Hi there,
I want to control my TV via infrared adapter and am looking for the right one.
My goal is to connect snips.ai as well and thus I came across the Broadlink RM3 Mini which
is quite cheap.
It seems to have an API and there are many libraries.
Besides that, Harmony Hub seems to be supported quite well also, so I’m unsure what to chose.
I’m a software developer so I’d like something flexible/modular that allows me to extend it.
Does anyone have a recommendatoin?
To get true automation that is reliable you can not use IR as it is only one way. If you want to know if the TV is on or off you really can not be sure as things like the power fails and TV stays off or someone walks over to the TV and turns it off. You also can never be sure the IR successfully reached the TV, and this is also an issue when a button like pause can be used to pause and to play depending how many times a devices actually sees the IR command. This is why I have moved all our watching to use Kodi as you then have 2 way communication to know real states and I am looking forward to the new Sony binding so the TV can also talk direct.
I use and love the Harmony as a RF based remote is fantastic and never fails and it makes things easier with powering on the surround amp and input switching.
I’m aware that it’s only one way and not synced. My TV is old anyway and I will replace it with one that has a better API.
I have to power on an Amp as well, switch inputs, etc - but I’m not sure if I should get the Broadlink Mini or Harmony Hub…
Offtopic: Can you elaborate on the Kodi Setup? (My Input is DVB-C)
I use mythtv which supports DVB-C and there is a PVR addon for Kodi so it is seam less to watch live, recorded or other sources like Netflix all inside Kodi. Kodi runs on a Pi, but I use an Odroid C2 as it can do h.265 and 4K. I also use one for Openhab so I have more spare parts laying around. LibreElec is as easy as using etcher to place the image on an SD card and inserting it into your PI/C2 and after it boots Kodi is done. Mythtv is a little more involved as it is so complex as it can do advert skipping and much more. Tvheadend is easier to setup but can not do everything mythtv can do and don’t know if it does DVB-C. I leave that up to you to visit their WIKIs and forums to learn.
The best thing about this is if you have an old TV it does not matter as you use Kodi for the ‘smart’ that newer smart TVs can do.
Thanks @matt1 you’re probably right.
I used mythtv a while ago, also tvheadend. Both worked great.
My Sony TV is old, it has an API but it is very limited and does not make sense to integrate it.
I think I will try Kodi again, maybe tvheadend for streaming to phones etc, but I hardly watch normal TV and most content is available through the web already.
It would be nice to control the TV through Snips.ai though, therefore it would make sense to get a cheap IR controller to be able to turn on the TV, Amp, Switch TV to HDMI Input, and from there use Kodi and interface with it through Snips.
Thining about this, the Broadlink RM3 Mini is probably sufficient. There are many hardware remotes available for Kodi as well, so I guess the Harmony is not necessary.
For remotes look at https://flirc.tv
Works great as it shows up as a normal USB keyboard so no Linux installing it is just plug and play.
You could use it with Logitech the rm device or any old remote you have laying around.
Thanks, looks interesting!