Re: Re: Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 - UK Launch

["Mal Lansell" <mlansell@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Andy Laurence" <andy@xxxxxxx>
To: <ukha_d@xxxxxxx>
Sent: Thursday, October 28, 2004 11:40 AM
Subject: RE: [ukha_d] Re: Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 - UK Launch


>
> From: Mal Lansell [mailto:mlansell@xxxxxxx]
> > The Exstreamer has a web-based UI.
>
> IIRC, it also has an xPL interface, which could be used with Xlobby or
something similar.
>
> > The MediaMVP is controlled via a TV menu.
>
> The MVP presents a TV menu, but is controlled by an IR remote.  You
could
use Girder or similar to interface with your common GUI.

I know it seems a bit daft to control something that has a TV menu with a
PDA instead, but the MediaMVP menus are sooooo slow that alsmost anything
else would be preferable!


>
> > A Media Center PC would no doubt have both.  Throw in some other
HA
> > devices and you have a right mish-mash of interfaces.  What I
would like
is
> > a unified front end that ideally would run on something a bit
bigger
than a
> > PDA (but a PDA would have to do for now, I suppose).  The xPL
stuff is
> > heading that way, but it's going to be a while before it's at the
stage
of
> > being as polished as Xlobby.
>
> I'm no hardware know-it-all, so I'm not aware of a device a little
bigger
than a PDA.  However, to have a unified front end, you need a GUI with a
flexible back end.  Xlobby does do this (on a PC screen and a PDA screen),
and can interface with almost anything.  There's nothing that will just
work
though.  It will require some work to get it right.  Of course, if
everything is xAP/xPL, you should be able to plug'n'play, especially with
the xAP interface in the pipeline for Xlobby.
>
> Cheers,
> Andy
> --

It's all sort of hanging together at the moment - I really need to polish
the look so that SWMBO is happier about all the money that gets spent on
gadgetry!

Mal