All,
vanOert and I have been speaking. The previous Harmony thread had gotten a bit long in the tooth and our methods have evolved and grown over time. We will be taking the next few weeks to create this thread properly, including properly step by step instructions, featuring screen shots.
In addition to the general setup, we will have "How To"s for optional things such as sleep, advancedxml tips (SMSkeys), Hulu integration, and other perks. The idea will be to use a clean Win7 system, with as little extra software as possible. (my setup has no extras).
Thank you for your patience. Please post your suggestions in the Old Harmony Thread while we build this new one.
IN PROGRESS
Status
Basic Setup - Complete
Button Customizations - Complete
Keymap file - Complete
Advancedsettings.xml - Complete
Hulu Integration & Activity Switching - In Progress
Sleep & Wake Up - In Progress
Alternative Hardware - In Progress
Basic Setup
So, here’s a guide to setting up Logitech Harmony for XBMC.
Requirements
Italics indicate the hardware we used. We will have a post about alternative options further down.
Hardware:
PC Acer Revo 3610
Harmony Remote Harmony 880/890, Harmony 555, Harmony 650
IR RC6-capable receiver
[INDENT]The receiver
Any RC6 capable receiver. It will say it is Media Center Compatible
Let Ebay Be your Guide
Software:
Windows 7 Home Premium
XBMC installed and configured Dharma 10.x or Eden 11.0 Stable
The setup process
(1) Pin XBMC to your task bar so it can be launched with a WIN+# key.
if you press Win+1, it will launch the first item pinned, WIN+2, the second item, etc
(2)Plug the RC6-IR-Receiver into your XBMC.
You’ll want a line of sight connection to your couch.
(3)Configuration of the Media Center profile
Start the setup for your Harmony Remote as usual and configure all of your devices except for the media center.
In the devices tab, click ‘Add Device’
Select: Computer – Media Center PC – Microsoft – “Windows Media Center SE”
Add this as a device and name it XBMC (sw)
the SW identifies this as the Software, not the activity we will set up later
Now, repeat the ‘Add Device’ process, this time select:
Select: Computer – Media Center PC – Microsoft – “MCE Keyboard”
(You'll have to type in MCE Keyboard)
Add this device and name it MCE Keyboard (or whatever youd like to name it)
(4)Go to activities tab, then select ‘Add Activity’
Go through the steps selecting:
Do not Automatically add an activity based on your device
When prompted, added a "Utility" type of Activity
Accept the only choice "Generic Activity"
Now, you need to add your devices. This depends on your configuration.
You’ll have to select both XBMC(sw) and MCE Keyboard.
Obviously you'll need a TV, and you can also select a A/V-Receiver if you have one.
Continue through the input selection process.
(5) Now, go back to the activities tab and select ‘Customize Buttons’ on your generic activity.
You can now select an action for every remote button.
Our mapping layout is below
When finished, click "Done" in the lower right and synchronize the profile to your remote.
Change the activity name to XBMC.
(6)Setting up Power Buttons to start/end XBMC
Many people prefer to have XBMC start up and end when they're done watching and turn off the TV.
Click on the Devices Tab, and select Settings, under XBMC (sw).
vanOert and I have been speaking. The previous Harmony thread had gotten a bit long in the tooth and our methods have evolved and grown over time. We will be taking the next few weeks to create this thread properly, including properly step by step instructions, featuring screen shots.
In addition to the general setup, we will have "How To"s for optional things such as sleep, advancedxml tips (SMSkeys), Hulu integration, and other perks. The idea will be to use a clean Win7 system, with as little extra software as possible. (my setup has no extras).
Thank you for your patience. Please post your suggestions in the Old Harmony Thread while we build this new one.
IN PROGRESS
Status
Basic Setup - Complete
Button Customizations - Complete
Keymap file - Complete
Advancedsettings.xml - Complete
Hulu Integration & Activity Switching - In Progress
Sleep & Wake Up - In Progress
Alternative Hardware - In Progress
Basic Setup
So, here’s a guide to setting up Logitech Harmony for XBMC.
Requirements
Italics indicate the hardware we used. We will have a post about alternative options further down.
Hardware:
PC Acer Revo 3610
Harmony Remote Harmony 880/890, Harmony 555, Harmony 650
IR RC6-capable receiver
[INDENT]The receiver
Any RC6 capable receiver. It will say it is Media Center Compatible
Let Ebay Be your Guide
Software:
Windows 7 Home Premium
XBMC installed and configured Dharma 10.x or Eden 11.0 Stable
The setup process
(1) Pin XBMC to your task bar so it can be launched with a WIN+# key.
if you press Win+1, it will launch the first item pinned, WIN+2, the second item, etc
(2)Plug the RC6-IR-Receiver into your XBMC.
You’ll want a line of sight connection to your couch.
(3)Configuration of the Media Center profile
Start the setup for your Harmony Remote as usual and configure all of your devices except for the media center.
In the devices tab, click ‘Add Device’
Select: Computer – Media Center PC – Microsoft – “Windows Media Center SE”
Add this as a device and name it XBMC (sw)
the SW identifies this as the Software, not the activity we will set up later
Now, repeat the ‘Add Device’ process, this time select:
Select: Computer – Media Center PC – Microsoft – “MCE Keyboard”
(You'll have to type in MCE Keyboard)
Add this device and name it MCE Keyboard (or whatever youd like to name it)
(4)Go to activities tab, then select ‘Add Activity’
Go through the steps selecting:
Do not Automatically add an activity based on your device
When prompted, added a "Utility" type of Activity
Accept the only choice "Generic Activity"
Now, you need to add your devices. This depends on your configuration.
You’ll have to select both XBMC(sw) and MCE Keyboard.
Obviously you'll need a TV, and you can also select a A/V-Receiver if you have one.
Continue through the input selection process.
(5) Now, go back to the activities tab and select ‘Customize Buttons’ on your generic activity.
You can now select an action for every remote button.
Our mapping layout is below
When finished, click "Done" in the lower right and synchronize the profile to your remote.
Change the activity name to XBMC.
(6)Setting up Power Buttons to start/end XBMC
Many people prefer to have XBMC start up and end when they're done watching and turn off the TV.
Click on the Devices Tab, and select Settings, under XBMC (sw).
- "Adjust Power Settings"
- "I want to turn off this device when it's not in use"
- "A button on the remote for On, and a different button for Off"
- "I don't have the original remote, but I know the command that is used:"
Select the WIN+# that you enabled above when pinning the shortcut to the start menu
- "I don't have the original remote, but I know the command that is used:"
Select ALT+F4. (A single option, not 2 different buttons)
