Infrared usb

[chapm4]

putting in new home theater. Universal Remote MX-880 http://universalremote.com
and a Universal Remote MRF-350 rf box that has infrared sensors for equipment (projector, amp, screen, etc). Question is...how to get the htpc to connect. Do I use a MCE remote and usb ir or is there just a usb to ir dongle that anyone is using with Boxee?

[jalyst]

That's exactly what I'm about to work out soon...
I'm getting a MX-980, but without one of their RF/IR transceivers.

So I need some way to add IR reception to my Myth/XBMC/Boxee Front-end.
Preferably internally but a USB adapter will suffice.

I imagine both the 880 and 980 just use some standard form of CIR
So receivers should be readily available...

[Melloware]

Well I can recommend one that is cost effective and widely supported called USB-UIRT.

http://www.usbuirt.com/overview.htm

It is about 50$ USD but it works great and has a wide IR spectrum band. Then you could use your Universal MX and our software Intelliremote which already has a Boxee profile to simply learn the commands from your MX through the USB-UIRT to control Boxee!

We also support these other brands but I prefer the USB-UIRT for its simplicity and cost.

# Keene IRAnywhere KIRA http://www.keene.co.uk
# RedRat UIRT www.redrat.co.uk

But check them all out and decide which one best fits your own needs.

[jalyst]

But isn't usb-uirt a transceiver, not just a receiver?
Why pay for a transceiver when all that's needed is a receiver.

[Melloware]

No, you can use it as a receiver to receive pretty much any IR remote in the 20-60KHz which is pretty much every consumer remote in the world. I use it with a Logitech Harmony 880 to control my HTPC.

And it also has IR blasting capabilities so you could map something from say our Iphone/iPod Touch client to blast IR to turn your TV or AVReceiver on etc.

So it is both a receiver and transmitter of IR. Great value for $50. I don't get any kickbacks from USB-UIRT I just recommend it because I own one and use it and it performs perfectly.

[jalyst]

Yeah but what if you only want a plain old receiver, pref. something that just slots internally into a case?

I know of all the good transceivers, I researched heavily for months, IRTrans are also very good.
The hardware is pricey for what you get, but the software & support is very good.
I'll want a sophisticated transceiver when I get more into HA, but for this specific application one only needs a simple receiver.

[Melloware]

yeah but what if you only want a plain old receiver, pref. something that just slots internally into a case?

Oh you want an INTERNAL IR receiver? I don't know much about those I think IRTrans make some but only that are custom built for the cases they supply. I don't think you can retrofit one into any old case.

I didn't realize that was a requirement, I thought you were just looking for an IR Receiver to use with your Universal MX.

[jalyst]

The OP may well be happy with your suggestion & find some use in a transceiver.
I personally don't see the point in paying for something with extra features that will be redundant for the intended application.

[Melloware]

The OP may well be happy with your suggestion & find some use in a transceiver.
I personally don't see the point in paying for something with extra features that will be redundant for the intended application.

Agreed. But if you read his post again he is looking for ANY way to connect his Universal MX to his HTPC to control Boxee. He could use a Microsoft USB IR Dongle but they don't just sell the dongle they sell the remote with it. So I really do think his best bet is the USB-UIRT don't you agree?

[jalyst]

It's not a bad solution, particularly if one also makes use of it's transmitting abilities...

But I'd be surprised if there's not any simpler receive-only devices that are even cheaper.
I haven't looked around intensely yet, hope to do so soon....