[mythtv-users] IR receiver help

[David]

You might also consider what I did: 

1.  First, buy a cheap IR keyboard.  I got a $17 Lite-On IR keyboard 
from Newegg.  It was like $22 shipped.  It is very compact, about the 
size of a laptop keyboard, with a mouse joystick and two buttons built 
in.  This gives you the ability to do things only a keyboard can do, 
without the wires, and without a separate mouse.
2.  Next, buy a cheap learning remote that is JP1 compatible.  I bought 
the One4All 8810w from Wal-Mart for $18.
3.  Next, either train the remote to the keyboard keys you want 
(sometimes very challenging depending on keyboard model), or buy/build a 
JP1 cable and use the free IR and RemoteMaster software to download the 
protocol for the keyboard directly into the remote.  I did the latter, 
it's far more flexible and provides a backup for my remote that I can 
download back to it should the remote lose its memory.

Using this approach gives you both a wireless keyboard and a universal 
remote that can be used with the rest of your system, WITHOUT requiring 
lirc.  lirc was always troublesome for me in one way or another.  This 
way the remote communicates with the keyboard receiver and all buttons 
are mapped as keystrokes.  You'll also have a very capable universal 
remote that works with all of your other omponents, and once you have it 
programmed and configured just right, you use the JP1 cable to upload it 
to your PC.  If your remote ever gets hosed and loses its memory, or 
dies and you can buy another just like it, you just download the file 
into your remote and it's instantly reprogrammed.  Very nice.

It isn't a perfect solution, but works way better than any lirc approach 
I've used, and is more flexible.  Plus it has a higher geek quotient.  :)

David

Dan H Orlic wrote:

>hello all,
>   The last thing I need before jumping into mythtv is an IR receiver.
>I have two PVR-150 which does not have an IR receiver.  
>
>My questions is, does anyone have a suggestion for a serial IR receiver
>that I can purchase that will work with these cards?  I'd rather not
>build one, I am all thumbs when it comes to soldering.
>
>Thank you,
>Dan
>  
>