Build an infrared receiver for that Windows Media PC

If you have a personal computer running Windows XP Media Center Edition and have all your TV shows sitting on your PC's hard drive (assuming you have a tuner card), wouldn't it be nice to have a remote control to that PC -- especially if it is hooked up to a living room television where you do most of your viewing?

Newer Media Center desktop and laptop PCs come with a standard remote control, but if yours did not and you're running Windows XP Media Center Edition of Windows Vista Home Premium, how about making an infrared receiver yourself and using any universal remote control to send commands to that PC?

For those of us who built our own PCs or who just don't have a remote control to our systems, this is the answer. You'll need a working understanding of basic electronics plus computer communication protocols (specifically, RS-232), but all in all this is a pretty easy hack. Check it out here. And, don't worry -- this can work with that newer PC without a working serial port with a USB-to-Serial converter.

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