XBMC : IR vs Mini wireless USB keyboard?

[Park@82]

Hi guys,

I am contemplating getting a USB IR receiver to go with my Harmony remote and XBMC setup.

I do however already have a mini usb wireless keyboard that I use to control XBMC, the main reason I am thinking of getting the receiver is to eliminate one more remote...

I am wondering how effective a IR remote would be vs a mini keyboard?

With the keyboard I can search by typing, I can use shift + letterers to go to a location in the library, I can press A to set certain audio options, I can press T to set subtitles, right-click options etc. How well would a IR remote handle this? Is it a lot of effort to get it setup to control XBMC?

Your thoughts?

 

[AVSupply]

The only time I use a keyboard and mouse is during the initial setup phase

Most of the newer Multimedia remotes support quick navigation (Movies, Music, Pictures, LiveTV, etc). I have no need to search for anything, instead I sort by genre and use the page up and down keys to quickly navigate through my movie wall and music collection.

Shortcut buttons (info, subtitles, etc) also work very well and I use profiles if I want specific audio and video settings (I have one XBMC HTPC that I share with multiple TVs using a matrix splitter)

 

[Fudzy]

Keyboards are useful though if you use Youtube etc, I have one of these: http://www.kalahari.com/electronics/Cedeko-Wireless-3D-Mouse-Keyboard/4585/41281775.aspx

But I use my Harmony 500 more often.

You get some pretty cool control apps for Android & iOS as well but I've found that in practice it's easier to reach for the remote

 

[Park@82]

Thanks, will try to get one