Afraid to start my trials of Girder and Netremote...

[Vinny Singh]

It looks like it might take me ~30 days to aquire and configure all the parts! I tried girder around 2 years ago, but didn't have the necessary stuff to control with, or control.

Now, I have a home theater setup, with a Marquee 8000 CRT projector with RS-232 control that I just got working (and some crazy high khz remote that I can't let anything learn off of.) Onkyo processor for sound, audigy 2 NX USB for passthrough spdif from my HTPC. Also have a comcast/motorola DCT 6200 STB for cable/hdtv - yprb>vga, and XBOX with vga transcoder. All this through a 3 way vga switcher (not controllable via IR or RF).

CURRENT SITUATIONS:

FOR HTPC USE. 4 remotes, lots of buttons (8+) and sequences.

-I have to manually turn on projector via bulky battery eating remote, thats as ergonomic as an 80's gm product.
-Pick up gyration mouse and/or MCE remote (wintv PVR-150 + MCE 2005).
-Switch to DVD or Video1 on the Onkyo,
-click switcher to vga input one.
-Adjust contrast on projector,
-then adjust sound, because I usually turn both down after doing whatever on the HTPC.
-Oh, and I have to press "RECALL 01" for the projectors recall memory for the HTPC resolution.
-If I play a dvd, I get dolby digital / DTS pass through, if I play divx or some other media file, I get prologic or may want some other DSP setting, but my reciever needs to be told to do that, so there is another button push.

FOR CABLE USE: 3 remotes - 4 buttons

-Switch to vga input 2,
-switch onkyo to Video 2,
-adjust volume because it's quieter than HTPC,
-Recall 02 using CRT remote,
-then grab Comcast remote to switch channels.

FOR XBOX USE: - 3 remotes 4-5 buttons

Switch to vga input 3,
-switch onkyo to Video 3,
-adjust volume because it's also different levels than STB or HTPC.
-Grab CRT flintstones remote again and switch to recall 03.
-If I intend on playing a DVD through the Xbox, I also have to grab it's remote.

Of course there is the issue of storing these remotes, and trying to place them in a dark room. I usually drop 1 or 4 in the process, that can't be good.

I have 6+ freakin remotes down there + a gyration keyboard. No one will use the HT setup w/o me being around! I want to consolidate into one device, using netremote I think, with a sprinkle of girder.

Currently I have in the house an AXIM X5 with WM2003, an HP Tmobile IPAQ 63xx or 6315 (my phone), and possibly an AXIM X50, but that one is not mine to commandeer. I heard the h6315 doesn't work with netremote (and it complains when I installed it on my pc and synced). X5 is not recommended (WHY?). The X5 has a wifi card. I don't think I care about IR from the actual device, should I?

What exactly do I need? Do girder 3.3x plugins work with 4.x? I see some electrohome projector stuff under the 3.3 forums. I assume I need NETREMOTE PRO, no IR, then I need Girder PRO... this is getting quite expensive...

Hardware:
If I have a USB IR transmitter/reciever through the Hauppauge PVR150 MCE kit with remote, can that be used to send and recieve IR from Girder, which gets it from TCI/IP? Do I have to buy or build yet another USB IHURT TIR IRDAMAN Blasterthingy? I don't have many USB connections left, since one needs to be USB2.0 w/o other things on it (audigy 2nx). I don't want to buy more stuff and make it more and more complicated to reload when windows blows up.

I want to sit down, push a custom button on the X5 PPC, switch the proper VGA selection for whatever it is I'm doing, and enjoy a movie or game, w/o messing with all this stuff all the time. I've been "messing" with it for a year now, and have known about girder for 2-3, just never looked easy enough to try. Thanks in advance for your recommendations and advice!

[Vinny Singh]

Oooh, I also have minimal X10 stuff, mostly outside lights, but one wall in the theater room is on an x10 dimmer, I would like to be able to control that stuff as well, I have a serial firecracker, as well as some sort of bulky white serial x10 device that I never hooked up.

[Vinny Singh]

I'm sitting here waiting to buy this. For like 12 hours on the forums now. Someone hold my hand and tell me this will do everything I need to do... I'm sick of trying new things, I have had media portal, meedio, mythtv, linux, vnc, frodoplayer, media engine, housebot, even a G4 mac!... This set of products seems the most robust at this time, coupled with MS WINMCE.

