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New Mac Mini remote control question

post #1 of 7
10/26/12 at 2:04pm
Thread Starter 
I currently have a home built HTPC that utilizes the MCE usb connector to handle the remote, and my learning remote passes the commands. This works perfectly with my XBMC setup.

With the release of the new Mac Mini Quad Core however, I want to switch to use that as my new HTPC, but do not want to use the Apple Remote. I am hoping to keep the same remote and commands and pass them to the Mac version of XBMC but am not sure how.

Just curious if anyone has done this and the steps necessary to accomplish it. I haven't purchased the Mini yet, am researching a couple issues like this remote issue and also the video performance to make sure it will work well.

Thanks for any info...
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post #2 of 7
10/28/12 at 7:59am
There are a few options for using remote controls other than the Apple remote on the Mac. The one I have explored so far is through the Remote Buddy software. It supports quite a few remote controls, including certain IR receivers that also work with Windows Media Center - but not all of them. I advise that you try the 30 days demo version of it to test if your hardware is supported or not.

There are various small details to consider using this. Not all remotes can wake up the computer from sleep for instance. So far I've been using a PS 3 Bluetooth remote with it. While this works great and has a ton of buttons to configure to your liking, you need to set the software to automatically disconnect the remote after a short delay else you'll find yourself replacing the batteries in the PS 3 remote everyday. The disconnection means that the next remote key press will trigger a reconnection, which takes a few seconds to happen and thus need some getting used to.

I'm going to try soon using the Apple built-in IR receiver with an Harmony remote; there is apparently a Plex remote profile on the harmony that mimics several apple remotes to allow more than the default 6 or 7 buttons limit on a single apple remote. I'll try to make this work with remote buddy & eyeTv. Normally this would allow waking up the computer and would not have the disconnect / reconnect latency inherent to using the PS3 remote (when you want a decent battery life).
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post #3 of 7
11/1/12 at 9:15am
Quote:
Originally Posted by boum View Post

There are a few options for using remote controls other than the Apple remote on the Mac. The one I have explored so far is through the Remote Buddy software. It supports quite a few remote controls, including certain IR receivers that also work with Windows Media Center - but not all of them. I advise that you try the 30 days demo version of it to test if your hardware is supported or not.
There are various small details to consider using this. Not all remotes can wake up the computer from sleep for instance. So far I've been using a PS 3 Bluetooth remote with it. While this works great and has a ton of buttons to configure to your liking, you need to set the software to automatically disconnect the remote after a short delay else you'll find yourself replacing the batteries in the PS 3 remote everyday. The disconnection means that the next remote key press will trigger a reconnection, which takes a few seconds to happen and thus need some getting used to.
I'm going to try soon using the Apple built-in IR receiver with an Harmony remote; there is apparently a Plex remote profile on the harmony that mimics several apple remotes to allow more than the default 6 or 7 buttons limit on a single apple remote. I'll try to make this work with remote buddy & eyeTv. Normally this would allow waking up the computer and would not have the disconnect / reconnect latency inherent to using the PS3 remote (when you want a decent battery life).

I have a Harmony One and it works great with a 2011 Mini and Plex. You can custom program a large number of buttons if you wish, but the Plex profile available online with the Harmony works fine. Rechargable battery that lasts a long time per charge. No problem with wake from sleep.
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post #4 of 7
11/1/12 at 3:33pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Paul_Malloy View Post

I have a Harmony One and it works great with a 2011 Mini and Plex. You can custom program a large number of buttons if you wish, but the Plex profile available online with the Harmony works fine. Rechargable battery that lasts a long time per charge. No problem with wake from sleep.

I bought a refurb Harmony One from Logitech. It's battery drops off (2-bars) after one evening's use. Do you think I should contact them?
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post #5 of 7
11/2/12 at 10:04am
Quote:
Originally Posted by grubavs View Post

I bought a refurb Harmony One from Logitech. It's battery drops off (2-bars) after one evening's use. Do you think I should contact them?
If you're using it like crazy for a whole day, say huddle skipping through a sunday full of football, you could probably drop it down 1 out of 3 bars. If it's just a few hours of channel surfing I'd suggest you check the battery type and get a new one, they're fairly available. I've replaced the battery in my Harmony 880 once in about a decade of use so they do last a long time.
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post #6 of 7
11/2/12 at 2:04pm
That's what I thought. I just got it from Logitech in October, so I believe I'll contact them and see if their Customer Service is...

UPDATE 110612: Called Logitech. Customer Service said they'd send out a new battery ASAP.
Edited by grubavs - 11/6/12 at 8:55am
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post #7 of 7
11/7/12 at 10:01am
Quote:
Originally Posted by grubavs View Post

That's what I thought. I just got it from Logitech in October, so I believe I'll contact them and see if their Customer Service is...
UPDATE 110612: Called Logitech. Customer Service said they'd send out a new battery ASAP.

I had to replace my battery after about two years because it wasn't taking a full charge. Works fine with new battery, which I think was about $25.
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