Hardware Hacking Projects for Geeks

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Chapter 7, How to Build a Digital Video Recorder

Extensions

This system gives you the basic capabilities of video record and playback,

but there are a number of other interesting features you could add.

Dedicated IR remote control

The Linux InfraRed Control (LIRC) package allows you to use an inexpen-

sive Packard Bell infrared remote (often available on eBay for under $10).

This remote connects to the serial port.

You need to load the LIRC serial port driver instead of the standard Linux

driver. Because it’s only recently been integrated into Mandrake, LIRC can

be difficult to set up.

Note that /etc/lircd.conf defines a series of codes corresponding to button

names. Part of the flexibility of LIRC is that the button names are definable.

Use whatever names make sense to you given the remote in question, but be

sure to use the exact same button names when you refer to them in /etc/lir-

cmd.conf and ~/.lircd.conf. I have configured .lircd.conf to use XAWTV by

pressing Aux1, and xine by pressing Aux2. By using the mode structures (also

not documented exceptionally well), the remote buttons are reprogrammed to

provide appropriate input for each program. It’s really quite cool.

Add the following autostart script in .kde/Autostart/:

#!/bin/bash

irexec 2> /tmp/irexec.err > /tmp/irexec.out &

irxevent 2> /tmp/irxevent.err > /tmp/irxevent.out &

Add the following line to /etc/module ...