Controlling receiver with Mac (and eventually an iTouch)

Hi guys:

Interesting forums! I have spent a good deal of time reviewing your site and set up a simple server.

Let's cut to the chase: Could some of the CA gurus provide some guidance for a slick way to control an AV receiver (volume, FM receiver, etc) with a MacBook (and an iTouch in the future)?

For information purposes my system is as follows:

-Internet

-Wireless router

-MacBook

-Optical Toslink - Toslink Mini cable

-Sunfire TG2 (DAC and preamp)

-etc...

The Sunfire can be controlled via the Mac with a RS-232 port. I purchased a RS-232 to USB converter and got that working on Microsoft Hyperterminal tonight, and hope to get it going on Apple's Terminal Program (or Zterm or Minicom) tomorrow. Controlling the Sunfire on Hyperterminal is pretty cool but looking up the codes and punching them in is not so cool.

So before wasting time on setting up a pretty Mac-Sunfire control interface, I thought I would request some guidance from the CA team.

Thanks,

Steel

FYI: Sunfire instructions and RS-232 codes:

http://www.sunfire.com/downloads/Sunfire%20TGIII-Ultimate%20Receiver%20RS232%20commands%201-8-04.pdf

Hi steelman - This is an area I've done a large amount of research on. I have to run out the door at the moment, but I'll be back to discuss this one with you.

Hi Guys:

Some others guided me to a beta project that might do the trick, when released:

http://www.airremote.com/index.php?page=0

This seems to be a good solution and could be replicated fairly easily using data files from the following site:

http://www.remotecentral.com/cgi-bin/files/rcfiles.cgi?start=&num=0&kw=sunfire&area=

....and their TCP/IP to IR Box for $135:

http://www.asihome.com/ASIshop/product_info.php?products_id=1313

I have been talking with one of the guys that is putting this out and it is almost there. They told me about 3 weeks and this was 2 weeks ago. They told me to keep looking at the app store for it. . . .

jimi

I've been doing a little research into the Savant System and it looks pretty cool

http://www.savantav.com/products.php?navigationitem=1&subnavigationitem=2&item=3

It seems like people want to develop a Crestron / AMX type of solution at a reasonable price. I too have been watching the AirRemote product. Speaker craft has something similar http://www.speakercraft.com/

Note: Jimi is pretty up to date on this stuff. He has sent me several links to apps like this in the recent past.

Chris,

Thanks for the nod on being up to date!! I just wish there was something out there already to just control everything with one remote.

Oh on a lighter note. There is this new remote coming out by Nuvo that will allow wireless control WITH metadata output. It runs on some wireless format called "weebee" or something like that. Finally. . . I can be outside and control our music and have input on what's going on!

jimi

PS Savant has some pretty slick stuff out there! Chris what info do you have on their controller. How does it transfer the IP commands to RF or IR. Do they hake a box like the airremote for conversion?