Here's a guide for the benefit of Peter, who's considering whether he should buy an iPhone or iPod Touch.

I've been using an iPod Touch as a remote control for close to six weeks now, and it's absolutely brilliant. I can browse my iTunes and Movie libraries, while also accessing any backed-up DVDs stored on my hard disk or computers. There are a number of different software app's you can use to control your source material, I tried out various before deciding upon Remote Buddy together with the iPod Touch.

The following descriptions are also valid if you want to use your iPhone as a remote control in this fashion.

The Basic Principle

An iPod Touch is a two-way, WiFi and Bluetooth enabled interface control screen. The screen is high resolution and reacts to touch in a most amazing manner - has to be experienced to be believed. Using basic finger movement across the surface, you can resize, move and select whatever is being displayed. Tapping activates functions or highlights choices.

The fact that the iPod Touch can be used with WiFi makes it possible to communicate through walls and over longer distances than what is possible with an infrared or Bluetooth remote - which comes in very handy.

However - in order to actively use your iPod Touch as an application remote, you will need third-party software. Remote Buddy is one such animal, Signal performs many of the similar functions and the people behind irTrans and iRed are working on a version 2.0 of their software which will lend their hardware control interface to the control surfaces of the iPhone and iPod Touch. (The latter solution is very promising, and is a combination of software and hardware that makes it possible to control B&O and non-B&O hardware - TVs, audio and DVD units - but they're working out some Leopard Operating System bugs.)

Basic Steps

Designate a computer that will serve as your source computer, and which will have Remote Buddy installed. I use a Mac mini, which is connected to a stand-alone digital media server, but you can use a regular computer which has your music stored on it. If you also intend to store movies (DVDs) you'll probably need more harddisk space, and would then want to consider having separate harddisks attached to your source computer (either via WiFi or Ethernet/USB).

Decide whether your source computer is the only "outlet" you'll be using, or whether you will want to attach one or more Airport Express WiFi units (AEs) in your home network. Each AE can be attached to an audio unit, large or small, using either analog or digital (Toslink optical) connections. AE units can receive up to CD-quality sound over WiFi.
You set up your peripheral AEs as you would ordinarily - your Remote Buddy enabled iPod Touch will find these when it's active, and you can then choose between Computer (your main source) or the AEs by the names you've given them.

Buy an iPod Touch or iPhone.

Purchase the Remote Buddy software from IOSPIRIT. It costs €19.99 -- I consider it as good a deal as the BeoWorlder Andy spending €30 on a Gold Membership and winning a Beosystem 7000!
http://www.iospirit.com/index.php?mode=view&obj_type=infogroup&obj_id=24&o_infogroup_objcode=infogroup-23&sid=4675167Ge7ca683f15eb906e

Connect your iPod Touch or iPhone to your computer and update it. Remote Buddy does not interfere with the legitimate use of an iPhone, which means that any future updates to the iPhone will not affect how Remote Buddy interacts with it. (You may have read of third-party hacks that unlock the iPhone from designated carriers, with the risk that the iPhone can become inactive when later updated with new software from Apple. Remote Buddy is not such a hack, which means that you will NOT run the risk of deactivating your iPhone or iPod Touch by using Remote Buddy.)

Install Remote Buddy (RB) on your computer. RB will control most of your applications, not just iTunes - but you can find out more by following the link above. What follows deals with how to use the iPhone or iPod Touch to control playback of music or movies.

Enabling AJAX Remote Functions

RB achieves its "little" trick using the Safari browser that's installed on your iPhone or iPod Touch. Once AJAX is activated on your iPod Touch this is what the screen will look like. The various buttons indicate functions, you can control the mouse cursor, get a keyboard or use remote functions. What interests us here are the Music and Movies buttons, and what happens when you use those. In the next post I'll go through the AJAX enabling routine.

 

When you activate your iPod Touch you will be asked whether you want to join a WiFi network. This you can find through the settings menu option on the iPod Touch if you're not asked automatically. All you have to do is to enter the password for your WiFi. (If you're using hardware ID# protection, then you can find your iPod Touch's Apple ID# through the same settings menu. You have to enter this number into your WiFi unit's Access Control pane).

But if your WiFi is password protected only, then all you need do is type that password into your Touch and you have joined. In the future it will sign-on automatically when it detects this WiFi network.

