Re: Inject text alerts into a CATV system

["Robert Green" <ROBERT_GREEN1963@xxxxxxxxx>]

"Robert L Bass" <sales@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message

<stuff snipped>

> Heh, your situation mirrors mine.  My father *finally* bought hearing aids
last
> year after much prodding from the rest of the family.  His TV volume was
making
> the rest of us deaf.  I was speaking to my mother the other day and she
told me
> he is being very careful of his hearing aids.  He keeps them rolled up in
a
> clean cloth in his dresser drawer all the time.  :^)

Yeah - that's Dad.  But I know he'll pay attention to text message on the
screen because of how he complains at any interruption of the program by
those emergency alert test messages they run every now and then.

> There are devices that the CCTV industry uses to inject titles and time
stamps
> into an image as it's being viewed / recorded.  Perhaps one of these can
be
> configured to work with your HA system.  Alternatively, there are PC cards
that
> are used for video capture which allow titling.  I'll give a couple of
suppliers
> a call tomorrow and ask if there's one that can display text from a
background
> app running on the PC.  There are Caller ID devices that can handle that.

Thanks for that.  I am trying to keep it as simple as possible.  I've
complicated the problem by buying them a VCR/DVD/TV combo that has only a
coaxial antenna input.   Mom just couldn't handle the standalone DVD and VCR
and the switching of inputs, etc.  I tried a programmable multibrand remote
but that didn't help either.  The combo unit works nicely for them, but
really complicates the insertion of text into anything but the CATV signal.

> Also, if you happen to be considering satellite vs cable, note that some
> satellite TV providers offer on-screen caller ID prompts which pop on
screen
> when the phone rings.  I have DISH Network and ISTR they provide the
service at
> no charge.

Nope.  Comcast Cable.  )-:  I've seen TV caller ID boxes but it usually
means having some sort of composite connection that can be "broken into."

I've been thinking that instead of an overlay I can switch the TV's to a
"house information" channel that's got an RS-232 to videotext input like
those that Dave pointed me to.  The problem there is knowing which channel
Dad was watching so I could switch away from it and then switch back once
the message was delivered.

--
Bobby G.