I don't want to buy any new hardware, I have an axim X5 + ambicom wifi cf,, and the eHome ir transceiver meant for windows XP. I was reading somewhere that it could send and receive IR stuff through girder, but firefox crashed, and I lost my searches.

What is the upgrade path/cost? What happens when 4.1 comes out? wha t about netremote pro 2.0? or heck, 1.1? Is the beta pretty stable? Is it easy to configure? What is it that I need to buy? I am thinking Netremote PRO (no IR), and Girder 4 Pro. Do I install the trials and within 30 days, get a key? or do I have to reconfigure everything if I get the trial working?

[Rob H]

Not sure about the Hauppage issue - I'll have to leave that to someone who knows the hardware. But all the rest sounds doable.

If you want serial control of any devices (probably the projector) you'll need Girder Pro. Any of those PDAs should be fine as long as they have WiFi capability (or will take a suitable WiFi card).

Some Girder 3.3 plugins will work in Girder 4, but there is no guarantee. Most GML files will work fine, but may need a bit of tweaking.

If I've missed anything here let me know.

[Vinny Singh]

Sorry, didn't expect a quick response, while editing my post to make it clearer. Could you please edit your helpful post with the other questions I added? Thanks!

PS: I'm gonna go install the trial stuff now, I think I found the post about the mce ir thing

http://www.promixis.com/phpBB2/viewt...ighlight=ehome

[Rob H]

The only thing to add really is about the eHome IR transceiver

See this thread here (especially the last message) http://www.promixis.com/phpBB2/viewt...ighlight=ehome

I can't answer the questions about upgrade paths beyond 4.0 and NR 1.0 I'm afraid.

Simplest thing is to install the trials - once you have the basics working then you'll need to install the key within 30 days. No need to reconfigure.

[Vinny Singh]

lmao... thanks

[Vinny Singh]

Moving along slowly with netremote pro and girder pro (trials for now). Got axim X5 ppc working with mediabridge and itunes (that was neat!). Haven't been able to go further because my head hurts from reading stuff. I think I read that the X5 doesn't play well with netremote... is it only because the IR sucks from it, or does it lock up and freeze all the time? Why is the h6315 PDA phone not supported (i tried to install it, and it said the xscale and arm cpu's are supported, I think I read that the h6300-500 series have TI OMAP cpu's). I've never had a problem with any other PPC program... if it's meant for win ce, it works.

Also, a page I just found that gives a better overview of the MCE plugin by burningzeroad is here,

http://www.byremote.com.au/Hip/mce_remote_faq.htm

I don't want to buy a USB-UIRT. I want to use MCE USB-IRT with girder+netremote. I would use HIP, but they don't seem to have a netremote type application which is the core of what I want to accomplish.

Tommorow after my headache subsides , I should be able to press the MCE greenbutton, and it will turn on my projector and bring up the proper recall setting/contrast via RS232 or IR, and switch to the proper input on my Onkyo. I think my Onkyo doesn't have discreet on/off commands, just an on/off toggle. So I will just leave it ON all the time (otherwise things could get out of sync).

Once that works, I want to make a tonto ccf for netremote that does everything the MCE remote does, PLUS mediabridge, plus an emulated projector remote, with some buttons from my receiver.

My hope is that the Pocket PC will control everything via wifi. MS/phillips/mce IR blasters should take command of everything else via passthrough. What exactly is a global cache device, and how is it different than passthrough? One of those I saw required a port (I think GC). I didn't understand how to get the MCE IRT to learn any of my other non-mce remote commands, let alone transmit them via girder/netremote, but I think I'm heading in the right direction.

It seems as if girder works by magic, and I'm just blindly reading some stuff and tinkering with nested menus trying to find the secrets. Is there a tutorial? maybe a visual diagram of how it all works? Girder for dummies book at barnes and noble?

Thanks for the help, I'll be a determined user yet!

[Promixis]

Hi,

To better help you, please start a seperate thread with a single question in each one. It will make it easier to get you up and running. Have you read the manuals that come with NetRemote and Girder?

[Vinny Singh]

I did not... I didn't know there was a manual! I read every guide and post related to what I wanted to do on the entire internet it seems, but did not search my own PC. Maybe the guide should point out that you should RTFM .

Thanks, I wanted to repost my questions, but didn't want to cross post.