Opinions about new HID handler and removal of MCE handler (1 Viewer)

LennyW

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Dear all!

I have read a bit in this forum about issues with remotes and MP1.14. At the moment I run a Harmony remote with MCE profile and a USB wireless keyboard without problems but with MP1.12.
I use the keyboard mainly to enter URL in browsers (plugin and Firefox launched by MultiShortcut). Will this still be possible? I have seen posts which indicate that I can use only a remote or a keyboard.
Is the a profile for the harmony remote which works best with the new HID handler? I know that this is a lot of questions, but I am sure my family will be very annoyed if I "destroy" the multimedia system in the living room...

Best regards
LennyW
 

HTPCSourcer

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    I use the keyboard mainly to enter URL in browsers (plugin and Firefox launched by MultiShortcut). Will this still be possible?
    I have no issues using my keyboard to enter text information.

    Is the a profile for the harmony remote which works best with the new HID handler?
    There is no best answer to this. Actually any profile will work as long as it is transmitting codes for all keys that you press. The worst to happen would be that you would nbeed to adjust settings within the config. The Harmony profile wikll transmit MCE codes anyway, which are then recognized by the HID abstraction layer of Windows. HID Demo will always provide this information, regardless of the profile used, which allows you to quickly identify any mis-allocation.

    but I am sure my family will be very annoyed if I "destroy" the multimedia system in the living room.
    You can always rename the directories (program and data path), install a new version and give it a try. If you aren't satisfied, just change the names of the new directories and rename the old directories back to their initial name.
     

    LennyW

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    Okay! Then it seems to be not as "bad" as it reads in some of the threads...
    Thanks!

    Best regards
    LennyW
     

    Stéphane Lenclud

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    Okay! Then it seems to be not as "bad" as it reads in some of the threads...
    Thanks!

    Best regards
    LennyW
    Our HID handler is an improvement over our legacy and now withdrawn MCE handler. The bad press you may have found in the forums is mostly caused by a handful of very specific problems, gratuitous baseless rant or trivial issues most of which have been addressed in MP 1.14.
     

    spachti

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    baseless rant
    I wouldn't call it baseless. A lot of us don't understand why the wheel had to be reinvented. Even until today I would have to see one explanation why this was necessary to the point of simply discarding the old MCE handler. As an option/alternative? Sure, I would have been all for it. But to force people into take it or leave it?
    And again, I know nobody is holding a gun to my head. But to call honest opinions "baseless rants" somehow takes the cake.
     

    Stéphane Lenclud

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    I wouldn't call it baseless.
    Alright, alright some of those rants were probably not totally baseless, I'll give you that.

    A lot of us don't understand why the wheel had to be reinvented.
    HID handler was implemented for the following reasons:
    • Improved remote receiver hardware compatibility.
    • Improved hardware type support: gamepads, media keyboards and virtually any HID hardware.
    • Improved stability and reliability.
    • Improved compatibility with future and past versions of Windows.
    • Reduced maintenance burden. That makes to life of our small team of benevolent developers a lot easier.
    • Moving forward we will support profiles and keyboard mapping through that same HID handler thus enabling full compatibility with an even larger set of hardware out-of-the-box.
    Even until today I would have to see one explanation why this was necessary to the point of simply discarding the old MCE handler. As an option/alternative?
    That's a very good point. We could have arguably kept the MCE handler indefinitely.
    We had various discussions within our team and decided to go forward with the withdrawal knowing it would inevitably cause a few support calls on our forums.
    The fact that we have not yet seen a convincing case to re-introduce the MCE handler comforts me in thinking this was the right decision.
    Also leaving the HID handler would have caused and has caused in MP 1.12 a few support call of its own.

    But to force people into take it or leave it?
    It's for the greater good. By spending some time helping your kind and generous MP developer team make our HID handler better and working around various issues you have given a lot to the larger community.
     

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