paging SimonK, or someone who might know

I have a Pace STB supplied by Telewest for digital cable.

On the back, as well as the various video ins and outs, there's a USB
port and an Ethernet port. Can either of these be used to change the
channel/adjust the volume settings etc.?

I can't find the actual box on Pace's website, but on the only digital
cable box on there that /does/ have these ports, it says "Can provide
access to the cable modem", but no further info than that.

 

Ash might know more about this, but I'm pretty certain the answer's "no".

I would imagine the ethernet port is there for the box's built-in cable
modem - some cable networks use integrated STB-and-modem things rather than
using separate boxes. Although I thought Telewest gave you 2 different
boxes.

 

If you have the STB already then they try and get you to use its onboard
modem.
They offer a wireless access point that plugs into the STB.
--
Alex

"I laugh in the face of danger"
"Then I hide until it goes away"

www.drzoidberg.co.uk
www.upce.org.uk

 

Hmm - it definitely looks like a USB "in" port, and ethernet is, well,
ethernet. Maybe they're for diagnostic purposes only.

well, maybe I'll just plug a PC into it, and see what happens.

I'm interested because I've finally got around to buying a Hauppauge
WinPVR 350 card, and although it's mostly working fine[1], I'd like to
be able to change the cable channel from the PC without having to
resort to a kludgy IR link.

they do - I have a Motorola "Surfboard" <fx: retch> for broadband.

[1] except - uber-irritatingly - the TV-out on the card does not carry
the text overlay i.e. when you're changing channel/volume etc - it
only has the video itself.

 

Certainly I understand that Other Cable Networks strip out all the
management and "hacking" bits of the firmware before shipping the boxes to
customers.

I think The Other Molly (or was it Melanie?) used to work for Pace. Perhaps
if you asked her nicely ...

They might bring out a proper PVR one day, you never know. I'm looking
seriously at getting HomeChoice, though

 

well, my Internet access point is physically seperate from the STB (on
different floors of my house) - perhaps this is why I have two boxes.
As I said to Simon, I'll plug a PC into the Ethernet port and see what
happens - if this *is* an Internet access port, that'd be strange.

 

as if.

The Hauppage card is good, actually - probably need to get a copy of
Beyond TV to get the most out of it.

The problem with HomeChoice (and Freeview) is that they don't have a
lot of the non-terrestrial channels we watch. HomeChoice isn't
available in my area either.

 

arse - it's such a fucking cludge.

 

I <heart> Telewest.