Using only LCD/VFD to control MP?

[pieroxy]

One thing I dislike about media centers in general (all of them) is the necessity to have a TV/display turned on to listen to music. This is about the only regression I can see from using my good old CD player.

I am about to ditch my TV and replace it with a front projector, so this problem is going to be more critical as lamps cost a lot, don't last long and take time to warm up.

So I was wondering if the LCD support in MP allow someone to control and browse the music collection, or if it is just a "regular" support that display stuff you're playing but is not designed to allow interactions (display the current selected item for example).

Thanks for your help!

[MrMad]

With the External Display plugin you are able to navigate and see the currently selected item (if your LCD is supported...)
It does not give you a good overview since you can only see what module you are in and only one item at a time, but it works.

[Taipan]

Originally Posted by MrMad

It does not give you a good overview since you can only see what module you are in and only one item at a time, but it works.

Hi MrMad, - I too would like to have a LCD/VFD display to enable me to navigate My Music and My Radio, without having to turn my DLP Projector on.

Could you explain in more detail how the External Display plugin would enable me to navigate My Music and My Radio?

Would I be able to see enough information to be able to select and play an album, for example?

What is the maximum display size (pixels or lines/characters) that the External Display plugin will support?

What is your experience with using the LCD/VFD dispaly to navigate MediaPortal? Is it practical, or clumsy to use?

Thanks for any advice or suggestions you can provide....

[pieroxy]

These are huge news. First time I've heard of such a capability on any competitor! The switch from MCE is closer every minute I spend on this forum

Thanks.

[vbgeezer]

if you also run the mykeys plugin you can jump directly to myMusic which makes nav vi aVFD really easy I use it for music a fair amount although radio is a bit more tricky as you cannot set a default view which would be useful otherwise I definately recommend it

[Taipan]

Originally Posted by vbgeezer

if you also run the mykeys plugin you can jump directly to myMusic which makes nav vi aVFD really easy

Could you be a bit more descriptive - what sort of a VFD are you referring to and how much information is visible? For example, is it possible to scroll through Genres (folders) to find an album and then play that album?

How does the My Keys plugin relate to this?

What's the WAF like for this method?

Is it really a practical solution, or just a barely tolerable one?

Sorry to be so pedantic, but I am trying to picture how this might work before I part with the folding stuff to try it out....

[pieroxy]

Taipan, AFAIK, there exists a few software solutions that simulates a LCD/VFD screen. I don't remember at all where I find those, but that's a little program that display a LCD on your regular screen and is detected as an LCD screen. That way you can test without the expense of an LCD screen.

I'm actually going to install one of those, if I can still find it

[Taipan]

Originally Posted by pieroxy

I'm actually going to install one of those

That's great - I will be interested to hear the results of your testing. This is the only remaining piece of my MediaPortal setup to resolve......then I will have the nearly perfect solution...

[Marcusb]

On eBay you can find 7 inch LCD touchscreens that support VGA input and they are only around a few hundred dollars.

I was toying with this option a while ago. Search for VGA LCD touchscreen. The most common brand is Lilliput.

[pieroxy]

Originally Posted by Marcusb

On eBay you can find 7 inch LCD touchscreens that support VGA input and they are only around a few hundred dollars.

I was toying with this option a while ago. Search for VGA LCD touchscreen. The most common brand is Lilliput.

Well, that would be the perfect solution. But these screens don't support a high resolution, so you have to switch constantly between 640x480 and 1280x720 (res of the Front Projector) whenever you want to use one or the other. Unless you use them through svideo and you have a card able to output a 1280x720 desktop fullscreen on svideo.

Not mentionning it's quite pricey and a waste (no need for VGA to choose an album or a radio). 2 lines LCD/VFD are just a few tens of dollars, much more affordable. No need for a big transformer as it can be powered out of USB directly.

Well, and it's the geeky thing