[noggin]

Hi all

Just bought a PS3 BD remote (I wanted to try and avoid IR and external dongles on a Chromebox running OpenElec). It is one of the new models with both Bluetooth and IR remote control functionality so it can control a TV and an AMP via IR as well as the PS3 via Bluetooth.

Compared to the old PS3 BD remote it has CH+/CH- buttons. Now I thought these might be IR only - but the manual that comes with the remote suggests that they function in PS3 Bluetooth mode (presumably for use with the Play TV or similar TV services on the PS3?) (Annoyingly the Vol +/- buttons are listed as not supported - but you can't have everything)

I think because they are new buttons that are only on the new remote, they don't appear to be in the standard PS3 BD remote keymap. Is there a simple way of finding out the key codes so I can map them? Would be useful (and more intuitive) in Live TV.

Was impressed how easy it was to install on OpenElec, and it works pretty well. No idea of battery life - and it takes AAA not AA batteries (unlike the earlier model...)
(Hint - to put the BD remote into Pairing mode press START + ENTER at the same time)

[Matt Devo]

you should be able to capture the keycodes using irw, then manually add them to the keymap for the ps3 remote. There's something on the xbmc wiki for doing just that IIRC

[noggin]

you should be able to capture the keycodes using irw, then manually add them to the keymap for the ps3 remote. There's something on the xbmc wiki for doing just that IIRC

Couldn't see anything related to Bluetooth - does LIRC handle Bluetooth remotes as well as IR?

[Matt Devo]

you should be able to capture the keycodes using irw, then manually add them to the keymap for the ps3 remote. There's something on the xbmc wiki for doing just that IIRC

Couldn't see anything related to Bluetooth - does LIRC handle Bluetooth remotes as well as IR?

didn't think of that, I'd expect not. sorry for the brain fart

[skylarking]

On my system, i have XBMC running on Windows7 and as such i have installed a USB Bluetooth adapter since the PC doesn't have a BT capabilities built in. I must run PS3BluMote V2.1 at startup which converts the BT codes to keyboard commands and helps to stave off battery death by hiberbating my PS3 BT remote when not in use

As such, once the PC is up and running, i can use my 'new' PS3 remote to launch XBMC by pressing the "playstation" button. PS3BluMote converts this keypress to a Ctrl+Shift+Alt+X keyboard press. Obviously i've had to associate the XBMC application with the Ctrl+Shift+Alt+x shortcut key using file proporties for this to work.

But this is all windows specific, not openelec.

However, by pressing any button on the PS3 remote, i can wake up the PS3 remotes BT function, then pressing the "TV" device button this allows me to also control my TV via IR as well XBMC via BT (BluMote). By doing this, the PS3 remotes Vol +/- keys will change the volume up/down on my TV while the CH +/- keys will change channels up/down on my TV. And better yet i can still use the the L/R/U/D arrows and other buttons to move around the XBMC menu and do other XBMC tasks

The PS3 remote can be set to work with a small selection of TV's and Amps but nothing else can be programed on the remote. Unfortunately my Pioneer TV will not work correctly using the PS3 Remotes "TV power toggle button" in that it will not turn ON my Pioneer TV but it will turn it off, all other TV associated buttons work as intended ! There is just no way to fix the wrong IR code within the PS3 remote itself as it is not programable !

So, if you are not sure what each button does with respect to sending IR or BT code, simply use your mobile phone and look at the IR sender on the PS3 remote using the camera. You should now see when a key press is sending an IR code and as such you can verify the mode of each button (IR or BT) when in specific device mode (PS3, Amp, TV). This will highlight that you must remmeber what device mode the PS3 remote is actually in...

As for determing the actual BT/IR code for a given button in a given device mode, and assigning it to a specific action, i'm not sure how OpenElec handles this but maybe the answer is in this old OpenElec thread or this http://wiki.xbmc.org/index.php?title=How..._BD_Remote....

[edited to clean up typing errors]

[noggin]

Hi skylarking - yep - just need to know the Bluetooth codes for Ch +/- when the remote is in PS3 mode. I'm happy I know which buttons are sending BT or IR in each device mode (i.e. even in PS3 mode the Vol buttons send IR to the TV or Amp - depending which was previously selected)

You can see which device the remote is sending to by watching the device buttons at the top - the PS3, AMP or TV button flashes red depending which device is being spoken to. Thanks for the links. Still not clear how to find out what the new buttons' codes are.

[skylarking]

Yeah, i don't know the CH +/- BT codes or how OpenElec implements its IR/BT remote capabilities.

