[mythtv-users] Asus unveils dirt-cheap Chromebox desktops with Haswell chip

[Nick Rout]

On Thu, Feb 6, 2014 at 6:24 PM, Stephen P. Villano
<stephen.p.villano at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> On 2/6/14, 12:21 AM, Nick Rout wrote:
>> On Thu, Feb 6, 2014 at 11:32 AM, Phill Edwards <philledwards at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>> This could be interesting:
>>>> http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/02/04/asus_chromebox/
>>>
>>> Yeah I also saw an article on Ausdroid -
>>> http://ausdroid.net/2014/02/05/asus-unwraps-their-chromebox-plans-coming-in-march-in-three-versions/
>>>
>>> They don't have any infrared built in from what I can see so how would
>>> people generally set up a remote control on these? Have a USB infrared
>>> receiver? I actually tried that once and it turned into a nightmare so I
>>> went back to a serial receiver which seemed a lot easier for some reason.
>>> Perhaps it was just an awkward USB receiver I'd bought off eBay, but it's
>>> made me wary.
>> same as anyone else uses when their pc doesn't have a built in IR.
>> Which is most pc's.
>>
>> Personally I prefer these:
>>
>> http://rtr.ca/sapphire_remote/
>> _______________________________________________
>>
> Isn't that one of the ones that the default kernel drivers treat like a
> mouse and keyboard?
> Got two similar ones like that here, never got around to playing with
> them to make them work more intuitively (did get them working, but with
> additional key mode changing on the remote that I'd not want to suggest
> my wife try, just to ensure continued domestic tranquility).

I suggest you read the driver documentation. The driver is made
specifically for mythtv by a mythtv user. They are very flexible, the
keymap can be changed dynamically.

For example when I start XBMC from a myth menu item, the menu item
runs a script that switches to my preferred xbmc keymap, and switches
back to the myth one when XBMC exits.

The driver can distinguish between long and short presses, meaning
every key can have two functions. You can also assign a macro or
sequence of keypresses to one button (the author gives an example for
setting audio sync to his preferred option, which would normally be 3
remote buttons.

It has some faults, no backlight, no keys that can be programmed for
other devices, small print for old eyes, on irexec ability to trigger
other programs (although it can be used under lirc).

However it has lots of buttons, with a 'shape' to both the remote and
the buttons themselves, so you learn your way around it in the dark.