Possible URC-9960 Kameleon extender

Nils_Ekberg · Post by **Nils_Ekberg** » Wed Dec 03, 2003 11:23 am

I feel like tinkering

.

If I were to make the effort how many people woould be interested in an extender for the above

Or is my time better spent on something else

Suggestions..

..

kenyarnall · Post by **kenyarnall** » Wed Dec 03, 2003 11:57 am

Nils_Ekberg wrote:I feel like tinkering .

If I were to make the effort how many people woould be interested in an extender for the above

I'd be real interested!

Ken

Post by **The Robman** » Wed Dec 03, 2003 12:13 pm

Nils, I think you need to use more emoticons in your posts! 8)

usblipitor · Post by **usblipitor** » Wed Dec 03, 2003 12:18 pm

1. With all due respect to Ken, IMHO, I don't think too many real JP1ers consider this remote to be worthy of an extender, or one would already exist.

2. Writing an extender probably would be a really cool learning experience. I say "Do what you want to do." If you put yourself on a project that someone else assigns you to, I think it is too much like work.

If you want to write an extender to improve your assembler skills, and perhaps earn that "Expert" forum-title merit-badge, go for it!

3. The biggest, baddest, mother-of-all projects here that is screaming for attention however is the project to merge IR and KM functions into one program, currently the super-RM.

Nils_Ekberg · Post by **Nils_Ekberg** » Wed Dec 03, 2003 12:30 pm

Rob, I will work on my use of emoticons. I had targeted the use of 11 in the above post but just simply ran out of time or got lazy, choose one....

Steve, I hear what you are saying. I kind of picked the 9960 even though I wasn't even sure I wanted one myself but it seemed like one that no one else was interested in working on plus I have received a couple of PM's regarding this remote. Since we joke a lot about the Kameleons people tend to sit back with their questions on them. I know others are working on either new extenders or improved version of current ones and I have actually participated in developing one or two in the past.

And I also agree that it would be nice to have "all in one" with RM and the good news is that that is ultimately the goal.

FOR ROB:

8)

DaveJ · Post by **DaveJ** » Wed Dec 03, 2003 3:01 pm

Mr. Ekberg,

Oh please, please create a 9960 extender and we the great unwashed, benighted, unreal JP1ers who love the Kameleon with a love which dare not speak its name will bless your name forever!!

kenyarnall · Post by **kenyarnall** » Wed Dec 03, 2003 3:48 pm

Nils_Ekberg wrote:Steve, I hear what you are saying. I kind of picked the 9960 even though I wasn't even sure I wanted one myself but it seemed like one that no one else was interested in working on plus I have received a couple of PM's regarding this remote. Since we joke a lot about the Kameleons people tend to sit back with their questions on them. I know others are working on either new extenders or improved version of current ones and I have actually participated in developing one or two in the past.

I'm not sure exactly where the derision for the 9960 comes from --- yes, it's flashy, but it is much more capable than my cinema-7 is, it is MUCH easier for the other people in my house (i.e., my wife) to use than the hard-button OFA remotes, and it's JP1-able.

With an extender, it would actually be very nice. If I could

* Put macros on device buttons (currently not possible)
* toadtog
* program currently non-useful "shift" buttons like PVR-VOD
* Speed up macro execution

then there would be little I wanted that I didn't have. Well, I'd like to be able to choose what button is displayed when, but that's impossible, I guess.

Nils, if I can help, let me know.

Ken

Nils_Ekberg · Post by **Nils_Ekberg** » Wed Dec 03, 2003 4:30 pm

kenyarnall wrote:I'm not sure exactly where the derision for the 9960 comes from --- yes, it's flashy, but it is much more capable than my cinema-7 is, it is MUCH easier for the other people in my house (i.e., my wife) to use than the hard-button OFA remotes, and it's JP1-able.

Nils, if I can help, let me know.

Ken

Truthfully, I don't think anyone is really down on the Kameleon. I think it just comes from early complaints (especially the RS models) about battery life, sensitivity, comfort, and not being able to use/see all buttons etc. And partially the feel of the buttons on a hard remote makes them easier to find without looking.

I have already started creating the source file and RDF using another extender as a starting point but have no idea when something will be available for beta. I will be looking for testers if I get it to work with the basics.

