RM or KM? Which do you prefer

JustinGoodman · Post by **JustinGoodman** » Mon Dec 08, 2003 11:19 am

Hey all. First time poster here. Just delving into the JP1 world.

I've got a URC-9800 HP8 remote. Had it for a few years. Well, I just got the new Lite-on 2001 dvd player and as some of you know, there's no codes for this remote that I can preprogram.

I'm going to run out and get the parts for the simple interface today. My question is, what is better (read: easier to use for a newbie). I'd like the simpler interface if possible. I have the codes for the Lite-on remote that I got directly from the LiteON site. So, I could manually plug in the hex codes if need be for the functions I need.

But, I also saw someone uploaded the KM file for the 2001.

So, for a newbie to JP1, what is your opinion on which software to go with. TIA

johnsfine · Post by **johnsfine** » Mon Dec 08, 2003 12:01 pm

I think RM has a slightly clearer UI and should be easier for a newbie.

But, if there is an existing KM file for your device, using KM avoids the small but real risk of confusion from some problem that might occur when RM tries to import a KM file.

Standards for representing IR signals in hex, when they exist at all, are broken as often as they are followed. The way a UEI remote uses hex for IR signals (as reflected by both RM and KM) is NOT often the most standard way. So it is rather unlikely that you can just plug in the hex codes for your functions. They probably need some translation.

The most common translation involves converting from hex to decimal, then using that decimal value as the OBC.

That and three other common translations can be done with IR.EXE efc calculator tool. You enter the hex value in the hex field and the decimal shows up in the "MSB" field and three other common translations show up in the other three OBC fields.

If the OBC translation that is correct matches the one UEI chose for that protocol, then using that OBC in KM or RM will translate it back to the hex number you started with. More often it won't match.

gfb107 · Post by **gfb107** » Mon Dec 08, 2003 12:08 pm

A disclaimer: I am the primary developer of RM, so I am naturally biased in it's favor. Take anything I say with a grain of salt. I used KM for at least 2 years, and was happy with it, when I decided I would like to make a contribution to the JP1 community, and thats how RM got started.

KM is a very sophisticated Excel spreadsheet that behaves like an application. It is quite amazing what it can do. KM has been around longer and is more complete than RM (in particular, KM supports more protocols that RM, especially the Device Combiner). If you don't have Excel, you can't use KM. It doesn't work with any other spreadsheet application.

RM is a Java application. Java can be downloaded and installed for free. Because it is a true application, it can do things in a more intuitive or user-friendly manner. However, it was written using KM as a model, so there are a lot of similarites. It can also do things that KM can't, such as provide an image of your remote and allow you to assign function to buttons visually (using drag-n-drop or context menus). Also, RM can import many KM upgrades (I just checked and it can handle the Liteon upgrade you mentioned), so you aren't limited by the format of an existing upgrade.

Both are actively maintained and enhanced, so that isn't an issue.

JustinGoodman · Post by **JustinGoodman** » Mon Dec 08, 2003 12:40 pm

thx for the quick reply. Hmm, I'll download both proggies and check them out. I'm set up for java and excel, so that's not a problem.

Radio Shack for the win! Just picked up the parts for the simple interface. Hopefully, I won;t get any 3rd degree burns from my proficiency with a soldering iron.

tabish · Post by **tabish** » Tue Dec 09, 2003 7:56 am

Just my opinion.

Personllay I can't stand Java Apps, they are way to slow. They make my 2 GHz machine feel like a 400 Mhz machine. I will stick with KM till it is no longer supported.

jamesgammel · Post by **jamesgammel** » Tue Dec 09, 2003 11:07 am

dang, I have a 267MHz and no complaints about speed with either one. This must be an "instant gratification" thing. I've been offered a free 400 board and chip and turned it down. Maybe I just don't want to get in a rut where milliseconds means more than what the actual program can do.

Jim

johnsfine · Post by **johnsfine** » Tue Dec 09, 2003 1:20 pm

I've used KM and RM on several computers, most probably slower than typical JP1'ers are using. RM on the slowest system is about the speed of KM on the fastest system, which is about the speed at which the delays are quite annoying. KM on the slowest system runs at about the speed of "It's easier to walk over to a better computer and force one of my sons to stop playing a game there" (and that's even slower than you may think if you don't know how hard it is to get one of my sons off a video game).

Layering a complex app like KM on top of Excel at all is an amazing feat. Making the result run decently on a slow computer would be impossible.

I'm an old C and assembler programmer, so my standards for performance are based on programs with functionality (though not graphic quality) equal to RM running with instant response (faster than RM) on CPUs that are literally a thousand times slower than the slowest I ever tried RM on.

Mark Pierson · Post by **Mark Pierson** » Tue Dec 09, 2003 2:31 pm

One thing to keep in mind about Excel on any speed CPU: if you're using Excel 97, it's an absolute slug compared to 2k and newer. XL97's recalc is an all-or-nothing proposition, meaning every recalc recalulates every single formula in the spreadsheet. XL2k+ has a much smarter recalc that only recalcs what needs to be recalculated. The difference in speed on the same computer is astounding!