GBPVR + Vista Media Center + MCE remote - techniques?

[c128]

I'm wondering what techniques/strategies folk have that use both GBPVR and Vista Media Center side-by-side.

In my setup, Vista Media Center is my main application, and I access it entirely with the Vista Media Center remote. I use GBPVR for additional HD and sat recording, and intend to have it "launchable" from the VMC start-menu using the same method as here. So - I guess I need the remote to work equally well with both VMC and GBPVR, and as VMC currently "hogs" the Guide/Music/Video etc. buttons, even if not active, this doesn't work too well at the moment...

Now...I know that GBPVR supports the MCE remote (or variants of it) by default, and also that things like HIP can be used to implement more complex remote setups, but is it actually possible to get a comprehensive setup where the MCE remote buttons operate only on the active application i.e. where things like the Guide button act correctly for GBPVR when it is in the foreground, and it doesn't actually launch VMC to view its guide even if it isn't active?

[whurlston]

LM Remote KeyMap may allow you to do application specific commands, I'm not sure. If you have an iMon receiver, the iMon software I know will do it. Not sure how much help anyone can be on adding the task to VMC though. It would be interesting if you get it working.

[c128]

Ahhh...LM Remote Keymap - thanks very much for that, I would have struggled to have pulled that from a Googling session.

...I'll post-back how I get on .

[whurlston]

No problem. I've been meaning to test it out but I hadn't got around to it.

[c128]

Well, that seems to work a treat. Obviously this is a trivial integration of GB-PVR and Vista Media Center, but it does allow you to use both together with a single MCE remote, customise things as you see fit, and not resort to having to use a keyboard.

First unpack the attached VistaMCELaunch.zip into the GBPVR folder of your installation. This is just a tweak to what I posted on the DVBViewer forum posting above - full details/instructions are the same as with DVBViewer and can be found here . All it does is give you something to launch GB-PVR from on Vista Media Center start menu, this time with a GB-PVR icon.

Second, you need to properly disable ehtray.exe in order to use all the buttons on the MCE remote sensibly. The best instructions I found for doing this in Vista are in this PDF guide here (search for "Vista Media Center Edition ehtray.exe instructions").

Finally, install LM Remote Keymap and just follow the instructions - basically it lets you setup the MCE remote per-active application (with a default profile for when none of your configured apps are active).

I have the Green/Windows button set to launch Vista Media Center in the default profile, a standard MCE remote set-up in another profile for when VMC itself is active (unsurprisingly) and a slightly tweaked MCE remote (e.g. Ctrl+B setup on "Info") for my GB-PVR profile.

So far, it all seems to work perfectly... It really does allow you to tweak/enable buttons on the remote as you see fit for the application you're using, so if I press Guide in GB-PVR I get the GB-PVR Guide, and in VMC the VMC Guide.

[StephaneM]

Second, you need to properly disable ehtray.exe in order to use all the buttons on the MCE remote sensibly.

Note that it is not required to disable the ehtray.exe for disabling the native mappings of the MCE remote if you use LM Remote KeyMap. You only need to use the "Exclusive use" option to take care of this. This how you would proceed for customizing the MCE green button to launch the application of your choice instead of Media Center.

Regards,
Stéphane.