HDTV Receivers with serial ports (1 Viewer)

[Kurt ONeill]

Is there any HDTV receivers with serial ports? If so does anyone know why not? I want to hook up a TIVO with my Panasonic, but I can't get it to work. I can't get the IR to work either.

Kurt

 

[MitchC]

I'm not sure what you mean by serial ports but the RCA DTC100 HD sat receiver outputs to the TV with a VGA port. If you want to connect to a HD ready TV you then need the RCA VGA/Comp adapter because most HD ready TV's have component inputs.

I'm still waiting for mine to arrive so I can't give you more info.

 

[Stephen Tu]

He means serial ports that can control the receiver, to get it to tune to a particular channel which Tivo needs to do in order to record. Your comment about VGA vs. component is irrelevant.

Kurt -- I'd give up on controlling HD receiver from Tivo for several reasons:
- pretty much all (as of now, that I know of) HD receivers
have this limitation where they can only output HD through component/VGA, or downconverted to NTSC through S-video/composite, but not both at the same time. They have a switch, either physical or software that you'd have to constantly use as you go from watching HDTV live to letting Tivo record from it. If you forgot, Tivo would have no signal to record and you would lose the recording.
- if you were using the receiver to view something in HDTV live, Tivo wouldn't be able to record anything else.

I'd get a second, cheap, RCA DirecTV receiver w/ serial port to use as Tivo's dedicated slave. Or just get a DirecTivo, probably a better option if you get locals via satellite or don't care about recording locals.

 

[TimG]

I think the new Samsung HDTV boxes that are coming out (Early Oct.?) will output both at the same time. As far as a serial port, don't know about that one. There are also the series two DirecTivo's that are supposed to be appearing soon. See www.tivocommunity.com also.
TimG

 

[Kurt ONeill]

I understand I can't record any of the HD channels. My HD set is the second most watched TV besides the one in my bedroom where my first TIVO is. I just wanted to use it to record normal Direct TV or local channels. I was just wondering why they didn't include the serial interface with any of the HDTV decoders. I am sure this will all change eventually. Thanks for the help.

Kurt