Topic: Can I use ATI Remote Wonder with MC ? (Read 5184 times)

Ton · « **on:** March 30, 2004, 07:54:21 am »

I would like to use a remote and I already own the ATI Remote Wonder which was supplied with my ATI videocard, but which I never used until now.
Can I use it with MC 10 and if so what should I do to get it working ? Or do I still need a particular type or brand of receiver ?
Btw the ATI Remote works with radiosignals and has a USB receiver.

xen-uno · « **Reply #1 on:** March 30, 2004, 08:49:33 am »

You sure can but you need Girder (do a forum search on it). There's been many posts on how to set it up.

10^-27

Ton · « **Reply #2 on:** March 30, 2004, 01:36:19 pm »

Thanks xen-uno.
I found a lot of threads about Girder but no one about the set-up. However I took a look at the Girder website and at first everything looks rather complicated to me. Plus I understood that it is not freeware and I have to buy it after the trialperiod.
Shouldn't it not be simpler for me to buy e.g an irman and use it with the MC plugin ? Of course I know it probably will be a matter of personal taste, but what is your opinion ?

xen-uno · « **Reply #3 on:** March 30, 2004, 02:13:06 pm »

Your right...it is shareware ($20 for a seat). Have no real experience with remotes so hang tight...someone with real knowledge should chime in soon.

10^-27

edit: ...or do a forum search on "remote"

JimH · « **Reply #4 on:** March 30, 2004, 02:44:25 pm »

We plan to support that receiver some day, but for now, you would have to use a supported IR receiver and then use the option for remotes to teach MC to work with the remote you have. Any remote should work if you have the right IR receiver.

This area is a little messy right now and we hope to improve it in the future.

Magicland · « **Reply #5 on:** March 30, 2004, 04:45:13 pm »

Any plans on supporting the Windows Media Center Remotes (different manufacturers, such as sony, Philps, etc., but the same RC5 commands)? I realize these can be used now via Girder, but native MC10 support would be nice. I've literally got a drawer full of semi-useless remotes I've collected over the years, X10 mouseremote (works great with MC10, but no IR support, so I can't program the commands into my Pronto Neo), Packard Bell Fast Media Remote (junk), Creative Labs Audigy Platinum remote, Philips Media Center Edition remote (works great for MCE, useless for anything else without Girder).

Nolonemo · « **Reply #6 on:** March 30, 2004, 04:59:19 pm »

Ton, I have the ATI remote also, I'm hanging on for MC to support it. Unfortunately the key play buttons (play, stop, pause, skip) don't work in MC. However, I find I can use it for basic music playing - I can navigate the theater mode using the left/right/up/down/enter buttons to get around the theater mode menus, and have programmed the ABCD keys on the remote for ctl-W (toggle view), and the ctl- keys for pause, play, and next track. I looked at Girder, but it seemed like it would be a lot of work to learn it and set it up for the pretty simple things I want the remote to do. Oh yeah, the volume control on the ATI also works. Also the mouse works if you can see your screen clearly enough.

Magicland · « **Reply #7 on:** March 30, 2004, 10:07:16 pm »

When I first looked at Girder, I thought it was really complicated too (and it can be). However, with the .gml files included with MC10, it's really easy to set up (much simpler than it would seem). You need to find the girder plugin for your device (yours is the 4th one down on the girder download plugins page), and install that into the "plugins" folder inside your Girder installation. Run Girder, go to the "file" menu, select "settings", select the appropriate plugin (not sure what it's named there as I don't have that device), activate it, apply the settings (I had to also activate the "send message" plugin that comes with Girder), "Open" the MC9_131.gml file that came with MC10, and you're ready to learn commands. To teach it to "play", go to "playback", select "play/pause", click on "learn event", point your ATI remote at the receiver, press the play button, and that's it. Save your .gml file or teach it some more. Most of the more common commands are already setup in the .gml file and are ready to be learned. I literally did all this in about 15 minutes tonight (obviously not learning all the commands) and I've got my Philips Windows Media Center Edition remote controlling MC10 just fine. As I said, it sounds a lot more complicated than it really is.

xen-uno · « **Reply #8 on:** March 30, 2004, 10:08:34 pm »

Keep in mind that the Girder scripts for MC have already been written and are included in a subdir under MediaCenter, so $20 isn't much considering that you can get up and running quickly (& pretty painlessly). There are some Girder pro's here that can help you out of any jam.

