some media keys not working - in ubuntu 19.04 and gnome / budgie

Question

Recently purchased the Pepper Jobs W10 Gyro remote control. And it is excellent. However I have this issue with 2 of the buttons! They don't seem to work properly.

θ71° [id:~] $ sudo evtest
No device specified, trying to scan all of /dev/input/event*
Available devices:
...
/dev/input/event8:  Pepper Jobs Limited W10 GYRO
/dev/input/event9:  Pepper Jobs Limited W10 GYRO Mouse
/dev/input/event10: Pepper Jobs Limited W10 GYRO System Control
/dev/input/event11: Pepper Jobs Limited W10 GYRO Consumer Control
/dev/input/event12: Apple Inc. Apple Keyboard
/dev/input/event13: Apple Inc. Apple Keyboard
...
Select the device event number [0-23]: 11
Input driver version is 1.0.1
Input device ID: bus 0x3 vendor 0x304e product 0xa version 0x110
Input device name: "Pepper Jobs Limited W10 GYRO Consumer Control"
Supported events:
  Event type 0 (EV_SYN)
  Event type 1 (EV_KEY)
  ...
  Event code 168 (KEY_REWIND)
  ...
  Event code 207 (KEY_PLAY)
  Event code 208 (KEY_FASTFORWARD)
  ...
  Event type 2 (EV_REL)
    Event code 6 (REL_HWHEEL)
    Event code 12 (?)
  Event type 3 (EV_ABS)
    Event code 32 (ABS_VOLUME)
      Value      0
      Min        0
      Max      668
  Event type 4 (EV_MSC)
    Event code 4 (MSC_SCAN)
Properties:
Testing ... (interrupt to exit)

this key works:
Event: time 1570358048.210231, type 4 (EV_MSC), code 4 (MSC_SCAN), value c00cd
Event: time 1570358048.210231, type 1 (EV_KEY), code 164 (KEY_PLAYPAUSE), value 1
Event: time 1570358048.210231, -------------- SYN_REPORT ------------
Event: time 1570358048.306250, type 4 (EV_MSC), code 4 (MSC_SCAN), value c00cd
Event: time 1570358048.306250, type 1 (EV_KEY), code 164 (KEY_PLAYPAUSE), value 0
Event: time 1570358048.306250, -------------- SYN_REPORT ------------


These 2 media keys are on either side of `Play/Pause` button. And can be assigned / gets recognized in the gnome settings app, devices --> keyboard. So the assignment part works. But they do not actually work to perform the global media key actions when i press them:

Event: time 1570358051.082206, type 4 (EV_MSC), code 4 (MSC_SCAN), value c00b4
Event: time 1570358051.082206, type 1 (EV_KEY), code 168 (KEY_REWIND), value 1
Event: time 1570358051.082206, -------------- SYN_REPORT ------------
Event: time 1570358051.298223, type 4 (EV_MSC), code 4 (MSC_SCAN), value c00b4
Event: time 1570358051.298223, type 1 (EV_KEY), code 168 (KEY_REWIND), value 0
Event: time 1570358051.298223, -------------- SYN_REPORT ------------
Event: time 1570358052.802188, type 4 (EV_MSC), code 4 (MSC_SCAN), value c00b3
Event: time 1570358052.802188, type 1 (EV_KEY), code 208 (KEY_FASTFORWARD), value 1
Event: time 1570358052.802188, -------------- SYN_REPORT ------------
Event: time 1570358053.026188, type 4 (EV_MSC), code 4 (MSC_SCAN), value c00b3
Event: time 1570358053.026188, type 1 (EV_KEY), code 208 (KEY_FASTFORWARD), value 0
Event: time 1570358053.026188, -------------- SYN_REPORT ------------
^C

Looks the same right? So why is Play/Pause supported but not the other 2? It seems like an oversight / omission somewhere in the code that handles these things?

Still I can see when I hold them down that the active window briefly becomes inactive. But no other window becomes active. So clearly the system is trying to do something or other to try to service that action. Of the Fast Forwards or Rewind button press. Which I have mapped as Prev / Next track instead. (because this remote doesn't have Prev/Next track buttons...)

Yet the Play/Pause button just works all the time. No issues. It does also do that same 'loose active window focus when pressed' behaviour. When stopping / starting the music in Rhythmbox.

Also looked in DConf editor so see what they appear as there. Once they get recognized / assigned in the gnome settings app. And it's like AudioForward and AudioRewind. Even tried manually editing that in dconf to something else like XF86AudioRewind. And then reboot the computer. It still didn't work to change the tracks in Rhythmbox or anywhere else. The message is blocked from getting through.

So my main question is: What part(s) of the overall software stack are failing here? And not passing on the signal to my audio player (Rhythmbox) etc.?

Otherwise I simply don't know where to look / file a bug next.

The other thing that would like to try is to upgrade to ubuntu 19.10. To see if that makes any difference. However that release is not come out just yet.