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+---- Thread: [WINDOWS] HOW-TO use a Logitech Harmony Remote with XBMC (/showthread.php?tid=77519)
- philAit - 2011-08-09 10:14
jhsrennie Wrote:That remote is a VRC-1100, see http://wiki.xbmc.org/?title=Remote_Control_Reviews#VRC-1100, and it isn't much better than the Chinavision. Well, it's much better built, but just as inflexible.
Exactly the opposite is true!
The handset just sends a modulated infrared beam. The receiver, and the device driver it uses, have to receiver the infrared beam and convert it into some form of signal the operating system can understand. Simple receivers like the Chinavision and VRC-1100 usually just emulate a keyboard, so they respond to the IR signals they know about by generating one of the Windows Media Center shortcut keys.
More sophisticated receivers, like the MS and HP, can generate lots of signals e.g. WM_APPCOMMAND and WM_RAWINPUT messages, but more importantly they can be configured through the registry. Ironically we usually configure them to send keystrokes like the cheaper receivers, however the keystrokes they generate can be configured through the registry to work well with XBMC.
I would wait for an MS or HP receiver to come up on eBay. For example http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/170677506906
JR
Ah Excellent thank you for the explanation. That makes sense now (and thanks for the link too!)
- philAit - 2011-08-13 10:53
jhsrennie Wrote:According to http://wiki.xbmc.org/?title=Remote_Control_Reviews#Philips_5100_4in1_Vista_MCE_Remote that receiver is an eHome compatible, so it should work fine.
JR
For info I've just recieved a Dell branded one of these via Ebay.
The reciever (which is my concern for the Harmony) shows up in Device manager as a Microsoft Ehome Infrared transceiver. The remote functions well out of thebox except the back button doesn't do anything at the moment, but I'm sure thats a simple tweak for anyone wanting to use the actual remote.
- invalid_user - 2011-08-20 19:54
I'm thinking about buying a Harmony One for my setup but I'm concerned by the lag. If I buy this IR receiver:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/HP-Media-Center-IR-Infrared-USB-Receiver-OVU400103-00-/200642713809?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2eb73cd8d1
Does that get rid of the lag? Does anyone have a lag-free setup with the Harmony One or am I best off getting another remote? Since I'll be using XBMC almost exclusively my priority is to get a remote that's snappy in XBMC.
- bodhi - 2011-08-23 10:09
invalid_user Wrote:I'm thinking about buying a Harmony One for my setup but I'm concerned by the lag. If I buy this IR receiver:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/HP-Media-Center-IR-Infrared-USB-Receiver-OVU400103-00-/200642713809?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2eb73cd8d1
Does that get rid of the lag? Does anyone have a lag-free setup with the Harmony One or am I best off getting another remote? Since I'll be using XBMC almost exclusively my priority is to get a remote that's snappy in XBMC.
The lag seems to be only with the Harmony One (mostly) and the 650. The Harmony 700 or older models like 360, 550, 890,... don't have lag (none reported that I came across). If you don't care about touch screen, then the 700 is pretty good choice. Same for the other older Harmony refurbished models; they are practically new (usually returned, not defect). This HP receiver is the right one. I'm pretty positive that the lag is with the remote, not the receiver.
- darby427 - 2011-08-26 19:37
anyone have any luck with the dvico ir reciever for their hd tuner cards? I have tied to set things up with no luck
- Silvaire - 2011-08-30 18:17
Hi guys,
I finally built an HTPC last night, and am a bit overwhelmed with all of the software installation. I purchased a Harmony One and the Chinavision receiver and I'm a little confused as to whether or not this receiver is going to limit me in some way. I don't really have a budget, so should I upgrade my receiver to something else, and if so, what is the best step to go from there?
If I understand correctly, I can still use the Chinavision keypresses with EventGhost to control most everything in XBMC, whereas an MCE remote would be a bit easier?
Can I expect focus problems and what are the negatives of applying that tweak to make XBMC the shell? I am running Win7 Ultimate x 64.
Thanks.
- BEKO86 - 2011-08-31 10:04
I officially hate remotes! Ive had two lots of problems with my HP receiver both on linux, anyhow ive now moved over to WHS11, arrgh more headaches.
It recognises my device as an 'ehome infrared transceiver' but that the drivers for this device are not installed!
- jhsrennie - 2011-08-31 10:09
Generally the Windows server versions don't include drivers for eHome remotes, which is understandable since servers aren't usually used as PCs. I develop on Server 2008 R2 and I find it a pain not having support for MCE remotes, but luckily a clever chap has managed to get the eHome driver working on servers. See http://www.win2008r2workstation.com/win2008r2/ehome-ir-transceiver for details. This works on my Server 2008 R2 install.
JR
- jhsrennie - 2011-08-31 10:13
Silvaire Wrote:Hi guys,
I finally built an HTPC last night, and am a bit overwhelmed with all of the software installation. I purchased a Harmony One and the Chinavision receiver and I'm a little confused as to whether or not this receiver is going to limit me in some way. I don't really have a budget, so should I upgrade my receiver to something else, and if so, what is the best step to go from there?
If I understand correctly, I can still use the Chinavision keypresses with EventGhost to control most everything in XBMC, whereas an MCE remote would be a bit easier?
Can I expect focus problems and what are the negatives of applying that tweak to make XBMC the shell? I am running Win7 Ultimate x 64.
You don't need to use Eventghost unless you want the remote to control XBMC even when it doesn't have the focus.
The Chinavision remote is limited in various ways, and I find it particularly irritating that the number keys double as the arrow keys. Of all the remotes I've tested (about a dozen) the Chinavision is my least favourite. Using a Microsoft, HP or other eHome receiver gives you a lot more flexibilty and is much nicer to use.
JR
- BEKO86 - 2011-08-31 13:35
Thanks for the that! Ive just installed the drivers WHS threw a wobbler because they are not signed. I cant reboot at the moment though as I am halfway through backup. Hopefully it will be okay after a reboot.