In the earlier post I covered Remote Buddy for using Apple Remote with non-Apple applications like VLC Media Player. This time we will look at another application called Apple Remote Helper. Unlike Remote Buddy, this is a free download.
The Apple Remote Helper does exactly what the tile of ths post says – it can control the VLC Media player using the apple remote. Only VLC Media Player and no other applications.Apple remote Helper can:
- Play/Pause
- Increase/Decrease Volumes
- Skip to next Tracks
However, Apple Remote Helper cannot:
- Rewind/Fast-Forward
Still its good enough if you only need to watch those VCDs or watch those AC3 DivX movies on a Mac. It is ver simple & easy to use – all you need to do is launch it from spotlight and click on the button called “Listen to Remote” (check the screenshot above). You can now get load your movies on VLC and you are good to go. The application appears to be very stable and I ahve not experience and trouble with it in the hours I have used it.You can download it for free from this location. (Note: The download location is in rapidshare.de, you may get a few pop-ups and some ads, still it should be worth it if you don’t want to pay for Remote Buddy)This application is free, but I do not think this is Open Source. Perhaps releasing the code will get someone to add the fast forward & rewind features.Overall this is a decent free alternative to Remote Buddy.Also check related post on Remote Buddy.