Re: Suggestions on Transmitters

[Jon S. <jon...@gm...>]

On 9/9/08, Hal Vaughan <ha...@th...> wrote:
> Thanks for an answer!  Much appreciated!
>
>
>  On Tuesday 09 September 2008, you wrote:
>  > On 9/9/08, Hal Vaughan <ha...@th...> wrote:
>  > > Okay, since it seems I'm not going to get any help with
>  > > suggestions, does anyone have a suggestion on a mailing list where
>  > > people can help me with this?  I don't need to know a transmitter
>  > > is perfect, but does anyone have one that gives them a good range?
>  >
>  > You can't use the N770 as an IR remote. There is no power supplied to
>  > the USB port. You'd have to use and external USB hub with a wall wart
>  > for power and then it's not portable.
>  >
>  > What you can do is use the N770 to talk wifi to your home net.
>
>
> I was thinking of using the N770 through wifi, just like you suggest.
>  I'm going to write an app in Perl/TK that lets me add buttons to the
>  window and specify the function for each button, so I can redesign the
>  GUI on-the-fly when I find more functions I want from different
>  controls.  The app will run on a computer in my living room and the
>  N770 will connect with ssh and forward an X session through that.
>
>  I figure I am not restricted to having to switch from TV to DVD to DVR
>  since I can put the buttons I use all the time on one page of a tab
>  panel, then put a set of all the buttons I use when watching DVDs on
>  another tab panel and so on.  I can easily add a button to any tab
>  panel and give it a list of IR commands to send out.
>
>  With this setup, the USB device will be powered by the computer, which
>  will eventually have MythTV and some other stuff on it (and dual boot
>  to XP so I can play Myst -- the one game I enjoy).
>
>
>  > buy a little $100 development board like an Efika or an Atom and plug
>  > it unto your net. Get a MS USB IR transceiver for the development
>  > board. Run a tiny web server on the development board. Use the
>  > browser on the N770 to get to it.
>
>
> That's what I was trying to find out about -- what people here use.
>  I'll look over these.  I didn't want to start spending on parts for a
>  DIY transmitter or get factory made ones and have to go through one
>  after another when I figured there should be a lot of experience here
>  that says some of those things are great and some are less than
>  functional.
>
>  I have thought about what you're talking about: running a web server and
>  serving up some web pages.  That would be easier, but there are a few
>  draw backs that a regular GUI would solve.  If I found I could do all I
>  want with a web server and HTML instead of Perl/TK and a GUI, I'd do
>  it.  (For instance, if I hold down the LOUDER button on a GUI, it can
>  keep sending the "raise volume" command until I let go, but I don't
>  know how to do that on a web page.  Also, I don't know what kind of
>  latency to expect if I add a web server as an intermediate step.)

It is easier to use the browser on the 770 to play with the web server
until you know what you want.  Just click the button multiple times.

After that write a custom app for the 770 and have it open a socket to
the web server and send down post commands. Like a web service. You
can write an equivalent app for an iPod Touch.

This is a good CPU/motherboard for MythTV, $69
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813121342

I haven't tried it but it has the right specs. Drawback is that it has
a fan on it. You will have to spend significantly more to get rid of
the fan. Efika is too slow run MythTV.

Myth's usefulness is declining rapidly as cable systems remove the
unencrypted SD channels. In a few years they will all be gone except
for the broadcast channels. Get a media player like a DSM-320 and suck
shows down from the Internet. There are several free media server
programs for Linux.


>
>  Thanks for giving me a few good suggestions from where I can start!
>
>
>
>  Hal
>
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-- 
Jon Smirl
jon...@gm...