Controlling music on my computer with a remote?

[ChaoZ]

So what would I need to make that happen? I usually like to sit on my bed and listen to music from the computer. I don't want to get up just to change the song or volume. Is there any way for me to control the music with a remote of some kind?

 

[zig3695]

what program do you use to listen music with? most any pc remote will work one way or another, but some are much easier to set up. as a general rule, i like the media center remotes because they natively work with windows and many other programs support them too.

 

[ChaoZ]

I mainly use Foobar2000. I can switch to Winamp again if that doesn't work.

 

[AmberClad]

I found quite a few very inexpensive ones on eBay by searching for "PC media remote". I don't own one of those though, so you'll probably want to consult some reviews.

I think they basically work as a wireless version of the "media keys" that Microsoft and some other companies put on their keyboards. In Winamp, I think you need to enable "global hot keys" for devices like that to work. For Quintessential Player, Creative Media Source, and Windows Media Player, the global hotkeys seem to be enabled by default, so media keys work right out of the box. A lot of media players seem to support that functionality, not 100% sure about Foobar because I haven't used it before.

I see some Microsoft-branded media remotes on eBay -- I assume those would be a pretty safe bet.

 

[zig3695]

another way to do it is logitech's media mouse. had play, forward and skip right on the cordless mouse, designed to be used as both a remote and mouse...

also, i hear people really liking those gyro remotes. that way you wouldnt have to worry about compatibility at all.