IR Server Suite - Public Test Version (3 Viewers)

[and-81]

Spooon69:
It could have been any of those!

Macros and IR Commands must follow the standard windows file naming conventions.
http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa365247.aspx

I should put in some checks to make sure the rules are followed ... I'll do that now.

Cheers,

 

[TVmecken]

IR Server stops blasting

This problem surfaced when I utilized the Zone blaster (building and using), did not notice it before. Tried to re-install but no change. First I noticed it only when using a certain macro (attached, but renamed to .xml) in Zone blaster, but now it is all over, also when just watching TV.

Edit: Made some further testing and it appears that the IR server tends to stop blasting if I send quickly repeated commands. /Edit

Attach a log for just watching TV and adjusting the sound volume. As soon as the blaster stops executing the blast command, I stopped MP and IR server and saved the IR log, but for me the log looks OK...

Have also two minor requests...
- Add the "Send keystroke" method to the macro builder in Zone blaster
- In the menue builder let the selected line for moving lines upwards, keep the selection with the line, currently the selection seems to stay with the position.

Thanks

 

[Spooon69]

Update.

So I abandoned TCP Message (even though it works great now with \r\n). Why? I tried Window Message again and it worked, had to change a setting (use Class name instead of Application). This way I don't need to send a /TCP flag to Zoom Player during startup, plus (and this is probably just in my head), Window Message seems slightly more responsive.

Question. I haven't messed around with it yet, but is it possible to use the same button to send two commands separely? E.g. power button can start and stop an application. Girder has toggle/flip capability which works nicely with that. Press power to start the app, press it again to exit it.

----------------- Yet another update:

OK, looks like I'm going to keep buggin you and-81. Think I found a bug with Window Message. It works fine when set as a macro, but when set as a program code it doesn't work. It's a simple fix though, here is a generated XML statement from Translator:

<ButtonMapping KeyCode="31721" Description="Play/Pause" Command="class|TMainForm|32817|80|1" />

Here is the working XML statement:

<ButtonMapping KeyCode="31721" Description="Play/Pause" Command="Window Message: class|TMainForm|32817|80|1" />

 

[TVmecken]

Question. I haven't messed around with it yet, but is it possible to use the same button to send two commands separely? E.g. power button can start and stop an application. Girder has toggle/flip capability which works nicely with that. Press power to start the app, press it again to exit it.

Since Aaron seems to be out for the moment, maybe I could at least point towards the right direction....Aaron will probably explain much better later...

Coming from HIP I was using the same toggling function and as far as I know a similar function is used here named "Layer". You find it in the mapping section of the control plugin.

It was not obvious to me to make it actually toggle, so I ended up with a macro that executed first the wanted command say "Power on", then also executed a second command, the change to Layer 2. I then associated this macro with the Layer 1 of the remote button. And of course an opposite (power off) macro associated with the Layer 2 on the same button.

 

[Spooon69]

Thanks TVmecken. I looked around and it seems Layer is only available if using the MediaControl plugin. I'm using IR Server Suite right now and there is no Layer functionality in it, not that I could find anyway. I'll probably switch to the MediaPortal plugin if I can get the remote to work with MediaPortal + External player correctly, but for now Zoom Player's media navigator works perfectly for me.

 

[and-81]

Window Message seems slightly more responsive.

That is entirely possible. TCP needs to make a connection, Windows Messages are fairly simple and built into the OS fairly fundamentally. So I'm not surprised they are faster.

I haven't messed around with it yet, but is it possible to use the same button to send two commands separely?

Only with the method TVmecken described. I will look at adding a toggle function to macro's but I can't think of any easy and reliable way to do it at the moment... I guess the program could keep track of macros within a session, but I want to find an elegant way to do that so as not to introduce any new bugs.

I'll let you know if I come up with something.

Think I found a bug with Window Message.

Yep, that's a bug. I've fixed it in the next test release which I will post as soon as I fix a standby bug I'm working on.

Thanks.

Since Aaron seems to be out for the moment

hehe, I'm in Australia (GMT+10:00), so I was asleep when he posted (5:13am local time)

Cheers,

 

[RocketMan66]

PVR150 IR Blaster Support Solution?

Aaron,

I was wondering if you were still thinking of adding support for the PVR150 IR Blaster (Non MCE)?
I found an application that calls the Hauppauge IRBlaster configuration utility. The application can be found on the following webpage:

http://www.disco-nt.co.uk/download/default.htm

The application uses a command like, "C:\Folder\IRBControl 23" to change to channel 23

I tested it and it works for me.

I haven't used your plugin, but I thought you might be able to add support for the PVR150 IRBlaster by using this application. The plugin only needs to run a command. Maybe you have support for this already?

Cheers

 

[and-81]

Hey RocketMan66,

You could use the IRBControl program with the external program launching capabilities that are built into the suite right now.

but I do intend to support the PVR150 fully in the future.

So much to do, so little time

Cheers,

 

[TVmecken]

Since Aaron seems to be out for the moment

hehe, I'm in Australia (GMT+10:00), so I was asleep when he posted (5:13am local time)

Cheers,

You must be joking, I always thought you were active on a 24/7 scheme...

 

[enco]

First off: kudos from a fellow programmer for creating, maintaining and even giving great support for this very neat piece of free software

I've been playing around with IR Server (from 2007/10/02) with MP 0.2.3 RC2 on WinXP Pro SP2 German with a MS MCE Remote for 2 evenings now.

A few things I observed so far:
- as somebody else already reported, creating a new macro doesn't work (unhandled exception). Since I started with your most recent version from 2007/10/02, I don't have any .macro files I could just copy, so I'm out of luck here. But I understand you are looking into it soon, so that's not a problem.
- it seems as if the "port" setting is not saved when creating or editing an IR command. You can set it to anything you want, it just returns to "both" as soon as you re-open the entry. Not sure if it's a saving or a display problem, but as you can specify the port in the event and button mappings anyway, this shouldn't be a big problem.
- is there a reason why the "Name" formfield is disabled when editing an IR command? I found it to be a little disturbing not to be able to change the name of an existing command.

Now for something a little more interesting:
I recently tried to have the IR Server MP plugin learn some IR codes for my Sony receiver (Sony STR-D565). IR Server claimed to have learned the codes, but testing them had no effect, the codes were apparently ignored by the receiver. After a lot of struggling and trying around, I found that it works when I have the code sent to the device several times in a row. The only way to make the IR command "test" work was by setting the focus to the "Test" button and holding down the <enter> key on the keyboard for a second or so.
Accordingly, the Sony device doesn't react if I just simply map the IR command to a key on my remote.
I can think of a few possibilities now, maybe you have some better ideas:
- create a macro and have the IR command repeated several times (couldn't test that because of the unhandled exception when creating macros)
- edit the .IR file and duplicate the contents several times (didn't work for me)
- set the button repeat delay in IR Server to 0 ms (didn't work for me either)
- make learning mode return to "silly" behaviour (record everything it sees), so it will record anything the original remote is sending out, even repeated commands. Maybe you could add an option to let the user choose between "smart" (default) or "silly" mode?

Any thoughts on this?
If you'd like me to do any further testing or need more info, I'd be glad to be of some help.

Thanks in advance


Edit: one more tiny glitch I just ran across: when creating a new IR command, the "name" is apparently being saved as soon as the new code is learned and can't be altered afterwards.
Try the following:
- create new IR command
- set name to "command1"
- learn IR code
- change name to "command2"
- click save

The new command will now be listed as "command1"