Sconi Center 1.5

 

For those who don´t know the software yet: Sconi Center is the control central for the USB infrared receiver called 'Sconi'. It makes it possible to control your PC with any standard remote control in an easy and comfortable way. Further infos can be found at this site!

 

Overview of the new features:

 

Features in detail:

 

Improved IR signal decoder

The IR signal decoder has a difficult task to do, it must create an unequivocal code out of the pulses which have been received. This is especially difficult if the conditions of reception are not perfect, e.g. if you are sending from great distance or if there are many reflections in the room.

 

Example for IR code

 

In version 1.5 a new routine has been integrated which is more powerful and has improved characteristics. In situations where Sconi Center was hopping between two values so far for example, the new routine will present one certain code cleary. For the user it means that he/she can control the PC from greater distance. And the reception works better if the Sconi has been placed at the backside of the PC, where wall reflections are present! For some remote controls it might be necessary to teach some buttons to Sconi Center 1.5 again, as the new routine mibht create another code than previous versions.

 

Program groups can be equipped with user icons

To further improve the user interface it is now possible to choose the icons which present the program groups in the tree structure. The original icons of the applications controlled by Sconi Center are a good choice for this purpose without a doubt. In the example below Zoomplayer, Media Player, WinAmp and the WinAmp Playlist Editor are used:

 

Original application icons for groups

 

The selection is done with the known dialog window where the additional properties of the program groups are chosen, too. Sconi Center offers the possibility to extract icons directly from the application´s executable file. You just have to select the corresponding .exe file, in the example it´s WinAmp.exe. Of course every other file which contains icons can be defined as the source.

 

A hint for the configuration of program specific groups in Sconi Center: To tell Sconi Center which program should be controlled by a certain group there is a drop down list (s. arrow in the ill). It it possible to add an entry or you can chose an entry from the list. Sconi Center will then identify the program by searching the title bars of all windows for this entry. Mostly it is sufficient to enter the program name like it is shown in the task bar or in the title bar, like Zoom Player.

Note: If you choose an entry from the drop down list, it might happen that there is additional information given in the string. So WinAmp might be listed as WinAmp xyz.mp3. In this case the addition xyz.mp3, which reflects the currently playing music title has to be cutted manually!

  
Property selection for program groups

 

Oscilloscope function

With the menu entry 'show scope' or with CTRL-G you can start the Sconi Center scope. Like expected it will show the currently received infrared code visually. This is useful to do several tests, like finding the maximum distance where signals are received properly. Or how much does it matter to aim the receiver directly or to use wall reflections. But the main task of the scope function is to find the reason for the case that a remote control might work improperly in conjunction with Sconi Center. A Sony code looks like this for example:

 

 

Integrated oscilloscope

 

With the scope one can see directly if the code 'toggels', if the same buttons is pressed multiple times for example. Or one can easily find out if the code lies within the frequency range covered by the Sconi. If the signals are very narrow and tend to merge then the signals were out of range, which happens very rarely fortunately. :-) The ir scope is also quite nice to find out how good your universal learnable remote is. Just press a button on the original remote control and then a button on the universal control, you can quickly see how good or bad your universal remote performs simulating the code.

 

Program groups can be placed in any order

So far Sconi Center searched the tree structure from top to bottom. It could happen that a program specific group wasn´t activated as expected when it was placed below a global group. Global groups are groups which are not assigned to a program but provide general functions like mouse simulation.

Version 1.5 goes a new way. Now the tree is searched with certain priorities which ensure that the right group is chosen under all conditions. The priorities are (in desc order):

  • [1] forced groups (via system command)
  • [2] active program specific groups
  • [3] program groups with 'bring foreground' option
  • [4] global groups

It doesn´t matter anymore where groups are placed in the tree. You can do this as you prefer it most.

  
Group priorities

 

Other changes and improvments

Sconi Center 1.5 offers all num block keys now. Also the mouse wheel function has been integrated. The Windows key can be used as a second key now, like CTRL, ALT or Shift. Very important for home theather PCs: standby and hibernation mode are supported now. Below the tree structure there are new buttons to edit or add program groups. The option 'scroll into view' ensures that the currently active node of the tree is in user´s view always.

Not all changes can be mentioned here. All in all one can say that this version of Sconi Center makes the PC remote controlling even more easy and comfortable. Suggestions for improvment are always welcome of course! By the way, a tutorial how to configure Sconi Center will start shortly on the homepage.

Have fun with the Sconi and Sconi Center! :-)

 

(c) JB 2004