FINALLY! - an app to replace your physical remote
Today, Im ecstatic that I stumbled across EyeTV Mote! FINALLY, an app that works and has all of the core functions necessary to replace the physical remote. I was impressed with how rapidly the component EyeTV Remote Server installed on my system with no need to configure anything. Likewise, EyeTV Mote installed in a flash and launches quickly. The large, intuitive buttons are an appropriate approach to human interface design. Kudos! Bravo! And THANK YOU!
Ever since purchasing an EyeTV Hybrid in 2007, Ive been baffled as to why Elgato hasnt released a companion iPhone remote app.
I tried Poke Eye when that came out but was only able to get it to work briefly and intermittently, and it lacked some essential buttons to fully replace the physical remote. That was a bust.
Then, a glimmer of hope came when Elgato released its EyeTV app, but I was soon perplexed that the app was mainly for watching television on an iOS device. Really? I guess theres some demand for that, but for me, I purchased a TV tuner to watch television on a decently-sized screen, not my tiny iPhone screen. This was released almost in spite of there not being an iOS remote.
As a crutch, I was using Synergy to mouse over to my television screen to control EyeTV, but after upgrading to Lion, I discovered that its not—and currently still is not—supported. I then turned to ShareMouse, which works very well, but the whole mousing over to the screen is less than desirable comparison to a true remote.
I will note a few very minor oddities though with set-up and operation:
• When I first pressed play/pause on in EyeTV Mote, a window came up on my system asking me to choose an application. I wasnt sure what to pick given that 2 EyeTV Helper and 1 EyeTV applications were listed. I opted for the EyeTV application.
• The buttons still didnt work until I went to the settings in EyeTV Mote and selected EyeTV rather than EyeTV Lite, which had been selected by default. I dont even have EyeTV Lite. If possible, it would be nice if an update to the app automatically picks the most likely app to control by default, if this is detectable.
• If you press the up or down arrow, the list of channels comes up, but if you dont want to select one—for instance, if you are watching a pre-recorded show—then you need to press the play/pause button to exit. This isnt intuitive. I discovered by trial and error.
Jay Kvam about
EyeTV Mote