Cheap "remote control" solution?

[garbagemule]

Hey fellas,

I recently discovered that my TV isn't as bad as I thought it was, as it's capable of rendering 1280x768 through a DVI-connection. Thus, I've acquired a 10m DVI-cable to replace my 10m S-Video, and testing it out on my 19" 1280x1024 monitor, it doesn't look like the distance is going to cause any issues, picture-quality-wise.

I've long looked for a cheap, simple solution to control my PC from way over in my comfy recliner chair, which is located about 7-8m from my PC. I tried using a Wii Remote, I tried my phone, but both require a lot of connecting and setting up every time, and I quickly grew tired of both solutions.

So now I've been looking at keyboards like the DiNovo Mini and other random brand keyboards with built-in trackballs/pads, but most of them are fairly expensive, and I really don't feel that I can justify such a purchase right now - especially not the DiNovo Mini, since I wouldn't really be able to use it for anything but "mediacentering".

What I'm looking for is a full QWERTY-keyboard either with a built-in trackball, or with a trackball mouse "on the side" (with a bit of luck I'll be able to somehow stick it to my chair without using duct tape). Now, the most obvious solution would involve something Bluetoothy, seeing as it would easily reach all the way to my chair, and it'd be wireless too. Given my budget (and location, Denmark) my options are limited, though.

I have found only few keyboards with trackballs, and they don't seem to be actual Bluetooth, but I suppose I could fit an extra adapter behind my case. Here's a couple (Danish website, sorry about that):

Enermax KB008W-B Aurora Micro Wireless - just about the same price as a DiNovo Mini, but this is a larger keyboard that would definitely make surfing and typing easier
Trust XpertTouch Wireless Media Center Keyboard KB-2950 - much cheaper keyboard that kind of looks like the Microsoft one (forgot the name)

To the questions!

Has anyone here had any experience with either one of these two keyboards? I'm especially interested in custom key mapping of "special keys", range... And the quality of the trackball - lest we forget - this would be fairly important. I'll mostly be using it to navigate through my media files, but I'd be very happy to have web browsing and instant messaging available to me as well.

I know this is getting a bit long, but here's a bonus question: As a last resort, would I be able to connect a PS/2 trackball mouse (if I can find one) through a 10m PS/2 extension cable and use this for my purpose, or is the PS/2 cable range maximum less than that, like with USB?

And finally: Do you have any suggestions as to how I could otherwise tackle my problem? Aside from not being lazy?

/mule

 

[dr.stevil]

can you use a 360 controller and the keyboard attachment? That would seem like your best bet IMO

 

[garbagemule]

Not a bad idea. I didn't even know there was a keyboard attachment to the 360 controller. A few questions though:

- Would I be able to control the mouse cursor with the analogue sticks? Since the keyboard attachment doesn't seem to allow Alt-Tabbing, for instance, being able to control the mouse cursor would be great.
- How customisable is the controller in regards to button mapping? Will I be able to launch Media Center and maybe toggle between monitor and TV with ATI hotkeys on the controller?
- Will the controller stay paired with my PC until unpaired? My concern is that I'll have to repair/reconnect every time I want to use it.
- How would I go about recharging the battery? I don't have an X360, nor do I own a controller at the moment, so I don't really know anything about it.

 

[dr.stevil]

there is a program called RBJoy that will map keystrokes to buttons on the controller as well as map mouse X and Y axis to the analog sticks. I'm sure others exist as well, but that's the only one I've personally used. edit: pinnacle game profiler also has this function.

I'm not 100% sure if the keyboard attachment works in windows, but since all the other accessories work, I don't see why that wouldn't

 

[engiNURD]

If you go with a regular keyboard/mouse (non-360), don't get RF. You definitely want Bluetooth. I have the MS Wireless Entertainment 7000 desktop -- it doesn't have a trackball, but it does have a weird trackpad, like a touchpad for a laptop, but not as good, lol. Though, its much better than the old MS Media Center keyboard.

