How does one find out whether an equipment has "discrete on/off codes"?

Wanted to know how many SPS-1 and VPS-1 to get or not to get?

Thanks.......Joe.

That is a good question. I do not really know how people found them prior to the Pronto, I assume the high end installers have an IR database somewhere they use to take advantage of them.

If I remember correctly the whole discrete on/off/input codes were generated by figuring out what the pronto hex codes ment. There is a great document by Barry Gordon in the pronto files area that discribes that whole procedure. After the document existed it gave people the ability to experiment and eventually utilities were created that made experimenting even easier.

With some remotes you can get the special IR signals via key combo's. For example my Mitsubishi TV has a mode where you hold the Power and type in 90. Then when you press 1-5 you get discrete codes for jumping directly to inputs 1-5! I am sure that some of the other equipment out there works in a similar manner.

I would say that at this point your best bet is to check the pronto files area and see if discrete codes are availible for your device there. If they are, you can convert from Pronto IR codes into a T2 IR code with a little effort.

Hope that helps,

Will

Hey Will:

What now? OK, I found "discrete codes" for most of my equipment in the Pronto files. I see a bunch of numbers. What do you do with them and how do you load them into the T2? Which library in the T2?

Also, how does one go about converting from Pronto to T2? Thanks..........Joe.

Joe,

Again, this is a bit tricky, as you can only do this by Adding new commands, not for existing commands.

In the IR library manager, open the remote you need. Next, select "Edit Text", to edit the command list for the remote. Delete the entries for which you want to assign a discrete code. Next, press F12, which will open an "undocumented feature" window. Copy the hex codes for a discrete code from the Pronto files area, and paste it in the window. Assign a name to the function, and save it. Repeat that process for all your discrete codes. Works like a charm.

RTI will probably make this a standard feature in a next release of the Designer software.

Regards,

Arjen

Arjen:

Once again, thanks for your help and support. You seem to know alot about the T2 already. Are you sure you want to sell this remote? I don't think anything out there can beat the performance and flexibility for the price. Imagine, this coming from me who was ready to chuck it out the window yesterday :)

Joe.

I know...I love the T2, yet the lack of transport control buttons keeps annoying me. But...I SO like the flexibility of this thing. But...despite the value for many, it is over six whopping hundred dollars!! (have I gone insane?). But...it is SO easy to use.

See, I will probably retract my "for sale offer" and then repost it a zillion times :)

Arjen,

I want whatever you're taking - is it experimental? :-)

Arjen -- Why don;t you use the MENU NAV buttons as a transport. That's what I will be doing. Have a button that switches btwn MENU and TRANSPORT pages for a device.

Yeah, have tried that as well. But I keep forgetting to switch back from NAV to TP mode and vice versa.

I am currently in the "screw-it-I'm-keeping-the-sucker-and-sink-another-bundle-in-the-IRF" mood. Besides...my wife really likes the T2. That in itself is somewhat of a miracle...not sure how to deal with it :)

Hahaha. I am such an idiot.

I'm sticking with the "normal for cursor, hold .3 secs for transport function" macro schema. It does delay the cursor commands a bit and you can't use sustained movement, but I can easily live with it, especially where I need to use it - DVD.

DJ

Yup, that's what I am doing. I found that to be the most workable solution. There does not seem to be a "most natural" button assignment though. I have switched the transport controls to various positions on the arrow pad, but I keep wondering if I assigned play to arrow up or select? Must be I am confusing myself:)

For what it's worth, I took a different approach to dealing with the DVD menu/transport conundrum.

Instead of trying to make the T2 menu nav buttons do double-duty here, I found another option: namely, using the numeric keypad for transport controls.

My reasoning was that I use the number functions much less frequently than either transport or menu functions, so if I was going to compromise functionality this was the place to do it.

My approach was to implement transport functions on the main DVD page, then create a clone "DVD #" page with the number keys changed to do their number thing. I access these numerical input functions via a jump on the * key. Granted it's an extra step to do numerical entries, but as I said I find this is my least frequent operation so it's least intrusive.

The nice thing about this approach is that I need to end a numerical entry with an "ENTER" operation anyway (on my Sony DVP7000 at least), so I simply added an automatic jump to the Enter key to return to the main DVD page with its transport controls on the number buttons. This eliminates the problem of the T2 being inadvertently left on the wrong page that Arjen reported.

With this implementation, I also find it is very easy to operate the transport controls by touch alone, and I get instant response from both menu and transport buttons. I have "Play" assigned to 3, since it's the easiest access as I'm right handed. Pause is 2, and Stop is 1.

I then use 4 and 6 for chapter skips, and 7 and 9 for REV and FF,

This does seem to work quite well for me. Just thought it might be useful to others.

Cheers,
Philip Brandes

Agree, that is a very good approach. But not great for the occasional user. Guess I could always put transport buttons on the LCD for them...

Transport buttons in the LCD??? NOOOO!!!

I use the Right arrow for Play, because it looks like the play arrow. The Select button is pause, and the Down button is stop.

For shuttle and chapter change I use the channel up / down buttons. Hold for .3 secs for Next / Prev chapter, and regular press for shuttle + and -.

DJ

Arjen,

Yes, I have the transport buttons duplicated on the LCD as well, for other users...but since my girlfriend NEVER uses the number buttons, only the minimum functions, it isn't a problem to have the hard number buttons reassigned.

Like I said, this works for me, because I rarely use the number buttons.

Which brings up a related question--how much do people use number buttons vs. transport buttons across the whole range of their devices? It seems to me that number buttons are a legacy from the pre-cable TV days.

My own usage is quite unambiguous--I use transport buttons all the time; numbers rarely. I even use a menu-driven guide system to select TV channels (as do most candidates for a remote at this price point).

If hard buttons were determined based on usage, perhaps it would have been a better choice to put transport buttons where the numbers are, and leave the numbers for the LCD. Even when I use the number buttons, I find myself looking at the remote anyway. Obviously, the LCD pane would have to be built around a 3 x 6 grid rather than a 2 x 6 grid for this).

Any opinions?

Philip Brandes