Remote for XBMC?

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ping182nz

188 posts

Master Geek

#138246 26-Dec-2013 22:45

Hi,

I am looking for a remote to control XBMC running on windows 7. I also have a Samsung 55inch led tv and blu ray surround sound system, but I guess it doesn't have to control them.

I was looking for a RF Remote , can anyone suggest anything? I was looking at the Harmony range but the reviews of the current models are not that great. Plus they are $$$

I see a heap of IR remotes on the Internet, but not too sure if I should be going for RF or IR... Any advice?

sidefx

3712 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#957742 26-Dec-2013 23:03

If you have a smartphone, have you tried oneo f the many xbmc remote apps on it via wifi?

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Zeon

3916 posts

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#957750 26-Dec-2013 23:27

Why not use one of these:
http://www.pulse-eight.com/store/products/104-usb-hdmi-cec-adapter.aspx

You can then use your tv remote to control it via CEC:
http://wiki.xbmc.org/index.php?title=CEC

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Finknz

37 posts

Geek

#960355 2-Jan-2014 16:49

For a few years I have been using a Harmony 515 with XBMC with no issues. I bought off ebay an ir reciever to make it work with my htpc. Here is a link to the model
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_trksid=p2047675.m570.l1313.TR0.TRC0&_nkw=ovu412002%2F00&_sacat=0&_from=R40

Once I had programmed the keyboard binds into the logitech software it was ready to use. I'm no expert but 2 nights of head scratching and I had a fully working remote for xbmc.

michaelmurfy

meow
13257 posts

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#960358 2-Jan-2014 17:00

Zeon: Why not use one of these:
http://www.pulse-eight.com/store/products/104-usb-hdmi-cec-adapter.aspx

You can then use your tv remote to control it via CEC:
http://wiki.xbmc.org/index.php?title=CEC

Crap, double the cost of the Raspberry Pi which can run XBMC + has PulseEight CEC built in.

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driller2000

935 posts

Ultimate Geek

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#960410 2-Jan-2014 19:59

have been using a harmony one for 18 months now - brilliant device (definitely my fave toy of 2012)

have it set up to control - tv / htpc / amp / freeview box / bluray player / projector / screen / xbox 360 / hdvd player
set up activities incl - watch tv / play movie / play music / play 360 / play bluray / play hddvd etc etc

one remote does it all (well except for the xbox 360 controller - buttons are there but thumbsticks not so much : ) )

highly recommend them (sometimes on sale for $170ish)

ps: does require some initial programming but this wasn't a big deal
pps: it is ir only - rf would matter only if you wanted to control the devices either from another room or if they were in a cabinet ie. no line of sight

lostangel

163 posts

Master Geek

#960508 3-Jan-2014 08:04

The standard windows media remotes normally work ok, and you may know someone who has one laying around you could get for nothing.

I've had several of these over the years that were bundled with pcs.

ping182nz

188 posts

Master Geek

#961331 4-Jan-2014 23:51

I can't seem to find a harmony one for sale anywhere...

Well I found one, but it is $400

What do you think of the harmony touch or ultimate ?

I did look at the cec adapter, but kind of want something that will perform multiple button presses for me, I.e, source on tv, change to samsung smart hub, change to hdmi input 1

And then control xbmc also....

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driller2000

935 posts

Ultimate Geek

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#961357 5-Jan-2014 07:21

ping182nz: I can't seem to find a harmony one for sale anywhere...

Well I found one, but it is $400

What do you think of the harmony touch or ultimate ?

I did look at the cec adapter, but kind of want something that will perform multiple button presses for me, I.e, source on tv, change to samsung smart hub, change to hdmi input 1

And then control xbmc also....

ahh - that's a bugger :/

I guess it has been superseded by something else - i am guessing the ultimate or touch or smart control or ?

I am also using one of the simpler harmonys on the family room set up (as it only needs to control 5 devices ie. tv + htpc + amp + freeview box + hddvd!) - and that does the trick too

Suggest you count up the no. of devices you need to control (both now and in the medium term future) / decide what features you want eg. ir vs rf / touchscreen? / smart ph control? / rechargeable? etc - and then target a remote that meet these criteria.

ping182nz

188 posts

Master Geek

#961368 5-Jan-2014 09:00

Other than the price, I guess I am worried about not being able to replace he battery in the ultimate.... if it dies, you have a dead remote...

driller2000

935 posts

Ultimate Geek

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#961369 5-Jan-2014 09:05

hmm - maybe: http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-Harmony-One-Remote-Battery/dp/B003LZYXYU

nolanz

83 posts

Master Geek

#961373 5-Jan-2014 09:14

Might sound like a simple alternative, but I use an android tv dongle for XBMC, and all I need is a wireless mouse. I did buy one of the keyboard type of remote, but reverted to using the mouse. KISS

ping182nz

188 posts

Master Geek

#961375 5-Jan-2014 09:19

driller2000: hmm - maybe: http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-Harmony-One-Remote-Battery/dp/B003LZYXYU

That is for the one that is not available anymore...

but...if i did get the ultimate, this could work...

http://www.amazon.com/Replacement-Logitech-Ultimate-533-000084-915-000198/dp/B002NE4UVG/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1388866681&sr=1-1-catcorr&keywords=logitech+harmony+ultimate+battery

driller2000

935 posts

Ultimate Geek

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#961382 5-Jan-2014 09:24

agree if it worked well they could be a good option

that said i believe he already has a win 7 machine with xbmc on it?

Q: how fast is the xbmc gui on the android stick you have?

the reason i ask is i had thought about these 12 months ago when i set up the family room htpc - but reviews of the sticks were at best patchy - ie. speed / stability / fps issues etc.

i ended up scoring an old (dual core + 4g ram) dell sff pc from work for $50 + added in a $45 video card + old copy of vista i had = hey presto quick xbmc machine + spotify + browser etc etc

appreciate this won't work for everyone and means i have another machine i need to maintain - but the flexibility and speed advantage makes it worthwhile to me (esp at $95)

ping182nz

188 posts

Master Geek

#961399 5-Jan-2014 10:27

Yeah, I already have a PC with Win 7 and XBMC, I store my media on my storage server.

I am going to look at XBMC's ability for Live TV and recording sometime... not too sure what the spec of the pc will need to be for this...

driller2000

935 posts

Ultimate Geek

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#961435 5-Jan-2014 11:15

ping182nz: Yeah, I already have a PC with Win 7 and XBMC, I store my media on my storage server.

I am going to look at XBMC's ability for Live TV and recording sometime... not too sure what the spec of the pc will need to be for this...

would be keen to see how you go with this - as I haven't gone down that path yet - as i would need a tv card + set up a backend servers + epgs can be a bit more finnicky i believe - would be great to have it all in one and be able to ditch the freeview recorder though...

fyi - i have found the avsforums to be useful in the past re setting up xbmc

ps: re the link to the amazon battery for the harmony one - sorry if i wasn't clear - point i was making was that even with discontinued products you can still source the rechargeable batteries.
pps: i also failed to mention smartph based remotes - incl the xmbc default and others like yatse - i have played with these and they work pretty well too - might be worth you giving these a go to see if they meet your needs for xbmc, esp seeing as the price = free :) (i do however appreciate that it won't give you the ability to create activities...)