Re: Xbox Mediacenter Extender Remote

Tech Tip: Click here to run a free scan for Windows Errors and optimize PC performance

This is great news Todd!

So, if I get an Xbox 360, instead of buying an Xbox 360 remote for the MCE
extender function, I can use a standard MCE remote? And this would be
accomplished by changing some setting in the Xbox 360 configuration? I don't
have Xbox 360 yet, so I don't know/can't confirm what this config change is.
Does anyone know?



"Todd Bowra [MSFT]" <toddbow@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:%233mj0e67FHA.2040@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Actually, all Media Center PC remotes will work with Xbox 360 and the Xbox
> 360 remote will work with all Media Centers.
>
> Media Center PCs and Xbox 360 (and the MCX set top boxes for that matter)
> all use the same IR protocol (RC6). This protocol has multiple
> sub-channels, and by default, Xbox 360 is set to only listen to one
> channel
> in order to avoid interference if you have a Media Center PC in the same
> room. Xbox 360 can be reconfigured via the dashboard to listen to all IR
> channels. Likewise, Media Center is configured by default to not listen
> to
> the Xbox 360 remote to avoid interference if your Xbox 360 is in the same
> room as your Media Center PC. Just like Xbox 360, Media Center can be
> reconfigured to listen to different IR channels.
>
> If you want to use one remote with both devices, all you need to do is
> appropriately configure the device that the remote didn't come with.
>
> --
> This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no
> rights.
>
>
> "Derek R. Flickinger" <DrFlick@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in
> message news:uVc2Fz57FHA.2816@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>> To make it even worse, Jump In List is being touted as a great feature of
>> the 360 MCE eXtender by our friends like Charlie Owen on his blog at
>>
> http://blog.retrosight.com/PermaLink,guid,94b33fce-88a1-4745-8ba2-76002ebe07ab.aspx,
>> but their own keyboard does not support typing "real" letters, which even
> is
>> easier than triple-tapping (if it only worked).
>>
>> =D-
>>
>> "Derek R. Flickinger" <DrFlick@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in
>> message news:uQtgJi57FHA.3976@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>> > Nigel,
>> >
>> > I understand what you are saying, but I think you may be over
> simplifying
>> > it a bit. The whole thing seems much more convoluted to me than that.
>> > The problem is not that they both are different the same way. The real
>> > problem is that they made the first ones different in the first place -
>> > and even in this round they are somewhat different again. From what we
>> > have been able to find on the subject, the 360 Media Remote even works
>> > somewhat differently than the 360 Universal Media Remote (although I
> will
>> > say we have not had a chance to play with the latter one yet).
>> >
>> > We are trying to come up with a "usability" matrix that has a list of
> the
>> > possible controllers down the left side and the different devices and
> the
>> > modes within the devices across the top. Within each square of the
> matrix
>> > are four different check boxes representing feature sets (with an
>> > associated legend describing the feature set) for what actually works
> with
>> > what. Some control, some do nothing at all, some do navigation, some
>> > do
>> > not support typing (as in the keyboard and the 360 in MCE eXtender
> mode),
>> > and some support programming. It is a nightmare. I think if you
>> > investigate this further, you will see how confusing it becomes. What
>> > were they thinking (or not, as the case may be)??
>> >
>> > To us, the bottom line is that we have not found anyone at Microsoft so
>> > far that can fill this chart in. It is as if one group had no idea
>> > what
>> > the other group was doing. They could not possibly have performed a
>> > "cross-product line" usability study from a consumer's perspective or
> they
>> > never would have made such a giant step backwards from the simplicity
>> > of
>> > the single MCE remote. We should be able to take any one of the
>> > controller devices (except possibly the actual 360 wired or wireless
>> > controller) and have it work the same way with a PC-based MCE machine,
> the
>> > current eXtenders, the original Xbox eXtender, or the 360 in eXtender
>> > mode. Maybe we are missing something, but it appears we are light
>> > years
>> > away from being able to do that. Either way, it surely makes a mess
>> > for
>> > our customers. It also is a mess for any developer trying to make a
>> > software version of a remote that "should" work for all of the
>> > different
>> > UIs. Although it seems dated now, this reference is pretty much all
> that
>> > is available publicly on what HID values are being send by "a remote"
>> >
> http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/dnwmt/html/remote_control.asp.
>> > Can you honestly tell me that this is valid for all of the combinations
>> > mentioned above?
>> >
>> > =D-
>> >
>> >
>> > "Nigel Barker" <nigel@xxxxxx> wrote in message
>> > news:5cm6o1pp7j95086ssg8a8acj2s0ptjhh8c@xxxxxxxxxx
>> >> On Tue, 22 Nov 2005 10:59:20 -0500, "Derek R. Flickinger"
>> >> <DrFlick@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>> >>
>> >>>We also are curious why the new Media Remote that comes with the 360
> does
>> >>>not work with a PC-based Media Center, even though it has all of the
>> >>>"correct" buttons (including the MCE "Start" button). It is getting
> very
>> >>>confusing for developers to figure out how to develop a remote control
>> >>>that
>> >>>works across the product lines now, even though they all have the same
>> >>>buttons. Unfortunately, it is even more confusing for the consumers.
> We
>> >>>have gone from a single MCE remote we can carry around the house and
> use
>> >>>with all of our 10' MCE UIs to multiple remotes/keyboards that only
> work
>> >>>on
>> >>>specific devices, even though the UIs and most of the buttons are the
>> >>>same.
>> >>>Man, don't you guys ever talk to each other???
>> >>
>> >> This is consistent with the original Xbox MCE Extender as this remote
> is
>> >> almost
>> >> identical to the MCE one but does not operate the PC.
>> >>
>> >> --
>> >> Nigel Barker
>> >> Live from the sunny Cote d'Azur
>> >
>> >
>>
>>
>
>


.

Quantcast