Windows Media Center Remote and BTV

[Javiermi]

I'm about to buy a Windows Media Center Remote Controller and ir receivers, and although that I know that Beyond TV supports that remote, I'm wondering if I will be able to use it on my Windows XP Pro, as MCE is very similar to BTV, I'm not very keen to install MCE on my PC.
Has anybody any experience with that remote and BTV on Win XP?
What about the drivers, can you download them from the Web?
The other thing I was wondering was about the ir blasters that comes with the package, has anybody had managed to control a Sky Digibox with the ir blaster?

Thanks

[Gadget]

Javiermi,

This remote works fine with XP Pro. No drivers are needed. I just plugged mine in and all worked perfectly.

A receiver comes with the remote.

I use USB-UIRT to change channel on Sky.

[Gadget]

Just to be clear:-

WMC remote comes with a USB IR receiver. This will receive the WMC remote signal and pass to BTV.

USB-UIRT then sends a signal to sky to change channel (costs $65 and can be ordered from the UK). You can control up to 3 digiboxes with USB-UIRT (although you'll need 2 extra emitters as only one comes integrated).

[Javiermi]

Thanks for the information
Just 1 last question:
The remote I'm getting ( Windows Media Center by Microsoft) has also 2 infra red blasters
I assume this are not the ones you talk about in your reply
Have you or somebody else used them to change channels on the sky box?
Can you program BTV to tune to the correct channel of the TV Tuner at the same time it sends a command to the Sky box for the correct channel?

Any ideas will be appreciated

Javier

[frantid]

If this is the 2005 version of the mce remote, there's a girder plugin that allows full use of the remote and blasters.

[mikem]

The drivers for the MCE remote are included in XP SP2 so you need to install SP2 to get the remote to work.

[Gadget]

Javier,

I have 2 sky boxes and used one of the emitters that came with the remote to control the second box.

USB-UIRT can control one box. There is a socket on USB-UIRT where you can plug in the emitter that came with your remote to change a second box.

You can program USB-UIRT to change the channel of Sky first and then change the TV channel. The problem you would have is that the emitter would need to be in a location to change both devices.

I don't use Girger so i'm not sure about that configuration.

[Javiermi]

Hi
Thanks for the information
However, I think I'm more confused now that I was !!
You say that you use one of the emitters to control 1 sky box ( is that the one that came with the MCE contoller?)
The USB-UIRT you say can be used to change the sky channel, and then to change the tv channel, but what I want is to change the channel of the pci tuner card!
I'm asking this because on previous experiences you could have a tv tuner or a irblaster, but not both, as BTV will not know how to change both at the same time - I maybe wrong - and that is why I'm asking.
Javier

[Gadget]

Sorry for the confusion, I thought you wanted to change the TV station to Aux to then watch BTV....Thought it was a strange request....

I use one of the emitters that came with the remote to plug into my USB-UIRT so I can change 2 sky boxes.

I don't have the configuration you require so I think it's over to someone that does.

Good luck anyway...

[Javiermi]

Gadget
Just 1 question: how do you configure Snapstream to change the Sky channels?
You set the tuner wizard as a Satellite, and then tell it to use a usb-irt to control it, but how do you tell Snapstream BTV wich channel is which?
Is there any way to add an entry on the snapstream.net lineup with the sky channel numbers?

Sorry to ask this, but this bit seems a mistery to me ( I haven't seen this documented anywhere>

Thanks
Javier

[Gadget]

There are two programs you need to download and install from the forum download section:-

1. Radio Times XML grabber program

This is where you select all of the Sky channels you need.

2. BTV XML importer

This is where you say what number relates to which channel i.e. SkyOne 106
I think you can also amend the lineup in the BTV Web Admin.

Set the Windows scheduler program to run these as a batch file every night.

I have the following in my batch file:-

"C:\Program Files\XMLTV Radio Times\xmltvrt.exe" /Grab
cd "\Program Files\LM Gestion\Beyond TV XMLTV Importer"
"C:\Program Files\LM Gestion\Beyond TV XMLTV Importer\BTVXMLTVImport.exe" /silent


Hope this helps.

[mikeo1313]

So the MS original WMC IR blaster install and work properly in WinXPsp2 ?

[StephaneM]

Originally Posted by mikeo1313

So the MS original WMC IR blaster install and work properly in WinXPsp2 ?

Sure, but you'll need some third party software like mine (see signature) to either customize the remote or using the blaster.

Regards,
Stéphane.