Is it really this hard? (1 Viewer)

[Bryan H]

hi all, just signed up because I have pulled out all my hair (not true, but I am going nuts). I have been using WMC for several years, I have my entire house running on it. I decided to get away from Windows 7 and therefore need a new platform. I have been setting up MP2 for way too long now and it feel that it cannot be this hard. So I thought I would ask. I got my Ceton 6 tuner card working with the TV server (which I thought would be the hard part) and that seems to be working for live TV. My current problem (and there are several, but one at a time) is getting a remote to work with MP2. I have a WMC remote (Dell rebranded gyration remote) that works flawlessly in WMC and nothing on the remote work in MP2 other than the cursor keys. No "green button", none of the playback buttons (stop, pause, ff, rw) or anything else works. So without a working remote I cannot move forward.

For this first problem ANY help would be great (the next problem with be my DVD/ BR library that I have in "My Movies", but that's a different problem)

Thank you

 

[Lehmden]

Hi.

I have a WMC remote (Dell rebranded gyration remote)

The remote transmitter (the thing you have in hand) is completely unimportant for the PC, only the receiver (the thing that is plugged into the Computer) is. So the brand or type of your transmitter did not matter.

nothing on the remote work in MP2 other than the cursor keys.

This is a sign that the receiver is not compatible with the original Microsoft receiver and needs different drivers.
How do the remote show up in control panel? Is it "Microsoft eHome infrared receiver"? I'm pretty sure it isn't also it has to. And for this it may work in WMC, but it is not compatible. Sounds funny, but sadly lots of cheap and not so cheap brands are not able to build a fully working receiver. Instead there were special "drivers" (better name it ugly hack) necessary to make this thing work somehow. As long as you use it for a single case (means Windows Media Center), this may work as expected, but this software workaround breaks down as soon as you want to use something else that relays on a "real" Windows compatible receiver (like MP or Plex or Emby or,...)

I'm a long time user of MP now after some years with WMC. And I have the original Microsoft IR Receiver ever since. The transmitters I've change frequently as they are not that reliable, but the receiver still is the same for more than 10 years now... You need a so called RC6 receiver. Those and only those are really WMC compatible. And those are working flawlessly ootb in MP2...
Did not have a source for those in the US but in Germany they can be found for around 10 bucks.

Or you can go the hard way and try to get your remote working with IRSS. Once you've managed to get the remote configured there it also can be used in MP2 without further configuration (in MP2)

 

[Bryan H]

if your question is "how does it show up in the Windows Control Panel?", it's registered as a HID mouse and an HID keyboard.
(and sadly it's just the start of my issues. now I cannot get it to record any shows more than 40 seconds - but again - one thing at a time)

 

[Lehmden]

Hope you can understand what I write. I had English at school but this was nearly 40 years ago.

it's registered as a HID mouse and an HID keyboard.

Exactly as I thought. So yours is no WMC compatible remote, also it was working for you in WMC, sadly the "worst case scenario". I can imagine to get it to work by usage and configuration of IR Server Suite. As I never used IRSS I can not help you here, but I think you can configure HID devices in IRSS. You will find some forum threads of this topic.

Do you have a "real" mouse / keyboard attached to your HTPC? If yes, a regular keyboard and mouse can be used for operating and should work ootb too. Just as a fallback until you get the remote working.

 

[CyberSimian]

"how does it show up in the Windows Control Panel?", it's registered as a HID mouse and an HID keyboard.

This sounds similar to the Ortek VRC-1100 or Hama 00052451. The Ortek/Hama appears to Windows as a keyboard and a mouse, and it works by sending keyboard shortcuts for WMC. Now MP also accepts keyboard shortcuts, but many of the MP keyboard shortcuts are different from the WMC keyboard shortcuts. Consequently, MP does not respond to those buttons on the remote.

If you wanted to use MP1, you could try enabling the "Centarea HID" on the "Sceneo" tab, and using the config file that I created earlier this year (but there is no guarantee that this would work). However, that solution does not work on MP2.

In the short term, I would endorse Lehmden's suggestion of using a real keyboad and mouse, until you have solved the other problems. If you have plenty of spare time and like a challenge, you could probably get IRSS to work (but I have never used it, so cannot help with that). Otherwise, if you want a simple solution (because "life is too short"), purchase a true WMC RC6 remote control and matching IR receiver ("RC6" is the important part).

-- from CyberSimian in the UK

 

[Bryan H]

Thank you both for all the information. I have been able to get all the buttons working on my remote by using EventGhost (it can be configured to listen to as many HID's as you like).

 

[bradob]

Yes, setting this up is MUCH harder than setting up WMC. Setting up a guide is a total pain in comparison, still haven't' gotten it to work. Had it working and it broke, had trouble fixing it. In addition changing channels is not as nice and clean nor smooth. Hoping this gets better quickly as many users are moving from Windows 7 to Windows 10 and losing WMC.

 

[Lehmden]

Hi.

Setting up a guide is a total pain in comparison

Indeed it is. But this is not changeable as MS every month has spent thousands and thousands of $ just for the WMC- guide. And exactly those high costs for the guide is the main (but not the only) reason why MS has dropped WMC.

We are not Microsoft, our products are for free. So we can not spend lot of money and the user has to do some work by himself. If you don't want this you can buy a Tivo or similar.
Aside this, users from the US are in an especially poor situation as in US there is close to nothing available for general usage. People from Europe or Asia have much more choices regarding their EPG.
But you can follow this howto as it is proofed to be working:
https://forum.team-mediaportal.com/threads/xmltv-install-configure-for-atsc-ota-u-s-a.133048/