Hauppauge remote with Sage and other apps?

[dvd_maniac]

I am using the Hauppauge remote with Sage 2.2.6 with Cayars17.stv & irremote from Hauppauge..
I use the external video player (Nero ShowTime) to play my dvd backups in *.mp4 format. I have the remote working perfectly, well almost perfectly.
I have the Red button to open or wake Sage, I use the Green button to open & control ShowTime. When I open an *.mp4 file in SageTV, it puts Sage to sleep and opens ShowTime and plays the selected file. My problem is after it opens ShowTime I have to press the Green button to give the remote access to ShowTime before the remote will work with it. Then when pressing the power button in ShowTime it closes and wakes up Sage, but again I have to press the Red button for the remote to work in Sage again.

Is there a way to automate this to give focus to ShowTime when opening a file through Sage? And again giving it back to Sage when it wakes itself up after ShowTime closes?

[Opus4]

Originally Posted by dvd_maniac

Is there a way to automate this to give focus to ShowTime when opening a file through Sage? And again giving it back to Sage when it wakes itself up after ShowTime closes?

Do you mean giving the application focus in Windows, or do yo mean making sure the remote software is auto-set to use the proper application mode when a differnt app has Windows focus?

The remote automatically switches its mode depending on the app w/focus. This can be over-ridden by using the mode() command in irremote.ini. So, if you are not using mode() anywhere, it should switch by itself. If you are using mode(), then you will have to manually switch things via the remote as you are doing. (If you are starting with the ini files I've uploaded, you are using mode(), especiialy for the versions that let you control SageTV w/o it having focus.)

- Andy

[dvd_maniac]

Hi Opus,

I'd have bet a million dollars you'd be the one to fix this for me...

This is the lines in the irremote:

RED={run(C:\PROGRA~1\FREYTE~1\SageTV\SageTVClient.exe)}{mode(SageTVClient)}
GREEN={run(C:\PROGRA~1\Ahead\NEROSH~1\SHOWTIme.exe)}{mode(ShowTime)}

What should I change them to to fix my problem?

[Opus4]

Are you controlling SageTV via event codes so it doesn't need to have focus?

• Yes - Then you'll need to continue using the mode(xxx) commands to force the ini app mode so that you can control SageTV even when some other program has focus.
  
  
• No - Then you could consider dumping all the mode(xxx) commands, in the [Default] and every [<AppName>] sections. That way, the ini file would respond to whatever app has focus. But... the problem with removing the mode(xxx) commands is that you may then run into a problem trying to wake SageTV via the remote.

My solution would be to keep the mode(xxx) commands & assign a button to switch focus mode to another app. Inside the [SageTV] section, for example, you would assign some button to perhaps run showtime.exe & then switch to {mode(ShowTime)}. (As your GREEN button does, above.) In the [ShowTime] section, you could use the same button to switch back to SageTV.

If you have too few buttons to dedicate one to this purpose, you would then have to first sleep SageTV to go back to {mode(Default)} & then use the GREEN button (as you've defined it) to switch to showtime.

- Andy

[dvd_maniac]

The way it's setup now, when I open a video file from inside SageTV and it is not natively played then ShowTime opens up automatically and Sage goes to sleep. ShowTime starts to play the video but can not be controlled by the remote until the Green (Not the power green) button is pressed. When closing ShowTime, SageTV wakes up and has windows focus, but I still need to press the red button to controll Sage again.
I removed all references to red, green, yellow & blue from the [SAGETV] & [SHOWTIME] sections. so this works for me, I was just trying to avoid this step.

What I would like to do is have Sage automatically simulate the pressing of the green button upon sleep and simulate the red button upon awake. Is there something I can put into the properties file or detailed setup that would do this?

[Opus4]

Originally Posted by dvd_maniac

I removed all references to red, green, yellow & blue from the [SAGETV] & [SHOWTIME] sections. so this works for me, I was just trying to avoid this step.

That's a good solution, obviously. You lose more buttons, but then you always know what each one does.

What I would like to do is have Sage automatically simulate the pressing of the green button upon sleep and simulate the red button upon awake. Is there something I can put into the properties file or detailed setup that would do this?

