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iPhone/iPod Touch Remote Apps

67K views 221 replies 55 participants last post by  Ruxl 
#1 ·
I think it's time to have a dedicated thread on this subject.


First some news I haven't seen here: there is a Remote app for MythTV called MyMote. Don't use MythTV, so I have no comment, but it's free so any Myth user out there should try it.


There is also a Front Row/DVD Player app. called DVDmote. I will try it next week and report. Screenshot looks ugly.


Others -- should search through iTunes over the weekend. All in all though, I was expecting, much, much more at this stage of the game. I still think it will happen, for sure in the next 6 to 12 months if not sooner, but this is what is missing:


-- Any kind of universal A/V component remote using a WiFi to IR repeater (this, done right, is the Holly Grail, as the current universal remotes out there are absurdly non-user friendly to program and expensive). This IMO is the kind of App the iPhone was made for.


-- Native app for Remote Buddy (The blog on iospirit.com says that they are working on it).


-- EyeTV remote from Elgato (they too are supposedly working on it).


-- Apple's remote upgraded to control Front Row, the Apple DVD Player and AppleTV.
 
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#5 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by beowulf1877 /forum/post/15082916


...I for one would love to see a wireless to IR converter box or software app, something as I too would like to be able to control ALL of my house functions with my Iphone, as well as the HTPC.
http://www.smarthome.com

SmartHome manufactures and sells a new generation of some 30 Insteon SmartLinc components to remotely control whole house lighting and appliances. These products can be installed during or after construction and include Access Points to couple 900MHz RF devices with powerline devices, a WiFi/Ethernet network link, and of course, wireless outlets and boxes, dimmers, switches and remotes. Such a system can be expensive, and we've only added a few components for appliances, lights, switches and dimmers in a couple of rooms, an HVAC thermostat control and four wireless-controlled light fixtures on two exterior walls that we couldn't get switch wires to. I'll be finishing up the installation over the next month or two (as I get time...). We're working with a professional electrician to do in-wall installations to code, since I don't have any electrical experience myself...


The Insteon components can be set up and/or controlled by any phone system with .html browser and Web access -- the iPhone and iPod Touch with WiFi are perfect for this technology. SmartHome even sells the iPod Touch in some starter kits.


SmartHome's new .html-based iPhone control software is in the version 1x stage of development though. Consequently, full functionality for a given device may not be complete. For instance, with an Insteon-compatible thermostat that has a WiFi receiver, you can use the iPhone to remotely turn the heat or AC off and on, but you can't easily set or change temperatures just yet. Timers have only one on and off time. The on/off brightness ramps work pretty well though for dimmer wall switches and remotes).

http://www.perceptiveautomation.com/indigo/index.html

Perceptive Automation sells Indigo, a home automation software product. It's a more full-featured, Mac-based control system that also is compatible with SmartHome's Insteon devices. However, an iPhone/iPod Touch version of the Indigo interface is not yet available.


This stuff all shows great promise. Over time, phone-based controllers will render keypads as obsolete. And of course, these products pair well with the iPhone and Apple's Remote software for music and soon (I'm sure), home theater.
 
#6 ·
As Geo points out, home automation is ahead of A/V (HT) equipment support. I would have thought that A/V is a bigger market, but maybe the home automation people have greater programming skills.


Judging by the unmitigated horror that is the user interface of my new Denon AVR 2809, I suspect that the A/V manufacturers themselves couldn't produce a decent iPhone app if their lives depended on it.


I wish that we could get some talented iPhone developers interested in doing this instead of the 87th Twitter client...
 
#7 ·
 UIremote -- universal IR remote for the iPhone/iPod Touch

Still vaporware, but for once they actually seem to be working on exactly what we need instead of some absurdly complicated piece of junk.


In other news, iPhone OS 3.0 will be announced on Tuesday March 17th, at the first Apple media event since Macworld. Will there be any new HT friendly features? We will know more soon.


Edit: I should also mention that the Apple Remote app just got updated with iTunes DJ features, which is no doubt cool and fun, but mainly tangential to our HT needs.
 
#8 ·
This is not quite the optimal solution, but I have been playing with AirMote for the iPhone. AirMote connects via VNC and thus can emulate any keystroke. It comes with some pre-configured remote screens, but you can also build your own.


