RE: RE: was Digital Audio/ now Ir and IRDA

[Kenneth Watt]

IDRA, so far as I am concerned, is not an acceptable control system for
home appliances, hell I even refuse to buy a PDA because it uses such a
silly system! I was given a PDA for nought, that's different ;-)

Personally, I would not buy an STB, or any other appliance, that used
IRDA as a control method simply due to the fact that I would not be able
to integrate it with everything else in the house, like the Pronto's and
my IR control system. In effect it would be an almost worthless device
to me unless I had one specific use for it!

The local cable company that are currently laying cable as if it were
going out of fashion around here, OMNE, are using a PACE box that does
not use IRDA so I would consider them ASAP to get broadband. However,
had they used an IRDA enabled box then I would not have looked at it!

IMO, NTL or whoever should be able to supply a box that does not use
IRDA, it can be done, they have the product; they just seem to not be
too bothered about their customers requirements. After all, they have
been told about this problem repeatedly and even the simplest of HA or
IR extending is not possible using these STBs, even for Joe Bloggs that
just wants a remote feed to the bedroom alone through a video sender!

I admire Keith's efforts to integrate IRDA into KAT5 but I am sure
Xantech and a host of other companies have put hundreds, if not
thousands, of man-hours into developing their products to support IRDA,
bar none they have failed! For that reason, I would say that it, while
probably possible, may well be out of reach in terms of time and effort
to create a reliable system that can work in harmony with
"standard" IR.

Just an opinion of course as always.

K.

This is K. From Work! I really should be working ;-)


-----Original Message-----
From: simon still [mailto:<a
href="/group/kat5-users/post?postID=tRz7UFDn_734RT0ghLmucnEpq1SqTWUx-wBLGpPACP4wkdRmz29YCQL6S-2cJqTpwjhKGVkf5aTdneVMrw">b33k34@h...</a>]
Sent: 10 January 2002 10:54
To: <a
href="/group/kat5-users/post?postID=PJUDgoro3tm8ajdBvYYG-enG2VLdjPHwbI6D6Ake3NgzdwrdXDUZWcrO0aWVzcv0U7hq-IFA1qV3tEX0pSbDBpQtHlHX">kat5-users@xxxxxxx</a>
Subject: [KAT5] RE: was Digital Audio/ now Ir and IRDA

From: "Phil Harris" <<a
href="/group/kat5-users/post?postID=lu9skx3XlhBYPROhCphudfjzPMdiFH0uqZoSr_VEo7iroPbm80Np8AqZLUuG8JHC4APfBiR2nUzF2px5lB_MWYJ0">phillip.harris1@v...</a>>

Nope ... This was something that my mate stood up in front of a group of
NTL directors, NTL developers and Pace representatives and argued
against. He even borrowed my Pronto ......
[snip]
Their main reason for using IRDA - which is valid I guess - is that it
enabled them to support multiple controllers on one box to enable the
playing of multi user games. Howeverwhat we (or more accurately my mate)
was arguing for was them to supplement the IRDA control with a set of
standard IR codes that learning remotes could use.
[snip]
that would have been such a simple solution and left everyone happy.
Since
the software in the box is fully upgradable presumably this could still
be
added at a later date though i'd be surprised if NTL have any software
developers left let alone have any working on something like this.

There's a huge thread on remotecentral
<a href="http://www.remotecentral.com/cgi-bin/mboard/rc-pronto/thread.cgi?2970";>http://www.remotecentral.com/cgi-bin/mboard/rc-pronto/thread.cgi?2970</a>
that started back in Nov99 and includes reponses from NTL, Pace and
Phillips. One guy has gone as far as to rig something together with a
dismantled NTL remote, an IR reciever and a 15 relays to get some form
of
control of the NTL box with his pronto. v1 had to be modified because
of
the clicking noise the relays were making.

It is completely infuriating to have to pick up a second remote control
to
alter the volume. Surely there must be an easier solution (Keith?)
though
it seems these people have looked pretty hard.

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