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Locking Source when in use


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I have a client with several cable boxes, music bridges, and appleTV's, all being run through a central Video and Audio Matrix.  I need some help programming "lock-outs" so when the living room is in use, its source is locked from being controlled from another room.  As well, I need the room to be locked from having alternate sources routed to it while it's in use.

 

The reason, Kids routing to or stealing a device when in use.  I've got a couple ideas, but i wanted to get some opinions before i spend the time, and i want to ensure i'm doing this in a 'best practice' way.  Is there a way to do permissions by individual phone app/controller?

 

Thanks Gang!

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Living room (or special, prime room, whatever) get's it's own set of sources and those are removed from the other room's navigators, except perhaps parents room.

As to locking out from zones, stop kids allowance if they can't behave.

 

Technology is not an alternative to good parenting.

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I've done this, just because it is easy to hijack a source. It's not necessarily being a bad kid, but you literally have NO WAY to know someone in another part of the house is watching that same source.

So, I have logic built in that when you select a source that's already in use it plays an announcement and changes the source in that room to the TV or receiver (depending on the room). This keeps the picture up and still allows for volume control, but you can't accidentally control what the source is doing.

This is accomplished with IF statements, string variables, etc... Was a bit of work to setup, but works great.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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I've done this, just because it is easy to hijack a source. It's not necessarily being a bad kid, but you literally have NO WAY to know someone in another part of the house is watching that same source.

So, I have logic built in that when you select a source that's already in use it plays an announcement and changes the source in that room to the TV or receiver (depending on the room). This keeps the picture up and still allows for volume control, but you can't accidentally control what the source is doing.

This is accomplished with IF statements, string variables, etc... Was a bit of work to setup, but works great.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Hey Dan,

 

I'm having the same issue.  Someone in 1 part of the house is watching a show and then someone else starts to change the channel.  Its not always the kids either.  Would you be able to share your programming?  Would love to implement something that at least lets the other person know that the source is being used.  

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If we are already tracking room sources manually for doorbells and cameras etc.

 

 

make a string variable for living room, but make one for each (living room source, bed source, kids kids source)

 

program  living room variable when current selected device changes > set variable living room source to current select device ( do this for each room)

 

then

 

program Bed room variable when current select source device changes

If > variable living room source is equal Living Room current select source living room cable box

       >Select living room cable box 2 as video source in bed room

 

repeat for each room needed

should be pretty close

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  • 1 month later...

Just thought:

1. you can create fake Cable box, Apple TV, etc.and hide rest of "Real working stuff"

2. create variable for each hidden device

3. do programming "if cable box was picked by system change variable of that device to 1"

4. any time "fake cable box" (only one visible) will be picked up it will go to table and choose one of the boxes with variable=0, pick it up, connect and change var to 1

5. after turning off, var again set to 0 which means device is free.

I did some programming with "fake devices" it works pretty well.(not matrix, but same idea)

1. i think it will be good to make remote beeping if all sources are in use.

2. might be after all you can leave "rea; sources" visible if you want system to force to go to that source,

Might be I'm wrong, but I don't see any reason why it won't work.

 

 

 

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i have a smaller video system for 3 tvs but i did some basic programming to make it easier. 

 

Re order the devices to help convince others than this is the right device for the room

ie 

main box is top of the list for the main tv

secondary is top of the list for secondary

i have also have equipment auto selected depending on whats in use and where the tv is turning on.

ie

when watch is pressed

if no tv is in use select the main box 

if a source is selected in another room select another box based on priority.

 

obviously limited as i only have 3 tvs and 12 sources, but is fairly easy to scale.

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