2010-12-04, 00:38
HOW TO: Using a Harmony Remote to control XBMC, Hulu Desktop and Netflix (Windows Media Center)
I did a lot of research and tinkering to find a way to control a htpc and switch between different media applications only using the remote and trying to make it as user friendly as possible. I needed this to pass the wife acceptance test - W.A.T. for short
Below is a video of the solution I came up with. For the most part, a very seamless integration of XBMC, Hulu Desktop, and Netflix using the Windows Media Center plugin. I also threw Boxee on there after this video was shot.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0iaSo4otFg
I only have a dual core Athlon II X2 2.65 ghz so one of the challenges was making sure only one application was running at a time because having two of them running at once really taxed the cpu.
========================================================
Requirements:
1) Software
- XBMC (http://xbmc.org/)
- Hulu Desktop
- Windows Media Center with Netflix Plugin
- WinHotKey (http://directedge.us/content/winhotkey)
- AutoHotKey (http://www.autohotkey.com)
2) Harmony Remote Control
3) A RC6 capable receiver
========================================================
Steps:
1) Harmony Remote Setup - Im not going to go through the whole setup process for the Harmony Remote. Go here to read full instructions:
http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?tid=77519. One caveat, I had to also add a device called "Microsoft Windows Media Center" as a device to get the htpc to turn off and on. I am also posting my button mapping for the Harmony remote. I have found these to be a good mix to allow use in all three major applications. These keys are optimized for XBMC, so some of the special ones only pertain to XBMC. Lastly, make sure to change the power settings on your htpc to sleep when the power button is pushed.
2) Create a bat file to launch directly to the Netflix plugin in Windows Media center. Open up Notepad in Windows and type:
Start windowsmediacenterapp:{e6f46126-f8a9-4a97-9159-b70b07890112}\{982ea9d3-915c-4713-a3c8-99a4688b7c59}?EntryPointParameters=
Save the file as netflix.bat (or whatever you want). Just make sure it is saved as a .bat file.
I did a lot of research and tinkering to find a way to control a htpc and switch between different media applications only using the remote and trying to make it as user friendly as possible. I needed this to pass the wife acceptance test - W.A.T. for short
Below is a video of the solution I came up with. For the most part, a very seamless integration of XBMC, Hulu Desktop, and Netflix using the Windows Media Center plugin. I also threw Boxee on there after this video was shot.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0iaSo4otFg
I only have a dual core Athlon II X2 2.65 ghz so one of the challenges was making sure only one application was running at a time because having two of them running at once really taxed the cpu.
========================================================
Requirements:
1) Software
- XBMC (http://xbmc.org/)
- Hulu Desktop
- Windows Media Center with Netflix Plugin
- WinHotKey (http://directedge.us/content/winhotkey)
- AutoHotKey (http://www.autohotkey.com)
2) Harmony Remote Control
3) A RC6 capable receiver
========================================================
Steps:
1) Harmony Remote Setup - Im not going to go through the whole setup process for the Harmony Remote. Go here to read full instructions:
http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?tid=77519. One caveat, I had to also add a device called "Microsoft Windows Media Center" as a device to get the htpc to turn off and on. I am also posting my button mapping for the Harmony remote. I have found these to be a good mix to allow use in all three major applications. These keys are optimized for XBMC, so some of the special ones only pertain to XBMC. Lastly, make sure to change the power settings on your htpc to sleep when the power button is pushed.
2) Create a bat file to launch directly to the Netflix plugin in Windows Media center. Open up Notepad in Windows and type:
Start windowsmediacenterapp:{e6f46126-f8a9-4a97-9159-b70b07890112}\{982ea9d3-915c-4713-a3c8-99a4688b7c59}?EntryPointParameters=
Save the file as netflix.bat (or whatever you want). Just make sure it is saved as a .bat file.