Post by **The Robman** » Wed Dec 03, 2003 7:08 pm

kenyarnall wrote:I'm not sure exactly where the derision for the 9960 comes from --- yes, it's flashy, but it is much more capable than my cinema-7 is, it is MUCH easier for the other people in my house (i.e., my wife) to use than the hard-button OFA remotes, and it's JP1-able. Ken

The basic premise behind the Kameleon is that it hides the buttons that it thinks you don't need, the idea being that this will make the remote less confusing for the remote-challenged user. Most "power users", on the other hand, make use of every button on the remote, so there's no such thing as a button that we don't need. Many of the first questions people started asking about the Kameleon were things like "how do I enable the (PIP) button in (DVD) mode?" and of course, you can't - even with an extender!

Then of course, there's also the buttoned vs. touchscreen debate. Many of us prefer the tactile feel of real buttons, the theory being that we don't want to have to look at the remote in order to use it (because we don't want to have to take our eyes off the TV screen!

)

So there you have it, I think you'll find that many users here would much rather have that classic Cinema 7 than any of the Kameleons.

usblipitor · Post by **usblipitor** » Wed Dec 03, 2003 8:34 pm

DaveJ wrote:..and we the great unwashed, benighted, unreal JP1ers who love the Kameleon with a love which dare not speak its name..

Have you found a new use for your Kameleon?

I have a mental picture of a sticky, crusty, nasty remote control

Have you considered professional help?

kenyarnall · Post by **kenyarnall** » Thu Dec 04, 2003 12:42 pm

The Robman wrote:The basic premise behind the Kameleon is that it hides the buttons that it thinks you don't need, the idea being that this will make the remote less confusing for the remote-challenged user. Most "power users", on the other hand, make use of every button on the remote, so there's no such thing as a button that we don't need. Many of the first questions people started asking about the Kameleon were things like "how do I enable the (PIP) button in (DVD) mode?" and of course, you can't - even with an extender!

I understand the shortcomings of the remote --- I own one, after all. I understand why someone might not want a kameleon. What I don't quite get is the outright hatred directed at the remote, accompanied by an implication that anyone who owns one must be part of the great unwashed masses. Nils offered to work on an extender, and was implored not to --- why? How on earth could improving support for a remote you don't have bother someone? I don't get it.

For the record, the complaint about immovable buttons is mitigated by the fact that the remote has lots more buttons than a hard-button remote does. Also, I don't have a problem using the 9960 without looking at it --- the shape gives my hand enough of a cue that my fingers can find the right button. I imagine that the radio shack model is no good in this regard.

Ken

Nils_Ekberg · Post by **Nils_Ekberg** » Thu Dec 04, 2003 1:04 pm

Ken, no need to worry even though I don't have the remote in hand yet (it's on the way I think) I have started working on the extender already.

I actually chose this remote due to the complexity of it and am just hopeing that does not cause me to fail but I can assure you I will give it my best shot. Plus others who have written extenders before have offered their help so we may have some progress.

You also need to remember that this is a very vocal group of volunteers who enjoy picking on each other and everyone else and their remotes..

Post by **The Robman** » Thu Dec 04, 2003 1:09 pm

kenyarnall wrote:I understand the shortcomings of the remote --- I own one, after all. I understand why someone might not want a kameleon. What I don't quite get is the outright hatred directed at the remote, accompanied by an implication that anyone who owns one must be part of the great unwashed masses.

Either you've found some posts that I've missed or you're just reading too much into the posts. I don't think anyone here hates the Kameleons, but if someone asks me for a remote recommendation, I'm probably not going to recommend one. But regardless, you have to keep in mind what their target audience is, versus who the JP1 target audience is, and while there's certainly room for overlap (you being a prime example), I would suggest that the majority of the people to whom the Kameleon would appeal are not likely to want to become JP1 experts, and vice versa, the majority of JP1 experts are probably not likely to want to use a Kameleon.

That being said, all JP1 remotes and all JP1 remote users are welcome here, and I totally support Nils trying his hand at writing an extender for the URC-9960, in fact, I'm supplying one of them to him for this very purpose.

jamesgammel · Post by **jamesgammel** » Thu Dec 04, 2003 1:19 pm

Rob,

You sly fox, you. You finally found a way to dump that last 9960 that's been dogging you for weeks.

Jim

Nils_Ekberg · Post by **Nils_Ekberg** » Thu Dec 04, 2003 1:25 pm

Boy did I ever open a can of worms.

I should have just wrote (ported is a better word) the extender and posted it anonymously.

That's a thought since a side benfit would be I could not be blamed for bugs

JP1 Remotes

Possible URC-9960 Kameleon extender

Possible URC-9960 Kameleon extender

Re: Possible URC-9960 Kameleon extender