Looks pretty exciting and should bode well for cool apps to run for our mac based home theaters...

http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/08/03/06/notes_from_apples_iphone_software_roadmap_event.html

ken

Now all we need is a wifi to IR repeater, and a backend db like Harmony's to populate with devices, and the ultimate HT remote will arrive ala iPod Touch or iPhone! Wonder if Harmony is going to get there first?

Now all we need is a wifi to IR repeater, and a backend db like Harmony's to populate with devices, and the ultimate HT remote will arrive ala iPod Touch or iPhone! Wonder if Harmony is going to get there first?

my thoughts exactly rock...
and none of that is really very difficult to do...
ken

Although if you are controlling EyeTV, FR, -- a Mac HTPC for short, wouldn't it make more sense to skip the IR and go in directly through Bluetooth/WiFi, giving you a much wider functionality?

P.S. I am very impressed with the SDK, and the kind of apps already announced. This should certainly move up the OS X platform another notch.

Although if you are controlling EyeTV, FR, -- a Mac HTPC for short, wouldn't it make more sense to skip the IR and go in directly through Bluetooth/WiFi, giving you a much wider functionality?

yes for those in that camp, that would be a better way in. But if you want control of 'the home theater' itself, you'd want to include audio, TV, DVD players, and other equipment from the same remote;

ken

What I would like is the ability to control what song is played on an AppleTV without turning on the TV. So, if I am able to take control of AirTunes so be it. I just want to use an iPod Touch or iPhone to play my AppleTV. Right now, I have to turn on the TV just to choose the music and then turn it off.

What I would like is the ability to control what song is played on an AppleTV without turning on the TV. So, if I am able to take control of AirTunes so be it. I just want to use an iPod Touch or iPhone to play my AppleTV. Right now, I have to turn on the TV just to choose the music and then turn it off.

yes - and I'm hearing a similar want; to control what song is playing via ATV from another room (home distributed implementation). Both would be equally addressed by an iTouch/iPhone remote solution... I'd buy this app in a heart beat and I'm guessing will be available from someone later this year via the new sdk...

ken

Doesn't Remote Buddy already do most of this?

Doesn't Remote Buddy already do most of this?

a lot of the Mini based htpc functions yes (per Ted's scenario) - but still lacks IR control of all devices in a typical system...

ken

I have a Global Cache GC-100 Network Adapter that is basically a Ethernet to IR bridge that I use to control my IR only devices, the rest I control via RS-232. I'm using a system from Cinemar called MainLobby, but I see no reason why an OS X application couldn't be written to do the same thing.

The Cinemar people also think it's a good idea and the main developer has a iPod Touch that he is planning on using to control his HT with. Right now he has a few basic Web Apps that can do it (MainLobby includes a web server).

What would be really cool is an iPhone application that sent TCP commands straight to the GC-100 that would in turn blast the IR codes to the devices. The GC-100 also has one RS-232 port that could be used as well.

What I would like is the ability to control what song is played on an AppleTV without turning on the TV. So, if I am able to take control of AirTunes so be it. I just want to use an iPod Touch or iPhone to play my AppleTV. Right now, I have to turn on the TV just to choose the music and then turn it off.

Remote Buddy will do this but if you only need the AirTunes remote function the better solution may be Signal by Alloysoft:

http://www.alloysoft.com/blog/

This would give you exactly what you want.

Yep, Ben, that's exactly the sort of thing we need. O, happy day!

Remote Buddy is very cool for controlling Macs, but doesn't support controlling other A/V gear.

An app using a WACI (http://auroramultimedia.com/products/products07.php?section=products&id=77&tab=description) for IR/RS-232 control would be very appealing...

Couldn't you combine Remote Buddy with iRed on a Mac to allow remote buddy to control everything?

Guys I think that discussions of existing Remote Buddy based remotes are missing the point -- a good iPhone remote app would by definition be superior (indeed in a different class all together) from any existing remote.

This is due to the obvious -- best touch screen/display out there, and the nearly obvious, like you could continue using you iPhone as a remote while you were at the office or on a trip, making sure your EyeTV shows get recorded, or your Podcasts get downloaded, or that your disk space isn't running out, at which point you could compress or delete some of your EyeTV archive. This second type of remote would require much more sophisticated iPhone software, but I don't see why it couldn't be done.

Ted,

I'm not sure what your point is.... Remote Buddy's existing AJAX remote for the iPhone/iPod Touch is great and fun, and, now that the iPhone SDK has been released, a native version of the Remote Buddy AJAX controller can (and I'm sure, will) be produced.

My point was, let's take that a step further and incorporate control for a Waci. Once these things have been integrated, we can take something like MacProgramGuide (http://coolmacsoftware.com/mpgmain.html), add some code, optimize the UI for a touchscreen interface and have an EPG on the iPhone that can also control the cable box or satellite receiver. The user looks through the EPG on the iPhone, finds what they want to watch, clicks the show's name and the iPhone sends a message to the Waci to tune the cable box to the appropriate channel.

Also, given that Apple has gone to the trouble of creating this touch-based OS, I doubt they'll stop at a phone and an iPod. I think there's a tablet coming in the near future - maybe an 8" or 10" screen. Apple may even use it to connect with and control the AppleTV. Apps for that tablet will be written with the same SDK. A larger screen makes it a more effective remote, capable of doing more with fewer menus and page flips.

I can see the point of Remote Buddy's limitations WRT IR devices etc. and would love to see Apple make a universal remote type device. The problem I see with using an iPhone/touch as a full on replacement for a universal remote is the lack of dedicated hardware buttons for channels and volume. Don't get me wrong I LOVE my iPhone and using Remote Buddy on it is impressive but I just got a Harmony ONE and they seem to have gotten much right with it. A nice touch screen, something the 880 should have had from the beginning as I constantly hit the screen anyway being an iPhone touch screen addicted fool, and much improved ergonomics with various shapes and textured buttons to make it easy to use w/o looking at it most of the time.

I am gonna go out on a limb here and predict something a bit wild. I can't say that I can see Apple making a device as single purposed as a universal remote but I can see them licensing the OS for a manufacturer like Harmony to use. Licensing the OS for increasingly complex single purposed devices is something Apple has to be looking into. It solves a couple of problems for Apple as well. They spread OSX goodness to other embedded environments and make money doing so yet they don't have to worry about the old days of the clone wars where they essentially were propping up competitors to the Mac. The future is software not really the hardware and if Apple can leverage OSX in devices from universal remotes to refrigerators to microwaves they can become the MS of the embedded OS's in the future and retake their throne. Think of how many devices have digital displays at this point and how many of them sorely need a better interface. I see Apple's talks with VW about future car OS's as a step in this direction. Just something to think about.

Once these things have been integrated, we can take something like MacProgramGuide ...., add some code, optimize the UI for a touchscreen interface and have an EPG on the iPhone that can also control the cable box or satellite receiver.

Funny this has come up, I'm the author of MacProgramGuide and I'm currently looking into this.

What I'd really like to know is, will the iRed software work with the Global Cache GC-100?

I like the customization options with iRed (if you can build a web page, you can build a remote) and the price point of the Global Cache hardware - not to mention currency conversion and international shipping on the IRTrans hardware is a mess I'd rather avoid.

Otherwise I'm stuck waiting to see what customization options will be available for… this machtpc.com/archives/2008/06/13/the-apple-remote-you-may-already-own-one/…