Need a way to handle "next input" button on TV

jsevinsk · Post by **jsevinsk** » Mon Jan 22, 2007 12:43 pm

I want to make the device keys smart enough to select the right inputs on the TV and receiver when pressed. Although the receiver has discrete commands for the input, the TV doesn't. You have to select the input by repeatedly pressing the "input" button until you get what you want, or by pressing the "source" button to bring up a list of inputs, pressing "up" or "down" until the right input is highlighted, then pressing "enter."

Some TVs are smart enough so that when you start pressing digits, the "TV" input will be automatically selected, which will at least put it in a known state. Then you know how many times you need to press the "input" button to get to where you want to be. But not this TV. You just get a "valid only in TV mode" message. There's no way to force this TV to a particular input if you don't know what is currently selected.

I thought about using the ToadTog bits to keep track of what device is selected, and when something else is selected, it would have to first press "input" enough times to get back to TV mode, then switch devices, then press "input" to get to that input. This seems like a waste if the new device was next on the TV's list and you only needed to press "input" once.

I wish there was an extender that you could pass the total number of inputs and the number you want selected, and it would remember where was and send the right number of "input" commands.

Has anybody else solved this problem?

Post by **The Robman** » Mon Jan 22, 2007 1:01 pm

What happens when you press CH+ in video mode? Does it return the TV to antenna mode? If so, use that to get the TV into a known state.

Rob

jsevinsk · Post by **jsevinsk** » Mon Jan 22, 2007 1:05 pm

The Robman wrote:What happens when you press CH+ in video mode? Does it return the TV to antenna mode? If so, use that to get the TV into a known state.

I tried that too, but I get the "valid only in TV mode" message.

If I ever buy a new TV, I will first make sure it supports discrete input and on/off codes.

johnsfine · Post by **johnsfine** » Mon Jan 22, 2007 1:45 pm

jsevinsk wrote:I thought about using the ToadTog bits to keep track of what device is selected, and when something else is selected, it would have to first press "input" enough times to get back to TV mode, then switch devices, then press "input" to get to that input. This seems like a waste if the new device was next on the TV's list and you only needed to press "input" once.

Assuming you're OK with the usual ToadTog sync issues, ToadTog could be set up to do much better than you describe above. It should be able to send just the right number of input commands.

First you need enough ToadTog bits to keep track of the input number (if you have five inputs, you'd need three bits, etc).

Next you might construct a nested ToadTog (nested for the number of bits) for a specific desired input, that will:
1) If that input is already selected, do nothing
2) If any other input is selected, send input once and increment the count (as encoded in a few ToadTog bits).
Then you would issue that whole thing as many times as the max necessary (four times if you have five inputs).

It's big and kludgey (if you have more than four inputs), but it ought to get the job done.

I guess it would be nice to have a counter version of ToadTog that does all that book keeping for you.

Capn Trips · Post by **Capn Trips** » Mon Jan 22, 2007 2:53 pm

John's idea has been discussed previously in these fora, but I'm not sure whether anybody has actually done it, but in theary, it should be possible. Your mention about the source button might provide the simplest solution.

When you press the source button, you get a list of inputs correct? Does it ALWAYS come up with the same input highlighted? (like "Antenna") or does it come up with the CURRENT input highlighted? If the former, then you can create macros that will act like discrete input selections, and then call upon thsoe macros in you device selection macros.

If it does NOT always come up with the same input highlighted, then you're back to the multiple ToadTog flag tracking scenario.

jsevinsk · Post by **jsevinsk** » Mon Jan 22, 2007 2:58 pm

When the source button is pressed, the current input is highlighted. Pressing number buttons in the source list does nothing; you have to use up/down to change sources.

Post by **The Robman** » Mon Jan 22, 2007 3:47 pm

It sounds like you have an example of a true TOAD television. My Toshiba is officially a TOAD, but at least the CH+ workaround works on it.

e.axel · Post by **e.axel** » Mon Jan 22, 2007 5:03 pm

OK, for the uneducated/unwashed, what is a TOAD, TOAD TV, TOADTOG??

Post by **The Robman** » Mon Jan 22, 2007 5:11 pm

e.axel wrote:OK, for the uneducated/unwashed, what is a TOAD?

http://www.remotecentral.com/features/g ... 2.htm#toad
http://www.remotecentral.com/files/use-ir.htm

Herbie · Post by **Herbie** » Mon Jan 22, 2007 6:04 pm

For future reference (and to make sure I never buy that TV), what is the make and model of this TOAD of a TV?

jsevinsk · Post by **jsevinsk** » Mon Jan 22, 2007 6:18 pm

Herbie wrote:For future reference (and to make sure I never buy that TV), what is the make and model of this TOAD of a TV?

It's a Syntax Olevia LT26HVX.

floyd1977 · Post by **floyd1977** » Wed Jan 24, 2007 8:28 am

When you're in the list of inputs, you could go to either the top of the list or the bottom of the list, so that you're in a known state and then go to the input you want.

For example, if your list consists of "Input 1, Input 2, Input 3, Input 4" and you want to go to Input 3, you know that "Source, Down, Down, Down, Up, Enter" will get you to Input 3, no matter what state you're in.

The only problem is if the list wraps around. In other words, if pushing Down when you're at the bottom of the list takes you to the top of the list, this won't work.

This could be a somewhat long macro, but if you end up using an extender, the macro will execute much more quickly.

jsevinsk · Post by **jsevinsk** » Wed Jan 24, 2007 8:34 am

When you press source, the starting point in the list is the current source, so the remote has to remember what it is.

Pressing up and down does go off the end of the list and wraps to the other side, so I can't send a bunch of up commands to go to the top.

I can't think of anything they could have done to make automating this more difficult, other than requiring you to press a button on the TV to change sources.

Post by **The Robman** » Wed Jan 24, 2007 8:49 am

It looks like the engineers at Syntax have pretty much thought of everything, I'm impressed. I've never seen a TV before where the engineers appear to have thought of every possible workaround to not having discretes and have covered them. This is very impressive (in a negative sort of way)!

Attention ebay watchers, I predict a new listing for a Syntax TV set will be appearing very soon!!!

Post by **vickyg2003** » Wed Jan 24, 2007 2:00 pm

My TV acts just like that. I was able to get this to work. When I have 4 devices hooked up I have to use 2 macros. When I have 3 or 5 I can get this to work on One macro.

Take a real careful look at that Source button and see if you can get any pattern.

Does it skip sources that are not connected?

Does it skip the currently selected item when you start cycling through using the down arrow?

I have to change my macro when I plug in different sources, but we change input sources about 20x everyday so this macro is crucial.

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