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+---- Thread: MS MCE remote receiver with original Xbox remote? (/showthread.php?tid=34341)
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- wHack - 2008-06-30
Ok I already mentioned the problem with using translator for kemapping it's only other option is windows messaging which might be doable but would probably be more work that using the Remote Events code already built into XBMC linux and child ports.
My understanding of Remote Events however is quite limited from what i've gathered it seems that (please forgive my usage of the terms server and client as the method used for Remote Events seems a little unclear) XBMC acts as a client that allows a connection from a Remote Events server via a specified port over UDP at localhost or remotely from a seperate network location and accepts messages relayed form the Remote Events server, I don't know the structure of theses messages but they must be fairly simple looking at the config for Remote Events in XBMC as it allows for Repeat Press timings to be configured for buttons that remain held down. Therefore I'm assuming it probably contains nothing more than a notification the code X was recieved and if that continues at a high enough rate it's interpreted by XBMC as a held press. I don't know however if it's designed to accept any remote code or only the range used by the Xbox original remote ideally it can accept any remote code or easily be expanded on to do so.
Now my understanding of Input Service is that it functions as a Remote Code server which you connect to over TCP/IP on a specified port at local host or some other network location. Once connected to the server it sends remote codes as they are pressed to the remote client. In much the way I was guessing the Remote Events servers above work.
It seems to me that there are three possible solutions for a clean connection between the two either expand Remote Events to include the ability to connect to Input Service and utilise it's messages or create a bridge application that connects to both Input Service and Remote Events and relay the messages converting them from the Input Service format to the Remote Events format. Or lastly expand on the Translator code to send messages to Remote Events in a format that it accepts.
The first seems by far the cleanest but would result in a fair amount of specific code for the windows branch which you guys might be trying to avoid (I'm not sure), but would allow people to have only XBMC and Input Service installed an running. The second Requires writing and running a whole seperate app but would allow for people to run only Input Service and that specific app if they didn't want any unnecesary software running on the machine. The last is good as most People would probably already use Translator on the system if they had Input Service on it it requires no extra XBMC code, the code to recieve messages from Input Service is alread in place along with a good cofiguration front end, however you'd have to check and-81's license and possibly negotiate with him over whether it would be built into his releases or how distribution should/could be handled and all that other software politics.
That just about covers my knowledge and oppions on the matter. After the little bit of research I've done. Hope this helps.
- wHack - 2008-06-30
Ok please forgive this third post I'm just a "little" ADHD, but I figured this info could be of help to anyone who might pick this up.
First on the second option I mentioned above. I just relized that would either entail that the bridge application was either always running which is an unnecesarry waste of resources or that either XBMC or a startup and shutdown script for XBMC would have to start and stop the bridging app, this also seems sloppy and unnecesary but is doable easily if it's the preferred route for some reason.
Second I thought of one other possible option however I'm not sure of how easy it may or may not be but has the possibility of beaing just about as clean as the first option, without having to add any windows and Input Service specific code to XBMC. Input Service is driven by a collection of input and output Plugin's each is designed to work with a specific peices of hardware or software types. There is for example a windows messaging plugin to recieve windows messages that represent remote button presses. I'm guessing this is how he implemented the virtual remote.
The first problem is I don't know how strict the code he wrote is about adhering to to the beahvior that input service is set to is. As to get this to work while still allowing all normal functinality of Input Service for a single machine. Input Service would need to still run in Server mode operating as a device server, however this plugin would need to be running in repeater mode either at all times (wasting some resources and always attampting to send remote code messages to XBMC even when it is not running) or while XBMC is running (which would require detection of the running XBMC Remote Events client) and then instead of just blasting the repeated remote codes with a hardware IR blaster converting the to Remote Events friendly messages and sending the to the XBMC Remote Events client. This once again would allow a user to only have Input Service and XBMC installed for everything to work while allowing the to use Translator and the other functionality of IR Server suite if they so chose.
I have to say if this last one is plausible it seems like the best option. I have a little time so I'll look into this stuff a pit more.
Thnx to anyone who may give this a good go.
And WiSo let me know if this was of help and if there is anything I can do to help. Like I said I'm limited on time, however I am willing to give what I have.
- wHack - 2008-06-30
Livin with that file I posted you need to have Input Service running and Translator running with the configuration file I posted imported into translator. If for some reason that file isn't working (either you are using a different remote than the Xbox original or your reciever is somehow getting different codes from Input Service) you can go to translator's config and remap the buttons with the remap command.
- farfromover - 2008-07-03
Thanks so much for this work that you are doing... please keep us updated as there are a lot of us who would like full remote, keyboard and mouse capabilities...
I personally have a MCE IR receiver built into my HTPC case, and will be using a Harmony 880 remote for this stuff.
Thanks again, and keep us posted for best ways to get our remotes (xbox original/MCE/Harmony) working. I'd be happy enough if you got the original xbox remote to work fully, as I could re-program those codes into my Harmony remote in the future.