 

[garbagemule]

Alright, I've been doing a bit of research on the topic of the 360 controller and the Messenger Kit. Unfortunately, the keyboard attachment, or chatpad, does not work with Windows. From what I could gather, there's no driver for it of any kind, and thus no way of monitoring the signals from the pad. Ultimately, Microsoft would need to provide a driver, but seeing as people have been waiting for such a driver since 2006, I won't hold my breath.

In my search, though, I did stumble across this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sgVxEUxQrGU

While I haven't been able to find the Mad Catz version, I did find a similar-looking device from Logic3 PS3 FreeBird Wireless Keyboard. This thing is really cheap, and assuming it will work on the PC (it does say PC-compatible on the website) and the range is good (10m or so), I could probably do with this and then some sort of a trackball mouse, although the idea of having everything in one device (360 controller with chatpad) is a lot more appealing. I could always attempt the "mod" from the YouTube-video, but I can imagine how many blisters the corners would cause :/ I suppose it would be possible to cut into the 360 controller to level the thumbpad, though, unless there's electronics inside the "wings" of the controller.

enginurd, I looked up the Wireless Entertainment Desktop 7000, but I can't see a touchpad on the keyboard... Unless it's that ultra-small square on the far right (http://www.trustedreviews.com/images/article/inline/4529-IMG3998s.jpg).

 

[nitrobass24]

Just spend the money on the dinovo mini, you will be glad you did.
Its just awesome

Although are you just looking to control media center? I didnt understand that from your post.

You could always just get a MCE remote.

 

[engiNURD]

yah... the direction pad is also a touch sensitive trackpad. i'll try the dinovo mini next, when i sell a few more things, lol.

 

[garbagemule]

nitrobass24, my first priority is to control the Media Center of Windows 7 (or some other media browser application - maybe I'll write one myself), yes. The whole instant messaging and web browsing is second priority, and I can live without it. The MCE Remote, as far as I know, is IR-based, which means I'd need an IR-receiver. While this could turn out to be a cheap solution, it poses the problem of USB cable range, since my TV is 7-8m from my PC, and USB cable range is 5m without using hubs with wall-warts. Thus I'll need something Bluetooth/RF 2.4GHz'ish.

On the topic of the DiNovo Mini, I've heard the trackpad is terrible considering the price of the device. If I pay that much for a small-scale keyboard that I'll only be using in Media Center context, it needs to be better than OK - I'm not paying 6 times the price of the PS3 FreeBird for a trackpad that isn't ridiculously good.

Woe is me

 

[nitrobass24]

Have no problems with the trackpad on mine

 

[garbagemule]

Alright,

I've ordered the FreeBird (hail Lynyrd Skynyrd), and it should arrive some time tomorrow. I spoke with a friend who owns a PS3, and he said he'd be interested in buying it from me if I don't like it - horray for safety-lines! I'll do some major testing of the device with Windows Media Center and some other applications, and I'll report back here with my findings. Hopefully my results will help someone else in the same situation!

If the FreeBird doesn't work for me, I will most likely end up buying the DiNovo Mini or the much cheaper Trust keyboard. I prefer trackballs over trackpads any day, but I think the smaller size of the DiNovo Mini may be more appealing to me than the ease-of-use of a full-size keyboard... Decisions, decisions... But let's see how the FreeBird turns out!

I shall report back tomorrow!

 

[dr.stevil]

I was going to mention also that if you have an ipod touch or an iphone, you can run a piece of software called itap that uses your phone/ipad as a WIFI remote for your PC. You can use it as a touch pad (for mouse) or hit a button and use it as a keyboard.

g/l with the freebird

 

[krupted]

Alright, I've been doing a bit of research on the topic of the 360 controller and the Messenger Kit. Unfortunately, the keyboard attachment, or chatpad, does not work with Windows. From what I could gather, there's no driver for it of any kind, and thus no way of monitoring the signals from the pad. Ultimately, Microsoft would need to provide a driver, but seeing as people have been waiting for such a driver since 2006, I won't hold my breath.

