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Can't get WMC functions to work


Stettin

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I had just about everything working right on my HTPC using a Tivo Liquid PC IR receiver (sold by Nero several years ago). Unfortunately My volume down button on my AVR was the same IR signal as Mute on the PC. I had a workaround working OK with LM Remote Keymap to intercept the mute and bypass it, but recently that stopped working when my HTPC went into suspend mode.

 

I was in the market for one of those HP IR receivers commonly used for Harmony remotes to connect with, when I saw this product. I figured it was worth the extra cost for the increased functionality. I don't know if I made the right decision though.

 

Out of the box NOTHING worked right for Windows Media Center. I disconnected my old IR receiver and figured based on the product description that I could just use any remote to do custom commands. This seemed to work somewhat for arrow keys and enter, but none of the play, pause, stop, skip forward/backward, rewind/fast forward ever worked. I tried upgrading to the latest firmware and that didn't solve the issue. I thought maybe my Harmony remote wasn't working right, so tried my AVR remote buttons and the old Tivo Remote and have the same issue. 

 

I have tried using the WMC profile (mapping the functions to remote buttons) and none of them work.

 

If I try the Full Keyboard (mapping the manual keyboard shortcuts) profile, something as simple as pausing works oddly. Here is an eventghost log of two "pause" (ctrl+p) mapping pushes

 

Click Ctrl,  then P, pressed the button on my remote -- appears to record OK.

 

First push:

Keyboard.LShift
Keyboard.LShift+LAlt
Keyboard.LShift+RShift+LAlt
Keyboard.LShift+RShift+LAlt+RAlt
Keyboard.RShift+LAlt+RAlt
Keyboard.RShift+RAlt
Keyboard.RAlt
 
Second push:
Keyboard.LCtrl
Keyboard.LCtrl+P
Keyboard.P

 

This is after clearing the entire configuration.

 

Things like numbers, arrow keys, spaces seem to work OK. Anything more complicated and it doesn't seem to work.

 

I also need to get the skip forward and skip backward working (not the fast forward/backward) or else this unit will have to be returned. 

 

I'm not sure exactly what information  you guys need to help me out on this. I've went from a minor annoyance when waking my pc from suspend, to something that barely works at all.

 

Remotes tried:

Harmony One

RX-V867 Yamaha remote

Nero LiquidTV (Tivo remote)

 

I'm running the latest GUI and forced firmware upgrade.

 

Could I have a defective unit?

 

 

 

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I was sure I tried that, so gave it another go. Here are my results.

 

cleared config, select sequence modifiers.. bound "play" -- interkey delay 3, harmony delay 0
 
tap once
 
Keyboard.LCtrl
Keyboard.LShift+LCtrl
Keyboard.LShift+LCtrl+8
Keyboard.LShift+LCtrl
Keyboard.LShift
 
tap again
 
Keyboard.LShift
Keyboard.LShift+LAlt
Keyboard.LShift+RShift+LAlt
Keyboard.LShift+RShift+LAlt+RAlt
Keyboard.RShift+LAlt+RAlt
Keyboard.RShift+RAlt
Keyboard.RAlt
 
Cleared config again, set sequence modifiers - Tivo remote -- bound "play"
 
press button 2 times
 
Keyboard.LCtrl
Keyboard.LShift+LCtrl
Keyboard.LShift+LCtrl+8
Keyboard.LShift+LCtrl
Keyboard.LShift
Keyboard.LCtrl
Keyboard.LShift+LCtrl
Keyboard.LShift+LCtrl+8
Keyboard.LShift+LCtrl
Keyboard.LShift
 
 
Why should the same button recorded on 2 different remotes end up with 2 different outputs?
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I am logging events in EventGhost. I consider myself a fairly advanced user and am frustrated with how touchy this device is. 

 

I managed to get just about everything working right using my old TiVo remote (skips, etc, launching). I used interkey delay of 3 and only had sequence modifiers checked.I programmed my Harmony ONE to emulate a TiVo remote and could not reproduce the functionality. I went back to the TiVo remote again to try and set it up once more and am unable to get something as simple as CTRL+P to record and replay. The GUI shows a successful read of the remote button, but when I press the button again, AI get the following in EventGhost]

 

Keyboard.LCtrl+U00
Keyboard.U00
 
The P apparently is getting missed.
 
I also noticed when trying to bind ALT+F4 to a button, the ALT would get stuck permanently. The only way I can type anything even on my other keyboard was to remote the FLIRC and plug it back in.
 
I've rebooted 3 times, with no luck. I must have at least 5 hours into fiddling with this right now and I"m about to give up. 
 
Just for the heck of it I tried a couple more buttons and I can now bind "ctrl+f" for skip forward, but am unable to bind ctrl+b (back) or ctrl+p(play/pause)
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Okay, I can't imagine why you're having so much trouble, and I really sincerely apologize for this. I'll issue you a refund regardless if you decide to return the unit.

 

Rather than emulating a Tivo remote, can you try something else, like a samsung or panasonic?