Not that I know of. I don't know of a way to make ir.exe think it received a button press, anyway. The only way I know of to automatically set app focus in the ini is to not use the mode() commands at all & let it activate according ot the app w/focus.

- Andy

[dvd_maniac]

The only way I know of to automatically set app focus in the ini is to not use the mode() commands at all & let it activate according ot the app w/focus.

I tried taking out the mode portion of both Sage and ShowTime and the result was Sage not being able to be controlled by remote at all. I changed this:

RED={run(C:\PROGRA~1\FREYTE~1\SageTV\SageTVClient.exe)}{mode(SageTVClient)}
GREEN={run(C:\PROGRA~1\Ahead\NEROSH~1\SHOWTIme.exe)}{mode(ShowTime)}
to this:
RED={run(C:\PROGRA~1\FREYTE~1\SageTV\SageTVClient.exe)}
GREEN={run(C:\PROGRA~1\Ahead\NEROSH~1\SHOWTIme.exe)}

Did I need to do something else?

[Opus4]

The window name is "SageTV", so if you are using [SageTVClient] as the section name instead (which it looks like due to the use of "mode(SageTVClient)"), it won't find it via its auto mode selection. Also, SageTV will have to have Windows focus for it to work.

- Andy

[dvd_maniac]

so you are saying that I should change [SAGETVCLIENT] to [SAGETV] in the Applications section?

[Opus4]

Yup -- the visible window name is displayed as "SageTV" regardless of whether you are running SageTV or SageTVClient & that is what ir.exe looks at.

- Andy

[dvd_maniac]

I will try that as soon as I get home. Thanx

One more question for you please.

on this Client machine I sometimes have problems with the remote not functioning at all until I click on the mouse. It is a cordless mouse that sometimes will not work until touched as well, kinda like it goes to sleep to conserve batteries. Could this be the issue or might it be something else?

[Opus4]

Originally Posted by dvd_maniac

on this Client machine I sometimes have problems with the remote not functioning at all until I click on the mouse. It is a cordless mouse that sometimes will not work until touched as well, kinda like it goes to sleep to conserve batteries. Could this be the issue or might it be something else?

I don't know -- anyone else have an idea? You could try taking that mouse & its receiver off the computer to see if that was it.

- Andy

[dvd_maniac]

I'll try that tonight too. Hopefully it will work....

[dvd_maniac]

No - Then you could consider dumping all the mode(xxx) commands, in the [Default] and every [<AppName>] sections. That way, the ini file would respond to whatever app has focus. But... the problem with removing the mode(xxx) commands is that you may then run into a problem trying to wake SageTV via the remote.

when you say "every [<AppName>] sections", do you mean EVERY one or just the ones I use?

Also, can I delete all of the sections I don't use like all the wintv sections?

I've tried to delete the mode commands for SageTV and ShowTie and I still have to press the button to give focus..

EDIT: nevermind, shouldn't try this stuff too early in the morning. I forgot to exit irremote.

[dvd_maniac]

Opus,

everything works PERFECTLY now, When I pick a video in Sage that requires Showtime to play it switches perfectly and the remote functions beautifully. When I turn ShowTime off it switches back to Sage and the remote works there again too. All without having to press the colored button.

Thank you again oh ye god of Hauppauge remotes. I really appreciate all your help over the past few weeks in getting this perfected for me. Now my wife can SHUT UP and stop nagging me "How do I get it to do this or that"

[Opus4]

Glad it works. I might as well answer the last couple questions though...

Originally Posted by dvd_maniac

when you say "every [<AppName>] sections", do you mean EVERY one or just the ones I use?

Just the ones you use.

Also, can I delete all of the sections I don't use like all the wintv sections?

Yes.

Oh -- one last thing: you probably know this, but save a copy of your new ini! Installing a new IR driver will overwrite it & reinstalling SageTV might do so too at times.

- Andy

[dvd_maniac]

Oh -- one last thing: you probably know this, but save a copy of your new ini! Installing a new IR driver will overwrite it & reinstalling SageTV might do so too at times.

Found this out the HARD way....

BTW, just in case anybody else is having problems with irremote and cordless mouse: I unplugged the mouse and it works fine now.

Can anybody else confirm any problems with irremote and cordless mouse?