And i never noticed the PS3 remote TV button would flash when pressing the VOL +/- button Guess i use touch more than sight (which is why i like BT/RF remotes)

As OpenElec is more an appliance setup, it's likely more difficult to use linux tools to find out these codes. And i'm not even sure what linux tools exist to let us see these codes in the first instance. I guess the tool needed depends on what BT profile the remote uses to connect, given the remote can be connected as either Human Interface Device (HID) or audio/video remote control profile (AVRCP) or possibly something else which must impact what software/service/drivers first sees the BT code. And by extension where in OpenElec one then needs to modify to get the code interpreted correctly.... Maybe the simplest approach, if not already done, is to update OpenElec to the latest 4.2 beta2 and see if your issue hasn't already been resolved in some way.

Unfortunately I haven't found any easily digestable docs on how XBMC/OpenElec connect IR/BT remotes and then translate the 'codes' to actions but maybe look at the yaVDR remote description. This link may help clear up the complex processes used on that system and give hints on how to see the raw code... Obviously the yaVDR implementation may or may not be relevant to the OpenElec but there is nothing else i've found via google that i can point you to

This old thread has some info on BT codes but i didn't see the CH +/- listed on the first page.

Pity PS3 BT remote doesn't work out of the box as i was planning on going OE in the living room when i (hopefully soon) retire my livingroom workstation (it's too big)

[noggin]

Pity PS3 BT remote doesn't work out of the box as i was planning on going OE in the living room when i (hopefully soon) retire my livingroom workstation (it's too big)

It does work OOB with OpenElec - it is just the CH+/- buttons that don't. Everything else is fine. It was trivial to enable the Bluetooth service and then pair the remote with OpenElec on my Chromebox.

There appear to have been a couple of routes to getting the BT remote to work in OE in the past - one of which involved custom compiling to allow codes >255 to work - but not sure if this is still the case. I have an Ubuntu box I could capture the codes on - just need to find out how, and then how to fold them back in to OE.

[Matt Devo]

It does work OOB with OpenElec - it is just the CH+/- buttons that don't. Everything else is fine. It was trivial to enable the Bluetooth service and then pair the remote with OpenElec on my Chromebox.

weird, I've got one here, and it locks up the box hard when I try to connect (after pairing).

[noggin]

It does work OOB with OpenElec - it is just the CH+/- buttons that don't. Everything else is fine. It was trivial to enable the Bluetooth service and then pair the remote with OpenElec on my Chromebox.

weird, I've got one here, and it locks up the box hard when I try to connect (after pairing).

Mine is a CECH-ZRC1E model - the one with PS3/AMP/TV device buttons. I'm running OpenElec standalone on a 2GB Asus Chromebox. Not near the install at the moment so can't give you OE version number.

I enabled Bluetooth services in OpenElec, then put the remote in pairing mode (START+ENTER) and in the Bluetooth menu in OpenElec it appeared. I selected Trust+Connect as the pairing option. When I boot the box I sometimes have to hit the PS button for it to connect again - but so far I haven't had to go through re-pairing.

[Matt Devo]

Mine is a CECH-ZRC1E model - the one with PS3/AMP/TV device buttons. I'm running OpenElec standalone on a 2GB Asus Chromebox. Not near the install at the moment so can't give you OE version number.

mine is a CECH-ZRC1U (Europe vs USA I'm guessing), otherwise everything is the same. OE 4.1.2 on a ChromeBox

[desperado77]

Hi,

I am also running OpenElec standalone on a 2GB Asus Chromebox with CECH-ZRC1U model.

On OpenElec 4.1.2 pairing with Trust+Connect option freeze the box for me, i needed to unplug the power to reboot.
I tried every possible way to pair but noting worked.

On OpenElec 4.0.7 the remote is pairing and working perfectly, so I am using this one for now.

I hope it will be fixed in futures releases.

[Matt Devo]

Hi,

I am also running OpenElec standalone on a 2GB Asus Chromebox with CECH-ZRC1U model.

On OpenElec 4.1.2 pairing with Trust+Connect option freeze the box for me, i needed to unplug the power to reboot.
I tried every possible way to pair but noting worked.

On OpenElec 4.0.7 the remote is pairing and working perfectly, so I am using this one for now.

I hope it will be fixed in futures releases.

that's what I'm seeing as well. Report it as a bug to the OE folks to ensure it gets fixed

[noggin]

I think I'm on 4.0.6 or 7 - certainly not 4.1.2 - sounds like something has changed.

[Matt Devo]

PS3 BT remote support fixed in (upcoming) 4.1.6

right now, the CH+, CH-, instant+, instant-, and -/-- buttons are the only (BT) ones that aren't generating key codes. I'm throwing some debug code in the driver to see if it's just that they aren't currently mapped, and if so, will submit a patch for them