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[rolf_eigenheer]

Simple cursor keys are superior to mouse and touchscreen operation. Instead of turning 'krchh krchh krchh' endlessly on the mouse wheel or scrolling with your finger, you simply hold down cursor down for a few seconds and move through a list with thousands of entries.

The service in the Theater View is excellent. I sit at keyboards all day long and I don't want to need any more to listen my music. That works almost perfectly.
Windows starts without any queries and opens MC directly in the Theater View.

In addition to the cursor cross, an 'enter' key is required. And depending on the configuration, backspace is also required.

With an arcade joystick I have now solved the entire operation. Up / Down generates cursor up / down as long as the actuation lasts.
Left / right actuation is evaluated by the self-programmed keyboard controller. Short presses (<180ms) output individual cursor left / right commands.
Longer actuation (> 200ms) gives 'Backspace' or 'Enter'.



In addition to the do-it-yourself, there are now many inexpensive remote controls. Among them are some which output 'Esc' instead of 'Backspace'. You can cope with the lack of the backspace key. On the other hand, it is very uncomfortable that pressing 'Esc' twice leaves theater mode. And then the remote control does not have the option to restart Theater Mode. In this case you will need a keyboard again.

[wer]

In addition to the do-it-yourself, there are now many inexpensive remote controls.

Now?  There are literally scores of different remotes available for PC operation, going back almost 20 years. Many of them are fully programmable. Some have macro capability. Some have full mini-keyboards on the back of the remote. Some even have air-mouse functionality. Some have backlit keys. Some have touchpads.  The list is endless.  You might have even observed that MC has built-in functionality for learning infrared signals from remotes.  Using Theater View without a keyboard and mouse has been happening for a long time: it's the "10-foot" interface in MC designed to be used with a remote. 

Congratulations on rigging up a joystick.

[RoderickGI]

On the other hand, it is very uncomfortable that pressing 'Esc' twice leaves theater mode. And then the remote control does not have the option to restart Theater Mode. In this case you will need a keyboard again.

Or just press the Guide button and MC will re-enter Theatre View and display the TV Guide.
Or if you don't use TV in MC, press the "Green Button" on any MCE remote or MCE compatible remote, or the equivalent button on other remotes, such as Logitech remote, which is called "Media Center".

Also as Wer said, MC can learn IR codes. You can also change the command sent when an IR code is received, so you could have MC send Backspace when the Escape key is pressed.

No keyboard required.

Life is a journey, and for the wise, learning never stops.
_{(Is that too much? Maybe. But it is true.)}

[David Sydney]

You can get an MC Remote AND The IR receiver for under $20.  The USB IR receiver about the size of a matchbox, is loaded by Windows PnP without any drivers (TSDX-IR14). Just purchased one a couple of months ago to use in Theatre view - but it works in any view for standard functions like Play/pause/cursor/back/ Vol+- /Channel # (TV) etc. Just search eBay for "MCE Remote Receiver".

[rolf_eigenheer]

What I wanted to say: Now many cheap remotes are available which are not 100% compatible with MCC. For example the codes for guide button and backspace are different.

The remote I just bought is not an IR remote. Instead it works with 2.4G and is recognized as a keyboard.

Under Remote Control, there is an option to assign codes to commands. But I found no way to assign the Esc key to another command. Pressing Esc terminates learning.

Anyway, remapping Esc for the whole application is not a solution. Working in any other view than Theater view, Esc is needed. I just asked for a solution to prevent accidently closing theater view.

[RoderickGI]

The remote I just bought is not an IR remote. Instead it works with 2.4G and is recognized as a keyboard.

In that case the Remote Control section of MC doesn't apply to you, particularly as it is recognised as keyboard. The MC functionality works with IR Remotes, and the learning function is for learning IR codes.

If you did have an IR Remote and wanted to assign the Backspace key to the ESC IR Code, then you would select the "Back" function in the Remote Control Commands dialogue, start the learning process, and then press the ESC key on the IR Remote while pointing it at the IR Receiver. That should work, but I haven't tried. There is nothing special about the ESC IR Code. It won't actually do anything on the PC until it is translated into a command.

Regarding the accidental closing of Theatre View, the obvious answer is don't press ESC twice. But no doubt that can happen, and if it does, I gave you a couple of fast ways to get back into Theatre View. Of course, maybe your 2.4G wireless remote doesn't have the equivalent of the Green/Media Center Button. If it is emulating an MCE remote it should.

I tried entering the line:
    <Entry Key="Escape" Command="27000" Param="27" TranslateFlags="2" />
Into the Resouce.xml file to see if that stopped MC responding to ESC in Theatre View. Alas, it did not. The Resouce.xml converts keystrokes into commands, but the 27000,27 MCC Command generates an ESC, so doing that is a bit circular, and the Resouce.xml line doesn't stop the ESC keystroke from being received by MC, it just generates the internal command that generates an ESC key press. Some keystrokes are processed by MC regardless.

So, I don't think you can stop MC Theatre View from closing if ESC is pressed twice.

[wer]

You can also buy a FLIRC, combine it with virtually ANY old IR remote, like one from an old DVD player, and the FLIRC will make every button completely customizable, so you can do whatever you want in MC.

[rolf_eigenheer]

Regarding the accidental closing of Theatre View, the obvious answer is don't press ESC twice.

  I would learn that someday. But if a visitor presses that button with the 'return' symbol, then he wants to close this dialog by pressing.... ? Yes! by pressing this 'return' button again.

But this is not a problem which cannot be solved by e piece of isolation tape under the contact inside the remote.