Amulet questions

[HomieTheClown]

This is a questions for all your amulet xbmc\kodi users:

First off does anyone use the remote's buttons to do certain functions. Like stop, play, skip forward\backwards 30 seconds, etc. Obviously use the VC to control your media is awesome but some functions would be nice to be controlled by a simple buttons especially since we are having to pick up the amulet remote anyway. 

So is it possible to program the buttons to do certain functions in XBMC. 

James this question is for you.   I have had VC randomly pause a video in XBMC out of nowhere. The Amulet will be on the table not active so I don't understand how or why VC would do this?  It's VC 2 full version, not the demo.  I think the program is great.  Still trying to learn how to use it properly.  I wish there a way to place microphones around the house to have it always listening.  I saw your 'coming home from work' video and it looked like you had something similar set up. Of course I think I also saw you talking on your phone so I wasn't sure.

[jitterjames]

Yes I use the buttons all the time.  You need an IR receiver of some kind on your computer, and may want to use something like EventGhost to customize what the buttons do when pressed.  I used to use a MCE IR receiver but now I am using a USBUIRT.  Both work fine with EventGhost.

I don't use any open-air microphones in the "Coming Home From Work" demo.  Only Androids running VoxWav and the Amulet remote.

If you think that VC is responsible for randomly pausing a movie then you need to post a log so we can see what is really happening.  If you are not already using the Amulet USB Monitor to turn VC on and off then I suggest you try that first.  The motion sensor in the Amulet is quite sensitive and in some cases it might turn on when jiggled.  When it turns on it may make a "turning on sound" like a hiss or a pop.  If you have a single syllable command phrase such as "pause" (the default xmbc config may have this) you can also try to change this to something longer to avoid it triggering that phrase when hearing this Amulet sound.  Chose what you are most comfortable remembering and saying but a phrase like "press pause" or "pause playback" etc. will be much less likely to be triggered by accident.

[nime5ter]

If you are not already using the Amulet USB Monitor to turn VC on and off then I suggest you try that first.

If you don't know what jitterjames is referring to, see: http://voxcommando.com/mediawiki/index.php?title=Installation#VoxCommando_Extras

[HomieTheClown]

Yes I use the buttons all the time.  You need an IR receiver of some kind on your computer, and may want to use something like EventGhost to customize what the buttons do when pressed.  

The Amulet remote has a small black thing that plugs into the USB port. Wouldn't this be considered an IR receiver?  The remote sends voice commands through this little black device.  Doesn't it also send button inputs as well?  Couldn't I find out these button inputs out so I can edit the keymap.xml file in XBMC?

[jitterjames]

That is an RF receiver that receives audio data only.

[HomieTheClown]

That is an RF receiver that receives audio data only.

So that receiver that you mentioned(USIRT?) works for the audio as well as receives IR button input? OR do you have to use it in conjunction with the little RF receiver that comes with the amulet.

[jitterjames]

It is called a USBUIRT and it sends and receives IR only.

http://www.usbuirt.com/

If you only want to receive IR then an MCE receiver will cost you less, even if you get it with a spare MCE remote.

[HomieTheClown]

Thanks bud.  Just to make sure I understand you fully... To be able to use VC for command stuff AND use the remote for IR button related stuff, you need to use the USBUIRT IR receiver and the Amulet's receiver at the same time. Is that right?  SO i will be using 2 usb ports to run these receivers?

[jitterjames]

Yes.  You will need to use both the RF receiver that came with the Amulet, and some other kind of IR receiver.  If you use the USBUIRT it will also plug into a USB port, so you will need two USB ports.

I believe there are also some non-USB IR receivers available.  Some motherboards come with IR receivers and some offer them as addons, but the simplest is to buy a USB receiver of some kind.

If you don't mind the price, the nice thing about the USBUIRT is that you can learn codes with it, and then retransmit those codes.  So now with VoxCommando you can control all sorts of other stuff in your home.

[jitterjames]

Homie's UUIRT (not really related to Amulet) thread is now here:

http://voxcommando.com/forum/index.php?topic=1753

[2exclusive]

Can the amulet replace a Samsung remote and cable box remote by using uuirt? Also does the uuirt need to point directly to the Samsung tv and the cable box in order to send commands? Or can it just sit close by the devices?

[jitterjames]

Read the thread posted directly above your question (follow the link).  It should provide you with the answers you seek.

The short answer is yes and no.  Yes it can be done, but no it is probably not as simple as you expect.

With VoxCommando and UUIRT you can control almost any IR device using voice commands.  No problem there.  But sending IR to the UUIRT (using your Amulets MCE IR codes) and then having it send a different IR out to control a device can get sticky because you end up with conflicting IR messages travelling through the air at the same time.  So you need to use a delay which works but can be less than ideal and makes it impossible to hold a button down to repeat an action for things like volume control.

UUIRT can blast IR across a room from the front (same windows that it receives from) but it also has a port at the back that an emitter can be plug into, and this emitter can be run to and attached near the input sensor for the device you want to control.  IR will bounce off objects so signals sent out the front blaster will often bounce back off of walls and other objects to devices that it is not pointed directly at, but the reliability will vary depending on many factors so you won't know until you try it.

Please keep in mind that we don't sell or support the UUIRT so you should also consider seeking support directly from http://www.usbuirt.com/

[2exclusive]

Ok, thanks for your response. So it would be better to use amulet only for vox, xbmc, media center etc.  I was looking for an all in one. I guess hard to find.

[jitterjames]

I use it as an all in one, but I keep my other remotes handy for certain situations.  I also keep a mouse and keyboard handy...

Amulet can also learn codes and send them directly but IMO it does not do this very well or reliably at all.  I do use this technique to turn my TV and Receiver on and off, but that's it.  From time to time I have to reprogram these two buttons.