If it can't make it into 14...
https://www.sugarsync.com/pf/D872523_154074_60979
(http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=55092.msg374785#msg374785)
Also, I like the remote stuff your doing. Native Android / iPh / WebOS apps? Surely must exist dev packages that will allow you to just put a shell / UI and then basically have the thing interpret what you already have?
What a great idea; this would be very welcome.
I would like to see multiple location control improved. Specifically in regards to TV, Timeshifting, and library sharing.
For example, I have an HTPC with my raided hard drives in an aluminum case above my Receiver, below the TV. The TV is the only monitor for the HTPC. It's currently also hooked up to U-Verse, but I'm hoping/planning on dumping it soon. This will result in the HTPC being the only input into the TV/Monitor.
I have a local library stored on this machine.
I have a local library stored on my laptop. I do most work, tagging, ripping and listening on the laptop.
My wife has a laptop, it also has a local library.
I have a dual digital TV tuner in the HTPC. The local library has these tuners configured correctly. I record TV to the HTPC Raid 1 drives partition locally for TV, and long term storage and music and photos are on the RAID 5 drives.
I can watch TV on my laptop if I am using library server on the HTPC, and have the HTPC served library as the "local" library selected on the laptop. This won't let me actually delete watched shows, or move them to someplace to delete later as even a temporary solution. I have to either go to the HTPC or remote in, or navigate to them in windows explorer to actually delete the files. this is not ideal. I also cannot setup any timeshifting with this library either. it appears I can, but it doesn't actually record.
I can't watch TV at all with the local laptop library loaded, the laptop has no tuners, so no channels can be selected. it also seems to not let me even watch the recorded TV on the HTPC thru the TV interface. I can't see any channels, so I can't set up or see or change any recording of TV from this library either.
I have tried setting up another library stored on the HTPC, to a shared drive, and use that library from the laptop, but it's very slow at some things, mostly changing views, but I think also in the starting of playback. this doesn't solve all of the TV usability issues, it allows me to load TV channel data and the program guide, but says Media Center encountered errors and to verify the location, which are both the same.
I have been playing around with this setup while writing this and testing, and so far things are going reasonable fast, more so than the last time I remember trying it. videos will not play well, which seems to be latency, but might be filter/setting related, I haven't playing in this library much, mainly just quick testing a few weeks ago. This setup is closest to working it seems, but still takes some work to get setup and still falls short of "just working".
I would love to see a way where I can just set up a
profile on MC (which I could copy from another profile) and set up all of my settings, and my library (views lists, etc) and whenever I launch MC it asks which user, I click my picture or name, enter a password if I want, and my
profile loads up and looks and works the same for the user (me) no matter which computer I launch it on. if I'm on the laptop, it knows where all the media is, what hardware I have in my laptop, network speed and it will downsample any media that can't stream full-bandwith full speed, let's me rate anything, rename anything, move anything, whatever, and if I am on any machine (my laptop, my windows mobile phone, iPhone, andriod, netbook, PS3, X-Box 360, in wall LCD screen, iPad, whatever) which is connected to my network, when I go to use MC, it asks who I am, and everything is set for me, and all of my views, playlists, stats, shows, whatever is there for me. it always looks the same, as far as the platform will allow, but I always have full control. if I start MC from the laptop, play something, get up, go to the living room (HTPC) and launch/open MC and it's not been controlled in the last XX minutes, it asks which user (or I hit switch user), it logs me in there, logs me out of my laptop and asks if I want to continue playing whatever I was playing on the laptop or whatever (TV, Music, Movies, Netflix, Hulu, custom?) else. Let's me start TV, set recordings, everything any install is capable of.
If I'm on the HTPC, I want that local playback, unless I specifically choose another zone. If I connect with my phone, I can set it's local zone to what's connected to the outdoor speakers, since I'm likely outside if I'm connecting on the phone, I could change this to whatever by default, including locally on the phone.
The reason for users vs libraries is that my wife certainly would not rate Rob Zombie a 5, ever, so my smartlists irritate her. My recorded TV is not always what she wants to see, and hers is NEVER what I want to see. I would like her to easily copy or accept playlists or views or whatever from me, but to maintain her own library and preferences. I will set up the computer and network and library and path settings up in her profile (copy from mine) and she can tag away and customize from there. delete most of my smartlists, make her own, and enjoy it her way. but whenever she opens/launches, she sees her stuff her way, no matter the location/connection point, platform ability adjusted.
This will work even if launched remotely from a portable/thumb drive at a friends house - it can be setup via a wizard in MC. "I wish to use this thumb drive from a remote location OUTSIDE my local/trusted network." (MC makes the settings internally, gives a couple of suggestions for setting up the firewall and router), verification testing in the wizard, and bam, she visits a friend a few blocks away, or in Mexico, launches, it connects, tests bandwith, and streams her music as efficiently as possible.
Mainly, I don't really want the commonly requested client/server, I want a smart profile system. You just set up user profiles (like libraries now), and they have full control (or not) wherever they login.
MC self-communicates to know that this location does not have a TV card, but that one does, and the TV files are stored at V:\Videos\Recorded TV and this machine is connected via Wireless G; convert/downsample stream to required level and render where it was requested. I want it to be smarter than me, and know how to just work
I think if you could make it just work, anything like I've described, with anywhere near the simplicity of a set-top box for the masses, you'll have LOTS of converts.
Here's to hoping