I have also been playing with FastScript for OS X which runs applescripts on keystrokes commands. Thus I have been writing my own applescripts and creating my own remote screens on AirMote and can have them do anything on my mac that I can applescript.
 
#9 ·
So clearly the new device API in the iPhone 3.0 software should greatly facilitate the advent of IR based universal remotes. Hopefully there will be a flood of them by the end of 2009. The current installed user base is 30 million iPhones/iPod Touches combined -- nothing to sneeze at.
 
#10 ·
Don't hardware devices need to attach to the bottom port of the iPhone / Touch? That's going to make things a little awkward... Either the user will have to hold the device upside-down or something will have to snap onto the device with the IR transmitter pointing to the top.
 
#11 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by dbfreq /forum/post/16065013


Don't hardware devices need to attach to the bottom port of the iPhone / Touch? That's going to make things a little awkward... Either the user will have to hold the device upside-down or something will have to snap onto the device with the IR transmitter pointing to the top.

The UI Remote gizmo attaches to the earphone jack; however obviously devices that interact with the API will need the USB port. Being upside down -- well so what, we are talking about a screen that looks the same whether it is upside down or not. Plenty of apps work fine upside down with the accelerometer telling them which way is up.
 
#12 ·
There is another, maybe better, way of doing this. Instead of putting a dongle on the iPhone, you install a home-automation system and then use the iPhone to talk to that system. Here's one example of such a system.


This system is better because IR is line of sight, but home-automation systems can be controlled from anywhere. These systems are not vapour-ware, but they are also probably not cheap.
 
#13 ·
Further -- I know about the home automation systems, but I think most of us here are just looking for a Universal home theater remote.


To me it will have two characteristics -- the ease of use of the best iPhone Apps which dedicated universal remotes such as a Pronto are said to not have, and the full power of a dedicated universal remote, in terms of being able to control a wide range of AVRs, DVD players, etc. as well as all the Mac based HT programs. Note that it can be different apps on the iPhone doing it -- I don't mind the idea of switching. And lastly it will be cheaper then something like a Pronto (not to mention a home automation system).
 
#14 ·
I understand. I only posted it in response to the last few messages about the UI Remote. Nevertheless, I can imagine a remote that can turn lights on and off in the ht and possibly turn other appliances on and off. Sometimes when I watch films with my family, for example, someone suggests a tea intermission. With such a remote and home-automation system, I could turn on the tea machine while the film was still playing, which would be much more efficient. I agree that it's not for everybody though.
 
#15 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by Further /forum/post/16068209


I understand. I only posted it in response to the last few messages about the UI Remote. Nevertheless, I can imagine a remote that can turn lights on and off in the ht and possibly turn other appliances on and off. Sometimes when I watch films with my family, for example, someone suggests a tea intermission. With such a remote and home-automation system, I could turn on the tea machine while the film was still playing, which would be much more efficient. I agree that it's not for everybody though.

count me in for that... fire up the coffeemaker lying in bed... etc. i can think of boatloads of things i'd like to be able to control...
 
#16 ·
Crestron released the first version of their iPhone app today. From what I've been reading, it's still got some "issues", some of which are fairly serious. In a couple of months, though, it should be a very robust (though not cheap) alternative.


I applaud Crestron for seeing the writing on the wall and going with the flow rather than continuing to fight it. I think they realize that they're not going to be able to continue to sell touchpanels that are 5x more expensive than netbooks or even the iPhone (and have lower resolutions and color depths) forever. In the past 12 months, they've released an SDK for Flash and now the iPhone, opening up the possibilities for using non-Creston devices to control a Crestron system, despite the damage these SDKs will undoubtedly due to their profit margins.
 
#17 ·
The best IR solution for the iPhone right now is the Global Cache. It is an network enabled IR blaster/receiver that also has RS-232 port(s) and triggers. They start at $150 though and since they are not Wifi enabled, you're going to either need a bridge behind your TV or a network drop.


I've used a GC-100 for years and have to say it is a rock solid piece of hardware. Of course no one has yet to write software for the iPhone to control this yet, but it has an open API which consists of opening a TCP socket to the device and sending IR codes.


The most promising project I've seen in this area to date is from the same person who is behind JBoss -- and some say he's the father of professional FOSS. Check it out when you get a chance.
http://openremote.org/display/HOME/OpenRemote
 
#18 ·
I looked at Creston's website. My eyes glazed over.


