Custom GUI's for HA/Entertainment PC's

["Paul Gordon" <paul_gordon@xxxxxxx>]

Has anyone here done any work with replacement interfaces for Windows PC's
connected to TV's...

I'd been thinking of this for a while, and I really made my mind up at the
weekend when my sister complained at the illegibility of a Windows desktop
when viewed on a TV (even *with* an S-video connection, and a resolution of
just 800x600)

Obviously I could try to "tweak" the display a bit more, - drop
to 640x480 
perhaps (although I'd rather not!), even larger desktop font sizes etc..
but 
all of this is really just a bodge.

I think what is really required is a complete change of the Windows shell
to 
something dedicated for the purpose, - this is what all of the
"convergence" 
boxes that do their job so well all do... (Digiboxes, Tivo's Multitainer's
and so on...)

My "entertainment" PC really only has about a half-a-dozen
functions to 
perform, - playing MP3's, playing movies, playing games, web browsing, and
so on... so I just need a simple interface, that does *not* require a 
keyboard or mouse (entirely IR remote driven), that does these few things,
and does them well.

So, I'm looking for something that is a complete replacement for the
windows 
shell, - something like Litestep or Windowblinds etc. etc. which allows me
to design & build a simple interface, optimised for TV output and
handset 
input. There are a multitude of replacement shell utilities available, so
many that I don't know where to start!

Anyone tried any of these utilites yet? - any tips/experiences/UI's to 
share? - what does the Multitainer one look & feel like?

Paul G.


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