Internet Browser (HTPC optimized) integration in MP (1 Viewer)

[tomtom21000]

O.K. As you may have read in the feature request forum, I proposed to integrate a web browser in MP.

I have found a solution now that covers 95% of my expectations of a HTPC style Webbrowser:

You need:

1) my programs plugin
2) opensource Browser Mozilla Firefox
3) extension Bookmark backup 0.3
4) extension Textzoom 1.5
5) extension single window 1.0

You get:

Browser with predefined zoom factor
easy to alter zoomfactor via keys
tabbed browsing
easily readable bookmarks
skinnable browser (themes)
works parallel to Internet Explorer without problems.

HowTo:

Download Firefox (0.91) here: http://www.mozilla.org/products/fir...firefox/releases/0.9.1/FirefoxSetup-0.9.1.exe
deutsche (german) version: http://firefox.stw.uni-duisburg.de/downloads/0.9.1/firefox-0.9.1-win32-deDE-installer.exe
info: http://www.mozilla.org/products/firefox/
It is 4.7 MB

Install
try out
answer the question if this shall be your standard browser with no (or yes).
import bookmarks from other browsers when questioned

In Firefox go to menu extensions (Erweiterungen) and "Get new extension"
search for 3) to 5) and install. For some of them a restart of firefox is needed.
To configure the extensions go to menu extensions and doubleclick on extension.

ad 3) create a new folder anywhere on your computer. the extension will create a backup file of your bookmarks every time you close the browser.
This will be the file you open with mp.
It has all your bookmarks in an eyefriendly size for tv screens.
name of the file is bookmarks.html.sun

ad 4) set the zoom factor to whatever you like. 200% was good for me.
within firefox you can zoom in/zoom out with strg + -. strg 0 will bring you to default size.

ad 5) all new browser windows will appear as tabs in only one window.

ad 1) configure domi-fans my programs plugin:
name: Internet
path: path to firefox.exe
files: point to the folder with the bookmarks.html.sun file
image: If you have one
extension: .sun

Your ready.
Maybe a good idea to make the bookmarks.html file your startpage. The original is somewhere in the folder prefs (I think, must look)

Have fun

tomtom21000

P.S.: only thing not really solved is entering a url by hand. You will need a keyboard and you probably cannot read what you enter because it is too small.

Maybe there are even better possibilities. I did not work with this browser before, but I like it.

 

[barranger]

you realize that the mini browser you were talking about earlier also works, right?

With all the pages I've found recently that support viewing on a TV, I'm concidering writting a my internet plugin

 

[tomtom21000]

@ domi-fan:

yes it works, too.

But as of now it does not keep zoom-factor. Has no favourites. (Better version was announced by the author).
And I did not manage to launch it with the my programs plugin.

A really integrated solution would be better of course.
But maybe not all things have to be done from scratch. Maybe concentrate on the integration of one or another solution?

tomtom21000

 

[barranger]

tomtom, integrating IE should really not be a problem. I'm guessing the same is true with firefox (the browser I use) but I'm not sure about that.

FYI here are some of the pages that I've seen that work well with TV resolutions:
Napster
http://sms.napster.com/ehome/home.html

Movielink.com
http://www.movielink.com/ehome/home/Home

Live365.com
http://www.live365.com/mediacenter/

MSN News
http://beta.msntvtoday.msn.com/pages/Home/Home.aspx

CinemaNow.com
http://www.cinemanow.com/media_center/default2.asp

ABC eTV Celebrity Mole
http://heavy.etv.go.com/etvHome/molemc/

The problem is that most of these will only work in IE so that may be the way to go, since most of the pages are designed for MCE

 

[tomtom21000]

These are interesting links.

You have probably the better understamding of what is possible with Microsoft Internet Explorer and with Firefox.

Your links are specially designed for use with TV.
I like to be able to read any webpage on my TV. For example ebay.

With IE it is possible to increase text size in 3 steps (normal, larger, big), but this only works if the HTML page lets you do this, which often is not the case.

With Firefox you can enlarge any webpage by a constant factor and easily increase/decrease zoom. O.K. it is a bit inconvienient, because you have to scroll from left to right, but it is readable at least.

And you won´t be able to read your favourites from the menu with IE.
But maybe this could be done with some plugin code.

Maybe I just relax and wait for your plugin :wink:
In the meantime this works quite well.

Greetz
tomtom21000

 

[barranger]

I personally don't mind which one people want, but I was just thinking that any of the sites that are meant for MCE won't work in Firefox.

I'm personally not a huge fan of having to scroll horizontally to read a website, so I'll probably just start with using IE but make sure I keep it open so that you can use either.

It'll take some time to get this done though, cause I've got other things going

 

[Anonymous]

I just installed "simpleBrowser" last night . I found it at myHTPC.net.
Although designed as a plugin for myHTPC, it also runs stand alone.

I created a shortcut in the 'MyPrograms" plugin for MP and it works great.
It is based on IE, so all pages I have looked at so far look great and it has an onscreen keyboard for entering URLs.
It supports favorites and it is browsable with a remote control.

You can also change the remote control key functions, however to change these you need the myHTPC config file. I installed myHTPC, configured the settings I wanted and then removed myHTPC except for the config file.

It is great for TV browsing

 

[tomtom21000]

I read in your blog that you are not yet sure if Firefox will be contollable via Active X controls.

Maybe you want to check this out:

http://www.iol.ie/~locka/mozilla/control.htm

although it is not yet running with firefox 0.9 as you can read here:

http://www.iol.ie/~locka/mozilla/mozilla.htm

Please remember, I am no coder. Might be complete nonsense. 8)

tomtom21000

 

[Anonymous]

I just installed "simpleBrowser" last night . I found it at myHTPC.net.
Although designed as a plugin for myHTPC, it also runs stand alone.

I created a shortcut in the 'MyPrograms" plugin for MP and it works great.
It is based on IE, so all pages I have looked at so far look great and it has an onscreen keyboard for entering URLs.
It supports favorites and it is browsable with a remote control.

You can also change the remote control key functions, however to change these you need the myHTPC config file. I installed myHTPC, configured the settings I wanted and then removed myHTPC except for the config file.

It is great for TV browsing

How did you get it to work? I installed simple browser into the mediaportal directory then ran the the myprogram configuration. I entered the path to simplebrowser for the launching app and for files directory I pointed it toward my favorites. Is that right? And do I need to include and extensions?

 

[barranger]

Acutally point the Files directory to the directory that contains the exe file, leave the launching file blank and set the extension to .exe