Integrate a web browser

[tomtom21000]

Integration of a webbrowser would be fine, once the other things become stable.

For beeing able to read ordinary web sites from a distance on a tv-set in your living room some sort of magnification will be needed, even if this meens scrolling.

For myhtpc there is a plugin called simple browser, that comes close to what I mean. since the plug-in is a ordinary .exe file it might be possible to integrate it in mediaportal. I am not sure if the developer sees his plugin as opensource, but I could make contact via the forum of myhtpc if you want.

One thing which is not otimal is that you cannot save a percentage of magnification for your favourites, because that would be helpful. Also to alter the magnification of the site by 30%,40%,etc via key + or - would be nice.

Hope I explained it allright, so you get the idea.

tomtom21000

Thought i would chime in as well and agree with tomtom21000. A web browser would be the clincher for me!

Currently i am using myhtpc and i wasnt really too crazy about the simplebrowser plugin. I ended up just launching Internet Explorer in kiosk more with the default text-size set to large.

[SiLenTYL]

I think a web browser would make this more like an OS rather than a Media Portal ! If u look at MS Internet Explorer...there are quite a few things possible there that wont be supported by ANY open source browser....

At the moment i dont believe a browser is high on the developer's list of features....if u can find some open source code it can probably be looked at ...otherwise it doesnt look likely

....although it does sound pretty cool

Perhaps when external application comes in you can tide yourself over with a product called SimpleBrowser - It is working well for me in some cases. Interface is a bit dry in my opinion - but the fact that I'm able to browse on the big screen is handy for those moments that you dont want your friends going back to the desktop to look up things when all huddled in the tv room.

Maybe embedding (gecko? links?) wouldn't hurt that bad, but it'd still complicate code/interface unneedingly (for now?) - Unless someone has a darned good reason have a web browser in a media manager such as MP

[tomtom21000]

How is that?



I haven´t been able to launch it with the my programs plug-in of domifan yet.

But looks not so bad, or?

Maybe tomorrow I will tell you what it is :twisted:

tomtom21000

[barranger]

tomtom,

is that an exe that your trying to launch? if so use the following properties

Launcher: <leave this blank>
File: <the path to the folder containing the .exe
Extensions: .exe

[tomtom21000]

It is a Batch file. The only thing it contains is a .exe with some parameters:

webbrowser.exe /ini=default.ini /Zoom=2.5 /X=350 /Y=350

I also tried to start the exe itsself but cannot enter any parameters.


The program is a plugin developed for myhtpc. I think it is javascript.
It comes close to what I would expect of a HTPC Browser.
It is not the better known simplebrowser I mentioned somewhere above.

The plugin is called smallwebbrowser. In the next couple of days there will be a better version.

In this original thread you can read about the features:

http://myhtpc.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=9673

If someone wants to try it, please note the following:

you have to edit the file default.ini and delete the c:\ in front of the picture file.
you have to edit the bat file and delete the "alpha"part in the .exe name

My judgement:

+ zoomfactor
+ zoom and other functions working with keys (remote) or mouse
+ easy to use
+ integrated (with mp it is sort of on top placement, position and size not optimal) or fullscreen

- second page you enter will not have the same zoom factor as previous page
- no favourites

maybe the author, Aeroschmelz,could be convinced to support mediaportal with his plugin , too. Otherwise take it as an example of how a browser integration could look like.

tomtom21000

A simple plugin that extends the mshtml dll in much the same way as crazybrowser and other IE wrappers do should be possible.