The next step is to study the following link, which gives you the information you require to set up Remote Buddy Preferences to activate AJAX on an iPhone or iPod Touch:

http://www.iospirit.com/index.php?mode=view&obj_type=infogroup&obj_id=24&sid=4675167Ge7ca683f15eb906e&o_infogroup_objcode=infogroup-23&o1_infogroup_objcode=html-141 

 Note the 4 simple steps guide a little down the page. Click image I have pasted below to enlarge:

In Step One, open the Preferences of your Remote Buddy.

Note the Toolbar at the top of the RB Preferences Pane - click AJAX Remote, then check the box next to Enable Ajax Remote. That's Step Two.

If you want, you can set a password for your AJAX Remote (which is what RB calls your iPod Touch or iPhone enabled with AJAX). I have chosen not to set a password, since access to my WiFi is restricted through a password, and I don't want to waste time entering the password whenever I use the iPod Touch.
That was Step 3.

At the bottom of the Ajax Remote pane in preferences you'll now find a series of URLs, identified variously. The legend says Interfaces and URLs you can use to access AJAX remote.

One of these addresses has to be stored as a BOOKMARK on the Safari Browser that comes pre-installed in your iPhone or iPod Touch. This Safari browser is just like the one on your Mac (though on a smaller screen).
Open SAFARI on your iPod Touch>Open Bookmarks>Select NEW>and  type in  the URL exactly as it appears in the AJAX Remote Preferences list of URLs. I use the Bonjour address, which is the one preferred by Remote Buddy. This is your Source Computer's address on your WiFi network - and whenever you choose this bookmark in your iPod Touch, it will find your source computer and open the control surface you see in the previous post.

 

 

 

 

This is what the Preferences pane looks like - click the image to enlarge:

I have NOT checked Require Password. Note you have a few security options - you can see your own desktop in the browser (actually very handy) and you can see whatever your iSight camera is seeing on your iPod Touch or iPhone.

The Module Options are worth thinking about. When you back up DVDs to a harddisk, for instance using MacTheRipper, you will be creating VIDEO_TS files -- most of these play back smoothly with DVD-player, but if you prefer using VLC then you can tell your iPod Touch to always use VLC when playing back such files.

The highlighted area shows the URLs you can choose from when deciding on which to use for the Safari Browser that's on your iPod Touch. Use the top one (Bonjour) first as all Apple hardware is Bonjour native and perform instant handshakes using Bonjour's protocol. 

 

Now you have forgotten that you are dealing with an idiot here!!

I'll describe what I have and then you can tell me what I need to do! I have a PowerMac G5 with all my music stored on an extra internal 500Gb HDD. I am actually about to change that to an external 1Tb HDD but I am sure the principle is the same.

The computer has a built Airport express card and connects to one of the new Airport Extreme stations which is attached to a router. The G5 is attached to a beolink PC2 and thence to the ML system in the house. There is actually another Airport Express attached to the router  as my wife's PC doesn't like the Airport Extreme!

What I want to be able to do is control the iTunes folder in other rooms on my Beolink system. I don't mind using a Beo4/5 to switch on the system and change the volume but some visual feedback is required as I have quite a lot of music!!

What hardware /software do I need? Do I need to change how the Airport Extreme is connected? 

I will get the iPhone rather than an iPod as I can use it as my work phone and it will be tax deductible..... 

I told you to aim low!! 

Believe it or not, you're actually set now.

Pick the Safari Browser button. I have the Remote Buddy bookmark set as the top bookmark, which then becomes the default launch window.

 

If you're on another web page, and want to use the Remote, then do as follows: Choose Bookmarks at the bottom, then choose the Bookmark with the Bonjour URL and the control panel will launch.
That's the top image I posted in this thread. What you're actually looking at is a browser window emulating a remote control surface. Quite clever. When you touch a button you launch an Activity or a Behaviour (check out the Remote Buddy manual for details on that. But all you need is installed as basic functions - you can build it out forever, if you want, but I haven't had a need to do so yet.)

When you pick Music, Remote Buddy will access the iTunes library that's on your source computer and make that available to you.
You'll see a page listing Library, with Albums, Artists, Genres, Tracks, Playlists, Movies, TV Shows, Podcasts, etc. In other words, the same stations and folders you have in your iTunes on the computer.

