Choosing my first JP1 remote

[tranx]

Thanks Tranx, I'm just playing around with other macros but will look over your response in detail soon.

Quick question -

1. I added two new functions to my TV device - DiscreteOn and DiscreteHDMI1.

I went to the device upgrade editor, functions tab, clicked new (twice), then entered the names as DiscreteOn and DiscreteHDMI1 and entered the OBC codes. Then I went to the buttons tab and assigned them to Phantom1 and Phantom2.

But when I upload and then download from the remote, the functions which I have named, change name to simply Phantom1 and Phantom2. Is this normal? Am I just supposed to save the names of my new functions in the notes in the functions tab?

It is normal but I am not sure why you would want or need to download the configuration from the remote.

As I understand it the JP1 text, such as notes and labels, are only in the configuration which can be stored and illustrated by RMIR.
After making changes and uploading to the remote, a new image (.rmir file) is worth saving once it is working, especially since the remote does not store the text.
At first you might want to rename the new setup rather than overwriting the old one, in case you want to go back and try something in a different way.

[mathdon]

So in the macro I have:

Right
Hold
9

No, you have the order wrong. You need Hold, 9, Right.

[JezW]

So in the macro I have:

Right
Hold
9

No, you have the order wrong. You need Hold, 9, Right.

Thanks Graham,

Should it still work if the macro is the following? Still no luck

Hold
9
Right
Exit

[JezW]

It is normal but I am not sure why you would want or need to download the configuration from the remote.

As I understand it the JP1 text, such as notes and labels, are only in the configuration which can be stored and illustrated by RMIR.
After making changes and uploading to the remote, a new image (.rmir file) is worth saving once it is working, especially since the remote does not store the text.
At first you might want to rename the new setup rather than overwriting the old one, in case you want to go back and try something in a different way.

Ahh ok, I'll make sure I only upload to the remote and not download. Thanks

[JezW]

Should it still work if the macro is the following? Still no luck

Hold
9
Right
Exit

It may be because I would like the button held for longer than that, maybe up to 2 seconds. Is this possible?

[pH7_jp1]

This thread is moving fast and this replay is a bit late, but I wanted to clarify something from earlier.

3FG said:

At our house, the Sony TV needs several seconds after powering up before it will accept input commands. But I don't put a pause in the Discrete On macro, and just immediately send the input command, because the TV remembers the last input we were using. And 99% of the time, our next usage requires the same input as when the TV was shut off.

To which you responded:

Hmmm. True, but my TV will not accept the source change command until it's started up.

True, but I think you missed the point of his post. Consider 2 situations: 1) You are watching the PC and while everything is on choose the "Watch Sky" activity button. 2) You are watching the PC, turn everything off and then later (much later) with everything off, you press the "Watch Sky" activity button.

You tried to program one button that always works correctly when pressed. To do that, you needed the 4 second pause to accommodate case 2 above. The downside to this approach is that in case 1 your user must keep the remote pointed at the equipment for the full 4+ seconds it takes to execute. Putting the remote down in the middle of this process causes it to fail.

The way 3FG described, and the way I use as well, is to omit this 4 second pause, but leave the input select there. Now in case 1 the macro will complete very rapidly and it will work correctly, because the discrete ON will really not power on the TV and the input select WILL work. In case 2 the input select will fire too soon and fail. His users (and mine) have been trained that after all equipment is on - if it didn't select the correct input, just press the same activity button again. Now the devices will be on as required and it behaves as case 1, it will very rapidly select the correct input.

Note that there is a case 2a and case 2b - 2a is if the activity before the power off is the same as the activity after the power on. The user will see exactly what he/she expects and although your input select failed, everything is as expected. It is only case 2b where the activity before the power off is different from the activity selected that caused the power on that the user will se that it didn't work as intended and press the same activity button a second time.

The advantages to this approach is that the macro works rapidly when all devices are on, it only appears to fail in case 2b, and you only need to program a single button to select the activity, not have some other button to do part of the process or correct when things are wrong.

[tranx]

Should it still work if the macro is the following? Still no luck

Hold
9
Right
Exit

It may be because I would like the button held for longer than that, maybe up to 2 seconds. Is this possible?

