A30-1.2,hd-3000,p4 3.2 ghz, asus p4p800e deluxe, 1GB RAM.

i do NOT know what i'm doing
(but that's half the fun, right?)