If you already use Creston, this is no doubt an amazing boon. But trying to find out what you need, and whether they support your A/V equipment, good luck.


I'm figuring people call them, and Creston automates your home for you, or is this a do it yourself proposition?


Either way, it it the antitheses of the simplicity the iPhone promises. Same for Global Cache.


I don't need a more complicated existence -- I'd rather juggle five remotes then deal with this mess. What I do want is one remote to replace them: an easier to use and better designed, cheaper equivalent to the Pronto.


Yes, if I was building my suburban castle, I'd want home automation, and I realize that setting it up doesn't necessarily lend itself to simplicity. But for someone who just wants their A/V devices & HTPC controlled, I am still waiting. None of the existing products make your life simpler instead of more complicated, when you consider setup (and further use too -- I looked at some of the Creston's Denon control screens -- mama mia! they've got to be kidding me -- they are ready for John Gruber's interface of the week awards (which he gives for amazingly poor UI).


I don't know if I am expressing myself well, but to me the iPhone is made to be a SIMPLE, beautifully designed universal remote. And no one out there has touched it.


If anyone wants to see what I mean by well designed iPhone App look at Big StopWatch (it's free, just get it). I want Yuki Yasoshima designing my universal remote. Kiss is the word: Keep it simple, stupid.
 
#21 ·
I think that a Universal Remote application that really does what we're looking for isn't far off.


With the iPhone 3.0 APIs that are coming out to developers now, it opens a ton of opportunities to companies. The one the stuck out the most in my mind was accessories that are controllable with the iPhone directly.


Logitech is releasing the answer to the PS3 universal control problem. I can see on the horizon an IR blaster similar to what you get with the Harmony 890 RF remote. A quick, easy way to control all your components, using Logitech's infrastructure that's already in place.


Heck, you could even make changes while you're "in-app" and update your "iPhone Harmony Remote" wirelessly.
 
#23 ·
I am a Crestron programmer, I've done AMX, and I've also written code for my iPod Touch (and Macs) to talk to an Aurora Multimedia WACI, an AMX controller and a Crestron controller. The program you're after, Ted, is difficult to deliver. It's not that the programming is difficult, but, in order to make it easy to program for anyone who downloads the app from the App Store, there needs to be a reasonably complete database of IR codes. There are literally tens of thousands of codesets floating around -- Sony alone has thousands. AFAIK, there is no public database of IR codesets. Remote Central has a good repository, but I don't believe it's in a form that could be easily packaged-up and added to an app. There are, of course, IR code databases, but these are proprietary, owned by remote control manufacturers, like Pronto, RTI, Crestron, etc. Many of these are also woefully incomplete, despite what professionals pay to access them.


I also doubt that you would ever see bi-directional control (ie, get feedback from an RS-232 or ethernet-controlled device) in an easily-programmable, downloadable iPhone app. These are significant hurdles, given the number of devices and protocols out there. That is unless a universal standard emerges and manufacturers actually adopt it that allows devices to join a network, tell other devices what they are, what they can do and how to communicate with them. This is certainly feasible from a technological perspective right now, but it's not in the manufacturer's interests to do so (if you doubt this, do some digging into CEC and how manufacturers are handling the basic vs. advanced features in order to coerce consumers into buying their receiver + their DVD player + their TV, rather than mixing and matching different brands).


The iPhone 3.0 APIs are very cool, but I don't think they're going to make it any easier to create the IR codeset database that would be needed to create the kind of program I think you've been discussing.
 
#24 ·
In order to have complete control of your ht with a remote, IR will be needed. Perhaps that will change in the future, but now, as I understand, it is still necessary.


There are two possibilities for IR: on the iPhone/Touch or somewhere else in the system. As dbfreq pointed out, there is no standard for IR codes. There are two solutions to this: a learning remote or a way to download the codes for your specific device. BTW, have the UI Remote people said how their device will get codes?


Since IR is line of sight, for some people an external device might be better, and for others, not necessary.

Here's an announcement of an interesting external device (connects to a router) that will have device-specific codes to download and install on your iPhone or Touch.


As dbfreq points out, having a nice simple solution is not as easy as it may seem.
 
