By Corey on Nov 18, 2010. Updated: Jun 10, 2015.
MythTV is free PVR software that enables watching and recording of cable and over-the-air TV on your PC. With the proper hardware (Hauppauge 1212 HD-PVR), you can even record encrypted HD content.
My TV card is the KWorld ATSC 110, which is only able to record unencrypted digital cable. That's okay though, since most of my favorite shows are on the major broadcast networks, which all transmit their shows unencrypted. The KWorld is also a much more affordable option than the HD-PVR.
Anyway, once you have MythTV up and running, there are many ways to control the interface from your couch. For example, I find the Adesso wireless keyboard
When navigating the MythTV menus, I generally prefer to use my remote control, in place of the bulky wireless keyboard. So I managed to get my Sony RM-VL600
Keep reading to learn how I got my remote working with MythTV. These instructions can be adapted to work with any IR remote control that is compatible with LIRC.
In addition to needing a remote control device, you will also need an IR receiver that is compatible with LIRC. LIRC is the software MythTV uses to read the commands sent by your remote. I've had great success using the USB IR receiver included with the Streamzap PC Remote
The IR receiver that is included with the Streamzap is one of the few receivers that is fully supported by LIRC that is also able to work with most any remote control, including the RM-VL600. Visit http://lirc.sourceforge.net/remotes/ for a list of all remote controls known to work with LIRC.
The Streamzap remote itself can also be used with MythTV, but I'm focusing on using a universal remote here since it allows me to control all the devices in my AV system. The less remotes, the less confusion. A universal remote, if configured properly, makes for a simple, user-friendly home AV setup.
Pasted below is the LIRC configuration file that contains the remote codes outputted by the RM-VL600 when the VCR component button is pressed on the remote.
I chose the VCR output codes, since the other component outputs are more likely to actually correspond to a real device in your AV setup. Since very few people have VCRs these days anymore, it made the most sense to use the VCR codes and map them to MythTV inputs.
These codes should work with the RM-VL600 out-of-the-box using the default programmed-in VCR IR signals. The following file was generated with the help of the irrecord program, which is included with LIRC. You only need to use irrecord to generate the lircd.conf file if your remote is not already supported by LIRC.
# lircd.conf # # LIRCD conf file for the Sony RM-VL600 universal, learning remote control. # # this config file was automatically generated # using lirc-0.8.6(default) on Sun Jul 25 15:36:37 2010 # # contributed by Corey @ https://onpub.com/ # This file is maintained at: # https://onpub.com/index.php?s=7&a=129 # For bug reports and suggestions, please leave a comment on the page at the URL # above. # # brand: Sony # model no. of remote control: RM-VL600 # devices being controlled by this remote: Streamzap USB IR Receiver # # The codes below are outputted by the remote after pressing the VCR component # select button. These are the default VCR codes for this remote. Reprogramming # the VCR component is not required. This file was generated by irrecord using # the Streamzap USB IR receiver. begin remote name RM-VL600 bits 12 flags SPACE_ENC|CONST_LENGTH eps 30 aeps 256 header 2432 640 one 1408 640 zero 730 640 gap 45982 toggle_bit_mask 0x0 begin codes KEY_OK 0x8A8 KEY_UP 0x428 KEY_DOWN 0xC28 KEY_LEFT 0x468 KEY_RIGHT 0x868 KEY_PLAY 0x588 KEY_NEXT 0x388 KEY_PREVIOUS 0xD88 KEY_STOP 0x188 KEY_PAUSE 0x988 KEY_MENU 0xB28 KEY_INFO 0x5A8 KEY_ENTER 0xD08 KEY_0 0x908 KEY_1 0x008 KEY_2 0x808 KEY_3 0x408 KEY_4 0xC08 KEY_5 0x208 KEY_6 0xA08 KEY_7 0x608 KEY_8 0xE08 KEY_9 0x108 KEY_CHANNELUP 0x088 KEY_CHANNELDOWN 0x888 KEY_SLEEP 0xF28 end codes end remote # end of lircd.conf
Copy and paste the lines above in to a file called lircd.conf in your /etc/lirc directory and re(start) the lircd service.
Depending on what Linux distribution you are using (I'm using Fedora), the location of this file may be different. Consult your Linux distro's LIRC documentation if you're unsure. You can test to see if LIRC is working by pressing a few buttons on your remote after starting up the irw program.
Copy and paste the lines below in to a file called lircrc and save it to your ~/.mythtv home directory. This file maps the LIRC key/button definitions to MythTV frontend actions.
# start of MythTV lircrc file # Thanks to the following Ubuntu Forums thread for help creating this file: # http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1065804 # See also: http://www.mythtv.org/wiki/LIRC#LIRCRC # Record begin prog = mythtv remote = * button = KEY_RECORD repeat = 3 config = R end # Skip Backwards begin prog = mythtv remote = * button = KEY_PREVIOUS repeat = 3 config = < end # Pause begin prog = mythtv remote = * button = KEY_PAUSE repeat = 3 config = P end # Skip Forward begin prog = mythtv remote = * button = KEY_NEXT repeat = 3 config = > end # Cancel / Back begin prog = mythtv remote = * button = KEY_STOP repeat = 3 config = Esc end # Show OSD begin prog = mythtv remote = * button = Go repeat = 3 config = I end # Mute begin prog = mythtv remote = * button = KEY_MUTE repeat = 3 config = F9 end begin prog = mythtv remote = * button = KEY_1 repeat = 3 config = 1 end begin prog = mythtv remote = * button = KEY_2 repeat = 3 config = 2 end begin prog = mythtv remote = * button = KEY_3 repeat = 3 config = 3 end begin prog = mythtv remote = * button = KEY_4 repeat = 3 config = 4 end begin prog = mythtv remote = * button = KEY_5 repeat = 3 config = 5 end begin prog = mythtv remote = * button = KEY_6 repeat = 3 config = 6 end begin prog = mythtv remote = * button = KEY_7 repeat = 3 config = 7 end begin prog = mythtv remote = * button = KEY_8 repeat = 3 config = 8 end begin prog = mythtv remote = * button = KEY_9 repeat = 3 config = 9 end # Number Zero begin prog = mythtv remote = * button = KEY_0 repeat = 3 config = 0 end # Select begin prog = mythtv remote = * button = KEY_OK repeat = 3 config = Return end # Menu begin prog = mythtv remote = * button = KEY_MENU repeat = 3 config = M end # OSD browse begin prog = mythtv remote = * button = KEY_ENTER repeat = 3 config = O end begin prog = mythtv remote = * button = KEY_UP repeat = 3 config = Up end begin prog = mythtv remote = * button = KEY_DOWN repeat = 3 config = Down end begin prog = mythtv remote = * button = KEY_LEFT repeat = 3 config = Left end begin prog = mythtv remote = * button = KEY_RIGHT repeat = 3 config = Right end begin prog = mythtv remote = * button = KEY_INFO repeat = 3 config = I end # end of MythTV lircrc file
Now that you've configured both LIRC and MythTV for the remote, be sure to restart LIRC and then restart your MythTV frontend. You should now be able to navigate your MythTV UI with your remote control!
If you have any feedback, feel free to comment below.