Feature request: RF switch-box for dual cable?

[kennetha]

This is really just a curiosity, but I wanted to throw out the idea to see whether people would be interested -- and whether it seems feasible.

For a while I've wanted a PVR system that could control an RF switch-box. Radio Shack sells an IR remote-control two-input RF switch (part #15-1968). If SageTV system could control the external RF switch (as if it were a cable box) via IR, it would be able to record all of my cable channels with a single tuner.

I've got a slightly unusual cable configuration -- my cable system (RIP TCI, RIP AT&T, long live Comcast) is analog "dual cable", meaning half the channels are on an "A" RF line, and the other half are on "B". Two separate jacks coming in to the apartment. The channels overlap (2-40 or so, both sides), so there's no trivial way to treat them as a single set of channels. A cable converter box might be able to pretend that they are linear, or I can always pay for "digital cable", but neither is particularly attractive, especially for use with a multi-tuner PVR.

SageTV provides a trivial solution for this -- just stick in another tuner card. I've done this, and it works perfectly (and therefore manages something that none of the competition can -- including TiVo.)

However, I'm still interested in at least trying to set up a system that can use the RF switch -- if nothing else, it'd allow me to get full "two program" recording with only three tuner cards (one on "A", one on "B", and the third switch-hitting, so to speak.)

The Radio Shack RF switch has a remote control with separate "A" and "B" buttons, and my USB-UIRT is able to record and generate the remote's signals, so it'd be at least theoretically possible to let SageTV control it directly. More interesting is how SageTV would need to be configured: the easiest might be to nominate a particular tuner input as being switched, and turn it into two separate "A" and "B" inputs. When SageTV wanted to tune to either of those, it'd perform whatever other tuning was indicated for that input, and also flip the RF switch.

I suspect this probably isn't worth the effort -- the RF switch doesn't have a selectable "ID", so using more then one in a single system would be tricky, and I've never got the impression that "IR blasting" is the most reliable control technique in any case.

This really isn't necessary for me -- I can stick in a fourth tuner card and get full dual-program recording on both sides -- it just seems a bit like overkill, and I've been curious about using an RF switch for years.

(Incidentally, TiVo's offices are just up the street -- I'd expect they have the same cable that I do. I'd find it most amusing if SageTV could completely outdo them on the local cable system.)

[cpete]

We must be neighbors. I dumped that cable system years ago for satellite (C-Band) and never looked back. I have a few spare RS A/B switchers in my collection of irrelavant devices. I see Comcast has a plan to finally upgrade that system in our area in 2004/2005. I frankly don't think there's enough of those A/B cables systems out there to bother. I do like your dual tuner idea though. That sounds pretty slick.

Chris

[mrseidler]

I also have the a/b cable and I hate it. I'm going to add a second tuner though and i'll be able to record on both "sides". I do like the idea of having a 3rd card as a "switch hitter" though. And even though 4 tuners might seem like overkill, it is still cheaper than two extra tivos. Comcast in San Jose (where I am) is going to offer the PVR function soon, but even still their digital cable service sucks and they are way too expensive.