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I have tried the FLIRC Harmony profile, a standard Microsoft MCE Keyboard, HP multimedia remote, and the TiVo. I haven't tried just picking a random device yet. I can try that next, however I am confused why I could not revert back to getting the TiVo remote to work. I tried forcing a firmware upgrade again, clearing the configurations, but still no luck.

 

I'll try to emulate another remote tomorrow, it is a bit late for me to get started on that tonight. I'm willing to put in a little more time before returning it. By the way it was fulfilled by Amazon with FLIRC as the seller, so I think I'd have to send it back through them.

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After having trouble with a Cox cable box emulated remote on my Harmony, I gave this one last try on my laptop which happens to have a fresh build of windows 7 and a real TiVo remote. I was unable to get even Alt-F4 to work without the unit freaking out and getting stuck in repeat mode. The launch WMC function seemed to work, but simple stuff like play and skip did not. I installed event ghost and "Ctrl+P" bound for "play" registered just "Ctrl". 

 

Sadly I'll have to return this unit as it doesn't seem to work right for even simple keystrokes.

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This was ordered through Amazon, so not sure how you could issue a refund. I created an RMA but have the option to cancel it.

 

Sold by: Flirc Inc.

 

 

PM me your paypal address and I'll just sent you retail pricing. 

I refuse to give up on you. I'm really sorry for your frustration, I absolutely acknowledge the issue, and it's pretty important to me that this gets fixed. It's really just me here and I poor my heart into flirc. So negative feedback hurts.

I actually found out about these keys not working at all in windows media center because windows expects ctrl then the letter p while ctrl is still pressed down. And then the reverse for released. So I re-architected my sending keys which is now a ring buffer. I automatically insert these sequences into my buffer.

 

I'm sure I can get it, it's just a matter of me screwing up timing or maybe I'm screwing up my ring buffer and not inserting the sequencing fast enough and another key comes in.

Hang in there, I spent so much time on windows media center already, I'm not about to give up now.

 

I was stuck for a week on a pretty large windows issue; If the firmware version doesn't read correctly, nothing works. Each firmware version has a number of firmware related features so these features dynamically get allocated when the device is opened. Windows didn't always read the firmware version correctly (couldn't do almost anything correctly) and hence a number of people had zero functionality to program anything in windows. It's not wide spread, but the few that see it, bitch, and return it. It's one of those things where I need a system to debug, and I have a handful of windows systems and none of them reproduce it. I finally had a nice enough customer who let me work on his machine remotely and I figured it out. It's been causing a lot of sleepless night and I can finally publish a release tonight.

This is next. Hang in there, I'll get it.

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  • 2 weeks later...

 

I am logging events in EventGhost. I consider myself a fairly advanced user and am frustrated with how touchy this device is. 

 

I managed to get just about everything working right using my old TiVo remote (skips, etc, launching). I used interkey delay of 3 and only had sequence modifiers checked.I programmed my Harmony ONE to emulate a TiVo remote and could not reproduce the functionality. I went back to the TiVo remote again to try and set it up once more and am unable to get something as simple as CTRL+P to record and replay. The GUI shows a successful read of the remote button, but when I press the button again, AI get the following in EventGhost]

 

Keyboard.LCtrl+U00
Keyboard.U00
 
The P apparently is getting missed.

 

It must be something wrong with the hardware in your Flirc. I'm using v3.1 in Windows 7 and has no problem connecting Ctrl+P for Pause. As remote I have Harmony One with Flirc XBMC profile (I have remapped several of the buttons). Ctrl+B etc works also well.

 

In EventGhost I get:

Keyboard.Ctrl

Keyboard.Ctrl+P

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  • 4 weeks later...

I just received my FLIRC yesterday and it looks like this might be the problem I am having as well.   I'm running Windows 7 and trying to use my Vizio TV remote to control WMC.   It is doing really screwy things. I've forced upgrade to the latest firmware, enabled the sequencing check box in the advanced settings and nothing has worked.

 

When I tried programming the WMC remote, none of the more complex shortcuts like skip forward skip backward worked at all.  When I manually mapped these shortcuts in the full keyboard, screwy things would happen in WMC.  For instance, skip forward works for the first keypress, and then it starts sending all sorts of weird things like numbers and all sorts of other commands.  It is as if maybe the CTRL or ALT key is sticking or something.

 

I tried clicking on the link that Jason provided to read the comments in the RC forum, but I don't have permission to see that forum.  Will this update be released soon... will it resolve this screwy behavior in WMC?

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Jason posted a couple days ago that the newest firmware does not fix the WMC issues. He's going to focus on that now. You are definitely getting the ALT key stuck. I noticed if I bound ALT+F4, it would get stuck and the only way to fix it would be to unplug the FLIRC. I was hoping that the stuck ALT key would be fixed in the newest firmware, but it doesn't like like that is the case. 

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okay thanks for the update.  I wasn't sure what the time frame was of the previous releases.  I'm willing to wait it out and hopefully come up with a fix.  This really is the most cost-effective elegant solution to my HTPC setup.

 

Hopefully he resolves the issue before March 13th.... the window that I can still return the item through Amazon.  

Edited by stylekyle
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  • 6 months later...

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