dish tv remote access
What do I need to get Windows Media Centre on my PC?
I may end up getting Vista Home Premium or Ultimate on my PC eventually. However, I know these both have Windows Media Centre in them, and to access this I press the big green button on the remote. However I have a few questions:
1) Does the remote come with Vista when you buy it (I am probably going OEM)
2) How does the remote interact with your PC (IE, does it need an external USB receiver)
3) Are all remotes the same or are they specific to each recevier and inturn each PC?
4) Are there any other special requirements?
5) If I get a TV Tuner card becuase I want to watch live TV on my computer, do I have to connect it to either my satellite dish or the RF socket in the wall which the satellite signal comes out of? If so, is it possible to do this wirelessly, as my Digibox and the signal coming to it are downstairs.
Thanks
Tom
1) It depends on if the OEM provides a remote with the PC. They are also readily available for purchase separately.
2) The remote is picked up from an IR receiver. Usually this is internal, and the OEM will integrate it into the case. Another possibility is, yes, an external USB receiver.
3) The remote doesn’t interact with the PC, per se. It interacts with Media Center. The receiver doesn’t do anything except tell the computer, “hey I just received a code from a remote, the code is 0×0000″. It is the software’s job to recognize the keycodes that the remote sends, interpret them, and perform a function based on the keypress.
4) Usually, no. MC-based PCs are sold with the purpose of being all-in-one media solutions, meaning everything you need is included.
5) It depends on where you’re getting your signal. If it’s from satellite, you need to plug it in to the receiver, just like with a normal TV. However, you need to use the satellite remote to change channels.
Any computer-based TV tuner can change channels on analog broadcast or analog cable only. Digital cable and satellite are sent encrypted, and need special hardware to decrypt this and select channels. This is what your receiver does. No, there are no PC-based alternatives for this, and most likely there will never be.
Hope this helps 
dish network and DirecTV