serial control and analog cable tuner? DCT2000?

[bthom73]

This is more of a cable box question than a Tivo question - but what I'm trying to find is a plain old analog cable box capable of being controlled serially.

I've read that the Motorola DCT2000 series cable boxes support serial control but I don't have digital cable, just plain old open analog channels in the range ch2-60. A digital-capable cable box is fine if it can also handle a plain old analog input and doesn't require "activation" in order to work that way.

Another possibility would be some form of third-party free-to-air satellite receiver with built in OTA analog tuner and serial control, although I wouldn't have anything plugged into the satellite input.

IR control is also an option but I'd really rather acquire the right cable/satellite box to do it serially if possible.

Any hints on which boxes to try would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Brian

[greg_burns]

Why do you need a cable box at all if recording analog channels? Can't you just plug the cable into the Tivo bypassing a box altogether? :confused:

Is there a Tivo involved here? :)

[lastdeadcat]

I had a Motorola DCT2000 series cable box installed a few months ago because my cable company was going all digital. The serial connection changes channels fine on my S2 TiVo. It also has a S-Video output. Some of the newer DCT 2000s (like 2500's) have digital audio output, but mine doesn't nor do I need it for a S2. I just needed the box because of the move to digital by the cable company.

I only asked for a box with S-Video out and was lucky that it also had the serial connection that worked. I was expecting to have to use the IR blasters, but dug out the serial connection that came with my TiVo and it just worked right off. From what I've read here, the presence of a serial port doesn't automatically mean that it will work--the cable company may have disabled it for some reason.

[classicsat]

I don't think there are any analog cable boxes with serial ports (at least which TiVo supports). A DCT2000 is a digital cable box, but has an analog tuner. It may need activated to even use that.

Still, I don't see why.