Turn your ipod into an IR universal remote

[MacBytes]

Category: Tips and How To\'s
Link: Turn your ipod into an IR universal remote (http://www.macbytes.com/link.php?sid=20040727154350)
Posted on MacBytes.com (http://www.macbytes.com)

Approved by Mudbug

[Chip NoVaMac]

The idea for the Griffin iRemote?

[Peyote]

F*CKING BRILLIANT!

That's great! Not all that practical unless you kept your ipod "remote" plugged into the wall for juice...but what a creative use of technology!

[nagromme]

If it only needs to "play" for a moment each time, I can't imagine it would require anything more than the usual nightly recharge.

A very cool idea!

Now if only someone will find away to capture the IR signal without using a Pocket PC app...

[rikers_mailbox]

woah. you could make a single playlist with the power "sounds" to all your devices. . . turn on your stereo, TV, DVD, cablebox, etc with the click of one button!

Apple products are just cool. period.

[JDOG_]

It would be cool if they could build-in an IR port on top of the pod for things like this...I mean you wouldn't really need it for anything (except for this of course), but it would be nice.

[redAPPLE]

just waiting for a "mac-only" solution.

i do not have a pocket pc.

[nagromme]

This would be so cool with shuffle play! What's going to happen next? Nobody knows! Maybe your VCR will start to record. Maybe your CD player will eject. Maybe your cable box will change channels. Maybe your gas logs will ignite. Non-stop fun!

[iMeowbot]

The idea for the Griffin iRemote?
Exactly. That product morphed into the iTrip, and its peculiar tuning control mechanism is a direct result.

[ALoLA]

The click wheel would be ideal for channel scanning, volume adjustment, even as jog-shuttle for DVDs. Seems like something some could hack. Maybe the next cool device from Apple (at Paris I hope! :) ) will incorporate the IR port and click wheel. :D

[bennetsaysargh]

i suppose that someone will have enough free time soon, and put together the sounds to do major appliances, and then people without a pocketpc will be able to use this.

[scibry]

engadget says you can splice an old headphone and mic and substitute for the Griffin and PocketPc.

i'd personally like to try the microphone trick cuz i dont have a pocketpc. i am not sure how to do it but it sounds simple. anyone know how to "splice" a mic wire and IR wire together? solder?

[nagromme]

Or maybe just twist the wires together good? You could try one command and see how that works.

Makes me want to try the same thing with my PowerBook... any computer can play sounds through a jack.

And I could stick the IR gizmo anywhere that faced the devices, and then run a line to my Mac.

[nagromme]

Hmmm... would there be a way to capture the signals with an IR-equipped PowerBook? I happen to haven an old Lombard...

[punter]

couldn't you just plug the device into your microphone jack of your laptop, and then use some sound recording software to record the sound captured when you point the remote control at it?

If so I'm going to buy one of these IR to audio signal things immidiately! I love the idea of a playlist that will start all the devices.

[killmoms]

This would be so cool with shuffle play! What's going to happen next? Nobody knows! Maybe your VCR will start to record. Maybe your CD player will eject. Maybe your cable box will change channels. Maybe your gas logs will ignite. Non-stop fun!
I usually hate me-too posts, but this is the funniest damn post I've read in a long time on these forums. Toast to you, nargomme. Hilarious.

--Cless

[Blaaze]

I think that by doing this, you would have to change your settings on your iPod because once it's done playing through the "track" it's going to go to the next one, and then the next one after that. So once you turn the power on, it's going to lower the volume, raise the volume, change the channel up one, then change it back. Nevertheless, it's a really good idea. I think I'm going to do this with my garage door opener :) since we only have two, but three cars, and I take my iPod with me in the car anyway.

[nagromme]

Something to make sure of: I think most garage door openers use RF, not IR/line-of-sight anyway.

It sounds like something I'd do for a few useful functions, but I wouldn't try to replace my remotes entirely. It would be cool, for instance just to control volume, power, and input on your stereo, with your iPod connected via the line-level Dock output.

[yamabushi]

It would be nice if Apple could add this functionality to the iPod. Just have a universal remote function under extras. Let it be active whenever you have your IR device plugged in. Preprogrammed function sets for common remotes could be downloaded via iTunes. Apple could sell their own IR device with a numeric keypad to make it even more useful.