Control a TV using laptop infrared...

Winters

Ok, havign a wireless network and a laptop i find myself browsing the net more and more while lying on the couch watching TV. What I would like to do is be able to control the TV using the infrared port on my laptop, and save those few seconds of arm moving time.

Anyone know of any program that allows you to do this. After about half an hour of googleing I havent been able to find any program to do so, although I have found a few which do the reverse [control winamp etc. form tv control]. So, a program to control you tv from your laptop infrared anyone?

Dr. Dre

Now I'm not sure on this, but I would guess that the IR on a laptop would be a lower strength than the IR required for an effective remote control.

Lump

I wouldn't see why, the IR on my phone can control the tv....


John

Aidanm

I can do this with my pda using a program called Nevo.
Not sure if its available for windoze though?

Dempsey

Originally posted by Lump
I wouldn't see why, the IR on my phone can control the tv....


John

How do ya do that?

Explosive_Cornflake

AFAIK remotes use Consumer IR (CIR) and pda and such stuff use IRDA. Its a bit different, long range and slow versus quick and short range.
http://www.remotecentral.com/ has some info somehwre on it.

Lump

Originally posted by Dempsey
How do ya do that?

Well I download the software for my Nokia 3650 then send it to the phone via bluetooth and install it.


John

Wavey

I found this,
http://download.com.com/3000-2110-10141970.html?tag=lst-0-6

but i think it only works the wrong way round. ie. contolling the pc with a tv remote.
Gonna give it a bash tonight anyway.

Adeptus Titanicus

Yeah, I've done this with an iPAQ, but the range wasn't great. My laptop has an IR port on the side, so I'd have to turn it round to point at the telly, but it would be a nice idea. I'd say it could suffer from a range limitation too.

joc_06

Ah lads are there any engineers here at all - all you need is a max232, some caps, an ir led, and some programming skill.

Connect it to the com port at 9600 baud and you're away

Wavey

Ir remote for idiots:

http://www.ziplabel.com/cir/

Dempsey

Originally posted by Lump
Well I download the software for my Nokia 3650 then send it to the phone via bluetooth and install it.


John

Could ya gimme the name of that software?

dogz

go to www.lirc.org look at the homebrew transmitter circuit, its very simple and can be built using an ir led form an old remote, a resistor and a 9 pin serial port plug.

install winlirc and it will work.
i built one using an old one for all remopte and it works great from my htpc to control my digibox. Im using xp pro btw but that shouldnt matter the circuits whats important

Pataman

Another option would be to get up off your fat arse and change the channel

Lump

Can't remember the name of it, it's on the nokia site, under support and sortware downloads afaik. I *Thing* it might be Iremote...... or something


John