Errors in Windows Media Center GUI Controller Documentation

[heatvent 1]

I am trying to setup a Harmony remote with FLIRC/WMC and noticed some inconsistencies between what is documentd by FLIRC and Microsoft re: keyboard shortcuts for WMC.  Here are links to the sources I looked at:

 

Per FLIRC   https://flirc.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/202923419-Controller-presets-in-Flirc-GUI

 

Per Microsoft    http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/media-center-keyboard-shortcuts#1TC=windows-7

 

Per This Post     http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/magazine/ff404226.aspx

 

 

Summary of issues I identified....not sure if FLIRC is actually sending the wrong command or if it is just the documentation.

 

PER FLIRC- Home: Windows key + alt

PER MICROSOFT- Open Media Center or return to the Media Center start screen: Windows logo key+Alt+Enter

 

PER FLIRC- Go to music: ctrl+s

PER MICROSOFT- Go to the Music library page: Ctrl+M

 

PER FLIRC- Mute: Shift + F8

PER MICROSOFT- Mute or unmute volume: F8

 

PER FLIRC- Pause: ctrl + 8

PER MICROSOFT- Pause or resume: Ctrl+P

 

PER FLIRC- Play: Ctrl + shift + 8

PER MICROSOFT- Play: Ctrl+Shift+P

 

PER FLIRC- Previous : ctrl + ,

PER MICROSOFT- Skip back: Ctrl+B

 

PER FLIRC- Stop: ctrl+shift+alt+8

PER MICROSOFT- Stop: Ctrl+Shift+S

 

PER FLIRC- Subtitles: c

PER MICROSOFT- Ctrl + U

 

PER FLIRC- Lower volume: Shift + F9

PER MICROSOFT- Turn down volume: F9

 

PER FLIRC- Increase volume: Shift + F10

PER MICROSOFT- Turn up volume: F10

 

PER FLIRC- Page down (really last item): end

PER MICROSOFT- Go to the last item in a list: End

 

PER FLIRC- Page up (really first item): home

PER MICROSOFT- Go to the first item in a list: Home

Edited January 14, 2015 by heatvent

[jason 156]

Noted, I'm working on this. Thank you. 

[heatvent 1]

Great!.  FYI, I programmed a remote last night with the Media Center GUI and a number of the above didn't work so I am guessing FLIRC is actually sending the wrong keys to WMC.  If I had some suggestions for the WMC GUI it seems to me the whole thing could use a good scrubbing.  Many keys are on the GUI but there are a lot of WMC keys missing.  I am attaching my worksheet (which is a bit messy) that maps my Harmony remote keys to the Harmony commands in the Windows Media Center PC profile for Harmony to FLIRC either Keyboard GUI or MC GUI.  There are a number of keys that I am going to the Keyboard GUI rather than the MC GUI for.  If these could be added that would be make things a lot easier.

FLIRC.pdf

[heatvent 1]

Sorry, one more thing.  I realize XBMC is probably your biggest user base but WMC is still pretty popular.  It would be awesome to have a built in profile for WMC and a matching FLIRC WMC profile in Harmony.  That way you can probably move away from a WMC compatible remote and use your own commands that work well with FLIRC (or I guess base it off WMC but there is the double press/every other IR command is different issue I am aware of).  Anyway, it would be great to be a plug n play replacement for WMC vs. all the programming, fishing around, building tables, etc.

[yawor 86]

I know that this is Jason's decision in the end but I'm not very fond of built-in profiles. Not because I don't have Harmony and this is has no use for me (I would be able to create Harmony compatible device upgrade for my remote if I wanted to). They may seem like a good idea, but in the long run they make the maintenance harder. Also you need to keep in touch with Logitech if some changes are needed. Each built-in profile also takes up space in microcontroller's Flash memory (at least I think they are in the Flash, not in the EEPROM like normally recorded buttons) which is rather precious in case of Flirc because the firmware is also stored there and not having enough will block ability to maybe add some cool features in the future.

 

I've already proposed this once, but I'll just mention this here quickly. Better than hardcoding a built-in profiles locked for specific remote series it would be better to provide pre-configured profiles stored in files (possibly in human readable format so anyone could create their own) and an option in Flirc GUI/CLI to upload selected profile into Flirc EEPROM. This could lead to opening a profile repository sometime in the future where anyone could submit their own profiles for others to use or submit fixes to existing ones.

[ImCoKeMaN 3]

I like the idea of a built in profile to help it be more plug and play for some users, but i see Yawor's point.  It might be nice to have the option of choosing or unselecting some profiles and adding others.  If that's "built in" or "user made" or a combination I think the flexibility would be nice if it's something that could be programmed in.

[yawor 86]

I like the idea of a built in profile to help it be more plug and play for some users, but i see Yawor's point.  It might be nice to have the option of choosing or unselecting some profiles and adding others.  If that's "built in" or "user made" or a combination I think the flexibility would be nice if it's something that could be programmed in.

 

I would need to find my previous post with that proposition because I had some more extended ideas, but about the plug&play ability so a user can just plug Flirc into USB, set Harmony to correct profile and be ready to go without even once running Flirc GUI, I had an idea that the Flirc could be already shipped with EEPROM pre-programmed with a few standard profiles (like current XBMC, but instead it being hardcoded in the firmware it would be contained in EEPROM so it could be even erased and replaced by the user). To upgrade Flirc to a newer firmware a user need to install and run Flirc software anyway so he/she then can also load one or more predefined profiles (as long as free space in EEPROM allows that). I know that this is a very big change but I think it's at least worth of consideration :).

[heatvent 1]

I would personally be indifferent on how it is executed.  If I had to copy or flash something preconfigured to FLIRC that's as good as plug n play to me.  I would just be happy that the top uses of the device were there (XBMC, WMC, FireTV, etc.).  My hope would be to avoid the 10 min of futzing with things myself which really turned into an hour or so of research, mapping tables, etc. so I planned out what I was doing.  I used the XBMC built in profile before and was really happy with it.  Too bad there are subtle differences for WMC (backspace to go back in a menu vs. escape like most of the rest of the world) otherwise I would think it works for 90% of what I would need.

 

For now, I used a combination of the Keyboard GUI and Media Keys GUI to program everything and I am staying away from the WMC GUI until the kinks are worked out.