When you choose Albums > you get another list with these in alphabetical order, as text (to save download time you're not seeing covers - remember, all of this is on your source computer and is transferred to your remote).

Pick an Album or Artist, and either you'll see all the songs on the Album, or you'll see all albums by the artist you chose.
Note the small arrows < or > on either side of the window - when you touch these, you go to the next or previous function.

When you press a song, that song will immediately begin playing. If you press the NOW PLAYING button on the top left, you will get a window that looks like this.

Going from top to bottom: 

LAUNCHER takes you to the Main AJAX Remote interface - which is the one shown in the first post in this thread.
LIBRARY takes you to what you have in your iTunes folder. At first press, you'll go to the directory for what you are listening to now. You'll then find a button that says HOME, which takes you to your main iTunes Library.

Between these you see the Artist Name, Title and Album of what you're playing.

Underneath you see the track-display, showing time elapsed and remaining. You can choose to play the track many times in a loop, move to the next track in sequence or have the tracks play back at random.

Underneath this you'll see your ranking of the track and the cover art (it's quite beautiful to see the cover appear as it's being sent to your iPod Touch from your source computer).

When you tap the cover, you enable the control buttons: Play/Pause, Previous and Next. Tap again, and they disappear.

Below these you find the Volume Control. 

At the bottom, from left to right, you find the same Control Button activation, you can also rank the music.

If your source computer is in another room, and you want to stream the music to the room you're in, you have to tap the SPEAKERS button. That will open individual buttons for your Computer (source) as well as all your Airport Express units that are attached to your network - tap the one that corresponds to the unit in the room you are in, and music will be piped to that unit.

PLAYLIST has different functions. If you're listening to an Album it shows all the other tracks on that album, as well as which is active; if you're listening to an Artist(s), then it will show all other tracks by that Artist(s) on different albums.

You can also SEARCH for content by typing in text.

At the very bottom you'll see controls for the browser window - remember, you're looking at a browser! If you have several windows open, you can go back and forth between them, or launch your bookmarks (that's the open book symbol), etc.

 

 

ANSWERS to Peter's post:

I'll describe what I have and then you can tell me what I need to do! I have a PowerMac G5 with all my music stored on an extra internal 500Gb HDD. I am actually about to change that to an external 1Tb HDD but I am sure the principle is the same.

As long as you install Remote Buddy on the computer with your iTunes Library Folder you're OK. NOTE: your music can be stored elsewhere, for instance on a stand-alone harddisk, as long as your iTunes application is pointed to that harddisk with its Preferences. Open iTunes Preferences>Advanced>iTunes Music Folder Location>Change if necessary.
The actual content listing folder with all your music, cover art, etc. will still reside in your USER LIBRARY on your SOURCE computer, even when the actual music is stored elsewhere.

The computer has a built Airport express card and connects to one of the new Airport Extreme stations which is attached to a router. The G5 is attached to a beolink PC2 and thence to the ML system in the house. There is actually another Airport Express attached to the router  as my wife's PC doesn't like the Airport Extreme!

I would recommend attaching your stand alone harddisk, when you get it, to your Airport Extreme base station using an ethernet cable. Then move your iTunes music to that harddisk, and point the iTunes Preferences as stated above to that harddisk. I'm using a ReadyNAS+ server, which actually allows me to have it emulate an iTunes content server, which is then seen by all other computers on the network ... that should solve your wife's PC's problem, I think, as long as she's on the same network.

What I want to be able to do is control the iTunes folder in other rooms on my Beolink system. I don't mind using a Beo4/5 to switch on the system and change the volume but some visual feedback is required as I have quite a lot of music!!

You can control volume from the iPod Touch/iPhone (though that's not ideal for perfect playback of digital files, as it enables the Mac's soundcard, but we can cover that at a later junction.) When the irTrans/iRed guys get things sorted out you'll also be able to control hardware - but I'm doing what you're proposing doing (and with the Beolab 5000 I don't have much of a choice!) 

