This script will control a DirecTV model D10 receiver via the serial port. Place the following script on your myth box, and simply designate it as the "external command" when setting up your capture card. Be sure to use the full path, and make the script executable (chmod +x). Mythblasterz for IRblasters. To test the script from the command line, simply call the script with the desired channel as the sole argument. For example, if the script is /myth/directv.pl, then call

/myth/directv.pl 245

to change the channel to 245.

If the script doesn't seem to be working, and you've just installed your cables, it is recommended that you power-cycle both the DirecTV box and the myth box, in that order.

Tested With

RCA DRD435RH (2/14/2005) OK

Modification Required for D10-200

It seems the D10-200 receiver requires an 0x0D to be sent after every command. Replace the sendbytes subroutine with this one to accomodate.

sub sendbytes {
    (@send)=@_;
    push @send,"0x0d";
    foreach (@send) { s/^0x//g; $_=hex($_); }
    print "SEND: " if ($verbose);
    foreach $num (@send) {
        $str=pack('C',$num);
        printf("0x%X [%s] ", $num, $str) if ($verbose);
      syswrite($serial,$str,length($str));
    }
    print "\n" if ($verbose);
}

My D10-200 wasn't reliable with the changes and the script below. The box would lockup sometimes on channel changes so I modified the script to work better for me. I also added a bunch more commands to the script. See my version at http://www.pdp8online.com/directv/directv.shtml. (Script also posted directly to the KnoppMythWiki as the DtenSerialControlScriptTwo. See the website for more usage notes, as well as additional D10 monitoring scripts.) This script should also work with the RCA box but I don't have one to test with. It also should work with the new firmware version 0x101B for the D10-100 which broke changing channels below 100 with the old script.

The script:

1. !/usr/bin/perl

1. directv.pl: Remote control of a DirecTV unit via the serial port
2. By Josh Wilmes (http://www.hitchhiker.org/dss)
3. Based on info from http://www.isd.net/mevenmo/audiovideo.html
5. I take no responsibility for any damage this script might cause.
6. Feel free to modify and redistribute this as you see fit, but please retain
7. the comments above.

1. Home site for this version http://www.pdp8.net/directv/directv.shtml
2. See home site, usage command or run without and parameters for how to use
3. Documentation of box protocol and cables at
4. http://www.dtvcontrol.com/ and
5. http://www.knoppmythwiki.org/index.php?page=DtenSerialControlScript

1. Modified by Dave Manaloto < dave»practicecode >
2. - Put discrete code to turn on IRD
3. - Try and clear OSD after changing channel
4. - sync computer to IRD time "--sync-time" (Now set_system_datetime)

1. Modified by John Gruenenfelder < johng»as >
2. - Use codes for newer RCA model receivers (same as Sony codes?)
3. Info from http://www.dar.net/~andy/tivo/rca_dss_serial.html
4. - Use Perl's select function to pause 0.20 seconds rather than external
5. usleep call
6. - Use 9600 baud rate instead of 115200
8. Originally posted to KnoppMythWiki by Bret Shroyer <bret <at> bretshroyer ,dot, org> Dec 16, 2004
10. Modified by David Gesswein < djg»pdp8 > June 22, 2005
11. Added codes for Directv D10-200 receiver and D10-100 firmware 0x101B
12. Added many commands and tried to make flexible enough that users won't
13. have to edit this file
14. Added retry on errors since the D10-200 is not reliable
15. Version 1.1: Fixed to work with D10-100 new firmware
16. Version 1.2: Put URL for home page in and other comment changes
17. Version 1.3: Added binmode for serial port to prevent problems under windows.
18. Version 1.4: Made setup_channel retry if didn't switch to correct channel
19. Version 1.5: Added old RCA command codes used by RCA Model DRD420RE,
20. DRD480RE and DRD505RB
21. Version 1.6: Fixed bugs in old RCA codes and added more keycodes.
22. Based on modifications by
23. John Innis < myth¯master·9·jdinnis»spamgourmet >
24. which used codes from DirecTC Control.exe sourced from
25. http://www.dtvcontrol.com
26. The following commands, supported by the RCA serial protocol are missing
27. Command Old Hex New Hex
28. ----------------------------------
29. -Cold Boot 0A None
30. -Warm Boot 0B None
31. -Enable IR 13 93
32. -Disable IR 14 94
34. Version 1.7: Modified by William Thomas <wthomas»wstsoft> April 14, 2007
35. Added option for D11 receiver and commands for reboot and show.
36. Added serial port code for baudrate 115200 and 57600 (without constants
37. in perl's POSIX code). 57600 and above will likely only work with Linux

