[nmglug] a couple of a/v questions: video remote control, and audio flexibility

[Sam Noble]

On Fri, 2009-03-27 at 11:32 -0600, Mark Galassi wrote:
> First of all: the various video players I use (xine, vlc, totem,
> mplayer) often mention that they are compatible with remote controls.
> I've never used one, so I wonder if there is a very basic remote
> control
> (I presume it uses USB) which costs little and I can just buy here in
> town.

I've been a little too lazy to actually get to the point of having a
working remote for my MythTV install. But the issue has been on my radar
for over a year so here's a couple points to note:

      * You are really only concerned with the IR receiver, you'll
        almost certainly wind up running lirc http://www.lirc.org/ or
        similar to handle the actual ir codes and to pass the commands
        to the software. Which means that you can easily use any of the
        hundreds of actual remote controllers that have profiles already
        shipped with lirc, and with a little more effort you can make
        your own profile for whatever old used controller is lying
        around from that TV that blew up that one time.
      * Many video capture cards have an IR receiver of some kind built
        in.
      * There are also many other commercial home-brew serial and USB IR
        receivers, check out the list a little bit down on the left
        panel at lirc.org.
      * And finally, please note that if you go to the store looking for
        a "USB remote control" Logitech and others sell many models of
        what are essentially "Universal Remotes" that come with a USB
        interface. That interface is _not_ for a bundled IR receiver. It
        is just for access to the controller so that the codes it sends
        can be configured with software. They may be fine remotes, but
        they're fairly pricey and you still need a receiver. :(

Let us (me) know if you find a good one.