Media PC remote

[tthurman]

I'm looking for a way to replace the keyboard and mouse on my media pc. I plan to do any, or at least most KVM via remote desktop.

I'm looking at these:

Good reviews, touch pad for desktop navigation

THis one is reviewed favorably too

Any input/suggestions welcome.

[sbdman]

I had an original Microsoft media center remote, I now just use the IR receiver, and a universal remote replacement to run Media Center. There are some good cheap ($20) replacements that work well, but make sure they have all the functions you want. Most come with a small plug in IR dongle, rather than the large one you linked to, if you have usb on the front panel.

Occasionally, you still need a keyboard/mouse replacement for regular Windows maintenance - here I use the Lenovo N5901, which can be found for $25 if you search. There is a newer version of it with a bit better features here. Typing with your thumbs if you're used to it, can work pretty well instead of a full size keyboard from your recliner.

[tthurman]

Yeah that's just it, this is my first go around with a media PC, so I don't really know what features I really want/need.

I "think" a remote with some type of mouse control will suffice, along with basic playback functions for dvd/bluray will do the trick. Don't know if the HP I linked has that feature, but I've read numerous reviews from people who like that one. I agree though, the dongle is huge on the HP, the first linked though one is pretty small.

I have a ASUS mini remote from a P5W DH, and the basic functions work on a non-ASUS board, it's pretty lacking though.

[tthurman]

I'm going to give the andriod apps a try before anything else.

Apparently that HP I linked is really liked for that IR it comes with, which can be purchased separately too. Evidently it is quite cross compatible with numerous other devices.

[sbdman]

The first one you posted, looks like it has all the functions of the original. Be careful when you ask for bluray support - I have both PowerDVD 11 and TotalMedia Theater 3, neither work perfectly inside WMC 7 (even though they install WMC icons that pop up when you put in a BD disk), but actually run in regular windows mode. And then, other than transport control (stop, start, rew, ff) getting to the main and sub menus may not be possible as is with a dedicated BD player. Also, full audio playback of lossless codecs can be painful, stock Windows does not support these, and the programs will spit out PCM, so your receiver just reports multi-channel mode, not the DTS-MA, or Dolby HD you'd like to see. I've heard there's no difference in quality, but I have tweaked the codecs to get those lights lit.

[sbdman]

I'm going to give the andriod apps a try before anything else.

Apparently that HP I linked is really liked for that IR it comes with, which can be purchased separately too. Evidently it is quite cross compatible with numerous other devices.

+1, good plan.

[cburbs]

Are you running WMC/XBMC?

This is the remote I bought and then programmed it to my every day remote for running WMC -

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16880101002

[tthurman]

Are you running WMC/XBMC?

This is the remote I bought and then programmed it to my every day remote for running WMC -
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16880101002

WMC for starters, I plan to take a good look at XBMC though, I've been loosely following it for several years now, and it seems people really like it. I've been in the "planning" stages for this for a long time, and finally decided to jump in, so I've got a lot to learn.