IR receiver for Front Row? + other questions.

[The General]

I have a Mac Pro. I have a 23" ACD and a 42" 1080p HDTV plugged into it.

I just have a few questions regarding the usability of this...

1. Is there a way to disable a monitor that is plugged into my Mac? The HDTV shows up as a monitor, of course. But I don't see an option to "not use" it. I can only choose which monitor to be on which side and which one to be the primary one, or mirror them. How do I disable a monitor that is plugged into my computer?

2. Can I go get an IR receiver and use it with my Apple Remote to use Front Row? I have enabled Front Row to be used with the keyboard, but since the Mac Pro has no IR receiver, I cannot use my Apple Remotes. I could use one of my WiiMotes using DarwiinRemote ... but ideally I could use my Apple Remote.

3. When I play a video in VLC, for some reason the only way I can get it to play in fullscreen on the TV is to mirror the displays. Even if I move the top bar and Dock to the HDTV ... they still play on the 23" ACD.

 

[trainguy77]

I

2. Can I go get an IR receiver and use it with my Apple Remote to use Front Row? I have enabled Front Row to be used with the keyboard, but since the Mac Pro has no IR receiver, I cannot use my Apple Remotes. I could use one of my WiiMotes using DarwiinRemote ... but ideally I could use my Apple Remote.

I use a apple remote with my mac pro. I have one of these: http://twistedmelon.com/mira/hardware.html I also bought the software they make to. Makes it really nice for controlling other apps with it.

 

[The General]

Thanks! That's just what I needed.

Any idea about the other two questions?

 

[trainguy77]

To answer questions one from what i have heard on the forums it can't be done you have to unplug it to do what you want.

 

[The General]

Oh, I just found something out. When I plug the Mac Pro into my receiver (Onkyo TX-SR674) and I switch from Mac Pro to my cable box which also plugs in with DVI to HDMI, it acts as if the monitor has been disconnected.

So I don't even need to mess with that.

But there is one problem - For some reason it will only let me output 1080i from the Mac Pro, and not 1080p. Is there a way to setup custom resolutions?

EDIT: Wait, nevermind. It only lets me do 1080i if I plug it directly into the TV, but if I run it through the receiver it will let me do 1080p. So that part works. The only thing I need to figure out is the VLC problem. I ordered the IR receiver.

 

[Dark Dragoon]

For question 3, can you select your second screen as the output in VLC:

Menu Bar > Video > Video Device

I can't try it myself at the moment as I only have one screen with me.

 

[The General]

Perfect! I thought I'd seen that option somewhere but I couldn't find it!

Thanks