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Adding Functionality to Digital Cable Boxes?
Marqis asks: "I have a Motorola DCT-2000 (info here) and supposedly it supports 3rd party software. I would like to be that 3rd party but I can't find any information about programming this unit or how the data port can be used. After phoning Motorola I was told that the data port hasn't been activated yet. Not sure how that works. Anyhow, I really hate my cable company's layout of the on screen tv listings as it only shows a 1/2 hour time block. I would much prefer a 1 hour (or even 1.5 hour) time listing that should be possible if the gigantic 'Push here for help' buttons were taken out.
Also, I know from reading news groups that lots of people would like the ability to change channels through the data port so their Tivo's wouldn't have to use a sometimes flaky IR blaster. Web surfing, email checking, tv listing download, mpeg streaming to a pc and the like are also theoretically possible. Any info on the data port, protocols, compilers, etc would be greatly appreciated."
Heres a training class from Liberate.
It states: This course provides the basics for developing Java applications for the Motorola DCT-2000 set-top box running Liberate's Compact client software.
Now I don't know if thats what your looking for, but it sounds like it may be a new lead to chase down at the very least.
Even if your box doesn't use the Liberate software, they may be able to give you some helpful info. Call em a few times if you need to. It's been my exp. that if guy A doesn't know/can't help/won't help you usually need to call back no more then 4 more times before someone out there will give you a new lead to chase. Check it out.
/me Kisses his DirectTiVo
Looking for hardware (Currently need: Large Etch-a-Sketch) Have one? See my journal!
It is a half solution. I have ReplayTV and a DCT2xxx box. I have never even looked to see what the DCT program listings look like. If you have ReplayTV or TiVo, you won't care about the DCT's display, so it does solve the channel guide issue.
Now there are other issues. The serial port on the DCT box should be enabled so as to allow external devices to send channel change commands instead of using the less-than-100%-reliable IR cable that is connected to my ReplayTV.
It would be nice to eliminate the pop-up that says what channel you're watching and what's on every time you change channels. You can cut it down to two seconds from the default five, but it is still annoying having that at the start of each show on my hard drive. I've thought about taking apart the DCT, finding the flash chip, downloading the contents, then changing the pop-up time, repeating the process, and then comparing the difference so as to set the time to zero.
Nothing on the motorola, but I used to work for cisco, and at the time they were doing some QA for pace, which had a STB based on cisco's DOCSIS cable modem design. That's probably what's in there. In other words, it should be a complete STB, but at least has a DOCSIS CM built into it (unless this is some other bastard project, who knows what else pace is up to.)
On the reference designs there are connectors for a serial port. I suspect the solder pads will still be there on final production models, but probably not the connector. Even so it was some little header that you had to connect a breakout box to.
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
I don't have the motorola cable box so I can't be much help there. But In Columbus, Ohio, Time Warner uses Scientific Atlanta Explorer 2000 cable boxes that seem very similar in functionality. It also has some nifty hardware, USB, some type of card slot (PCMCIA?), another port marked as 'serial', it supposedly supports ethernet, also. I know they have some type of developer page on their site, but it looks like you need a membership?
I do know how to get into the diag mode though: hold down the diamond button for 5 seconds then hit select (or maybe both at the same time). You can see DETAILED information about the box, tune channels, etc... quite interesting!!
If anyone else is interested in this box, post or mail me, because I have been wondering what I could do to this box for over a year, I just never got around to messing around with it.