LinuxMCE Forums

General => Feature requests & roadmap => Topic started by: seth on January 24, 2008, 10:40:36 pm

Title: Add support for the IR blaster on the MCE Remote (mce_usb2)
Post by: seth on January 24, 2008, 10:40:36 pm
 :)
It would be great if the mce remote receiver's built in ir blasters (mce_usb2) could be utilized in LinuxMCE.
A lot of people have them, and therefore would not need to spend additional $$ on a seperate blaster.
I hear rumors of it working in the latest version (svn) of lirc, but I do not posess the knowledge to get it working outside of kubuntu.

Thanks in advance,

Seth
Title: Re: Add support for the IR blaster on the MCE Remote (mce_usb2)
Post by: totallymaxed on February 11, 2008, 06:00:04 pm
:)
It would be great if the mce remote receiver's built in ir blasters (mce_usb2) could be utilized in LinuxMCE.
A lot of people have them, and therefore would not need to spend additional $$ on a seperate blaster.
I hear rumors of it working in the latest version (svn) of lirc, but I do not posess the knowledge to get it working outside of kubuntu.

Thanks in advance,

Seth

We'll start testing LinuxMCE-0710 support for MCE blasting tomorrow... ;-)
Title: Re: Add support for the IR blaster on the MCE Remote (mce_usb2)
Post by: Marie.O on February 11, 2008, 07:22:45 pm
Cool. My installation already had a USB-UIRT and the PVR2. Once everything is settled, I can use either to control IR equipment.

Thanks for the info.

rgds
Oliver
Title: Re: Add support for the IR blaster on the MCE Remote (mce_usb2)
Post by: freymann on March 09, 2008, 02:16:02 am
It would be great if the mce remote receiver's built in ir blasters (mce_usb2) could be utilized in LinuxMCE.
A lot of people have them, and therefore would not need to spend additional $$ on a seperate blaster.

This what I'm looking into right now...

I have two MCE Remotes that have the IR Receiver/Blaster. Naturally, the remote works plug 'n play for me, but I need to be able to control an external bell satellite dish receiver too. It would make more sense to use the equipment I have instead of dumping them and buying something else, but naturally, if I have to, I have to.

It's a *must* to be able to control the dish receiver, it's our main source for television.

Is this link valid for 0710 Beta 4?

http://wiki.linuxmce.org/index.php/Windows_MCE_Receiver

Although these two lines confuse me:

* IR Transmitter is supported with driver module lirc_mceusb2 version >= 0.24 (lirc-0.8.2).

    * However, the transmitter is not currently supported in LinuxMCE

First it says it's supported, then it says it isn't and goes on to talk about lots of things.

Currently in my MD screen, I don't have "lirc_mceusb2" as option for "Infrared Receivers", but there are couple of "mce_usb2" in there?
Title: Re: Add support for the IR blaster on the MCE Remote (mce_usb2)
Post by: totallymaxed on March 09, 2008, 03:43:24 pm
It would be great if the mce remote receiver's built in ir blasters (mce_usb2) could be utilized in LinuxMCE.
A lot of people have them, and therefore would not need to spend additional $$ on a seperate blaster.

This what I'm looking into right now...

I have two MCE Remotes that have the IR Receiver/Blaster. Naturally, the remote works plug 'n play for me, but I need to be able to control an external bell satellite dish receiver too. It would make more sense to use the equipment I have instead of dumping them and buying something else, but naturally, if I have to, I have to.

It's a *must* to be able to control the dish receiver, it's our main source for television.

Is this link valid for 0710 Beta 4?

http://wiki.linuxmce.org/index.php/Windows_MCE_Receiver

Although these two lines confuse me:

* IR Transmitter is supported with driver module lirc_mceusb2 version >= 0.24 (lirc-0.8.2).

    * However, the transmitter is not currently supported in LinuxMCE

First it says it's supported, then it says it isn't and goes on to talk about lots of things.

