USB IR Receiver for Hauppauge 45 Button Remote

[ptzink]

Hello. I am currently using a 45 button Hauppauge remote that I received with my HVR-1600 to control Sage. It works great now with the included IR receiver that plugs into the card, because my 'server' is sitting next to my one and only TV. In the next few months, however, I will be moving the server with the tuners to a closet (or den) and will be using a Thin Client (likely an Acer Aspire Revo) hooked up to the TV to run Sage. I would like to use the same remote in the new setup. What are my options? The USB-UIRT seems a little pricey. Are there any alternative IR receivers that are USB that will accept the Hauppauge 45 button signal? Should I just buy a new remote with USB receiver (seems like a cheaper option than USB-UIRT)? Anyone have any recommendations for remotes that work well with Sage?
PS - Before anyone suggests it, I realize that I could just buy the HD-200 which comes with a remote. But I have my reasons (versatility) for going with a thin client.

[Tiki]

Since you are considering USB solutions, I assume your issue is just the cable length for the Hauppauge IR Receiver? If so and you are adventurous, you could try cutting the cable on your IR receiver and splicing in some additional wire.

Bear in mind, I have not tried this myself, so do this at your own risk. You may find that once you cut the cable the wires inside are a very fine wire gauge and it is difficult to splice. Also, you may find that with a very long cable run, your receiver might be more susceptible to electrical noise.

But if it works, this would be the cheapest solution...

[wado1971]

I'm in a similar position as you -- New client and looking for a remote solution. Here is how i see it...
3 parts are required to work together. An IR-Receiver, Remote, & Software to accept the signal and transfer it to sagetv.

In your old case (OP), Sagetv had built-in software to accept the ir signal from the Haupp 1600. The Haupp 1600 had the ir-receiver hardware build onto the card & dongle. So if you want to go this route again (using sagetv as the software) I'd look into the SageTV docs for solutions to compatible ir receiver units.
Now if you go a different route by using independent software (Girder/Eventghost) then you'll need a compatible ir-receiver to go along with the new software. At this point almost any remote (including you Haup) will work.
Someone please correct me if I'm wrong on this. It's still a bit foggy in my mind.

I currently use two different setups which both work rock solid.

1 - An IrTrans internal IR-Receiver, a Harmony Remote, with Girder acting as the software.
Positives: Build in receiver is 'clean' with no wires or external ir mounting. Harmony remote also controls TV & Receiver on/off functions (basically acts as an ir-transmitter). The Harmony universal remote has very versatile button functionality for controlling multiple devices.
Negatives: Girder has a tough leaning curve and the new version cost $. The IrTrans internal receiver would have been costly if it wasn't included into my case cost (Origan X11). Harmony batteries fail often (wish I had the recharge version) and the Harmony is not built well in my experience (I go through about 1 unit / 2 yrs).

2 - A Streamzap usb external ir-receiver, Streamzap remote, with EvenGhost as the software.
Positives: EventGhost is free and easier to get going than Girder. Streamzap remote/receiver was cheap & comes bundled together. Other remotes can be used with the Streamzap/EventGhost combination (I think - haven't tried).
Negatives: Streamzap ir-receiver is build a bit cheap and since it's external has not held up well to getting banged around. Streamzap remote has basic button layout which is only ok for me in a secondary viewing location.

So after writing this, I've come up with my own wish list and will attempt to implement on my new client for low $.
Software = EventGhost
Ir-Receiver = Custom... I'd like to purchasing an ir-receiver which is compatible with EventGhost (listed on they're website docs) and then disassemble it and mount the guts inside the case (using a usb header on the motherboard). I'll then need to snip off the actual receiver and try to mount it sticking out of a usb port on the front of my case. I may purchase an HP ir-receiver off ebay for this or disassemble my current streamzap receiver.
Remote = Universal remote because I like the fact that the "on" button turns on the TV/Receiver/& wakes the pc from sleep all in one press. Harmony is my only experience but I'm open to suggestions... Good button layout & well built.

