[solved] HID (MCE remote) not working in MP (1 Viewer)

[stabworthy]

Hi all!

I'm moving to MP due to MS screwing up my channels/guide in WMC. So far everything in MP has been a breeze to setup. I do only OTA channels (Auburn AL, USA). I now have my guide setup properly, videos, music, and recorded TV is all working great.

The only problem I have is that my remote does not work at all in MP. The remote works fine in WMC.

Here is my setup:

Windows 7
MP1
Harmony remote (using MCE emulation)
IR reception on the computer is via a Hauppauge 950q
I have the Hauppauge IR software running on my computer.

Again, I can control WMC and Windows Media Player just fine with the remote. In MP I get no response regardless of any button I press on the remote.

Thanks!

 

[mrj]

Hi

I now have my guide setup properly, videos, music, and recorded TV is all working great.

Have you set up the remote?

mrj

 

[mm1352000]

I also wonder if the OP should be enabling the Hauppauge remote handler rather than HID or MCE.

 

[stabworthy]

I have tried to setup both the Hauppauge and the HID in the MP setup.

I have also turned on the "logging" for the remote but I was unsure which log to read.

 

[stabworthy]

Maybe this is my problem?

From the Configuration3.log:

[2015-08-08 09:29:54,341] [Config ] [Config Main] [INFO ] - LoadSectionSettings() done
[2015-08-08 09:29:54,346] [Config ] [Config Main] [INFO ] - LoadSectionSettings() - Remotes and Input Devices
[2015-08-08 09:29:54,395] [Config ] [Config Main] [INFO ] - X10 debug: Could not get interface
[2015-08-08 09:29:54,401] [Config ] [Config Main] [WARN ] - x10Remote: Can't initialize
[2015-08-08 09:29:54,408] [Config ] [Config Main] [INFO ] - FireDTV: FiresatApi.dll could not be found on your system!
[2015-08-08 09:29:54,414] [Config ] [Config Main] [INFO ] - LoadSectionSettings() done

 

[mm1352000]

@stabworthy
Please enable both HID and Hauppauge remote handlers and the respective "extended logging" options for each in MediaPortal configuration.
Ensure that there are no errors listed at the bottom of the Hauppauge remote section (if there are, you should uninstall and reinstall the Hauppauge remote driver - IR32.exe).
When MediaPortal is closed, there should be a small remote icon in the system tray.
Use the watchdog/debug-mode tool (shortcut in your start menu) with option 1 to start MediaPortal. Switch to Windowed mode (press alt + enter).
The icon in the system tray should have disappeared.
Press ctrl+alt+delete and start task manager. Ensure that HcwHelper - MediaPortal's Hauppauge remote helper app - is running.
Try to use the remote control in MediaPortal. Try all the buttons if possible to confirm none are working.
Close MediaPortal.
Attach the zip file produced by the watchdog tool.

 

[stabworthy]

Each step worked.

I did notice that with the Hauppauge enabled OR with Hauppauge and HID enabled I got audio feedback from MP when I pressed the remote buttons. However, I still could not interact with MP in any meaningful way. I tried to use the remote in windowed and full screen mode. Neither worked.

 

[mm1352000]

I did notice that with the Hauppauge enabled OR with Hauppauge and HID enabled I got audio feedback from MP when I pressed the remote buttons.

That's an important observation, supported by what I see in the log files:

[2015-08-09 07:23:17,473] [Log ] [12 ] [INFO ] - HCW: received: CMD|0|-8587624838880037552~
[2015-08-09 07:23:17,483] [Log ] [12 ] [INFO ] - HCW: Accepted: CMD|0|-8587624838880037552

What this tells me is that commands from your remote are coming in via the Hauppauge remote handler (ie. you should be able to safely disable the HID one), but that the buttons are not mapped to any MP commands. Presumably that's because you're using a non-Hauppauge remote (ie. your remote is not generating standard Hauppauge commands, therefore MP does not recognise them).

I suppose that there are a variety of ways to solve this problem.
One would be to modify the irremote.ini which is the configuration file for the Hauppauge remote driver (IR32). I know that file exists... but don't ask me how to modify it!
Another would be to change the commands your Harmony remote is generating. I've never owned a Harmony remote so again, I can't comment further about this.
The final option I can think of would be to try to use the "learn" function in the Hauppauge remote handler configuration area to try to teach MP what the commands the remote is sending mean.

Does that make sense?

 

[stabworthy]

That all makes perfect sense. I'll play around with it and report back.

Thanks for the fast followup!

 

[stabworthy]

My Harmony had a Hauppauge template so the fix was super easy! The only "problem" now is that I get a "HcwHelper has stopped working..." pop up box when I close MP. This does not appear to affect functionality as when I restart MP the remote still works.

Thanks for the help!