$|=1; use POSIX qw(:termios_h); use Time::HiRes? qw(usleep ualarm gettimeofday tv_interval );

use FileHandle?;

$version = "1.7";

2. Verbose output, change with verbose and quiet command.

$verbose=0;

2. Error Retries, change with retry command.

$retry_count=4;

2. Serial port settings. Change to suit. Baudrate probably doesn't need to be
3. changed. Set port with port command.

$baudrate = "9600"; $serport = "/dev/ttyS0";

2. Box type, set with box_type command

$box_type = "RCA";

2. Delay to wait after channel change before turning off OSD in setup_channel
3. command. Can use separate commands with delay command to control delay.

$clear_osd_delay = .2;

%pkt_decode=("0xF0" => "START PKT",

1. -1 is command had error, 1 is command completed ok

%terminal=("0xF1" => -1,

1. Map commands to function to execute.
2. last_param is handled in main routine.
3. "show" => \&show, Doesn't seem to be in new command set
4. "scroll" => \&scroll,

%cmds=("on" => \&on,

1. Key to keycode map for most boxes

%keymap=(right => "0xa8",

1. Key to keycode map for Directv D10-200 and D10-100 firmware 0x101B

%keymap_200 =

1. Code B0 are accepted by box but I couldn't figure out what if
2. anything they do.

);

1. From box name select correct key codes

%boxes=("RCA" => \%keymap,

1. From box name select extra bytes needed with key codes

%keymap_extra=("RCA" => ["0x00", "0x00"],

1. From box name select extra bytes needed after sending command

%cmd_extra=("RCA" => undef,

1. From box name select if we should use the channel change command
2. or send remote keys. The D10-200 locks up randomly with the channel
3. change command and the D10-100 firmware 0x101B won't select below 100.

%chan_change_key=("RCA" => 0,

1. Override from command line for above

my $chan_change_key_param;

my $serial; my $i;

1. Replace argument last_param with last parameter on the command line.
2. The last parameter is then removed.

for ($i = 0; $i < $#ARGV; $i++) {

if ($#ARGV < 0) {

while ($#ARGV >= 0) {

exit(0);

sub usage {

sub setup_channel {

sub version {

sub retries {

sub channel_change_type {

sub key {

sub send_key {

sub box_type {

sub port {

sub baudrate {

sub delay {

sub set_verbose {

sub clear_verbose {

sub on { simple_command(map_code("0x82")); }

sub off { simple_command(map_code("0x81")); }

sub reboot { #Have to use sendbytes - reboot doesn't wait to reply sendbytes("0xFA","0x96"); }

sub get_channel_str { my $chan; if ($box_type eq "RCA_OLD") {

sub get_channel {

sub get_signal { my @in = dss_command(1, map_code("0x90")); return if($#in != 0); print "signal $in0?\n";

}

sub get_datetime {

sub set_system_datetime {

sub text { my @tmp = unpack("H2" x length($ARGV0?) ,$ARGV0?); shift @ARGV; simple_command(map_code("0xaa"), sprintf("%x",$#tmp+1), @tmp); }

sub hide { simple_command(map_code("0x86")); }

sub show { simple_command(map_code("0x85")); }

sub simple_command {

sub dss_command {

1. Send channel change command or remote key pushes to change channel

sub change_channel {

sub sendbytes {

sub map_code() {

1. Get reply back. Reply should start with F0 then reply size bytes which
2. are passed back without examination then look for error or ok status.
3. Pass back any other bytes not part of status also.

sub get_reply() {

sub init_serial {