Well this brain dump kind of helped me set my own course. Hope it's useful for you (OP).
If anyone has suggestions on my setup or see anything wrong with my logic, please let me know.
thanks - rob

[davephan]

Originally Posted by ptzink

Hello. I am currently using a 45 button Hauppauge remote that I received with my HVR-1600 to control Sage. It works great now with the included IR receiver that plugs into the card, because my 'server' is sitting next to my one and only TV. In the next few months, however, I will be moving the server with the tuners to a closet (or den) and will be using a Thin Client (likely an Acer Aspire Revo) hooked up to the TV to run Sage. I would like to use the same remote in the new setup. What are my options? The USB-UIRT seems a little pricey. Are there any alternative IR receivers that are USB that will accept the Hauppauge 45 button signal? Should I just buy a new remote with USB receiver (seems like a cheaper option than USB-UIRT)? Anyone have any recommendations for remotes that work well with Sage?
PS - Before anyone suggests it, I realize that I could just buy the HD-200 which comes with a remote. But I have my reasons (versatility) for going with a thin client.

I'm not sure what you plan to do with the Acer Aspire Revo. I did check out a CNET video review, which basically said it was good low-end starter PC for a kid, but isn't suitable for editing photos, or working as a media extender for HD. It has a nano CPU, is very slow, not suitable for any serious computing, almost disposable, and very cheap, about $200.

http://reviews.cnet.com/desktops/ace...-33777218.html

When you change the role of the SageTV computer from a multipurpose PC to a dedicated headless SageTV computer, your SageTV system reliability will increase, so that is a good move. The HD-200 is looks like a much better choice than using a Acer Aspire Revo as a media extender, and is about the same cost. Don't bother thinking about an MVP, since the video quality is worse and the audio quality is drastically worse than the HD-200. The MVP reliability is also drastically worse than the HD-200. You didn't mention if you are doing anything with HD or could be moving to HD in the future. The HD-200 is the best choice if you have HD now or a moving to it in the future.

You didn't mention if you are using a set top box. You could use the Hauppauge IR blaster to control the set top box, located in the closet near the headless SageTV computer. The reason to add the USB-UIRT is to control the set top box if the Hauppauge IR blaster does not work or isn't reliable. The USB-UIRT isn't expensive, compared to what it can do. The USB-UIRT can control 3 set top boxes, or many more set top boxes if the set top boxes can be configured for different IR channels. The USB-UIRT also gives you the freedom to easily switch between different providers set top boxes and the option to switch to Windows 7 64-bit, which doesn't support firewire.

An RF remote is another option, but they not cheap. The Harmony 900 might work. I recently purchased the AR Xslight remote over the Harmony, since I did not care of the physical button design of the more recent Harmony One and 900 remotes.

Dave

[ptzink]

Hey everyone, thanks for the replies!

@davephan - You must not have read my PS. The review you posted is for the older Aspire Revo. The newer model, while more expensive, has a better processor and graphics chip (ION, not ION LE). By the time I am ready to pull the trigger, they will likely have a model with the ION2 chip, which will be even better/faster. I do realize that the HD-200 is a good choice (and I still haven't entirely ruled it out), but an actual PC gives you much more flexibility (Boxee, Hulu Desktop, etc). Anywho, we can 'duke this out' in another thread. Thanks for the tip on the RF remote. And BTW, I do not have a set top box in the equation as of yet.

@wado1971 - Thanks for the advice. Your setup sounds much more sophisticated (and cooler) than mine. I don't know if my wife would appreciate me dropping any more cash than I have to into a remote system, but I will keep your suggestions in mind

@Tiki - I like the way you think (cheap), but I don't think your suggestion will work for my situation. I will need to control my thin client (Aspire Revo) with the remote, not the server with the tuners.

I think in the end, I may just end up getting a MCE compatible remote with USB IR receiver. I think that will be the path of least resistance for now. It should be relatively cheap and SageTV will support it out of the box. Thanks for all the feedback.