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[Shasta Mcnasty]

Is there a GUI web-based control for MC?  Basically, I want something like the Media Jukebox client, but I don't want to stream music to the client...I want the client to control what the Media Center server is playing on its own audio output. 

Here's why I ask.  My MP3 jukebox sits in an inaccessible location in my house, connected to an FM transmitter.  So anywhere in my house or yard, I can listen to my music with just a radio.  Currently I run Winamp on that machine, using the BrowseAmp plug in.  This sticks a skinnable web control interface onto Winamp.  One of the skins is perfectly suited to the display on my WiFi PDA.  So I can see what's playing and/or control the jukebox with my PDA, and just listen to music on any stereo or my boom box in the garage/backyard. 

I would just continue with this solution, but (a) BrowseAmp is no longer supported by its author, and (b) the performance is lousy...fine for showing you "what's playing now" but terrible for library searches to select what you want to hear next. 

[llafriel]

MC comes with a built in web interface, you have to activate it though.
Options > Startup > Startup Actions > Run Remote Server..
Once activated you can connect through a web browser, ipadress:portnr.

And you might want to look at this thread:
http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=43402.0

[Shasta Mcnasty]

OK, I found that, thanks...but it's text-only and not really nicely formatted. 

Ideally I'd like something skinnable, so I can have one view for my PDA (basically like the iPod "Now Playing" screen...artist/album/title/time elapsed/time total) with a "skip to next track" button, and a separate view for a desktop with more features like library searching for when I want to play a specific track/album/etc (basically like the client mode of Media Jukebox, but controlling what's being played on the server rather than what's being streamed to the client). 

So is the built-in web server skinnable?  Are there skins out there? 

Thanks again for the quick response. 

[bspachman]

Sounds like a Girder/NetRemote solution might be what the doctor ordered:

See http://www.girder.nl/products.php?section=netremote

It's always intrigued me, and although I use Girder, I don't have a PDA that I can dedicate to being a 2-way remote (yet)...

brad

[johnnyboy]

All this would need to make it ALOT nicer is for users to be able to specify a .css file that got applied to the page and for the html coding of the data being sent to be formatted in a way that'd play nice with CSS.
Throw in a few classes and ID's and it'd be easy to control with css and just really bring this quite basic feature to life.

[Shasta Mcnasty]

Sounds like a Girder/NetRemote solution might be what the doctor ordered:

That looks like it would be one possible approach, except my PDA is a Palm (Tungsten C) not a Windows Mobile device.  NetRemote doesn't run on Palm.   

Ideally I would like something that is just a web page, but with more functionality and better layout than the native app provides (and ideally a choice of web page formats so I can optimize one page for my PDA and another for a PC...although if the client mode of Media Jukebox could control what the Media Center server is playing, then I wouldn't need a PC version of the web control page).

Does the native Remote Server app use html files that I can edit, or is the page setup coded into the software?  I'm thinking that if I can connect my own html to Remote Server, I can port over my BrowseAmp html pages with not too much work. 

[Shasta Mcnasty]

Well I just discovered that the client mode of Media Jukebox (or Media Center) can control what the server is playing!  You don't get the same nice display of cover art (except in Theater View) and the artist/title don't show up in the minimized view, but you can see the whole  Now Playing playlist, skip through it, reshuffle it, etc.  So I've got status and control info on the server from a remote PC which is GREAT.

Still no Palm PDA love though...I can see it through Remote Server but clicking on "Playing Now" just gives me an unwieldy full "playing now" playlist, and the only info in the playlist is the song title. 

[JimH]

Did you check NetRemote?  There's a link in the FAQ here.

[AoXoMoXoA]

Have you had a look at this thread?   

xpTunes - enhanced remote server (beta preview) Updated: 01/14/2008

[Doof]

This is one thing I think could really use some polish. It really wouldn't be too hard to have MC's built-in Remote Server add some CSS ids and classes to the HTML it already serves up (the greater the diversity, the better - and the more flexibilty the end user would have). The included .css file wouldn't even have to have anything in it. Then the community could design their own stylesheets.

[johnnyboy]

This is one thing I think could really use some polish. It really wouldn't be too hard to have MC's built-in Remote Server add some CSS ids and classes to the HTML it already serves up (the greater the diversity, the better - and the more flexibilty the end user would have). The included .css file wouldn't even have to have anything in it. Then the community could design their own stylesheets.

*cough* agreed *cough*

[datdude]

Can I get a 'Remote Server Development for MC 13' Cheer!

[Shasta Mcnasty]

Have you had a look at this thread?   

xpTunes - enhanced remote server (beta preview) Updated: 01/14/2008

That looks like exactly what I want.  I will send him a PM to get on the beta list.  Thx!