What hardware /software do I need? Do I need to change how the Airport Extreme is connected? 

iPhone/iPod Touch. Remote Buddy. Airport Express units for each "station" where you wish to pipe music to an audiomaster/TV.
For perfect playback you would also want to have a stand-alone DAC between your Airport Express and the AUX or TAPE IN on your audiomaster/TV.
Without a DAC all you need is an analog minijack-to-5pin DIN converter - available from LifestyleAV (though you probably already have one).
With a DAC you need a Toslink Optical "Toslink minijack-to-Toslink connection" cable; plus a connector from your DAC to the AUX or TAPE IN, I'm using an RCA-to-7pin DIN connector from Flashbacksales.co.uk.

I will get the iPhone rather than an iPod as I can use it as my work phone and it will be tax deductible...

Yes - I'm getting an iPhone the moment they go on sale in France, without the SIM-lock. A remote control with a phone, a browser, e-mail ...

WHAT CAN GO WRONG?

I've had very little down-time with my iPod Touch as a remote control.

The screen doesn't dim when you're using it as a remote, which means that you're running the battery. But you can just click the deactivate button on top left on your iPhone/iPod Touch, and reactivate it when you want to make a change. The browser window will open where you were, when you unlocked, and if you haven't enabled the Require Password function in the AJAX Remote preferences then you'll go straight to the functions you want.

Occasionally, the unit will drop the connection. If you don't regain control when using the play-button, then just relaunch the window by first selecting the bookmarks symbol, always at the bottom. I have called the bookmark Remote Buddy - when I relaunch that, it opens the control window shown in the first posting in this thread, you pick Music, and you're usually set to go again.

I've set the Mac mini to wake when prodded, but I rarely have any trouble with that not coming online immediately. On a few rare occasions iTunes has received an update warning from Apple-Central, and that has locked things until I've gone to the room where the Mac mini is and have sorted things out. I've deactivated Automatic Update notices in System Preferences>Software Updates -- but this does not stop iTunes from opening an "Update available for iTunes" window -- and this can lock things down until you sort it out.

When moving the signal from one room to another, I find that occasionally I have to hold down the button for the new room until a small Activity window opens on the iPod Touch. And to play back in many rooms I have to select that function in the Mac mini, the AJAX remote handles one room at a time (I may have missed how to activate multi-room playback).

That's it ...
 

Reference post.

USING iPhone or iPod Touch TO PLAYBACK MOVIES  

In Remote Buddy>Preferences>Movies (at the top right)

Activate that you want Remote Buddy to look for TS_Files on your harddisks. Point it to folders where you have such files -- when you press Movies in the AJAX Remote LAUNCHER Window (top image in this thread), if will find all these movies (takes a little time if you have a lot). You can then start playback of the movie on the screen that is attached to your source computer -- I have a DVI-to-HDMI converter cable that's sending the image to a 50" HD-Ready Plasma screen -- looks brilliant, and I can control the playback from the iPod Touch. 

You have just about persuaded me.

Just to re-iterate though! I am going to use beolink to pipe the sound through the house as it is already there. i will rely on the Wi-Fi so that the iPhone can send messages to the Mac and this will give me the same iTunes display I can get on my computer whilst in other rooms. 

Now if I can stop Leopard from freezing as often as it is at present, I'll get on and do it!! 

Interesting, I've not had any issues with Leopard freezing up, which app's are you using when it does so?

You will be able to control iTunes playback from the iPhone -- whether you then pipe the music through BeoLink or through AEs will make no difference to the output.

I don't have anything very exciting and apart from iTunes. Mail and Firefox, have not been up to much! The odd Photoshop session ! The whole thing just grinds to a halt - which as I have 3.5Gb of RAM seems a little unreasonable. Worse since I switched File Vault back on so I suppose Time Machine might be the problem. I'll probably have a clear out when I get my new hard disc and might do a clean install. I have a number of hard discs so I might make the biggest internal one the boot disc instead of the original one.

By the way, Frede has just sent me some pictures of the Beomaster 4401 - it is beautiful!  Now we all will want one!

 

Oh and I didn't say, many thanks for helping with the iPhone! You should be on commission!

Remote Buddy really is a remarkable bit of software and I wholeheartedly second soundproof's recommendations.

I was flicking thourgh my iTunes library on my iPhone today and the music was coming out of my BL8000s and I was giggling to myself like an idiot. I feel like I've been transported into the future.

