Harmony 880 Setup
#1
I have read all of the postings that I could find about remote controls, but the one thing I haven't found is the following: For a Harmony 880 (or any Harmony for that matter) when you are initially defining devices, what is the best device that people have found to start with before completing the mapping in eventghost? I will be using a Microsoft MCE remote (just for the transmitter) so should I choose Media PC and then Microsoft and Media Center or should I choose Game Console and Xbox? What has worked best for those with Harmony remotes?
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#2
I picked the random example of the MCE desktop. I think it was a Dell 420 or something like that.
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#3
I did the same thing and then used EventGhost to map the MCE commands to XBMC commands. Everything works well. Another thing I did was use the number commands to map other functions (like start XBMC and exit XBMC) and then added those to the Power On and Power Off commands for my XBMC activity. That way it will open and close XBMC when you start and stop the harmony "activity"

I've got almost everything working the way I want it now.
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#4
Using EventGhost is definitely the best way to map the functions of your 880 to XBMC. As a further tip, you can unmap some of the buttons that don't have a media center use (eg, the number keys, etc), then map them to other XBMC actions and use them via the 880's softkeys. I found this a good way to add buttons for both "Back" and "Prev Window", as well as options to start and stop XBMC and switch to other programs (eg, toggle the button mappings between XBMC and PowerDVD for watching BluRays). I was finally able to unplug my mouse and keyboard from my media center :-)
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#5
Thanks for all the advice....as soon as I get the system built and start setting up my remote, I know who I'll be calling on with questions....Laugh
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#6
Thread hijack!
Those that have the Harmony configured with XBMC. Do you have repeat functions working properly. If I hold Up, it will start slow then scroll fast (this is normal) but then pause (like it lost the IR signal), then repeat. The pause isn't always at the same time.
I should be able to just hold Up and have it continually move Up as long as I hold it.
This pausing makes traversing large directories annoying.
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#7
I'm not sure how some people have done it, but I have my up/down mapped to the up/down keys in EventGhost (rather than the XBMC up/down actions, because I want the clicks when navigating), and I was able to specify via EventGhost that it was a held/repeatable action. I haven't encountered any unexpected pauses in navigation, although scrolling is still a bit sluggish.
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#8
I have the same thing since mine makes the clicking sounds. I lower the repeat time to increase the scrolling speed. Maybe I need some more tweaking on it.
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#9
my experience with my harmony 880 and the Technotrend USB-IR receiver was the following:

using the MCE profile with the Harmony worked, but the response was very sluggish.
I had to point either directly towards the receiver or towards some "good" reflection spots on walls or floor. Very annoying. And the scrolling effect was similar as described by others.

So i played around with other remotes (DVD player remote, etc.) and noticed that the response is waaay better with some of them. So i programmed my Harmony with some other remote profiles,...and most of them work very well.

My scrolling with the harmony now is fast and without any interruptions, (i cycled through my full mp3 list up and down several cycles without one stop)..perfect, just as if you pressed the cursor keys.

Well, this effect likely also depends on the receiver you use, but i think it is worth a try.
Maybe the reason is the MCE coding the Harmony emulates,...i don't really know.

I am currently using 2 dummy device profiles (a Pioneer DVD and a Sony DV Cam) in the Harmony, just to have enough codes. Maybe later i will spend the effort to find only one device profile with enough codes _and_ my USB receiver "likes" better than the MCE profile.

Finally: Yes in Eventghost i also emulate the Cursor keys together with the repeat function. Current repeat settings: 0.5, 0.2 -- 3.0, 0.1
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#10
I have the HP version of the microsoft MCE remote.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6880100851

Interesting that you used a different profile and also interesting about the reflection points. I find that I get slightly better response when I tilt the remote sideways while using it the XBMC. Annoying indeed.
I'm not sure how a Pioneer DVD and Sony DV Cam have MCE remote codes though.
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#11
supernoman Wrote:I have the HP version of the microsoft MCE remote.

...

Interesting that you used a different profile and also interesting about the reflection points. I find that I get slightly better response when I tilt the remote sideways while using it the XBMC. Annoying indeed.

well, different scenario in your case, i assume you use your MCE remote with the bundled receiver, i don't know how well they work together, but i know, that with the Harmony and other profiles than the MCE i.e. using other codes, and thus maybe other IR coding schemes(?), together with the TT USB-IR, i can point my remote anywhere, it just works. Before just certain angles worked well.

supernoman Wrote:I'm not sure how a Pioneer DVD and Sony DV Cam have MCE remote codes though.
Uhm, with Eventghost it does not matter which code you use, since you map it anyway with EG. With EG you can use any code as long the receiver + EG can decode it. Of course Harmony users have an additonal degree of freedom here, since they can choose which profile to use for a certain activity (= Harmony working mode)
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#12
I have a Harmony and programmed it to use MCE remote commands, using USB-UIRT... check the Event Ghost forum, I posted the config file info there to get it working. It might work for you, might not.

enjoy
I'm not an expert but I play one at work.
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#13
mikari Wrote:my experience with my harmony 880 and the Technotrend USB-IR receiver was the following:

using the MCE profile with the Harmony worked, but the response was very sluggish.
I had to point either directly towards the receiver or towards some "good" reflection spots on walls or floor. Very annoying. And the scrolling effect was similar as described by others.

So i played around with other remotes (DVD player remote, etc.) and noticed that the response is waaay better with some of them. So i programmed my Harmony with some other remote profiles,...and most of them work very well.

My scrolling with the harmony now is fast and without any interruptions, (i cycled through my full mp3 list up and down several cycles without one stop)..perfect, just as if you pressed the cursor keys.

Well, this effect likely also depends on the receiver you use, but i think it is worth a try.
Maybe the reason is the MCE coding the Harmony emulates,...i don't really know.

I am currently using 2 dummy device profiles (a Pioneer DVD and a Sony DV Cam) in the Harmony, just to have enough codes. Maybe later i will spend the effort to find only one device profile with enough codes _and_ my USB receiver "likes" better than the MCE profile.

Finally: Yes in Eventghost i also emulate the Cursor keys together with the repeat function. Current repeat settings: 0.5, 0.2 -- 3.0, 0.1

thanks, the repeat settings were helpful!
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#14
Livin Wrote:I have a Harmony and programmed it to use MCE remote commands, using USB-UIRT... check the Event Ghost forum, I posted the config file info there to get it working. It might work for you, might not.

enjoy

Which MCE Device did you select in the Harmony programming software? I tried one, but I had to map every single button inside the Harmony programming software, and I'm not sure I got them all.
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#15
mcowher Wrote:Which MCE Device did you select in the Harmony programming software? I tried one, but I had to map every single button inside the Harmony programming software, and I'm not sure I got them all.

Microsoft (M)edia©enter(E)xtender

I did not need to map any buttons... I changed 2 just for my taste.
I'm not an expert but I play one at work.
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