In my search, though, I did stumble across this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sgVxEUxQrGU

While I haven't been able to find the Mad Catz version, I did find a similar-looking device from Logic3 PS3 FreeBird Wireless Keyboard. This thing is really cheap, and assuming it will work on the PC (it does say PC-compatible on the website) and the range is good (10m or so), I could probably do with this and then some sort of a trackball mouse, although the idea of having everything in one device (360 controller with chatpad) is a lot more appealing. I could always attempt the "mod" from the YouTube-video, but I can imagine how many blisters the corners would cause :/ I suppose it would be possible to cut into the 360 controller to level the thumbpad, though, unless there's electronics inside the "wings" of the controller.

enginurd, I looked up the Wireless Entertainment Desktop 7000, but I can't see a touchpad on the keyboard... Unless it's that ultra-small square on the far right (http://www.trustedreviews.com/images/article/inline/4529-IMG3998s.jpg).

yes, the messenger kit is useless with windows, even though on the god damn box it has windows logos on it it is unbelievable there are no drivers for this simple HID device, and it would make my life so much easier if i could use these in windows.

$100 REWARD To the creator of successfully working drivers to allow the Microsoft Xbox Messenger Kit to work in Windows Vista/7.

i am not kidding. i will keep the money ready. anyone else that wants to throw down please post a new total. this could work, there are so many people online that ask for these drivers, yet nobody does anything about it. i can't program, but i can put down cash. so could many people.

 

[garbagemule]

krupted, I hear you! But I think a lot of people have already stated that they would pay for such a driver, yet Microsoft remain silent. A shame, really

Anyway, I got my FreeBird today, plugged in the dongle that came with it, turned it on and Windows 7 recognised it right away. Here's a few things I'd like to point out before getting the actual point:

• The FreeBird has only one modifier key, Shift. While this provides a couple of nifty options, it severely cripples Media Center usage (more on this after the break).
• My Asus HD4850 graphics card is incapable of utilizing the "Switch amongst displays" feature in the CCC correctly, so instead I have set up two different profiles, one for the TV and one for the PC. Furthermore, I've created shortcuts for these profiles, and a small batch script that allows me to swap between them. The script uses an empty txt-file which it renames every time a swap is made - I didn't know how else I could make it work, but here's the script:

IF EXIST "D:\General\TV-PC-Swapping\pc.txt" GOTO TV
IF EXIST "D:\General\TV-PC-Swapping\tv.txt" GOTO PC
:TV
rundll32 shell32.dll,ShellExec_RunDLL "D:\General\TV-PC-Swapping\Swap-to-TV.lnk"
RENAME pc.txt tv.txt
GOTO END
:PC
rundll32 shell32.dll,ShellExec_RunDLL "D:\General\TV-PC-Swapping\Swap-to-PC.lnk"
rename tv.txt pc.txt
GOTO END
:END

Furthermore, I've added a line to the :TV section that launches Media Center with MediaBrowser open to decrease the number of hotkeys needed to actually get "started".

To the questions!

Since the FreeBird has only the Shift-modifier, I can't execute hotkeys like Ctrl+F and Ctrl+B (very important to me) for skip forwards/backwards. Is it possible to change the Media Center hotkeys? I've done a bit of Googling and looked around the settings of Windows Media Player, but without luck. Unless I can somehow remap those keys, or better yet: remap the input from the FreeBird, I might have to let it go

Any suggestions?

 

[garbagemule]

Phew, after a couple of hours messing and fiddling with everything, I've finally arrived at a point where I'm satisfied - temporarily. There's absolutely no doubt that when I can afford it, I'll buy either the Enermax or the DiNovo Mini, because my current "workaround" is very prone to error considering all the factors So if anyone cares; here we go:

I have added F10 as the shortcut for the display-swapping batch-file. I know, it's an unfortunate hotkey, but there really is no better/less used key available on the FreeBird. The batch-file (and thus pressing F10 on the FreeBird) now does the following:

• Switch to the TV
• Open MediaBrowser in Windows Media Center
• Execute AutoHotKey-script

The reason for the AutoHotKey-script is that the FreeBird is considered a regular, generic keyboard by Windows. The problem with this is that it's impossible (with my skills) to intercept the inputs from the FreeBird alone. The AutoHotKey-script remaps some keys, so that navigating and controlling Media Center is much easier. One major downside to this workaround is that I'm completely unable to do anything but Media Centering while using the FreeBird.

