MythTV Remote - StreamZap Review

While looking for a good remote control for my Silent MythTV Frontend I stumbled upon the StreamZap IR Remote Control, and decided to give it a try.

The StreamZap PC Remote Control sells for around $30, which includes a USB receiver. That puts the StreamZap is near the bottom of the price spectrum once you factor in the IR Receiver.

I've been using it for a couple months now, have mentioned it a few times on the MythTV mailing list, and figured it's about time I wrote a review.

What's in the package?

First of all, lets cover what comes in the package. For a MythTV user, the only thing you will really care about is the remote itself and the USB IR receiver. You will need to supply two of your own AAA batteries. There is also a driver CD for Windows and some directions.

While we're on the packaging topic, the StreamZap comes in what's commonly referred to as a plastic blister pack. I hate these. It's the type that you need scissors to open. I wish it came in a simple box that I didn't have to fight with to open. Anyway, you're not buying it for the packaging...this is just a minor nuisance.

StreamZap LIRC Support

If you don't already know, LIRC is the software Linux uses to communicate to and from infrared devices. The details of that are beyond the scope of this review.

LIRC comes with support for the StreamZap, although in the form of a module. With the module loaded and LIRC properly configured, LIRC sees the remote control keypresses from the StreamZap just fine. Your linux distribution may already include this support built in.

The StreamZap Receiver

The IR receiver is a nice little USB device that is intended to sit on top of of something. It's not as small as others I've seen, such as the PVR-X50 receiver, but that not always a bad thing. The receiver is sits very nicely on top of my TV and does not look at all out of place. Overall I think the size that was added to make it blend in nicely is good.

One feature is a red LED on top that lights up when an IR signal is detected. This is great for if you need to troubleshoot a problem, although other times it can be a little annoying. The light does not bother me, and I think I like having the feedback that it is getting the remote signal.

This is designed to work with generally any brand of remote given the proper LIRC setup. Of course it comes as a set with the StreamZap remote. However, depending on your situation, it may be worth the price the the receiver alone.

Rumor has it that it's possible to purchase the receiver without the remote, although I have never seen this and can't verify or provide any information about it being sold on it's own.

It looks nice, plugs into USB, and works well with LIRC. What more is there to talk about?

The StreamZap Remote

The other half of the hardware set is of course the remote. My very first impression on picking it up is that it does not weigh as much as I expected. Partially due to using AAA batteries instead of AA, it feels almost like it floats in your hand. I'd almost like it to weigh a little more, although I'm not quite sure why.

Next is the buttons. I'm wishy washy about the feel of the buttons. The button presses have a little bit more resistance than I prefer. That being said, I have a tendency with my Toshiba TV remote that I like the button feel of to change the channel by mistake just by having my thumb rest on the remote. I've gotten used to the feel of the StreamZap buttons, and don't view it as a bad thing anymore. It just was not what I was initially used to.

In terms of the buttons themselves, it fits my needs. The general layout of the buttons works fine, and all the important onces are there. Like many PC remotes, there are four colored buttons on the bottom that are great to map to whatever features don't quite fit anything else...like commercial skip.

While we're on the topic of button mapping, I should plug the tip on how to turn off your monitor from a PC Remote. If you are using a normal PC Monitor for MythTV, you may want to map the power button of the StreamZap to turn off your monitor.

Generally the build quality and feel seems to be very good. I get the feeling I could drop it a bunch of times without worry of it breaking.

The range of the remote seems to be about on par with the other TV remotes I own. It works fine from anywhere in the room when pointed in the general direction of the receiver.

Wrap Up

Without a doubt this is not the best, fully featured remote control on the market. It doesn't pretend to be. There are remotes for three times the price (or more) trying to fill that role. At around $30, it's a great choice for a basic TV remote for MythTV. It works well with LIRC, includes a nice receiver, has all the basic buttons, and is fairly well built.

If you are putting together a MythTV system and just want a basic remote control that is known to work well with LIRC, it should certainly be on your list to consider.