using laptop ir port (1 Viewer)

[mazzl]

Dear reader,
i have MediaPortal installed on my dell latitude D610 laptop.
this laptop has a SMC IrCC - Fast Infrared Port.
now i would like to use the remote from my surround receiver to control media portal. the remote is capable of learning commands, so i installed the mce repacement plugin, but i can't configure the plugin.
mediaportal doesn't seem te activate or use the onboard ir device.
does anyone know how to use an onboard ir device from a laptop with mediaportal?
thanx.
kind regards mazzl

 

[rd_taylor]

Don't laptops use an IR port made to IRDA standards?

The IRDA standard is not the same as the IR ports used for remote control receivers (as far as I'm aware).

I doubt you will be able to get your laptop IR port working reliably as a receiver for remote control operation.

 

[negora]

Excuse me for recovering this topic but, as my doubt has much to do with this matter, I thought that would be better to complete the existing documentation instead of starting a new topic.

I'm new into the HTPC/PVR world. After "fighting" against several problems in the installation of MediaPortal on my laptop, I got success. I'm using a laptop just to test how this stuff works... Once I get everything working, I'll try to build my custom HTPC and do the same on it.

After testing some of the functions of MediaPortal (specially the TV Server), I'm starting to like it much. Now, I wanted to get into the infrared remote control issue.

My laptop, a Toshiba Satellite A60, includes an IrDA port and I was wondering if I could use it with a simple remote controller of one of my TVs. Reading this thread I thought that it couldn't be possible, but I've checked some documentation about LIRC (whose equivalent on Windows is WinLIRC) and it states that as long as the IrDA chip supports CIR (Consumer IR), it's possible to use it to control the typical home devices, such as TVs and that kinds. A page which reports about this: http://www.lirc.org/irda.html .

This model of Toshiba includes a SMC IrCC that, according to that page, maybe could work. The problem is that I've checked the device manager and the IR port isn't recognized as a serial port... So I don't know how to make MediaPortal use it. Do you think that is a waste of time to try to make it work?

In the case that I must buy an external IR port, Should I buy a complete solution from the MediaPortal compatible hardware list (Port + Controller)? Or could I buy just one of that cheap IrDA USB adapters from eBay and use any remote control?

Thank you so much .


EDITION #1

My first post... And I have to answer to myself just after a few minutes after publishing it because I've found an interesting information in another forum. It's this: http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/28704-20-ircc-remote-control .

Basically it says that SMC IrDA chip should be able to act as a Consumer IR, but it won't because of design issues.

It also clarifies that an IrDA USB adapter won't work either...

Definitively I'll have to look for a remote controller. I'll choose one which is compatible with MediaPortal obviously. I would love finding one whose receiver is perfectly integrated in the HTPC case, but that's another theme.

I hope that information is useful for others with the same doubt. Salutes .

 

[bbj]

Dell laptop irCC infrared port - remote control

Experimented a while with this irCC port without success until I found this website, IrDA Remote Control - IrRC : Sphinx Software. There is a freeware to test that makes a regular remotecontrol control Windows Media Player using the irCC infrared port. It works, I used an old Matsui digital tv box remote which this software learnt.
With the help of a mirror I did not have to have visual contact with the port for control. The freeware is simple, other paid versions are available. Check it out.