Lost with HIP and my MCE remote

[kjc]

I am so lost. What I want to do is set up my remote to control my DirectTV set top box. I'm using GBPVR and a random MCE remote. There are no drivers for this remote, apparently.

From what I can tell, I should use HIP to accomplish what I want. So I'm using these instructions, and everything is going perfectly until I got to the part where I need to Add a Value. The box comes up, says to press a key to continue, I press a key on my remote, and the LEDs on both the remote and the reciever flash, but nothing actually happens inside HIP. If I press the up/down/right/left buttons on the remote, it toggles focus from the cancel button, as if the remote is trying to control HIP instead of HIP registering it as something to map.

Since my initial setup of HIP, I've also noticed that my remote now controls gbpvr just fine for basic commands: volume, switching channels (in GBPVR only, of course), etc, all work. Play, pause, other dvd type commands do not work. Do I even need to continue this? I was assuming that after HIP is working, I can use Girder and have it control my set top box. Do I not need HIP? Can someone maybe point me in the right direction so I know what in the world I should be trying to research? I've been reading the wiki and searching the forums, but I haven't been able to find anything yet that makes sense to me.

Thanks, and sorry for the noobishness.

Oh, and, GBPVR 1.47 and windows XP.

[pBS]

what os? might wanna try my mce-no-software-trick..[in my signature,on wiki]

that's not a standard mce remote...hip needs to know about the dongle to use it..
most likely a serial type...

oh, and hit a keyboard key when it asks to press a key,which puts it in 'learning mode', then the remote's key...

[stustunz]

if its not a genuine mce remote then hip wont even see the remote try selecting keyboard or generic input in hip then see if you can learn some key inputs

when you plug it in what does it show as in the the device manager drop down list

[kjc]

oh darn! I asked here before I bought the remote, if it mattered which one I got. Is there a remote that you guys recommend that would work as it should? Or any way to make this one work properly? I also have the remote that originally came with my haupp tuner card (it's actually a better remote imo), but the reason I had to get this new one is because I lost the dongle for it somewhere. The haupp remote doesn't make the new dongle's LED flash.

oh, and hit a keyboard key when it asks to press a key,which puts it in 'learning mode', then the remote's key...

Yeah, nothing happens when I hit a keyboard key either, though. Enter and spacebar close the learning window, that's about it.

About the MCE no software thing...I'm on Windows XP. What would that do for me? Is my problem that there's no driver, or is this just a way to not have to use hip? cause I don't really entirely understand the directions. I mean, I'm getting lost just trying to follow the detailed hip walkthrough.

I'll try changing the input, thanks, stustunz. It's showing up in device manager as one of several generic USB devices, I believe, but I'll unplug it when I get home and see if I can identify which one it actually is.

But I am on the right track, though, right? In order to get my satellite box to be controlled by the remote, I do need to get hip working, which will make all the buttons on the remote work except for the channel changes which can only be done by the satellite box at this time, and then I'd use...the HIP Girder plugin to do that part? Or hipsend, I guess?

[mikeh49]

I have one of those remotes and gave up on using it with GBPVR. While it's a pretty nice remote with MCE (I tested it there), it is not a real MCE remote. Instead it appears to Windows as a human interface device, i.e., a keyboard and mouse (if you look in Device Manager you'll have extra entries under the keyboard and mouse). It does not install the ehome driver that the genuine MCE remote uses. I couldn't find anyway to use it with GBPVR.

I've now ordered this remote:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Microsoft-MCE-Remote...336094b476

But haven't received it yet so can't confirm it will work. My research indicates it is a real MCE remote.

Maybe someone on the forum has a hauppauge IR receiver/blaster that they are willing to part with, you could post in General Discussions about it. Or maybe you can get a new one from Hauppauge.

[pBS]

actually, that remote dongle doesn't have blasters that i can see, nor mention of blasting..
it'll work for remote input, and probably easiest by modifying the software that came with it..
if no software came with it, it's a HID remote, using windows own driver, emulating a keyboard..
only way to remap those is a program that alters keyboard keys...[program called Sharpkeys]

if you can find the haupp tuner's dongle, it would work for blasting...and able to use any remote and hip..it has at least 1 blaster too..

[pBS]

the one Mikeh ordered is good...notice the blaster ports on back?
it should work fine in both gbpvr and HIP...and blast too...
the one you have won't ever blast...no emitters on it...

[mikeh49]

I forgot about the blasting part. You'll need to get an MCE receiver that includes the blaster(s). The one I ordered doesn't include the blaster, I think. Or, you can get just the blasters on e-bay, as well as just the receiver or just the remote. Search on mce remote and prepare to be confused. There are lots of the basic MCE remotes from Dell that include the receiver, I'm not sure about the blaster, but these remotes do not have the colored buttons which GBPVR and several plug-ins use.

[pBS]

Mikeh, it says it includes 1 blaster wire in that ad...
and i believe that unit is the one where only 1 blaster works anyways...[either port 1 or 2 only]

Includes:
Remote Control *1

USB IR Receiver *1

IR emitter wire *1

[mikeh49]

I couldn't remember and was too lazy to check. I use firewire channel changing, so don't need the blaster.

Thanks for the update.