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[Chad]

Can I use remote controls with multizone output?  I'd like to have one IR receiver per zone.  If I need to get Girder or GlobalCache' that's fine, I just need to know if it's possible to have MC understand that some remote control instructions are for specific zones.

- Chad

[MrHaugen]

Sounds like a bold plan. I'm sure it would work, but why don't you rather use a remote with Wifi or Radio Frequency so you can use one remote for all rooms with only transmitter and one reciever?
I think girder would be the way to go no mather what you will end up with.

[gappie]

when you go to C:\Program Files\J River\Media Center 11\Data\Extras\Girder (or something like that, i use 12 so i can not check it) you find an data sheet called MCC Commands-131.csv. at the bottom from line 178 and furtheron you find zone specific commands.
hope that helps

[Chad]

Each zone will have a keypad on the wall as well as an IR receiver/transmitter.  I figured getting some IR remotes for each room would be a LOT cheaper than getting RF/IR or netremote for each zone. 

But what I want to confirm is this...  MC will be cool understanding commands like "Zone 2: Load playlist 15" or "Zone 3: Pause playlist" or "Zone 3: Switch input to line in"

I have a multizone distribution amp and controller, I just want ONE computer being all of the sources feeding the amp so that I don't have to have 4 computers running.  But that one computer might be doing MP3's, CD Audio, Line in, Internet radio, etc. and would need independant control over each these sources/zones. 

- Chad

[MrHaugen]

No need for 4 computers.

There are even programs that make virtual sound cards. Check out the Kx project
http://kxproject.lugosoft.com/down.php?language=en

When it comes to controling the different zones, it shoud not be a problem. You can use girder to first select the zone and then the playlist.  Have not done this my self, but I know of a person that have done it this way with a simple remote.

I'm planning on a universal remote for all my rooms, but one remote for every room should also work.
I'm just wondering how the IR/RF reciever would tell what remote that are used. Could use different frequencies maby?
In deep water now. Better get out.

[Chad]

If each remote is transmitting something different, I should be able to have girder recognize the remotes.  But each IR receiver in each room can also interpret a small set of special IR commands.  So I can either have the remote send a general command that is routed by the keypad receivers or I can send a remote-specific command that gets broadcast to girder. 

The girder part isn't what I was worried about, I just wanted to make sure that jrmc would show up to girder as being several different players that could be controlled independantly, so girder could say to skip track on one zone, but leave the other zones unaffected.

- Chad

[Mastiff]

Sorry I didn't see this one until now, the word "multizone" usually triggers me, but I stay mostly around the MC 12 board these days. I have been using such a system for at least four years, since before MC came with multi-zone support. It's not a problem, really. The best way is to have remotes that send different signals in each room. I like to use old VCR or DVD player remotes since they have all transport commands and a full set of numerical keys. Then I have used them with my own playlist selecter setup (which is renewed for Girder 4) in such a way that I print out a list of all the CD's with a number associated with them. Nila made a plug-in for MC 9, which still works. It creates the numbers and exports the playlists. And MCXML Export will make a list of your albums. Then you can key in for instance "666" to get your favourite black metal album.

[Chad]

Yeah, I figure I can probably remember the codes for 10 or so playlists, which is enough for me.  The rest could be printed on a cheat-sheet that was placed in the coffee table or whatever.

I'd like to get the text to speech working too so I could get confirmation of the code.  Have girder say "Boring Music Mix 2" or whatever.

- Chad

[Mastiff]

I had a set of wav files played by Girder confiriming the digits 0-9, which was enough for me. Making it say the name without actually starting the playlist isn't a problem, but it takes a lot of coding because you will have to associate the numbers with the correct title in a Lua table. Did I mention that it takes a lot of coding?

[Chad]

There isn't a way for Girder to ask JMRC for the playlist name? 

- Chad