Hello,
It's about time I released my new plugin and application suite, but before I do, I'd like to invite anyone who is interested in doing some last minute testing to send me a private message with their email address.
A few days from today I will take all the collected email addresses and send out a test copy.
What I'm after is Feedback, Bugs, Suggestions, etc ...
So what are you getting yourself into?
I've written a new suite of applications and plugins based on my work on the MCE Replacement plugin. I wrote it with the TV Server in mind. And to overcome a limitation of the MceIrApi. The idea is this:
You run an "IR Server" that interacts with your IR device (I'll use the MCE IR box for all my examples). The IR Server accepts connections from client plugins and applications either on the same PC or over a LAN. It allows those plugins and applications to share the device, to act on the remote buttons received, and to blast IR commands.
The prime candidate for this is where you have a TV Server PC and a MediaPortal client PC. The client can be controlled by an MCE IR device but the same MCE IR device can be used by the TV Server to change channels on a Set Top Box ...
It's not the most common use case, granted. But the networked approach has other benefits, like simulating remote button presses over a network (say for example from a tablet pc, a laptop or a pc in another room). And a few other nice things you'll discover along the way.
It also gets around a limitation of the MCEIrApi where you can't run two plugins or applications that use the MCEIrApi at the same time.
The package includes:
"IR Server"
- Connects to the IR device. IR devices are supported through a plugin architecture which allows for additional IR devices to be supported as time goes by. IR Server can also operate in "Relay mode" which can pass on IR remote key presses from another PC with another IR device (can be a completely different device).
"MP Control Plugin"
- Is almost identical to MCE Replacement Plugin. It has some things removed and some added.
"MP Blast Zone Plugin"
- This is a GUI plugin version of MCE Replacement Plugin / MP Control Plugin. You create a custom menu that the plugin displays which allows the user to control equipment from inside MediaPortal completely independent of any remote control. It lets you create a menu of buttons that can do anything that the MP Control Plugin can do. So not only IR blasting, but macros, external applicatoins, windows messages, jump to MediaPortal screens, etc... And I'll be adding more abilities over time.
"TV3 STB Blaster Plugin"
- It's like MCE Replacement Plugin for TV3 (Well, if you've used my test TV3MceBlaster plugin, it's like that)
"Tray Launcher"
- Like MP Tray
"Translator"
- It's like HIP (sort of like Girder). It lets you control your whole PC with this system. If you need more than just "Tray Launcher" capabilities this is where you go.
"Virtual Remote"
- Let's you simulate remote button presses. Either on the same PC or over a LAN.
"Virtual Remote Skin Editor"
- Let's you create skins for the Virtual Remote, to have it simulate different remotes or just to make it look nice.
"Debug Client"
- This is more of a testing tool. It lets you watch the messages flying around and to control the IR Server.
The IR Server currently has plugins with it for these IR Devices:
Microsoft MCE (Works like MyBlaster/ServerBlaster plugins)
MCE Replacement (For the Replacement Driver, but will work with Microsoft driver)
USB-UIRT
XBCDRC (Xbox DVD remote receiver)
IRMan
IgorPlug USB
DViCO FusionREMOTE
IRTrans (experimental)
X10 (experimental)
Windows Messages (for simulated remote control input)
I intend to add support for more devices. And the plugin architecture will change over time to support new devices. As you can see, Windows Messages is actually in as an IR Device plugin ... you could actually use anything as an input device. You could have a web interface, normal keyboard, bluetooth device, morse code, whatever you want ... You just have to write an IR Server plugin for it.
The current implementation uses Named Pipes IPC to communicate between client/server. This is fast, but it won't work over the Internet. I will move to .net 3.0 and WCF later ... it's not practical to do that yet. The named pipes library I'm using is a modified version of one written by Ivan Latunov, available here: ivanweb.com
This is a test version for a reason. It's not finished. I need to improve a lot of things, for example:
- Improve the Translator application
- Improve the IR device plugin interface
- Improve the USB-UIRT support
- Write a new MCE IR API for Vista
- Allow multiple active IR transmitters/receivers
- Support HotKeys in Tray Launcher (even a keyboard IR Server Plugin)
- Add Time Based Schedules to Translator
- Add "Repeater Mode" to IR Server
- Switch to .net 3.0 WCF
- Add more Virtual Remotes
- Convert MCE IR Codes to Pronto format for storage
... But it's definitely ready for testing.
Unfortunately, there is no real documentation yet. BUT there is the existing documentation for the MCE Replacement plugin (which I've included). This system is heavily based on the MCE replacement plugin, so those docs should help a fair bit. But I'd prefer only people with MCE Replacement plugin experience to test at this stage, I feel it might be too much of a learning curve for beginners without documentation.
The reason I'm releasing this now is because I'm hoping to get some feedback. So if you have any problems at all, please provide me with a detailed description of your problem so I can fix it. Likewise, If you have any suggestions, feel free to reply to this post.
Well, I hope that covers it. Let me know what you think.
Thanks for your help and support,
Drop me a private message or send me an email to and-81 at team-mediaportal.com with your email address and I'll get back to you with a test copy. Once the big bugs and usability issues (if any) have been ironed out I'll release it to the wider community.
