NetRemote OSD?

[shyam]

I can't claim I have thought through this in detail, but I thought I will get the NetRemote community to help me.

I like the idea of using PDA to control my HTPC and A/V devices via NetRemote. My wife and family would love to be able to select "See DVD" and have everything else happen automatically. But, what if we forget to put the PDA back in the cradle and it is out of juice? What if they have to reset the PDA for some reason? What is the backup?

With the support for higher resolution for NetRemote, I can imagine a OSD version (transparent skin and buttons) of the NetRemote software installed on the HTPC, invoked by a simple conventional remote (remote control to control another remote? :roll: ). This remote would only have navigational controls, a button to cycle through the panels manually and maybe some other hard buttons like volume control. I would invoke Netremote with a button press, select "Watch TV" from the main panel, select "CBS" and turn netremote OSD "off" (or it hides after couple of seconds of inactivity).

Would this be interesting to anyone else?

Shyam

[maxtrash]

There's numerous ways to control the pc using menus on your tv. E.g. take a look at www.media-box.org . I think Ben should focus on the unique aspects of netremote: the fact that you can use a local, portable display to control the home theater.

For backup purposes though, I CAN imagine running the win32 version of netremote on the htpc (asuming it has tv-out and is connected to the TV). You could then control it by using a infrared mouse/keyboard combo or maybe something like a mouseremote. Moving the cursor with regular remotes does work, but not very conviently in my experience.

[brockgr]

Yep - I'm afraid my advice is to keep the charger cradle handy!! At least you will know where the remote is :D. My backup is an ATI remote wonder - it has a minimal subset of functions.

[shyam]

maxtrash:

For good or bad, NetRemote today is a lot more than just a remote. While it uses Pronto CCF format, it also provides widgets to control MJB, provide a menuing system for DVD library etc.

What I am suggesting is already possible with Tonto's support for higher resolution CCF and as you mentioned, the mouseremote. All we need to make NetRemote a HTPC GUI is to provide a way to navigate through buttons in a panel using the arrow keys and design alternate CCF panels to be more like menus in a set top box.

Why maintain two different applications when you can do it all with NetRemote? For myself, I need more time using my HTPC than messing with it continuously (that's my wife's complaint :roll: ).

Shyam