scott@blueeyes.kines.uiuc.edu (scott) (11/05/90)
I just received the Winter '91 DAK catalog. On the back cover is an ad for the "One-Step Infrafred-Remote VCR/Cable Box Programmer that Programs Your VCR to Automatically Record Your Favorite Shows by Touching a Few Buttons." The ad claims that starting 11/11/90, newspapers in major cities around the country will begin printing special code numbers along with their TV listings. By entering the published code into the device, it "knows" when to turn your VCR and/or cable box on to record the associated show. This is almost as simple as the barcode programming some VCRs have, and has the added benefit of being able to work with any VCR, cable box, TV, etc. equipped with an IR remote. This device is a clever extension of the concept of a learning universal IR remote, but HOW does it map a number like '62676' into a series of commands which, on Tuesday, December 4th, at 8:30p.m., will tune in and record a TV show associated with that 5-digit number? -- Scott Coleman tmkk@uiuc.edu University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign "Quoth the raven: 'Eat My Shorts!'" - Raven Bart, Simpson's Halloween Special