Current Version is v0.18 (right click on your tray icon and choose "About" to see your version).

Download v0.18 Here.

This is a virtual remote control that I made it for the purpose of controlling my Media Center computer from my Origami. I tried to make the buttons big enough to work on a touch screen. Feel free to try this out and tell me what you think.

Standard Mode:

Media Mode:

Number Mode

 

This is a simple script, but please make sure you backup first as I have only tested this on my machines.

To install this do the following:

• Run Virtual Remote Server on your Media Center computer
  • I recommend adding this to your startup folder
• Create a folder for "MCE Virtual Remote.exe" on your client machine
• Run "MCE Virtual Remote.exe"
• Make a shortcut file to the .exe if you would like

---

Change highlights:

• A new backend server (no longer uses MCE Controller) - this allows MCE Virtual Remote to run (and work properly) even if it is running on the same computer as the server app.
• Keyboard commands are now passed from the client machine to the host machine
• MCE Virtual Remote will now verify that commands where recieved by the server and try to reconnect automatically if they failed.
• Minor bug fixes and performance improvements.

Please note that versions newer than 0.17 are no longer compatible with MCE Controller.

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!

Just tried it, it works.  I've been wanting someone to make this for years now (since Charile released MCE Controller).

Just tested on my Thinkpad, works perfectly.  I'll blog about this later tonight! 

Great job.

Quick suggestion, a minimze to tray feature would be very very nice for the remote application.  I'd love to be able to leave this running all the time on my laptop, but right now it has to be an open window.

Glad you like it. 

Yes, minimize to tray would be a good thing to add.  It also won't let you press and hold a button, you have to keep hitting it which can be annoying for volume up/down or for long lists of things. 

At some point I'd like to add these and possibly more features, but no idea when I'll have the time.

Alright Chris - I updated the program for you (after you said that it was bugging me too).  Link on first post has been updated.

Changes:

• Close button now minimizes to tray
• Minimize button does normal minimize
• Right click on tray icon and choose "Exit" to exit
• Can now double click the tray icon to bring remote back up
• Added "About" dialogue box to right click tray icon

Yes!    Thank you, I'll be blogging about it tomorrow (I'm about to fall asleep on my keyboard now).

Great job. 

Ryan,

Sweet little app!  I'll slap this puppy on my laptop this evening and will certainly give you some feedback on it.  Thanks for doing this for all of us!

 

Alright, I updated it again... a few little things were bugging me.  The link on the first post has been updated.

Changes:

• Added press and hold for volume buttons
• Added press and hold for arrow buttons
• Added reconnect option at failed login
• Added reconnect option from the taskbar
• Seperate folder is made for the icons  *You still need to make a folder as per the instructions.
• You can now replace icons with your own files if you'd like
• If you screw up the icons, just delete the messed up ones - they will be replaced the next time you run the app.
• Will display in your current windows theme (not an update, but thought I'd point it out)

 

 

Installed it on Vista Premium... worked great. Vol hold acts a little funny... delay in updating, but other than that works great. Any thought of adding ability to add buttons to remote along with changing icons?

Great app!

chmlm:

Vol hold acts a little funny... delay in updating...

Can you explain this a little more?  Do you mean how it kinda skips numbers?  For example, it will go vol 30, vol 33, vol 36... instead of being a smooth 30,31,32,33,34...

Assuming this is what you mean, I have noticed it - I am going to play arround with delays for the volume keys and see if I can fix it.  I think I'm just sending the command too quickly for Media Center.  I'm gonna be busy the next couple of days though, so might be a little while for the next update.

chmlm:

Any thought of adding ability to add buttons to remote along with changing icons?

I don't think I could make it where users could add buttons on their own (I'm really not a very good programmer) .  However, I am thinking about adding more buttons and making it so you could select a "slim" or "normal" view.

Speaking of buttons, if anyone wants to make better icon files for the current buttons (more of a Media Center feel), let me know and I can put them in the default install.  If someone wants to do this I would prefer either .png or .psd files with transparent backgrounds.  As of now the buttons have to stay square/rectangular in shape.

Great app. Works well on my Samsung Q1. I'd really like it if the icons were bigger for touch screen use.

I had a eureka moment when I was playing with this today. Doesn't this now effectively give us an MCE remote for Slingbox? One reason why my Slingbox isn't connected to my MCE box is that Sling doesn't have an MCE remote. Now I can control my Media Center over the internet and see the results via the Slingbox.

I'll have to play with this when I get home tonight. Great Job!

Mark

wow

oh and why use slingbox.  Orb is a much better solution since you have access to everything, TV, movies, pictures, music, whatever.  Oh and its free.

 

If you didnt have an MCE machine slingbox would be the way to go but since you do why not use it.

mpolino:

I'd really like it if the icons were bigger for touch screen use.

Yeah, I realized that too after I started playing with it a bit on my Q1.  I will probably make a bigger version with better spacing between buttons in the next week or two - no time to do it right now though.

*Edit - this is done now*

Ohhh awesome! This needs to be a vista gadget!

dejitaru:

Ohhh awesome! This needs to be a vista gadget!

yep and skinnable if possible, 800x600 skinned would be a nice look for people with UMPC\tablets