[jang1a]

Does anyone here use Cyberlink's PowerCinema? As you know, logitech harmony can do a few steps altogether to make life easier for couch potatoes. E.g., turn on tv, switch to correct video mode, turn on dvd player, turn on receiver, and start dvd playback all in 1 press of a button.


I was wondering if I can press 1 button to do all of the ffg:


1. turn on powercinema

2. switch to play movie mode

3. turn on receiver

4. turn on lcd tv and switch to correct video mode

5. start playback of default video on default folder


If not, what do you use to playback movies on your htpc? What do you use to control it (what type of remote control)?

 

[gtfoltz]

I think the answer is yes, if you have a PC with an IR reciever, and a front-end (Windows MCE, Vista Home Prem, other HTPC front-end apps like MythTV, etc) that is aware of IR-devices. Then, you would likely have to program your front end to perform certain tasks based on specific inputs, and powercinema would have to be configurable enough to start up and play something via programatic (not user) input.


In other words, you would have to already have another remote that you could do all this with, even with multiple key strokes. If you have that, then there is no reason you could not program the Harmony remote to do it for you with a single key press.

 

[jang1a]

Thanks gtfoltz. But I don't have logitech harmony yet, and can't say for sure if this will work. As of the moment, I'm using PowerCinema's remote, in which I have to press 4 or 5 presses before I can watch a downloaded movie. I like the concept of harmony, wherein they are grouped as activities. Hope somebody can say they've tried it and it worked

 

[bradjohn]

I don't know anything about PowerCinema, but I use a Harmony 880 to do everything, including running BeyondTV, iTunes, etc.

If you can do what you want in some number of button presses with your PowerCinema remote (or keyboard strokes for that matter), then the Harmony can do it all in one activity.

As for automatically playing a "default video in a default folder", I don't know. Can you currently have PowerCinema start up and do that? Or do you have to go and browse for a video to play after it starts up? If you have to browse then you may need some kind of front-end remote-controllable application to do that. For example, I use SnapStream's BeyondMedia which lets me browse videos, TV programs, photographs, etc. all using the remote. As long as you have your video file types associated with PowerCinema, then that's what would be used to play them.

 

[ams123]



Quote:
Originally Posted by bradjohn /forum/post/12856132


I don't know anything about PowerCinema, but I use a Harmony 880 to do everything, including running BeyondTV, iTunes, etc.

If you can do what you want in some number of button presses with your PowerCinema remote (or keyboard strokes for that matter), then the Harmony can do it all in one activity.

As for automatically playing a "default video in a default folder", I don't know. Can you currently have PowerCinema start up and do that? Or do you have to go and browse for a video to play after it starts up? If you have to browse then you may need some kind of front-end remote-controllable application to do that. For example, I use SnapStream's BeyondMedia which lets me browse videos, TV programs, photographs, etc. all using the remote. As long as you have your video file types associated with PowerCinema, then that's what would be used to play them.

How do you make your Harmony send keyboard comments. Do you have an IR keyboard? I have a Harmony 680 and a XP MCE reciever and remote. I have often thought I should be able to send the keboard commands a MS MCE keyborad would, which is supposed to work with my reciever, but I have never been able to find the commands in the Logitech database. BTW my keyboard is RF.

 

[bradjohn]



Quote:
Originally Posted by ams123 /forum/post/12856368


How do you make your Harmony send keyboard comments. Do you have an IR keyboard? I have a Harmony 680 and a XP MCE reciever and remote. I have often thought I should be able to send the keboard commands a MS MCE keyborad would, which is supposed to work with my reciever, but I have never been able to find the commands in the Logitech database. BTW my keyboard is RF.

No, my keyboard and mouse are RF. The mapping of keyboard commands needs to be done by the receiver's front-end. I don't have a MCE receiver, so I don't know how that one is configured. I use the IR receiver that came with my Hauppauge tuner. It has a simple front-end that consists of a file (irremote.ini) that you edit to add applications and mappings. For example, if an application turns up the volume with a TAB and turns down the volume with a SHIFT-TAB, then in that application's section of the configuration file I put something like the following:


VOLUP={tab}

VOLDOWN={shift}{tab}


When I set up my Harmony to control my computer I instructed it to use the Hauppauge remote command set, and it works perfectly with the mappings I set up.

You can also look at using something like Girder as your front-end, which supports all the major IR receivers out there, and is fully configurable as far as mappings.

 

[olyar15]

I can do all that easily with Girder and a USBUIRT. The remote doesn't matter, as long as it can do macros.

 

[AnthonyB]

I suggest using an IR keyboard as well. Girder has a learning curve. Teach the Harmony using the MS IR Keyboard and you're good to go.

 

[jang1a]

Thanks for the replies guys. I read somewhere that I should use USBUIRT. But where do I get inexpensive ones? Something less than 10 usd perhaps?