[mythtv-users] recent information for programming harmony remotes?

[Michael T. Dean]

On 08/27/2013 07:14 AM, Brian J. Murrell wrote:
> On 13-08-26 07:30 PM, Michael T. Dean wrote:
>>
>> Then again, there's always the "dumb remote, smart receiver" approach.
>
> For some values of effort to get set up, yes.
>
>> Use any remote you want hooked into your MythTV box(es) and set up a
>> LIRC transmitter, too, that can send the appropriate signals to all the
>> appropriate pieces in response to whatever button you want to press.
>
> For me at least, there is a bit of a physics problem with this.  My 
> MythFE (the smart receiver) sits a number of feet on the x and y axes 
> (but right in line with, on the z axis) away from my tv/receiver/etc. 
> Imagine looking at the wall with my A/V equipment on it from 10 feet 
> away from it, the equipment is in a triangle where my MythFE is on the 
> bottom right of the triangle.
>
> Trying to get a transmitted signal from there to the rest of the 
> triangle will be challenging.  It works well with a remote from 10 
> feet away of course, pointed towards that wall, but trying to transmit 
> both up and across and effectively from what's under/beside the other 
> equipment just won't work.  I'd need to somehow place that transmitter 
> more in the area of the room where people normally sit which is 10 
> feet out (and 5 feet up) into the centre of the room.  Almost as if I 
> had the transmitter suspended in the centre of the room.  Just not 
> worth all of the effort, for me at least.

FWIW, my home-built LIRC transmitter bounces the IR off the walls and 
ceiling and covers the whole room.

>
>> IMHO, there's no need for a smart remote when you're using the remote to
>> send signals to a computer--that's already a lot "smarter" (or at least
>> much more general) than any remote.
>
> And then there is that part.  Sure, it's doable with a bit of 
> programming and glue to effectively recreate what the Harmony does by 
> way of receiving IR signals and using those to transmit macros of 
> other signals, but again, there is the effort to write that glue and 
> to dig up and/or learn all of the transmitting codes for all of the 
> equipment you have.
>
> I think that huge database is a big part of the Harmony's value.
>
> All of that said, it might be an interesting project to create that 
> software and database as FOSS.  But I also suspect that a lot of 
> people looking to use such a piece of software would bump into the 
> physics problem also.  I can't imagine how many people have their 
> MythFE (or other computer) opposite their A/V equipment or can 
> reasonably locate an IR transmitter in such a position relative to 
> where their MythFE is in the room.

No need to create any software.  Just put a prog = mythtv and a prog = 
irexec stanza for the same button  into your ~/.lircrc, where irexec is 
used to irsend SEND_ONCE avreceiver power_on (or whatever), and if you 
want to do more, add other stanzas with, for example, irsend SEND_ONCE 
tv power_on , etc.  Or, you could create scripts for "activities" that 
just issue the appropriate irsend commands and config them in your 
~/.lircrc irexec stanzas.

Granted, some nice software would make it prettier/easier, but 
everything is in place with a normal LIRC install.

Mike