Member Avatar for nizzy1115

I have a tv that i lost the remote for and standard controllers dont work to switch the tv/video (thats what i need). So i decided to find a program that would let my laptop be the remote control for my tv through its ir port. However, i havent found anything yet. :-| does anyone know of a program that allows me to do this. I am running xp pro and mandrake 10.2. Thanks :)

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by kofiayivor

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Short answer up front: the built‑in laptop IR port is usually an IrDA data transceiver, not a TV‑style consumer IR blaster, so LIRC/WinLIRC often can’t send the 38 kHz carrier bursts and power a TV needs. As described the goal and suggested LIRC, that’s why ’s caution is common and real — you’ll usually need external hardware to reliably change TV input. (mirror.ihost.md)

Quick checks you can run before buying anything. On Linux look for kernel rc devices and test with ir-keytable; useful commands:

dmesg | grep -i ir
ls /sys/class/rc
ir-keytable -t
lsusb

If ir-keytable shows a /dev/input event and enabled protocols, the kernel may expose a usable remote device and tools like irsend/ir-ctl can work. On Windows open Device Manager and look for a consumer‑IR or “eHome Infrared Transceiver” entry — if it’s only IrDA the port won’t act as a TV blaster. (kernel.org)

Practical options if the laptop port fails:

  • Buy a USB IR blaster that LIRC/WinLIRC support (USB‑UIRT is a long‑standing option).
  • Use a network blaster (Global Caché iTach) or a DIY Pi/Arduino IR LED controlled by LIRC.
  • If your PC is connected by HDMI, a USB‑CEC adapter (Pulse‑Eight/libCEC) can power/switch the TV without line‑of‑sight. These are far more reliable than reprogramming a laptop IrDA chip. ()

Recommendation: for “switch TV/video” the simplest purchase is a small USB blaster (USB‑UIRT) or a USB‑CEC adapter if you use HDMI. If you want to experiment, run the commands above; if ir-keytable reports “no transmitter” or the Windows device is IrDA only, stop and use external hardware — it will save time. (mirror.ihost.md)

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Member Avatar for goaliemike

I know it exists for a pda, but for a laptop...

Member Avatar for Advil_#apu

Hey theres this one program that i found, It's a sourceforge program and there is a port for windows with questionable support. I say questionable only because i have not gotten it to work on my machine. The computer im using also happens to be a fairly old and slow laptop which might be affecting the application in more ways than one. Anyway, i wish you good luck with it, post back of it works. The program is called Lirc. The dudes webpage is http://www.lirc.org

Good luck

Member Avatar for kofiayivor

Sorry Guys lirc and winlirc have a problem working with laptop IRs

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