N800 orbiter, wii remote, mce or fiire chief?

[geekyhawkes]

Hi guys, i am just getting my first mce hybrid assembled now and am wondering what exactly i should use to control it!? If i go for an N800 is it easy enough to use an orbiter for everyday PVR/DVD/TV viewing (ie wife proof!) or would i be better to go the route of orbiter and remote control? 

From what i can see there are 3 main remote options, MCE remote, fiire chief (not currently supported in 810) and wii remote. I like the idea of using a wii remote as it seems it should be easy enough for the Mrs to get on with, but personally i think im kind of hoping an orbiter can replace the remote completely.

Thoughts/tips/experiences?

[tkmedia]

I would say I use the webdt 366 the most and the mce remote second.
WAF has been high with webdt366 the N800 is nice as more portable but screen size and usability goes to the webdt366.

The gyro effect is cool but for everyday use I prefer the others.

just my

2 cents


Tim

[geekyhawkes]

Thats perfect, this is the sort of feedback im after to work ut if i need a remote at all or if the orbiter is enough to control everything on my hybrid machine.  Anyone else?

[totallymaxed]

Thats perfect, this is the sort of feedback im after to work ut if i need a remote at all or if the orbiter is enough to control everything on my hybrid machine.  Anyone else?

I agree the WebDT is easier on the eyes as its display is bigger... but the Nokia N800/N810 is far better on battery life and portability. In my house the WAF factor is high for the Nokia's ;-)

...having said that we also use plain old 'cheap' MCE remotes as they just work...and are tough and 'child proof' (and if they get eaten by the dog you can replace them without spending a truck load of money ;-) )

Andrew

[Techstyle]

I have a used the following:

PDA with orbiter running - looks good, works well but needs to be recharged once a day which means you need a power supply near your coffee table and you must remember to put it back. I think this or a WebDT is what I would use in a Home theatre room
Gyration Ultra Air mouse - good for navigating UI2, I like using the on screen orbiter.
MCE Remote - Good but takes many clicks to get to where you need to go - but is very cheap and probably the lowest risk as far as WAF
TS820 handheld Wireless Trackball - I use these all the time about $50 each, acceptable to most wives, if they are used to a mouse they can use this.  they have enough buttons for select (L Button), Cancel (R button), F6, F7, F8, has the bonus of pg up/ pg down on the side for turning media pages.  I may be biased because I sell these, but the batteries last like a normal remote.  for everyday my wife uses these with all the MD's http://wiki.linuxmce.org/index.php/TS820

Hope it helps

[geekyhawkes]

Thanks for all the feedback.  I am probably going to get the system up and running with the n800 and then get a feel for a full remote requirement.  I am falling down on the side of an mce remote, as although i like the idea of using a wii remote, it does seem alot of work to go through when il have the n800 right there.

[purps]

The Wii remote isn't ideal, as it utilises accelerometers, as opposed to gyros. These require a lot more "oomph" to get a response (think power serve in tennis , and need the infrared side of things for accurate pointing (which requires an infrared emitter of some description, whether this is the Wii bar or a couple of candles).

For the onscreen orbiter, I don't think you can beat a gyro mouse. I bought a reconditioned one on ebay from the states, and it works great.

I am going to invest in a mobile orbiter soon myself, as I would like to be able to play music without switching on the TV. Will probably go for the N800, but am not entirely sure yet.