Cheers,
It's about time I released my new plugin and application suite, but before I do, I'd like to invite anyone who is interested in doing some last minute testing to send me a private message with their email address.
A few days from today I will take all the collected email addresses and send out a test copy.
What I'm after is Feedback, Bugs, Suggestions, etc ...
So what are you getting yourself into?
I've written a new suite of applications and plugins based on my work on the MCE Replacement plugin. I wrote it with the TV Server in mind. And to overcome a limitation of the MceIrApi. The idea is this:
You run an "IR Server" that interacts with your IR device (I'll use the MCE IR box for all my examples). The IR Server accepts connections from client plugins and applications either on the same PC or over a LAN. It allows those plugins and applications to share the device, to act on the remote buttons received, and to blast IR commands.
The prime candidate for this is where you have a TV Server PC and a MediaPortal client PC. The client can be controlled by an MCE IR device but the same MCE IR device can be used by the TV Server to change channels on a Set Top Box ...
It's not the most common use case, granted. But the networked approach has other benefits, like simulating remote button presses over a network (say for example from a tablet pc, a laptop or a pc in another room). And a few other nice things you'll discover along the way.
It also gets around a limitation of the MCEIrApi where you can't run two plugins or applications that use the MCEIrApi at the same time.
The package includes:
"IR Server"
- Connects to the IR device. IR devices are supported through a plugin architecture which allows for additional IR devices to be supported as time goes by. IR Server can also operate in "Relay mode" which can pass on IR remote key presses from another PC with another IR device (can be a completely different device).
"MP Control Plugin"
- Is almost identical to MCE Replacement Plugin. It has some things removed and some added.
"MP Blast Zone Plugin"
- This is a GUI plugin version of MCE Replacement Plugin / MP Control Plugin. You create a custom menu that the plugin displays which allows the user to control equipment from inside MediaPortal completely independent of any remote control. It lets you create a menu of buttons that can do anything that the MP Control Plugin can do. So not only IR blasting, but macros, external applicatoins, windows messages, jump to MediaPortal screens, etc... And I'll be adding more abilities over time.
"TV3 STB Blaster Plugin"
- It's like MCE Replacement Plugin for TV3 (Well, if you've used my test TV3MceBlaster plugin, it's like that)
"Tray Launcher"
- Like MP Tray
"Translator"
- It's like HIP (sort of like Girder). It lets you control your whole PC with this system. If you need more than just "Tray Launcher" capabilities this is where you go.
"Virtual Remote"
- Let's you simulate remote button presses. Either on the same PC or over a LAN.
"Virtual Remote Skin Editor"
- Let's you create skins for the Virtual Remote, to have it simulate different remotes or just to make it look nice.
"Debug Client"
- This is more of a testing tool. It lets you watch the messages flying around and to control the IR Server.
The IR Server currently has plugins with it for these IR Devices:
Microsoft MCE (Works like MyBlaster/ServerBlaster plugins)
MCE Replacement (For the Replacement Driver, but will work with Microsoft driver)
USB-UIRT
XBCDRC (Xbox DVD remote receiver)
IRMan
IgorPlug USB
DViCO FusionREMOTE
IRTrans (experimental)
X10 (experimental)
Windows Messages (for simulated remote control input)
I intend to add support for more devices. And the plugin architecture will change over time to support new devices. As you can see, Windows Messages is actually in as an IR Device plugin ... you could actually use anything as an input device. You could have a web interface, normal keyboard, bluetooth device, morse code, whatever you want ... You just have to write an IR Server plugin for it.
The current implementation uses Named Pipes IPC to communicate between client/server. This is fast, but it won't work over the Internet. I will move to .net 3.0 and WCF later ... it's not practical to do that yet. The named pipes library I'm using is a modified version of one written by Ivan Latunov, available here: ivanweb.com
This is a test version for a reason. It's not finished. I need to improve a lot of things, for example:
- Improve the Translator application
- Improve the IR device plugin interface
- Improve the USB-UIRT support
- Write a new MCE IR API for Vista
- Allow multiple active IR transmitters/receivers
- Support HotKeys in Tray Launcher (even a keyboard IR Server Plugin)
- Add Time Based Schedules to Translator
- Add "Repeater Mode" to IR Server
- Switch to .net 3.0 WCF
- Add more Virtual Remotes
- Convert MCE IR Codes to Pronto format for storage
... But it's definitely ready for testing.
Unfortunately, there is no real documentation yet. BUT there is the existing documentation for the MCE Replacement plugin (which I've included). This system is heavily based on the MCE replacement plugin, so those docs should help a fair bit. But I'd prefer only people with MCE Replacement plugin experience to test at this stage, I feel it might be too much of a learning curve for beginners without documentation.
The reason I'm releasing this now is because I'm hoping to get some feedback. So if you have any problems at all, please provide me with a detailed description of your problem so I can fix it. Likewise, If you have any suggestions, feel free to reply to this post.
Well, I hope that covers it. Let me know what you think.
Thanks for your help and support,
Drop me a private message or send me an email to and-81 at team-mediaportal.com with your email address and I'll get back to you with a test copy. Once the big bugs and usability issues (if any) have been ironed out I'll release it to the wider community.
Cheers,