Currently in my MD screen, I don't have "lirc_mceusb2" as option for "Infrared Receivers", but there are couple of "mce_usb2" in there?


LinuxMCE 0710 Beta4 has inbuilt support for IR blasting using the MCE IR transceiver and mce_usb2
Title: Re: Add support for the IR blaster on the MCE Remote (mce_usb2)
Post by: freymann on March 09, 2008, 04:12:59 pm
Quote
LinuxMCE 0710 Beta4 has inbuilt support for IR blasting using the MCE IR transceiver and mce_usb2

 Hi! I've been reading your posts ;-)

 OK, so that's what my Media Director is configured to use right now.. can you point me to where the files are or what I should be poking around in to:

- possibly capture codes from the existing dish remote (I've read that somewhere.... run a program, push the buttons, note what appears)
- put that into a file that LinuxMCE uses (I guess this is what I need to know)

 Thanks for any advice you may have.
Title: Re: Add support for the IR blaster on the MCE Remote (mce_usb2)
Post by: totallymaxed on March 09, 2008, 04:23:56 pm
Quote
LinuxMCE 0710 Beta4 has inbuilt support for IR blasting using the MCE IR transceiver and mce_usb2

 Hi! I've been reading your posts ;-)

 OK, so that's what my Media Director is configured to use right now.. can you point me to where the files are or what I should be poking around in to:

- possibly capture codes from the existing dish remote (I've read that somewhere.... run a program, push the buttons, note what appears)
- put that into a file that LinuxMCE uses (I guess this is what I need to know)

 Thanks for any advice you may have.

The simplest way to do the setup for this is to use the Media Player Wizard to define how/what you are controlling. Run the Media Player Wizard from the Media Director that has your MCE Transceiver attached (it should auto-detect it). See the Wiki here for some basic info http://wiki.linuxmce.org/index.php/Media_Player_Wizard (http://wiki.linuxmce.org/index.php/Media_Player_Wizard)
Title: Re: Add support for the IR blaster on the MCE Remote (mce_usb2)
Post by: freymann on March 09, 2008, 04:29:45 pm
Quote
The simplest way to do the setup for this is to use the Media Player Wizard to define how/what you are controlling. Run the Media Player Wizard from the Media Director that has your MCE Transceiver attached (it should auto-detect it). See the Wiki here for some basic info http://wiki.linuxmce.org/index.php/Media_Player_Wizard (http://wiki.linuxmce.org/index.php/Media_Player_Wizard)

 That is super! thanks very much! If I get the blaster part working then I move on to my first Media Director attempt!

 Have a great day!
Title: Re: Add support for the IR blaster on the MCE Remote (mce_usb2)
Post by: freymann on March 09, 2008, 06:07:29 pm

 I think I've just spent about 90 minutes going nowhere fast.

 When I went to the Media Wizard, it said my devices weren't there so I'd have to add them in the Admin screen.

 I did add the IR Blaster, but for the life of me I can't figure out how to add my Bell (Echostar 4700) receiver with remote codes.

 I found a web page with a list of codes, three numbers (or less) per code. I could manually enter them all into the LInuxmce screen, but when I test absolutely nothing happens.

 What type of code formatting is the screen looking for?

 Yesterday I remember seeing something about running a program that would monitor the IR Receiver and tell you what the code was for a keypress, ya think I can find that page or into today in the wiki? I'm quickly learning to bookmark everything as you may see it once and never again.

 You would think there would be a template for Bell ExpressVu equipment, but perhaps LinuxMCE isn't so popular here in Canada.

 
Title: Re: Add support for the IR blaster on the MCE Remote (mce_usb2)
Post by: MANDINGO on March 15, 2008, 12:13:05 am
Im in your same boat with the blasted mce blasters realy not sure if they do work as of beta4 or not  ???  and i guess the ir learning feature is deffinately out of the question for those things