Review - FLIRC - A small, wonderful companion for your HTPC

baijuxavior

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Getting a quality remote control for PC is a big problem faced by HTPC users. My first PC remote was a generic one which mimics keyboard presses, but the keypresses are fixed and cannot be customized without third party applications like EventGhost. Since different players use different keyboard shortcuts, a remote that can be customized is desirable. So I bought an MCE remote which can be customized by editing the registry. But it has limited number of buttons only. For example CD Eject button, Subtitle button etc. are not present in MCE remotes which become handy while using the HTPC as a disk player. With the mce receiver and eventghost I was able to use the remote controls of my TV, DVD and STB to control XBMC. But eventghost sometimes won't respond to IR commands. Then I learned about FLIRC and decided to give it a try.

What is FLIRC?

FLIRC is a small USB IR receiver which can learn IR codes from any IR remote control and convert them to keyboard presses. This means you can use your existing TV, DVD, STB or universal remote controls to control your PC. This wonderful device is designed by a young engineer Jason Kotsin who works on this project in his spare time. Visit flirc.tv - Your TV - PC Remote Companion for more details.

How to buy one?

You can order FLIRC from the official website or from distributors like modmypi.com. I bought mine from the official site itself. They will ship to India directly. Price of one unit is $22.95. Shipping charge varies depending on shipping mode. I opted the basic 'USPS First Class International' which costs $6.55. Coupon code 'XBMC' can be applied to get $5 off, but unfortunately it is not deducted during checkout. Payment is through Paypal and forum member 'srinisundar' ordered it for me. Shipping is done on Saturdays. For some reasons, the first shipment never reached me. I waited for two months as per their request and Mr. Jason sent me another one through Express Mail (costs $48 which is more than twice the price of the dongle alone.)

Images (Taken using crappy mobile phone camera:D. I will replace the images later with better one).

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The build quality is excellent. This one is made in America and not Chinese. The white transparent body gives great IR reception. You can point the remote in any direction and the dongle will hardly miss the signal. You can even place the dongle at the back of the PC case if there is a reflecting surface.


Initial Setup

The device needs to setup using the FLIRC application only once to learn the IR codes. No software is needed for further use and it can be used in any PC on any OS just like a USB keyboard. The application gives a full keyboard view or views for XBMC, WMC etc for configuration. Pairing the remote is very simple - press the required key combination and then press the remote button. The IR code is saved instantly in the device itself. You can also erase a particular key or the entire keys. For test purpose I bought a DVD remote control for Rs.50/-. Initially continuous keypress (like for volume control and navigational keys) was not working. After updating the firmware, it worked like a charm. A total of 160 keys can be saved. After the initial pairing setup is completed, you can use it on any PC and even in Android devices (not tested) as this appears as a keyboard.

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Pros

Easy to configure and use.
Good build quality.
Excellent IR response.
Use your existing remote. Supports almost all remote controls.

Cons

The only drawback I could find is that it is slightly expensive. It costs approximately Rs.1.8K using standard shipping option.

Verdict

A must have little tool for HTPC users and those who are looking for a PC remote control. The money you pay for this product is well worth the value. Above all, a portion of the profit goes to Cancer Care Research.
 
Thanks Baiju for taking time to introduce us to this device. Those who use the PC as their main 'player' this can definitely come handy and will prove to be great.
 
Good find and nice review baiju. Did you pay for the second shipping?? Also do you advise not to go for economical shipping? So the device basically maps keyboard shortcuts of any application to the keys of an IR remote. What about mouse scroll and gestures? It accepts 160 keys or 160 key combinations?



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Thanks Baiju for review of new HTPC device.Your continuous search made possible to find new HTPC products for reasonable price.
I am using simple PC remote which works wonder for me.It has wireless mouse function.
USB Laptop/ Computer PC remote control @ Rs 649/- | eBay

I used a similar one initially. Only problem is that the buttons cannot be customized without using third party software like eventghost.

Thanks baijuxavior, very handy tool. BTW how did you find this product? Google?

XBMC forum. I like to experiment with new devices, provided they are in my budget.

Good find and nice review baiju. Did you pay for the second shipping?? Also do you advise not to go for economical shipping? So the device basically maps keyboard shortcuts of any application to the keys of an IR remote. What about mouse scroll and gestures? It accepts 160 keys or 160 key combinations?


I didn't pay for the second shipping. In the first case, the last status in usps tracking was 'International Letter' so it is obvious that usps sent it to India and probably it went missing here in customs. Express Mail is very expensive, but it is fully trackable. If you are ordering, give the Normal shipping a try. Also sent a mail to Jason about the XBMC coupon code not working.

This device maps keyboard shortcuts to IR remote buttons. Mouse and gestures are not supported, I think. XBMC is fully keyboard dependent so mouse functionality is not important to me.

It can store 160 keys. I think a combination like CTRL+P is treated as two keys. So you can pair 3-4 remote controls easily. For example, my TV and STB remotes have playback buttons and I can configure both to control XBMC.
 
Thanks. I am going to get one I guess. XMBC code seems to give 2$ discount now.
 
Great review, Baiju! Thank you for taking the time. I'm tempted to get one too!
 
FLIRC was working great in my setup. But when I turned the 3D ON in my TV, flirc stopped responding to keypresses. Probably the IR signals from the active 3D TV is blocking flirc from recognizing the remote control signals. If it somehow detects a signal (like Right button), then that signal is repeated indefinitely. This stops as soon as I stop the 3D. Someone has posted a similar problem in flirc forum. flirc receiver don't work anymore when I play 3D movies - General Questions - Flirc Forums. I can't use FLIRC until they come with a fix for this problem. I may think of selling it, if I could not use it with 3DTV.
 
After experimenting with all this and more, I have come to settle down with an Android App for wireless remote control - Unified Remote Control.

For simplicity and ease of use, this still beats all the other ones. If you do not mind having your phone beside you when you use your PC (and if the phone has Android :)). Of course, I am sure the Apple fraternity has it's own set of apps to do the same.
 
Yes, android remote will be better for controlling media , but I need a dedicated remote for family.


Today I received another FLIRC. I think they sent me two flircs when I reported about the missing one. The invoice numbers are different and this one is priced zero USD. This was also shipped through express mail. I have asked them what to do with it and I'm waiting for a reply.
 
The main problem with using android mobile (touch) as remote is that you have to see its screen for every action. If you are sitting at 15 feet from display and if you keep changing your sight from mobile to screen back and forth, it can really strain your eyes, especially in a dark room. If its a small screen, it can cause even more strain. A physical remote is much more convenient to handle and you will quickly remember important key positions like play/pause/volume/mute/next etc. Sometimes the app may become slow or unresponsive which could annoy you when you want to mute/ reduce volume instantly. You have to run towards the rack.
 
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