[mctubster]

Hi,

Thought I would post my solution to getting extra buttons working in Kodi with Harmony Hub / Home for others.

No mucking around with keymapping etc - you do need a Flirc receiver however

1 / Flirc loaded with Kodi profile and plugged into Shield
2 / Using Android or IOS Harmony app, add new device (search network / wifi for it) ... the Nvidia shield will be detected and added so control is over Wifi (not bluetooth / ir)
3 / Add another device, Manu "Flirc", model Kodi
4 / Create new Activity and add both Nvidia Game Console (or whatever you called the Nvidia shield) + Media Center PC (or whatever you called the Flirc device) + your display/amp etc
5 / Choose Nvidia Game Console as playback device and setup everything else for the activity
6 / Once setup Customize remote and map any of your dedicated Kodi keys using "Media Center PC" and the appropriately named Kodi command
eg I mapped the Guide button to Media Center PC / CodecInfo

Hope this is clear - from memory - let me know how you get on or it you have a better way of doing it

Cheers

[zag]

Thanks nice solution

[jurrabi]

Hi there. I just bought my Shield TV this weekend and, as everybody that does, got frustrated by the lack of options to add the much needed Context Menu button.

Since on the weekend I was just playing with everything I didn't got to dig a possible solution for it. Of course I thought I would find it here, since the Shield has been out since last June... But I guess I'm wrong.

I have in mind a similar solution to yours, but using eventghost+mce IR to add the missing functions and delivering the commands to kodi directly with JSON connection... I'm pretty sure it'll work, but I didn't thought it would work as a general fix for everybody since it implies a lot of extra hardware.

I'm more hopeful that a solution with the harmony mimicking the fire stick remote (that I've read works with the shield) would keep the PC out of the equation...

I'll let you know how it all works out this evening.

Thanks for sharing your solution.

[txemix]

If only need is context menu, Jarvis has it by long pressing OK.

[jurrabi]

Finally got to play with it for some time and got it working. Working now, so I'll just leave here a summary. If someone is interested I can make a detailed post later this week.

This is what I have in my install (all of it from my previous config of Kodi with Windows):

1. Nvidia Shield TV
2. PC with Windows
3. IR receiver for PC (MCE)
4. Logitech Harmony Ultimate One (main remote)
5. Logitech Harmony Smart Control (for Infrared extension)
6. EventGhost installed on PC with:
6.1 Some MCE input plugin (I have a special one that required a driver to avoid the MCE sending standard keyboard presses but right now I don't remember the specifics)
6.2 XBMC2 plugin to remote (and pinpoint) control of Kodi. I would appear a little outdated but all I need works spot on.
6.3 Some very patient work of mapping buttons-functions.

The reasons I use all this stuff are very specific to my needs and in some part historical. I don't intend this to be a solution for anybody, but maybe my solution to a specific need might inspire you to do what you need.

Most of my hardware is installed in the office. All sound is processed through a now a bit dated Denon AVC-1XVA that can handle 2 full 5.0 configs. From there I have an HDMI spliter and long HDMI cables that carry the signal to both my living room and bedroom TVs.

The main objectives of my configuration (before Nvidia Shield) were:
1. Be able to use Kodi with the harmony remote from the living room.
2. Be able to use Kodi with remote when not in the foreground.
3. Allow the PC to be used in the office (with a second screen) even with Kodi working in the living room (this is just, because I can).
4. Assign many buttons to specific Kodi functions I frequently use (like subs download, subs and audio sync -/+,change audio channel, etc.). I like my remotes to have many direct use buttons.

Now with the shield (and when I realize it is indeed a very powerfull front for kodi) the PC can be back to just a Office PC (with all storage and services running still on the background). I can use the PC as a second kodi to be able to watch things in parallel, but that is something that we rarely want to do.
But I decided anyway to make my life more complicated and keep both options active. So my new objectives are:

1. Be able to use Kodi with the harmony remote from the living room, in the Shield or the PC.
2. Be able to use PC's Kodi with remote when not in the foreground .
3. Allow the PC to be used in the office (with a second screen) even with Kodi working in the living room (this is just, because I can).
4. Assign many buttons to specific Kodi functions I frequently use (like subs download, subs and audio sync -/+,change audio channel, etc.). I like my remotes to have many direct use buttons. In both Kodis
5. Control both kodis (PC and Nvidia Shield) with Harmony Remote.
6. Both Kodis can be watched indistinctively in the living room and the bedroom.
6. Add extra buttons that Harmony don't have from scratch to handle Nvidia Shield and add the extra functions I require (in 4).