Yes and yes, but without a macro I think the action you want could be performed, as normal, just by pressing and holding down the right side of the navigation ring of 6440 (with its default navigation button settings in place).
Like this it is the navigation and volume up/down buttons which are normally the 'repeating' ones.

In a macro it is the last instruction which would be repeated if the issuing button is pressed and held
i.e. in your test macro I think the instruction 'exit' would be repeated as long as the macro-issuing button were physically to be held

[JezW]

The advantages to this approach is that the macro works rapidly when all devices are on, it only appears to fail in case 2b, and you only need to program a single button to select the activity, not have some other button to do part of the process or correct when things are wrong.

Thank you for taking the time to write that. It all makes sense and that's how I'll setup those macros

Should it still work if the macro is the following? Still no luck

Hold
9
Right
Exit

It may be because I would like the button held for longer than that, maybe up to 2 seconds. Is this possible?

Yes and without a macro I think the action you want could be performed, as normal, just by pressing and holding down the right side of the navigation ring of 6440 (with its default navigation button settings in place).
Like this it is the navigation and volume up/down buttons which are normally the 'repeating' ones.

In a macro it is the last instruction which would be repeated if the issuing button is pressed and held i.e. in your test macro I think the instruction 'exit' would be repeated as long as the macro-issuing button were physically to be held

It sounds like what I would like to do isn't possible?

This works but it's very slow because of the single "Right" presses. I would just like the macro to hold down the right button for a second and then exit the menu.

Menu
Right (to picture setting)
Down (to brightness)
OK (select brightness)
Right (increase brightness)
Right (increase brightness)
Right (increase brightness)
Right (increase brightness)
Right (increase brightness)
Right (increase brightness)
Right (increase brightness)
Exit

[tranx]

Perhaps LKP

long side
Menu
Right (to picture setting)
Down (to brightness)
OK (select brightness)
Right (increase brightness)
(It ends with 'right', so press and hold as long as you like)

short side
'exit'
(so then release and tap the same button)

mathdon, could you suggest a method, or would you consider the feasibility of what JezW is needing?

[tranx]

Addressing some of the Xsight/Nevo questions:

Macro vs. Activity:

Exactly the same thing in JP1 extender terms. On the 6440 you have to do all the key group assignments that an activity would have using several macro steps. On Nevo, you just pick the assignments on the activity tab, so no macro steps are required. I find this easier to do and easier to understand....

mdavej, that is a good thought but it seems to me rather that, to make it sound a bit better: On the 6440 you' can do all the key group assignments with a few macro steps, for which an activity would have been needed,
and using only devices ... I do see that for 12 or more devices the nice clear screen is a definite asset.

[JezW]

Perhaps LKP

long side
Menu
Right (to picture setting)
Down (to brightness)
OK (select brightness)
Right (increase brightness)
(It ends with 'right', so press and hold as long as you like)

short side
'exit'
(so then release and tap the same button)

mathdon, could you suggest a method, or would you consider the feasibility of what JezW is needing?

That's a nice way of doing it! Worked perfectly.

I'd still be interested in what Graham thinks though

Just to explain again what I'm trying to achieve -

Two macro buttons which enter the TV menu and adjust the brightness. At night I turn it right down and then back up during the day.

[mathdon]

The maximum hold setting is 9, which is 9x50 = 450ms. You want a second or more, so why not

Hold, 9, right, Hold, 9 right

and a third one if needed? The Hold facility was originally put in to enable a shorter hold than the default 250ms. A longer one can surely be achieved by repeating as many times as required, so

right, right, right, right

is one second in total. Or am I missing something?

[JezW]

Hi Graham,

Both of what you suggested work but are quite slow.

I would like the remote to mimic me holding down the right button. When I do this, the brightness "slider" speeds across the screen.

[mdavej]

Not to rub salt in the wound, but Nevo has a hold duration parameter up to 10 seconds. I use it to turn my TV volume all the way down with a single command. But, as you know, Nevo lacks toadtog, so pick your poison.

In your case, a custom protocol will probably have to be made for this, if you can't live with holding the button down yourself for the appropriate duration.

[JezW]

Ha, no thanks on the custom protocol, I'm busy enough as it is! I can deal with holding a button down for a second