[WINDOWS] Zen and the Art of Media Center Remote Controls

The Hauppage USB MCE remote is a true RC6 MCE compatible remote. It even sends IR commands for the arrow buttons.

On thing to be aware of if using a class 2 remote is the order that the keyboard events occur. Only the actual keystroke is captured (I'll use Ctrl-Shift-P in my examples). Ideally, the remote only sends a Ctrl-Shift-P keypressed event which can be captured. In practice though it will send one of the following 4 sequences of keystrokes:

Ctrl (keydown ctrl)
Ctrl+Shift (keydown shift)
Ctrl+Shift+P (keydown p)
Ctrl+Shift (keyup p)
Ctrl (keyup shift)
(keyup ctrl)

Shift (keydown shift)
Shift+Ctrl (keydown ctrl)
Shift+Ctrl+P (keydown p)
Shift+Ctrl (keyup p)
Shift (keyup ctrl)
(keyup shift)

Ctrl (keydown ctrl)
Ctrl+Shift (keydown shift)
Ctrl+Shift+P (keydown p)
Shift+P (keyup ctrl)
P (keyup shift)
(keyup p)

Shift (keydown shift)
Shift+Ctrl (keydown ctrl)
Shift+Ctrl+P (keydown p)
Ctrl+P (keyup shift)
P (keyup ctrl)
(keyup p)

If either of the first 2 sequences are sent, then you're fine - you can just capture the Ctrl+Shift+P and the remaining combinations are ignored (modifier keys have no active effect).

If OTOH you get a remote that sends either of the second 2 sequences (I've had one before) you're in trouble. You capture Ctrl-Shift-P for XBMC ... and the next combination that's seen is either Ctrl-P or Shift-P. If you don't also capture this combination, it gets passed through to any other applications. Similarly with the following P. You can find some very strange things happening ...

The way I dealt with this (until I got a real MCE compatible remote - the Hauppage above) was to configure EventGhost to:

1. Capture the Ctrl-Shift-P and set a flag that we're capturing the event.
2. Capture Shift-P. Check if we're currently capturing Ctrl-Shift-P. If so, swallow it, otherwise pass it on.
3. Capture P. Check if we're currently capturing Ctrl-Shift-P. If so, swallow it, clear that we're capturing Ctrl-Shift-P and trigger the action for Ctrl-Shift-P, otherwise pass it on.

It worked, but was very very clunky. It's not something you could do with just XBMC since it needs decision-making logic.

craftyza Wrote:Yeah I would also like to get my hands on those files :-(
I'm Using the Dharma Stable release, and still none of my 2 remotes wants to work.
I've got the Verris Remote that comes with Antec Fusion, and a Harmony 600
All I want is to sit on my butt and NOT use a keyboard and mouse.

Check out this thread (and post specifically):
http://forum.xbmc.org/showpost.php?p=228226&postcount=6

That'll get you most of the way. I ended up tweaking some of the buttons in the iMon program remote management software. Check here for the keys to bind: http://wiki.xbmc.org/index.php?title=Global_Keyboard

Is it an outdated article?

"BMC doesn't recognise the MCE shortcuts like control-shift-P, so the class 2 remotes are pretty useless for XBMC "

Because on keyboard.xml it can be recognized right?

EDIT:
Yes it is but he told it on last item

Thank you! Very helpful and informative.