I've had a break through!
For those of us who use either Windows Media Player Classic (WMPC) or Windows Media Player Classic Home Cinema (WMPC-HC) within MediaPortal and have been unable to get access to its controls via MCE Remote fear not as I have finally discovered how to do it!!!
This is probably the simplest and easiest way.
The functions we need control over in MediaPortal are:
Play, Pause, Stop, Forward, Rewind and Exit.
Right, here’s what you need to do. I use WMPC-HC but it’s the same process for WMPC.
1. Load up WMPC/WMPC-HC and go to options (view -> options or press O)
2. Click the "
Keys" menu in the left plane.
3. Click "
Play" in the listed keys and scroll across to the row "
App Command". Double click in it (in line with the "Play" column) and a menu will drop out. In that menu select "
MEDIA_PLAY".
4. Click "
Pause" in the listed keys and scroll across to the row "
App Command". Double click in it (in line with the "Pause" column) and a menu will drop out. In that menu select "
MEDIA_PAUSE".
5. Click "
Stop" in the listed keys and scroll across to the row "
App Command". Double click in it (in line with the "Stop" column) and a menu will drop out. In that menu select "
MEDIA_STOP".
Now for FFD and RWD you have three options: "small", "medium" and "large". These determine how fast you want to FFD/RWD. I personally use "small" but it’s up to which one you want to use.
6. Click "
Jump forward (small)" in the listed keys and scroll across to the row "
App Command". Double click in it (in line with the "Jump forward (small)" column) and a menu will drop out. In that menu select "
MEDIA_FAST_FORWARD".
7. Click "
Jump backward (small)" in the listed keys and scroll across to the row "
App Command". Double click in it (in line with the "Jump backward (small)" column) and a menu will drop out. In that menu select "
MEDIA_REWIND".
Make sure these are the only keys that have text in the “App Command” Columns! If there is any others then remove them!
Now you will be able to Play, Pause, Stop, Forward and Rewind using the media keys on the MCE Remote.
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To be able to
Exit WMPC/WMPC-HC and return to MediaPortal we need an additional program called "
LMRemote". Its what I use to map my Green Button on the MCE remote so when I press it loads MediaPortal.
First we need to choose a key to exit the player. I have chosen "B" on my keyboard to exit the player (you can choose which ever key you like).
Look up "
Exit" in the keys option of WMPC/WMPC-HC. Make sure under the "
Modifier" column you select "
None" in the drop down menu. Then in the "
Key" column select "B". That’s it. Click
Apply.
Now here’s what you do in LMRemote:
Download it from here (its Free):
LM Gestion : LM Remote KeyMap for Streamzap, Firefly, Firefly Mini, USB-UIRT, TechnoTrend or MCE PC Remote
1 Install.
2. Then in the main window click: "Choose Remote". Select Media Centre Remote.
3 Click "
Set up Remote". Untick all of the options
4 click "
Choose Blaster". Select "
MCE IR Blaster"
5 Where it says "
Remote Profiles" make sure "
Default" is selected. Then press the "Edit" button. and a remote profile editor window will pop up. You will see a pic of the MCE Remote. Click the "
Green Button" on the remote (It will be highlighted in green). In the "Button Options" select "
Launch Application" for Type. Then under that it says “Application”. In there browse to MediaPortal folder and select
MediaPortal.exe. Press ok.
6 Click the "
Red" button on the remote. In the "
Button Actions" select "
PressKey" for Type. Then under that it says
Virtual Key Code. In there choose "
B". Press ok.
Now every time you press the
Red button on your MCE Remote, it will close WMPC/WMPC-HC (and when you press the
Green Button MediaPortal will load).
I’ve chosen the Red button on my MCE Remote to emulate key “B” but you can choose any key you like.
Now, you will be able to exit WMPC/WMPC-HC and return to MediaPortal.
You should now have complete control over MediaPortal and will not need to use your keyboard anymore.
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I’ve managed to integrate it all with my Harmony 1000 remote so now I have COMPLETE control of MediaPortal and Windows Media Player Classic Home Cinema.
The 2nd Screen is just a back up of all the commands i use on my MCE Remote.
The controls on the 1st screenshot are the ones i use plus i have configured some of the hard keys such as the bottom left/right keys to forward/rewind,
Chan + launches MediaPortal and
Chan - closes WMPC-HC.
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Tip 1:
You can set up other keys like above for other controls under “Keys” in WMPC/WMPC-HC should you wish to do so. Pretty much any action you want to do is listed in the Keys options.
For Example, if you want to turn on and off subtitles, choose a key and then alter the options in WMPC/WMPC-HC so that the key for “Subtitles on/off” corresponds with that keyboard key you have chosen. Then in LMRemote map a button on the MCE Remote (same procedure as above) to that key.
In essence, what you are doing is mapping keyboard keys to the remote.
You could map every key if you wanted to using LMRemote and configuring the keys in WMPC/WMPC-HC to match. This has the added benefit of using WMPC/WMPC-HC as stand alone in explorer rather than just in MediaPortal but as most of us use it within MediaPortal this shouldn’t be necessary.
Tip 2:
Rather than having profiles and Hotkeys in ATi CCC to change between 60Hz (desktop) and 24Hz (movies) just use WMPC/WMPC-HC to it for you when it launches. There is setting in options where you can tell it to change resolution when the film starts. I’ve set mine to 1920x1080 @ 24Hz. When you close the player it changes the resolution back to what it was.
NOTE:
Don’t map a key that is used by another program or another task, as it will no longer work. If you do need to do this then create a separate profile in LMRemote and map a key to switch between the profiles.
