Configuring IR control of a Motorola T/W cable box (DCX3200m).

Does anybody have the macro string to turn the cable box "ON"?

It was something like Menu>Munu>Setting....

Thanks!

if its still the same as it use to be, it should be Menu, Power, Power for ON and Menu, Power for OFF.

This only works if the menu key brings up an installer menu when the box is off like it use to.

I thought the menu button only brought up the installer menu if it was MENU on the face of the box, not MENU on the remote.

Otherwise, though, yes. If the remote's MENU turns the box on, the other parts will work right. A little inconvenience is that ON when it's already on will turn it off, then back on again.

I have never bothered trying this with Comcast/Moto boxes in our area, just leave them on all the time. I put one on a wattstopper and found no difference in power consumption between on and off state. And it seems the DVR would not record shows if turned off (been a couple years since I tried this so who knows it could be fixed).

They should turn themselves on to record on the DVR.

I have heard that cable company updates result in the box being turned off, so if you leave them on all the time, the remote must at least have a TOAD POWER button to recover from that. Even then, you're likely to get a phone call about it the first time or two that it happens.

Some of the boxes have an option for numeric power on. The whole thing is really a bad idea. I can't tell you how many remotes I've serviced from previous installers sending a '0' command to turn on a box forgetting that these boxes get swapped all of the time by the cable company and the next firm could remove the option.

As much as I hate to say it, not every
Device and function can be automated.

Teach your customer to power on their box the same way you'd teach them how to get out of smartv. (I really need to start a post on that).

I'm with Samm. The power drop from the 'off' state is nominal. At best, powering off a box disables the video output. This isn't even true in a Verizon box where power off turns on the screen saver. If your customer isn't smart enough to look to see if their cable box is powered on, then please remove the automation system. They definitely won't get it.

I always leave cable boxes on all the time. I checked the differences between on and off state and it's miniscule.

I never put cable box power commands on the remote and I instruct the customer to never turn off the box. I make the point that the OFF command simply turns out the lights, the unit never powers down. Further, I tell them that this cable box situation will create a problem in the future when an anal guest turns off the box. Hopefully, if I mention the potential problem several times during the instruction session, the customer may be able do remember the drill and save a future call for "repair".

In a few cases I have noticed that a cable box will follow a CEC directive, but I will never base my program on that assumption.  Mostly, CEC creates problems for my programs.

In most cases the video out will follow the "power" and I have used video detectors, but this technique makes me nervous because a replacement box might not follow this convention. The same is true for the optical audio output.

At one point I used the switched AC outlet as a trigger, but current boxes don't provide or switch the outlet.

The latest round of "energy star" certifications appear to have all of our local brighthouse boxes turning off automatically. Even when you turn off power saving, they reactivate it when they issue an update. I've started using the "turn on timer" as an automatic work around. I turn the boxes on every morning at 5am. This seems to be working for the last 2 months but I'm sure they will break it soon.

It's worse than that, as every update can finish by turning the box off and also potentially changes the way the box turns on. You can't plan ANYTHING in this regard.


True.




Back when we decided to use video sensors to tell if the boxes were on or off, we discovered the height (or depth) of stupidity: a lot of cable boxes, when turned "off," stayed on and outputted a black screen. That is, the video signal continued!


Don't let a stupid cable box/stupid cable company limit what the client can control in the rest of the system. "Can't control the power on the cable box? Well, here's your five remotes back! Can't do a damn thing!" That's ridiculous. Repeatedly tell your client how stupid the cable box programmers are and point out where you put the cable box POWER button on the remote that you program for them.

When I program my URCs, once you land on device page, the On button always controls power state. Obviously, if I have discrete codes, On button is programmed to POn. In TOAD situation it's a toggle function.

I assume these are still available, and could work to determine the boxes power state. Of course you will be covering up the display. Used some of these along time ago.

[Link: nilesaudio.com]

Some boxes transmit video or screen saver when on or off.

To the front display of the cablebox?

As for the Moto box, if Menu, power, power doesn't work, try the info button.
I recall dealing with one a number of years ago and when in standby mode, the info button brought up the information screen, then power would turn it off, and a second power would turn it back on.
So to turn it off, you can use info, power.