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LGTVDeviceListener is a small Windows tool that makes it possible to switchinputs on a networked WebOS LG TV (e.g. G1), in response to a hardware deviceappearing or disappearing from the system.

This is especially useful to build a poor man'sKVM switch, by combiningLGTVDeviceListener with a USB switch. In this way the TV can be made to followthe presence of the USB device and automatically switch video inputs in lockstepwhen the USB device is switched.

• Windows Vista or greater
• A WebOS LG TV that is accessible over the network (wired or WiFi)

LGTVDeviceListener is a command-line application. Pass--help to see allavailable options.

After downloading the executable, run it with--url first. For example, ifyour TV is listening on192.168.42.42:

LGTVDeviceListener.exe --url wss://192.168.42.42:3001

This will do two things:

1. A new client key will be registered with the TV if not done already. Your TVwill ask you to confirm the registration.
2. LGTVDeviceListener will then start listening for device events and log themto the console.

While listening, add and remove the device you want to use as the trigger. (Forexample, if it's a USB device, disconnect/reconnect it.) You will seeLGTVDeviceListener logging "Device added" and "Device removed" events. Take anote of thedevice name - the identifier that normally starts with\\?\.

In some cases there could be many devices shown, especially for compositedevices such as USB hubs. In that case you can pick one at random, though itusually makes the most sense to use the device with the shortest name becausethat's typically the "root" device (i.e. the hub itself in the case of a USBhub).

Once that's done, kill LGTVDeviceListener by hitting CTRL+C and move on to thenext step.

For quick test runs you can run LGTVDeviceListener directly as a consoleapplication. You will need to specify the following parameters on the commandline:

• --url: see previous section.
• --device-name: the device name you chose in the previous section.
• --add-input: the input that the TV should switch to when the device isadded.
  • This can be anything that the TV'sswitchInput API will accept. Forexample:HDMI_3.
• --remove-input: the input that the TV should switch to when the device isremoved.

Note that you don't have to specify both--add-input and--remove-input - itis possible to specify only one of them.

Here's an example of a complete LGTVDeviceListener command line:

LGTVDeviceListener.exe --url wss://192.168.42.42:3001 --device-name \\?\USB#VID_1234&PID_5678#foo&1&2#{bar} --add-input HDMI_1 --remove-input HDMI_2

With the above command, the TV at192.168.42.42 will be switched to the HDMI 1input when the\\?\USB#VID_1234&PID_5678#foo&1&2#{bar} device appears, andwill be switched to the HDMI 2 input as soon as the same device disappears fromthe system.

This will happen for as long as LGTVDeviceListener is running. If you'd like tomake this setup permanent, see the next section.

If you'd like LGTVDeviceListener to run quietly in the background without havingto run it as a console application, the cleanest way is to set it up as aWindows service:

1. MoveLGTVDeviceListener.exe to a permanent location that is accessiblesystem-wide (e.g. inProgram Files (x86)).
2. Open a command prompt as Administrator.
3. Run LGTVDeviceListener using the same command you used in the previoussection, but add the--create-service option.

For example:

LGTVDeviceListener.exe --url wss://192.168.42.42:3001 --device-name \\?\USB#VID_1234&PID_5678#foo&1&2#{bar} --add-input HDMI_1 --remove-input HDMI_2 --create-service

LGTVDeviceListener will set itself up as a new Windows service calledLGTVDeviceListener and start it. From this point on, LGTVDeviceListener willbe operating silently in the background and will start with Windows. Theparameters used for the service are the ones you included with the--create-service command.

When running as a service, messages that are normally logged to the console,including any errors, will be logged to the Windows Event Log (Application)instead. You can use the Windows Event Viewer to see them.

To delete the service, run the following commands:

sc.exe stop LGTVDeviceListenersc.exe delete LGTVDeviceListener

You can then re-create the service with different command-line parameters if youso wish.

• LGTVCompanion is a tool for automatically turning LG TVs on and off inresponse to Windows power events.
• bscpylgtv can be used to send arbitrary commands to LG TVs.