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[nickharambee]

i wonder if someone would be able to induct me into the world of remote controls for my laptop (pc).  i have come across various remotes such as keyspan digital media remote urm-15a, shuttle remote, streamzap, and ati remote wonder, and i am not clear on what the difference is between these.  the main purpose that i want to use the remote for is to be able to control media centre and in particular the volume.  the tricky bit is that i have an external soundcard (m-audio firewire 410) and so cannot control the volume within media centre anymore.  also, on my external keyboard i used to be able to control the volume, but it doesn't work anymore.  so i am presuming that i need a remote that can control the volume controls in my soundcard software.  which one of these remotes will do this for me.  do i need one that is programmable?

thanks

nick  

[jleerigby]

I had an M-Audio and was able to control the volume by remote using Girder.  Any remote would do providing it's supported by Girder (check their web site).  I recommend IRMan (www.evation.com I think) or the USB-UIRT (www.usbuirt.com) both of which will allow you to use virtually any old remote that you have hanging around the house.  They will receive the IR signal which will be recognised by the Girder plug in for that remote.

Alternatively for the ultimate and coolest way to control MC if you have a Pocket PC with WIFI you should look at www.netremote.org.  This would control volume by talking to Girder too but NetRemote can also send and receive feedback directly with MC.  Here's an example of what I've done.

[nickharambee]

thanks for your message jlee

ok, i can now see the options clearly.  i like the idea of being able to interact with MC from my armchair, as i often want to rate music whilst sitting and reading (i am presuming that i would be able to do this with the pocket pc set up)  i don't have a pocket pc, but might be interested in getting one.  what is the cheapest option in terms of a pocket pc with wifi?

thanks

nick.

[jleerigby]

I bought an iPAQ 4150 and does the job very nicely.  Check out ebuyer.co.uk - Try this link:

http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/products/index.html?action=c2hvd3N1YmNhdGVnb3J5X3BhZ2U=&subcat_uid=603.

Also check out the netremote forum as they have a section just on which hardware to go for.

If you decide to go for the ppc approach you can use my ccf (that’s your netremote config) and my gml (that’s your girder config) and with a bit of tweaking (e.g. to reflect your view scheme locations not mine) you’ll be up and running in no time at all.

I thought that NR was a steep learning curve but looking back I realise that I only started looking at it a few weeks ago and now have a ccf which other forum members have rated as outstanding and I feel like I’ve been using it for years.  This is mainly down to the great (but small) community over there that will help you every step of the way.

Good luck.

[nickharambee]

thanks jlee.

so i am checking out pocket pcs.  what else would i need to get a remote system set up?  i have one slot on my laptop for wireless card and i am using this for connection to the internet (wireless router).  do i need to attach a seperate card to my laptop for wifi connectivity to the ipaq 4150? can this be done via usb, or do i need some other attachment?  in terms of software, do i need netremote and girder software?

how many features of mc can i control via pocket pc?  i definitely need to be able to rate songs.  can you confirm that this is possible

thanks,

nick

[jleerigby]

I'm no expert on WiFi but it sounds like your Laptop is already WiFi enabled if you are using a wireless router. If it is your WiFi PDA will be able to connect to it wirelessly and you basically have 2 PCs on a home network.  In terms of getting set up I recommend that you join the NR forum and post your question there.  Ben will sort you out.

My set up is that I have a Tower PC upstairs linked by cable to my HTPC running MC.  My Tower PC has a wireless router attached.  My PDA talks to the tower PC to connect to the lan so all 3 PCs are talking to each other.  NetRemote on the PDA talks to the HTPC because the NR settings allow you to specify the IP Address and Port of the host PC.  Sounds complicated but it's not that hard really.  The PDA instruction manual will explain how to get connected to your laptop.

With your pocket PC you can rate songs and much more.  I am a SERIOUS MC user - a Power user maybe and I can do everything I want in terms of playback and browsing the library using NR.  My ccf (which you can download) even has the 5 stars system so you can just click on a star to rate the track.  I can browse the library, select my favourite playlists etc.  I can even do things in NR that I can't do easily within MC.  E.g. when a track is playing I can press anotehr button to show all tracks by the currently playing artist - and much much more.  

MC users who have not discovered NR are missing out big time.  Hope to see you over at the NR forum.

BTW you can get started before buying the PPC because NR has a version that can run on a normal PC (known as the WIN32 verion) so you can install NR & Girder on your laptop and all the relevant plug ins and give it a go.