10^-27

jimpmc · « **Reply #9 on:** March 30, 2004, 10:35:09 pm »

Quote from: Nolonemo on March 30, 2004, 04:59:19 pm

Ton, I have the ATI remote also, I'm hanging on for MC to support it. Unfortunately the key play buttons (play, stop, pause, skip) don't work in MC. However, I find I can use it for basic music playing - I can navigate the theater mode using the left/right/up/down/enter buttons to get around the theater mode menus, and have programmed the ABCD keys on the remote for ctl-W (toggle view), and the ctl- keys for pause, play, and next track. I looked at Girder, but it seemed like it would be a lot of work to learn it and set it up for the pretty simple things I want the remote to do. Oh yeah, the volume control on the ATI also works. Also the mouse works if you can see your screen clearly enough.

For me, the ATI play buttons do work within MC without doing anything special. Are you using the latest drivers?

-J

DocLotus · « **Reply #10 on:** March 31, 2004, 03:55:33 am »

I totally agree... I also have a drawer full of useless remotes including three ATI Remote Wonders, both RW I & RW II).

One of my biggest gripes about all remotes is the total incompatibility between the remotes & the receivers.

It has always bugged me why there is not a universal standard for remotes.

I would LOVE IT if I could find ONE remote that would work on ALL of my receivers such as DirecTV satellite receivers, Logitech Z-680 speakers system, & my computer.

I am so sick & tired of every manufacturer trying to re-invent the wheel with remotes. It's Beta vis. VHS all over again with no standards in sight..

Examples...

My two RCA DirectTV satellite receivers have both infer red & radio frequency receivers built into them but they will work only with the RCA remote. The ATI Remote Wonder (either I or II) does not work with them... the frequency is different just as it is different between the ATI RW I & RW II. .

For the same reason the RCA remotes will not work with the ATI receiver.

It would be very nice (no, make that simply wonderful) if MC had native ATI remote support as a lot of users have that remote... all ATI A-I-W cards come with it.

Keep in mind that ATI just released a brand new Remote Wonder II which uses an entirely different receiver that is totally incompatible with the original Remote Wonder I receiver.

I recently purchased an ATI A-I-W 9600 Pro (with FM tuner); it came with the RW I but has a free coupon ($15 S&H) for the new RW II which I now have.

It does not work at all with the old ATI receiver.

The new RMII has something like three times the range of the RMI (which was not at all bad).

Also, keep in mind that the ATI remotes are not infer red but are Radio Frequency; that is why they have such great range & can work through walls, around corners & etc.

Nolonemo · « **Reply #11 on:** March 31, 2004, 10:55:59 am »

Quote from: jimpmc on March 30, 2004, 10:35:09 pm

For me, the ATI play buttons do work within MC without doing anything special. Are you using the latest drivers?

-J

Quote

Do you have the ATI Remote I or II? What OS are you running? I thought I had downloaded the latest drivers (my usual install practice for any device); sometime in early Feb, I think. They definitely didn't work with MC9 and my ATI Remote I under Windows 2000. I was a little suprised because I had understood that they (the play etc. control buttons) sent standard Windows commands and hoped that MC would recognize them.

Mastiff · « **Reply #12 on:** March 31, 2004, 02:56:45 pm »

I like the Girder approach. That gives me playlist control as well (I press 666 and get Mercyful Fate, for instance). Couldn't live without that now, and my son (

loves it!

jimpmc · « **Reply #13 on:** March 31, 2004, 03:07:10 pm »

Quote from: Nolonemo on March 31, 2004, 10:55:59 am

Do you have the ATI Remote I or II? What OS are you running? I thought I had downloaded the latest drivers (my usual install practice for any device); sometime in early Feb, I think. They definitely didn't work with MC9 and my ATI Remote I under Windows 2000. I was a little suprised because I had understood that they (the play etc. control buttons) sent standard Windows commands and hoped that MC would recognize them.