Now I'm realizing I have spent 30 minutes typing just the objectives of a post that was meant to be a simple summary... So I'm gonna cut to the chase and give you the hints to be able to add buttons to control the Shield through EventGhost (if there is interest I can explain in detail some other time).

Bassically you need to configure EventGhost to receive the MCE commands with some sort of plugin. The more standard ones, as it's the default MCE behaviour, will give you a mix of simulated keyboard presses for some buttons (cursors, enter, etc) and specific MCE events for extra buttons. This is ok for the purposes of just adding buttons to Shield (although you can't use the ones that simulate key presses as you would get undesired side effects on your PC).

Once you achieve that, you need to install the XBMC2 plugin and configure it to connect to your Kodi. It needs you to activate the web server in Kodi and configure the login data (ip-port,user+pass) in the plugin config. The default config assumes IP 127.0.0.1 as it would be the case if Kodi and EventGhost run in the same PC, but for us you need to specify the Shield's IP. I would suggest you to give the shield a fixed IP (I do it via DHCP server, assigning fixed IPs to the specific Nvidia Shields Ethernet port Mac). I also change the standard 8080 web port (just cause). If some of all these is beneath you, probably this solution is not for you...

When you have all this, the test button should give you a nice message in your Shield's Kodi. When you close the options window in the XBMC Plugin, you get a popup to add a folder (very organized) with all XBMC commands. I would suggest to do that since it does half the work for you.

At this moment you can take some time to directly test the kodi commands you can send from Eventhost (just select one and press the green play button in the toolbox). Try and find the ones you want (title is the one for the context menu)...

After locating the extra commands you want to add it is simply a matter of matching the button in the MCE remote you want to the XBMC2 action you need to perform in Kodi. It doesn't need to correspond, since you will assing those afterwards in the Harmony configuration. But you need to write them down since it can get pretty confusing.

Example of the procedure for each button:
1. I press a button in the MCE remote.
2. I watch the eventghost log to see the event produced. If the event is not a keyboard press I can use it to assing a Kodi command. For example I press DVDMenu and get a Nice "MCE Remote -> DVDMenu" event
3. Drag and drop the event to the action in XBMC2 actions I want it to perform. For example I assing DVDMenu event to "Title" action in XBMC2.

Do this with as many buttons as you want.

After this you go to harmony remote. Add a MCE device (there are many) and most will do. Add this new device to the activity you already have to control your Nvidia Shield or create a new activity to use the nvidia shield and add both devices (the shield and the mce) and of course all you need in that activity (TV, sound system, switchers, etc).
Leave all the controls that work out-of-the-box in the activity assigned to nvidia shield device.
Add only functions to those buttons you need additionally like the context menu.

Keeping with our example I assigned the harmonys Menu button short click to the MCE->DvD button.
You can assing all you want.

Again it's not important the button you choose to map in MCE since you can then assign it to any button in the harmony. For example I have the MyRadio MCE button assigned to Start command that gets me to the main kodi menu (not having to back all the folders I have navigated) and then assigned MyRadio MCE device button to Exit short press in the harmony config for the activity... And the color buttons I use them to adjust subtitles/audio delays...

I'm the first to recognize it's a bit messy. But it gets the job done.

Pros: If you do it right, you can use your PC normally and control the NVIDIA Shield (and even another kodi in a secondary screen in the same PC).
Cons: very complicated to build (and more to maintain if you don't document what you do and are organized). Also, if you turn off your PC the extra buttons in the Shield stop working.

As I started saying, this is not for everybody... but it works for me.

Again, if someone is interested I can try latter this week to mount something a little more organized and with pictures...

Hope it is usefull for somebody.

[dickalan]

Nvidia shield is cool