ShrimpWorks

This is a small follow-on on from the Kodi on Debian Sid guide I did earlier this year to get lirc (IR remote support) working once more, following an upgrade to version 0.9.4, which changes how the lirc services and configuration work (shakes fist at systemd).

After upgrading and following all the instructions in /usr/share/doc/lirc/README.Debian.gz, I was left with the problem of Kodi not responding to any remote input at all.

Firstly, I had to re-source my remote’s configuration (mceusb) from the lirc git repository. Place the *.lircd.conf file from there into /etc/lirc/lircd.conf.d/ and remove/rename other .lircd.conf files already in that directory.

Now, running irw and pressing some buttons on your remote should show you the button pressed and the configuration used.

Next up, Kodi fails to connect to the IR device. There are two trivial but non-obvious solutions:

Firstly, without changing any of the default configuration generated by the migration process outlined in the lirc README file, simply change your Kodi starup command as follows:

$ kodi --lircdev /var/run/lirc/lircd

Alternatively, you may change the lirc configuration, to put the device file back where Kodi expects it:

# in /etc/lirc/lirc_options.conf:
output = /dev/lircd

Then end result should be you happily continuing with your life.

I recently went through the process of reinstalling the media PC connected to my TV, which I use to run Kodi for movies and TV, and Steam in Big Picture mode, which allows me to stream Windows-only games from my desktop to the couch.

I thought it would be useful to describe my setup and the process to achieve it, in case anyone else is interested in creating their own custom Kodi/Debian/Steam builds.

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