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More => Old Versions => Media Center 11 (Development Ended) => Topic started by: juggler on October 14, 2005, 05:07:55 am

Title: General questions about Microsoft MCE and MC11
Post by: juggler on October 14, 2005, 05:07:55 am

Hi, I'm planning to get Windows Media Center Edition and remote the UI to a screen in the kitchen using their extender technology. As an aside, I'm a developer too and have been doing R&D on MCE.

My question is really what JR MC can do in this scenario. Ideally I'd like to have an app in MCE which controls JR MC. Basic stuff like browse/play/skip. I've already read the post about the remote but not sure how this would work if the UI is extended to another TV/remote not directly connected to the PC. My assumption is that JR MC wouldn't get those events.

So how easy would it be to write an app in MCE that displays the current playlist and allows basic control like remove/skip items in the playlist. Could this be done simply with an HTML page and Javascript, with remote calls to JR MC on a port? If so this is good because apps in MCE are basically just webapps and you can do a lot with AJAX techniques on remote HTTP servers.

Alternatively, is there an ActiveX you can embed in a page and control JR MC (given that it all runs on the same machine).

Sorry bit rambling, just trying to work out the ideal setup.

Thanks, Alfie.

Title: Re: General questions about Microsoft MCE and MC11
Post by: risingdamp on October 14, 2005, 07:57:06 am

Take a look at NetRemote (http://www.promixis.com).  I'm not sure if it runs on MCE but there is a trial you could try.  You can use NR to create a completely custom GUI to run in full screen mode.  It's often used on PPC's but you can run it on Win32 aswell.

Here's an example:  http://www.promixis.com/phpBB2/files/jrmc1_102.jpg

Title: Re: General questions about Microsoft MCE and MC11
Post by: JimH on October 14, 2005, 08:18:20 am

Netremote is exactly what you're looking for.

www.promixis.com

Title: Re: General questions about Microsoft MCE and MC11
Post by: juggler on October 14, 2005, 08:25:50 am

I'm not sure it is. I looked at this a while ago and I know you can run it on either a wireless Windows Mobile PDA or on a remote machine.

But with Windows MCE you are not remote as such. It's only the UI that's remoted. It uses RDP (Remote Desktop) under the hood but essentially the remote screen only has access to the MCE 10" user interface, as I understand it. So I need something that specifically works in MCE (I think). Apologies if I've missed something.

Thanks, Alfie.

Title: Re: General questions about Microsoft MCE and MC11
Post by: risingdamp on October 14, 2005, 08:36:04 am

NR does not have to be run on a remote machine, it can run on the machine hosting MC too.  I recommend you ask on their forum whether it will run on MCE.

http://www.promixis.com/phpBB2/viewforum.php?f=13