I believe it's the ATI Remote I. It's what came with the AIW Radeon 7500. When I check the properties of the configuration application (ATIX10.exe), it tells me it's version 1.4.0.1. The basic play operations (play, stop, next, previous) worked with MC 9 and 9.1 and now continues to work with 10.

-J

Rob L · « **Reply #14 on:** March 31, 2004, 03:17:20 pm »

I wish people would stop blindly repeating this - you do NOT need Girder to use the ATI Remote Wonder (I or II - they're pretty much the same save for a few buttons) with Media Center.

You *can* use Girder to give you *extra* functionality, but all the basic functions (Certainly play/pause, top, previous, next) really DO work out of the box if you've got the ATI software installed. I'm running v2.2. The latest they've got available is 2.3.0.1 - I guess it's possible they broke something in that version!

Nolonemo · « **Reply #15 on:** March 31, 2004, 03:22:03 pm »

Quote from: Rob L on March 31, 2004, 03:17:20 pm

I wish people would stop blindly repeating this - you do NOT need Girder to use the ATI Remote Wonder (I or II - they're pretty much the same save for a few buttons) with Media Center.

You *can* use Girder to give you *extra* functionality, but all the basic functions (Certainly play/pause, top, previous, next) really DO work out of the box if you've got the ATI software installed. I'm running v2.2. The latest they've got available is 2.3.0.1 - I guess it's possible they broke something in that version!

Thanks, I've downloaded v2.2 and v1.4 from the links on the http://membres.lycos.fr/remotew/ website, I'll see if the earlier version(s) do the trick. If the basic functions work, I can do everything else I want with the programmable buttons.

IlPadrino · « **Reply #16 on:** March 31, 2004, 04:28:58 pm »

Quote from: Nolonemo on March 31, 2004, 03:22:03 pm

Thanks, I've downloaded v2.2 and v1.4 from the links on the http://membres.lycos.fr/remotew/ website, I'll see if the earlier version(s) do the trick. If the basic functions work, I can do everything else I want with the programmable buttons.

Not sure if things have changed recently... but last I knew, you could not program all the buttons unless you used Girder and the X10/ATI plugin.

jimpmc · « **Reply #17 on:** March 31, 2004, 04:47:11 pm »

Quote from: Nolonemo on March 31, 2004, 03:22:03 pm

Quote from: Rob L on March 31, 2004, 03:17:20 pm
I wish people would stop blindly repeating this - you do NOT need Girder to use the ATI Remote Wonder (I or II - they're pretty much the same save for a few buttons) with Media Center.

You *can* use Girder to give you *extra* functionality, but all the basic functions (Certainly play/pause, top, previous, next) really DO work out of the box if you've got the ATI software installed. I'm running v2.2. The latest they've got available is 2.3.0.1 - I guess it's possible they broke something in that version!

Thanks, I've downloaded v2.2 and v1.4 from the links on the http://membres.lycos.fr/remotew/ website, I'll see if the earlier version(s) do the trick. If the basic functions work, I can do everything else I want with the programmable buttons.

I never knew about that site -- thanks! There was a plug-in there called Remote Wonder Key Factory (freeware) which lets you do what I've been wanting for a long time -- reprogram any of the keys to keystroke equivalents. I tried it and it works great! It's easy to install and configure.

-J

Nolonemo · « **Reply #18 on:** March 31, 2004, 07:20:03 pm »

jimpmc, thanks! I hadn't notice the keyfactory plugin. Even if I can't get the transport buttons to work natively, I'll be able to use that to map the appropriate MC shortcut keys to them. Great tip!

Nolonemo · « **Reply #19 on:** April 01, 2004, 11:13:10 am »

Installing v2.2 did the trick, the basic transport buttons now work fine. Also keyfactory works very nicely. Happy camper!

Ton · « **Reply #20 on:** April 01, 2004, 12:55:26 pm »

@RobL (or others who know the answer)
You say you can use ATI's remote as long as you have the software installed. Do I only need the remote's software then or also Multimedia Center ?

Rob L · « **Reply #21 on:** April 01, 2004, 02:04:36 pm »

You don't need ATI's Multimedia Center to use the Remote Wonder, no.

Ton · « **Reply #22 on:** April 01, 2004, 02:17:50 pm »

Thanks RobL,
I'm gonna try it.

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