Mac Users!!!!!

Anyone used Beo4VRC? How is it?  I'm think of trying it to control my Front Row \ Itunes with my Beo4 but I curently use BM-Link. So is it any better the BM-Link software? What you do guys think?

Regards...
 

Brendon

Good question, I'm keen to see the responses, as I am considering the same. My current thoughts: Beo4vcr pro: control of (potentially) all Mac applications with Beo4; con: no control from link rooms. BM-link: pro better integration into masterlink systems, con: only limited control of other Mac applications than frontrow/Itunes

Francis

Hi Francis

Yes.  I read it, Thats what made me pose the question.  I have never heard of Beo4VRC  before reading that thread.  I hoped we get more feedback about that application.

iRed/IRtrans work very nicely. There was a long write-up in a German Mac publication that put me on to what those programs can do in emulating the functions of a Beo4. Then Beo4VRC came along, and everything is good - because it's what I've been looking for.

I'm setting up a stand-alone NAS server, with all my music and movies -- this will be connected through Ethernet to the smallest of the new iMacs, which will be the Media Center.

This iMac will share its iTunes library with other Macs (we're a Mac crazed bunch), and will also output to Airport Express units I have set up. It's quite straightforward to have several Macs address the same libraries.

I'll also use Apple TV to stream video.

To control this, I'll use the Beo4VRC (which does fast scrolling, I've been informed). I've seen a demo, and am just waiting to get into my new place to hook all of this up. I want to be able to control the setup just using the Beo4. There's not really a need to have two-way now that there are screens just about everywhere one looks in a house.


Looking forward to ironing out all the challenges of this setup!
 

Soundproof

Where did you see that demo? I'd like to see that demo.

The Infrant ReadyNAS streams movies without any trouble. It actually sets up with MOVIES - MUSIC - PICTURES as default folders.
If you connect through ethernet to your media centre, then you get glitch-free streaming. But with Apple's most recent Airport base station (the -n series) you shouldn't have any trouble streaming wirelessly.

I bought the ReadyNAS some weeks ago, works very nicely. Have it set up so that it comes up when my Mac wakes up -- all files readily available (including handy back-up). I've got 2 Terabytes storage in mine.

This movie has a stupid intro - but at 2 minutes in he gets going with the ReadyNAS. You can see he is running four screens of video simultaneously behind him from a ReadyNAS. He demonstrates XRAID backup - he actually removes a harddrive, to demonstrate that if one harddisk crashes, your material is backed up on the remaining three. The movies continue without a glitch.
You remove the damaged disk, put in another one, and off you go.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sD3BjhOjq8 

===

A friend demoed Beo4VCR for me - that's how I came across it.


 

soundproof

I have my NAS (2TB) already so I'm to the get step.  I might just have to purchase it ad see how it works.

----

JK 

The NAS does should show up as a Shared or Network Storage.

jk1002:

>>The NAS does should show up as a Shared or Network Storage.<<

No coverflow though. Check out the media streaming section in the infrant support forums.

For movies it doesnt do that yet, however this is not super critical since Front Row pulls in whatever is in the movie folder, even if there is an alias inside, it follow its path.

But for TV Shows, Itunes would be very nice though.

If you set the library path for iTunes to the media folder on the ReadyNAS, then you get coverflow functionality, as the mac just treats the NAS as an extra harddisk.
The server also shows up as a resource under SHARED, but I access it from the main LIBRARY section of iTunes.

You're right as to Movies. I open those using VLC for playback (which I consider a superior platform to QuickTime for many kinds of files I'm watching).
 

Can any explain the manual for the Beo4VRC Software to me.  I have used google translater but it seems to be missing some key points during the translation. I'm currently trying to activate it to use Media center

 
Thsnks 

Brendon,

I could try to help you with the translation. You should send me your document via PM  as I'm not shure to have the same version stored here on my computer.

However, the first thing I would suggest is to contact the programmer. It is not unlikely that he already has an English version. For contact details see the "Impressum" on his website.

Francis

@Francis the creator of the Beo4VRC software has not email ime back and its been week.

Anyway, I have question do you know if I must have an IRtrans to make MediaCentral work?  Here is my current setup:

 Mac Mini PPC (no IR)
 Beoport
 Bang& Olufsen IR Puck plugged into Beoport
The new BM-LINK that I can control Front Row with  Beo4 remote

Do you think I can purchase Ired Software only and have with in this set to control Mediacentral with help of Beo4_VRC? Or do I have to purchase the IRTrans LAN control in order for this to work?
 

Basicly will the B&O puck remote work for me in these instance.

Thanks 

JK

 
I have applescript written that does not require me to use Ireds.  No additional hardware required :)

Brenon
 

Hi,

you have asked for fast scrolling in Beo4VRC for a while.

The new version 1.2 now supports fast scrolling and fast forward/backward using Front Row 2 and Leopard.

I've download and test the new version today. Much pretty better, than the old one.

I am not really a programmer here, but does someone suggest here that you have a "script" or alike that can be used to to unleash other apps than just frontrow and itunes by responding to beo4 arrow and sources commands like linkplayer do?

Inside the BM-Link installation folder is an Applescript directory that contains a one-page PDF that states:

Support for Custom AppleScript in BM-Link

NOTE! This is a feature made available for your convenience only, no support is given for custom written scripts.

This feature is used for the included Front Row support. To use your custom script you must disable it in the preference pane.

BM-Link v1.5 contains support for executing a custom AppleScript in response to commands received through the IR-eye connected to the BeoLink PC2 box.

In order to activate this function you need to set a user default setting in BM-Link, this is done with the following command in the Terminal

defaults write se.odlund.BMLink.MLServer \ IRAppleScriptPath <Path To Script>

Where you change <Path To Script> into the real path of the script. This applescript must contain the following function.

on IrCommand(source, command, linkbit) end IrCommand

The parameter source is the name of the source to which the IR-command is sent (TV, RADIO, ...), command is the name of the command (PLAY, STOP, UP, DOWN, ...) and finally linkbit is an integer telling wether the the command received was a link command or not. (Some sources and commands are integers instead of strings, this is because only the most common ones are translated into strings)

If something is returned from the script it will be printed out to the console. This can be used for debugging.

BM-Link need to be restarted in order to make the user default setting take effect, but after this the script file is reloaded if a change is detected.

Included is an example script with basic control of QuickTime Player.

The directory also contains the example script.

If I get time I may test QuickTime via BM-Link sometime today ... or more likely the weekend 

nice!