IR vs. direct connect

This is a question to tax the expertise of the remote(s) folks: many devices like AVRs and BDPs 9and even my CD jukebox) have these remove in/out 3.5mm [mono] minijacks. These are the same plugs that usually come out of RF/IP-to-IR receivers (although some are 2.5mm microjacks).

However, the IR transmission through the air is a binary digital signal modulate on a carrier frequency, normally in the 30-50kHz range. The receivers output this modulated signal through their jacks so that the attached IR emitters only need to be LEDs (and are not required to perform the modulation, because then they would need to know which freq to use).

I believe the input jacks on the A/V equipment wants the unmodulated binary signal, right? So feeding them a stream of bits that’s changing at up to 50kHz (yes, I know some go up to 500kHz) would confuse it…unless it performs some kind of low-pass filtering so that it can recover the original binary stream.

Some AVRs promote the fact that their IR output ports will retransmit codes for other devices, implying that any command it receives via IR (or the IR input port) that is NOT for it, will be retransmitted. (Unfortunately, I don’t think this is true for commands via IP, so my SC-67 controlled that way won’t send signals up to my non-IP Sony CD jukebox.)

So the question is: will these devices accept modulated signals into their IR ports? Or is it a case-by-case scenario that Yamaha will but Sony will not, or Pioneer receivers made after 2008 will and those before will not? I may end up trying this with the IP2IR I ordered, but I wonder if there are any precautions I should watch out for (like Port 3’s “blaster” mode).

There is no one true answer to your question of course. It depends on the devices. As a general rule, the iTach uses by far the most common type of 3.5mm IR connection and is compatible with a vast array of devices and receivers via simple 2 foot 3.5 mono to mono cables like this:

Xantech 3.5mm Mono Cable, 2 Feet

That same connection is generally fully compatible with things like the SlingBox and a few other things that use the non-standard 2.5mm connector instead and this adapter can be used for that kind of thing:

2.5mm Mono Plug to 3.5mm Mono Jack Adapter for SlingBox by Infrared Resources

The major exception is Xantech distribution devices such as the one listed here:

astore.amazon.com/cyphersoft-20? … TF8&node=9

For that, you need to convert the signal with this special cable:

store.roomieremote.com/gc-cgx/