#25 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by Further /forum/post/16091396


BTW, have the UI Remote people said how their device will get codes?

...

As dbfreq points out, having a nice simple solution is not as easy as it may seem.

The UI Remote demo video implied learning remote capability.


dfreq's post is very informative and deserves a detailed answer.

Quote:
Originally Posted by dbfreq /forum/post/0


...It's not that the programming is difficult, but, in order to make it easy to program for anyone who downloads the app from the App Store, there needs to be a reasonably complete database of IR codes. There are literally tens of thousands of codesets floating around -- Sony alone has thousands. AFAIK, there is no public database of IR codesets. Remote Central has a good repository, but I don't believe it's in a form that could be easily packaged-up and added to an app. There are, of course, IR code databases, but these are proprietary, owned by remote control manufacturers, like Pronto, RTI, Crestron, etc. Many of these are also woefully incomplete, despite what professionals pay to access them.


I also doubt that you would ever see bi-directional control (ie, get feedback from an RS-232 or ethernet-controlled device) in an easily-programmable, downloadable iPhone app. These are significant hurdles, given the number of devices and protocols out there. That is unless a universal standard emerges and manufacturers actually adopt it that allows devices to join a network, tell other devices what they are, what they can do and how to communicate with them. This is certainly feasible from a technological perspective right now, but it's not in the manufacturer's interests to do so (if you doubt this, do some digging into CEC and how manufacturers are handling the basic vs. advanced features in order to coerce consumers into buying their receiver + their DVD player + their TV, rather than mixing and matching different brands).


The iPhone 3.0 APIs are very cool, but I don't think they're going to make it any easier to create the IR codeset database that would be needed to create the kind of program I think you've been discussing.

Let me start with "it's not in the manufacturer's interests to do so" in regards to remote control standards. Before the iPhone, ALL cell phones, certainly smartphones were designed for the convenience of the carriers and in the case of Blackberries also the convenience of IT departments rather than the end users. Apple could go from zero to everyone desperately trying to copy them and catch up to them, precisely because they designed a cell phone with JUST the customer in mind and no one else, certainly not carriers or IT departments.


Any product manufacturer in any space, be it HT components or remote controls that makes products with someone other than the customer in mind can go from king of the hill to one step away from bankruptcy in a flash -- all it takes is for ONE capable competitor who cares ONLY about the end customer to enter their space.


Your other points -- forget about RS-232, it was obsoleted in 1984 when Apple released the original Macintosh without an RS-232 port. The fact component makers still use it says something, very, very, very bad about them.


So far as the IR codes -- I certainly see the problem there, but there are solutions. First of all, can't any given iPhone remote maker get the codes directly of the component remotes for popular models -- they can borrow, steal, buy off eBay the remotes in question. Secondly for more obscure stuff, the iPhone remote should certainly be a learning remote. There is no reason that should be difficult to do from an end user perspective if the iPhone software is well enough designed. Also, with 3.0 the business model is there -- the within App sales -- they can keep selling users who own their remote App additional component IR codes/control screens.


Lastly in terms of the incumbent smart/universal control manufacturers, they have a unique opportunity to be the ones to design the killer iPhone app which would end up cannibalizing their existing products. Why do it then? Well, IMO the writing is on the wall. They can either cannibalize themselves, or wait for some other company to put them out of business. In that respect I have feeling that GPS makers are more in touch with reality -- I suspect that TomTom or other brand name turn-by-turn GPS software will appear along with the release of 3.0. Possibly they will sell it bundled with attachments like dashboard mounts and chargers. This is another opportunity for the remote guys who can be selling various IR attachments along with their software.


I do firmly believe that an excellent universal iPhone remote will appear. The only question is when, and who makes it.
 
#26 ·

Quote:
Why do it then? Well, IMO the writing is on the wall. They can either cannibalize themselves, or wait for some other company to put them out of business.

Well said, Ted. Take Sonos as an example--they could have continued with their heads in the sand and kept on soaking potential users for their $400 controller--but they were smart enough to recognize the very real threat Apple's excellent free iTunes remote application for the iPhone/iPod touch represented--and it didn't take them long to get their own free (and quite good) app approved, effectively rendering the Sonos barrier to entry hundreds less steep--as long as you already had one of Apple's handhelds, that is.
 
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