Now, the AutoHotKey-script intercepts the F10 hotkey, and pressing it while in "TV-mode" does the following:

• Alt+F4 to terminate Windows Media Center
• Execute display-swapping batch-file to return to "PC-mode"
• Terminate AutoHotKey-script returning all keys to normal

The cool thing about this is that even though I'm completely messing up the key mapping while in TV-mode, when I return to PC-mode, everything is back to normal. The bad thing about it is that there are so many factors determining wether or not I'll have to get out of my chair to fix something that got messed up Another issue is having to draw a diagram of what each button on the FreeBird does, so I'm not the only one capable of using it

 

[dr.stevil]

yes, the messenger kit is useless with windows, even though on the god damn box it has windows logos on it it is unbelievable there are no drivers for this simple HID device, and it would make my life so much easier if i could use these in windows.

$100 REWARD To the creator of successfully working drivers to allow the Microsoft Xbox Messenger Kit to work in Windows Vista/7.

i am not kidding. i will keep the money ready. anyone else that wants to throw down please post a new total. this could work, there are so many people online that ask for these drivers, yet nobody does anything about it. i can't program, but i can put down cash. so could many people.

man, I would pitch in on this as well. There was a website that someone had posted where you can hire amature/part time/out of work software developers to write applications for you. This would probably be right up someones alley. Wish I could remember the name off hand though

 

[gravityparade]

The best PC remote control I've ever seen is the one called Picasso made by HP for use with their Media Center Desktop PCs. (it has an IR receiver called the paintbrush). I use this with a non-HP PC, so I know it works with any windows Vista/7 PC. You don't have to install any software just plug it into a USB slot with any Media Center Windows PC and it's ready to go.

Find it in the HP parts store

Part # 5070-2583 is the remote
Part # 5070-2584 is the receiver

Here is a picture of the Picasso:

 

[engiNURD]

The best PC remote control I've ever seen is the one called Picasso made by HP for use with their Media Center Desktop PCs. (it has an IR receiver called the paintbrush). I use this with a non-HP PC, so I know it works with any windows Vista/7 PC. You don't have to install any software just plug it into a USB slot with any Media Center Windows PC and it's ready to go.

Find it in the HP parts store

Part # 5070-2583 is the remote
Part # 5070-2584 is the receiver

Here is a picture of the Picasso:

http://img185.imageshack.us/img185/4480/mschp120.jpg

Does that remote work with other IR receivers, or does it only work with the paintbrush?

 

[gravityparade]

Does that remote work with other IR receivers, or does it only work with the paintbrush?

Unfortunately I've never tried to use it with any other IR receiver and I don't have another IR receiver to try it out with. So I cannot answer your question, sorry

 

[garbagemule]

Remote and IR-receiver look pretty pricy considering the fact that they're... Well, IR. Such devices are of no use for me, since I require a range longer than the 5m limit of wired USB. My PC and TV are in opposite ends of the room, and I really don't want to be shooting IR-rays in random directions backwards to try and hit the IR-receiver

If only there was a proper device that looked exactly like the IR-remotes, but utilizing Bluetooth instead of IR... And at an reasonable price. A man can dream...

 

[dr.stevil]

yes, the messenger kit is useless with windows, even though on the god damn box it has windows logos on it it is unbelievable there are no drivers for this simple HID device, and it would make my life so much easier if i could use these in windows.

$100 REWARD To the creator of successfully working drivers to allow the Microsoft Xbox Messenger Kit to work in Windows Vista/7.

i am not kidding. i will keep the money ready. anyone else that wants to throw down please post a new total. this could work, there are so many people online that ask for these drivers, yet nobody does anything about it. i can't program, but i can put down cash. so could many people.

http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1483732&highlight=chatpad