iTunes keeps starting when I use Apple TV

Slydude

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As far as omitting the Mac as a controlled device, I never set it up to control the Mac. The listed devices for my Harmony are only my TV, TiVo, dvd player, Roku (which will be moving to another room) and the Apple TV, so the remote should not be affecting the Mini.
Do you mean that these are the only things the Harmony supports or are these things the only ones you have taught the Harmony about? That might be important.

If the Mini has an IR receiver that is active (turned on) then it may not matter that you have not specifically taught the Harmony about the Mac. The codes are probably the same. Two examples might illustrate what I mean:
1. I had an Apple remote before I purchased my Apple TV. Of course a second one came with the Apple TV. The older one, which could control my MB Pro, will also control the Apple TV.
2. I have a cable box which is made by a company called Pace communications. I have used two or three different universal remotes with it over the last few years. If the remote in question does not have codes for Pace boxes I can use the codes for one or two models of Motorola boxes and control most or all functions.
 
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If the remote in question does not have codes for Pace boxes I can use the codes for one or two models of Motorola boxes and control most or all functions.

Or you could normally use the Harmony Remote , and maybe others, to "learn" (by pairing) and use the custom Pace codes. It sometimes takes a few tries to get it working properly.
 

Slydude

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I Know. When I look fir universal remotes that is one feature I look for. In fact, programming one of those is the reason I discovered that those two boxes used the same codes.

My wife prefers those kinds of remotes. I, on the other hand like some of the gear that turns an iPad / iPone into a remote control. The thing I like is that I can have an almost unlimited number of macros. I know the harmony series has that ability but to be able to name the macro required one of the fancier (more expensive) harmony units.

The gizmo I am using now is partially Bluetooth driven so I don't even need to be in the same room to do things like change channels or raise/lower volume. The biggest drawback is getting used to not having physical buttons present that you can feel in the dark.
 
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Do you mean that these are the only things the Harmony supports or are these things the only ones you have taught the Harmony about? That might be important.
With the Harmony remote the first thing you do is add devices that the remote should control. The items listed are the only devices that I told the remote I would use, so it should be the only devices the remote can control.

If the Mini has an IR receiver that is active (turned on) then it may not matter that you have not specifically taught the Harmony about the Mac. The codes are probably the same.
That appears to be exactly the case here. Several people have posted saying that the codes for the Apple TV and the Mac Mini are identical, so it should not be surprising that the remote controls both.

The actual Apple TV remote that came with the Apple TV does not control my Mac Mini, so perhaps it uses something other than IR to control the device, or perhaps its frequencies are different. I do not know, but I have turned off the IR receiver on the Mini and that solved the problem. Still, it seems odd that the Harmony remote, mimicking the Apple TV remote, controls the Mac Mini but the Apple TV remote itself does not. I may call Apple Care to find out about how the Apple TV remote works with the Apple TV and perhaps that will explain to me why the Harmony remote has this issue while the Apple TV remote does not.
 

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I think there is a fundamental difference between the Apple remote and most universal remotes (including the Harmony). The Apple TV remote as ha specific pairing procedure. This procedure is designed to ensure that
... only one remote can control your Apple TV. For example, if you have several Apple Remotes or several IR-capable devices in the same room, you might not want your Apple TV to respond to each remote.
See here.

I am working from memory when it comes to the setup of the Harmony but I think it's setup procedure is a bit different. When you "teach" the Harmony about a device you are teaching the control codes for that device but you are not pairing it to a specific device. Seems to me that creates the very situation quoted above: Any device which understands the commands being sent will respond to the commands.
 
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The actual Apple TV remote that came with the Apple TV does not control my Mac Mini, so perhaps it uses something other than IR to control the device,

The Siri Remote or Apple TV Remote that was launched with the 4th Generation Apple TV in 2015 uses both IR and Bluetooth to communicate with the Apple TV. (wikipedia) And only BT devices need to be "paired" AFAIK.

The older Apple TV remotes (aluminum or white) use IR only.


I know the harmony series has that ability but to be able to name the macro required one of the fancier (more expensive) harmony units.
I've always been able to name all the various functions as I want with one of their oldest and cheapest Harmony models (520). I don't think it's made these days.




- Patrick
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Slydude

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The pairing (linking) procedure discussed in the article I linked to above is for the original Apple remote and subsequent aluminum model that preceded the Siri remote. Neither of these remotes use Bluetooth (IR only) but both have a pairing (linking) procedure to match them with a Mac or Apple TV. See Here

I suspect that what has happened is that the Harmony remote sends the right IR codes but if it has not been linked to the Apple TV those codes are also being picked up by the Mac. This would only be an issue if the Mac in question has an IR port that hasn't been deactivated. I don't remember when they dropped the IR port but it was a few years ago.
 
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I don't remember when they dropped the IR port but it was a few years ago.
My Mac Mini is late 2014 and it has an IR port, so it would have to be after that, at least for the Mini. I do not know about other Macs.
 
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I do not know about other Macs.

This seems to give a good accounting:

The only current* model of Mac with an infrared sensor is the Mac Mini. Other than Mac Mini and Apple TV, no Apple products have included a sensor since 2012. Here's a list of models from each line of Mac computers which can receive input from an infrared Apple Remote:

MacBook Pro — non-Retina, Mid 2012 and earlier
MacBook Air — Mid 2009 and earlier
MacBook — Mid 2009 and earlier
iMac — Mid 2011 and earlier**
Finally, except for the 4th generation Apple TV, all Apple devices with infrared sensors can only be used with infrared Apple Remotes, and not with any other IR devices.

(Source: Mactracker)

* Most recent version of a product still sold by Apple in May 2017

** Only since the iMac G5 with iSight (from 2005), and with the somewhat surprising lone exception of the 20-inch, Mid 2009 model.
edited May 20 '17

But this comment from there is rather interesting:
Finally, except for the 4th generation Apple TV, all Apple devices with infrared sensors can only be used with infrared Apple Remotes, and not with any other IR devices.


Hmmm… I'm sure i've used a non-apple IR remote with some of our Macs over the years, but something to be aware of if things don't work as expected.




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I use a Harmony Remote and set it for the Apple TV. It works properly with the Apple TV and gives me more control over the functionality of the Apple TV than I can get easily with the Apple TV remote. However it also apparently controls the actions of my Mac, and I have no idea why that is the case.
 

Slydude

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In order to answer that question we are going to need to know more exactly what equipment is involved. At the very least we need to know the following:
1. What Mac are you using (year, model, and version of OS X)?
2. What Harmony remote are you using?
3. What exactly is going wrong?
 
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However it also apparently controls the actions of my Mac, and I have no idea why that is the case.


You must have your TV and Mac close together unless there's something reflecting the IR beam to the Mac.

A mirror or glass framed picture on the wall etc. could do it.

Or just turn it off completely:
How to Disable Your Mac's Remote Control Infrared Receiver
http://www.iclarified.com/37869/how-to-disable-your-macs-remote-control-infrared-receiver




- Patrick
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- Patrick
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