Then I used the iPhone as a remote to view some episodes of Prison Break on my new 20 inch iMac which arrived on Thursday. I am in Apple-geek heaven at the moment!

Internet Radio Tip

 Create an iTunes playlist called Radio. Put all your radio stations (internet links) in that.

When you're using your iPod Touch or iPhone, access Playlists in Library, then pick the Radio folder - now you can select the different net radio stations you like listening to and they'll play via iTunes.
When in the Now Playing window while playing from the Radio folder, you can click Playlist at the bottom of the screen, and all your radio stations will show. Makes switching between radio stations very simple.

Does it work with DVDPedia?

Remote Buddy's Hotkeys work with DVD-Pedia - you don't get the same touch-intuitive interface as you get with AJAX, but you can control all functions in DVD-Pedia, or any other Mac application. Quite nice interface.

But, the Movies Playback button accesses all your DVD-Pedia organized VIDEO_TS files if you point Remote Buddy to the folder they are in. Tap the Movie you want to watch, and it's launched. You can then pause, skip, etc.
They'll show up like this:

 

 

I couldn't bring myself to get the iPhone - I hate mobile phones and only carry one because I have to! So I have just bought an iPod Touch as this would seem to be the correct device for what I want! Busy charging it on the work computer (I hope!) and will play tonight!!

Also have bought the wife a black MacBook last night though this will take a week or so as it is having extra RAM put in. I thought about doing it myself but as I am as blind as a bat, this seemed a less attractive option!

I'll report back!!

I set up DVDpedia on my Mac Mini last night and it's great.  I can't wait to get my Touch. I was playing with a friend's last night but instead of loading Remote Buddy I got distracted and load the Nintendo emulator and was playing Super Tecmo Bowl on it.

Getting there slowly!! Have established a degree of remote control though it is a bit slow at present! Still waiting to update the iPod as the file required is 160Mb and my broadband is very slow!! Very impressive! Thanks Soundproof!

160MBs of updates does take some time.
Hope everything turned out fine - when you write "slow" do you mean that the Touch responds slowly?

It sometimes does not seem to respond in the way I would expect. For instance, I will touch Artist, and the block is highlighted, but then nothing much happens. I may need to press a couple of times and even go back a level and start again. Some of it may be impatience but I imagine it just takes a bit of time to communicate. Signal strength seems OK at either 2 or 3.

On the whole though, it is exactly what I wanted. It allows access to be music library in all the link rooms which great ease. many thanks for the tip!

In a perfect world, one should be able to use the iTouch as a remote for the system as well though I imagine it will need additional hardware for that. I can imagine a small box attaching via the dock connection with an IR eye in it a bit like the iFM used to! To be honest, this is what the Beo5 should have been!

OK. The slow response is something I have only experienced a few times, when the unit is activated from sleep and the Mac mini has not received a new command for quite a while. I think the Touch has to wake up the Mac mini. It could be that you have set your computer to Sleep when not active?

Otherwise, my Touch responds instantly to the commands I give it (or rather, the Mac mini responds instantly to the commands I press on the Touch.

Try holding the button down until you get the little grey response window, which is a two-way sign-off. I have found that when switching from one Airport Express to another, or back to the Computer, I sometimes have to use a long press, though for other control commands I don't.

Hmmm. I'll look into it.

As to hardware control, that's what the irTrans/iRed guys are working on. They already have this, of course, with hardware that can be controlled with a Beo4 and which will send commands to B&O and non-B&O equipment; now they're working on iRed 2.0 which will move the same functions to the Touch or iPhone and with the same cross-platform control. Can't wait.
 

Just checked my Touch. It hadn't been used since yesterday, and the same with the Mac mini.
The Touch/Mini responded instantly, taking me from the Now Playing Window>Library>Home>Artists>Veronique Gens>Selected track without any pauses, and resulting in instant playback.

I'll look at my settings this evening. 

I never put the computer to sleep. I think I need to do a bit od reaaranging of my wireless though as the command will be going to the Airport Extreme and then to the computer before going back to the Extreme and then to the iPod. I'll hard wire the Extreme to the computer and see if that helps. I'll wait till my new HDD arrives probably. It is however a fantastic system! B&O need to try this out and see what they are missing!