My ideal mediaportal and some questions (1 Viewer)

[kasper]

This is what a mediaportal should look like!

Media : everything (for peronal intrests) i can get my hands on so i can view it or play or listen to it or handle it.
Portal : a page or screen where i have an overview of everything.

I wake up at seven, walk into my bathroom for a pee and wash myself and get dressed in peace..no multimedia here...i need zen to wake up.

I walk into my livingroom and my computer has allready started up automatically.. i look at my 22 inche lcd screen and have a quick glimps what the day will bring.

all day sunchine and 22 degree..nice i think, i also see that i have 6 new emailmessages so i pick up my wireless keyboard with mouse and microphone integraded and say:' open email' and it starts outlook express so i can have a look my email in detail for replying etc. Then i say: close email.

I quick have a glimp what the weatjer for the comming days is and if there is any traffic on my route to work.

Then i say bye friend and i computer automatically shuts down.

At 18.00 i'm back home and my computer is already running so i can have again a quick look at incomming mails etc.
I have dinner at 19.00 and my computer is running a nice screensaver or showing my latest album of photo's.
I can even say play a playlist or play streaming radio.

When i want to see some movies or television i put my 120 inche screen down and let the beamer take over. I also want every bit of information on my beamer like on my lcd. The only things i want full screen is movies (when i press play a movie), tv (when i want fullscreen) and sat, screensavers (always fullscreen), visualisations with info of the song playing when playing music and pictures.

Screensavers are also importent for me because i want an animated snow screensaver in winter or a sunny moving screensaver in summer...so why is it not a standard feature in mediaportal?

And yes, it may look cluttery, but thats what i want for a mediaportal...every media i need within a eyeglance.

So now i need a way to stretch (maximise but not fullscreen and without the top bar) between my 2 sidebars?

And i don't understand why all mediaportals are made to show on a televisionscreen...the fonts are just to big and the thumsbnails also...most people who want a mediaportal like this one here or xlobby have a big flatscreen or a beamer that is more than capable to show resolutions of 800 x 600 and higher. I want everything to shrink down so i can have more information on my mediaportal startpage.

Any comments or suggestions needed please!!!

greetz Kasper

Now, let's have a look at my screen

 

[level20peon]

This is a nice idea kasper. However I doubt this will ever be integrated like you described because of the simple fact that it is not Remote-Control friendly. You need a mouse to utilize such a layout.

However, I use NIRCMD for resizing windows by script. Maybe this will help you kind of. Example:

nircmdc.exe win setsize ititle "MediaPortal" -4 64 1030 627

sets the MediaPortal window to the coordinates -4 64 (X Y) and sets its window size to 1030x627. You could either use a batch script or another scripting language (I use AutoIT) to automate this.

btw: what program did you use for those sidebars ?


-level20peon

 

[kasper]

thanks, i will look into that one

http://www.desktopsidebar.com/ and yes it's FREE i have it for years..much better then window vista sidecrap.
couldn't live without it

remote control...i don't understand it ...everyone who use mediaportal or xlobby or meedio etc. must agree, if you want to really install everything and use it with ease...you need a wireless keyboard. So why not skip those stupid small remotes and let it just work with a small multimedia wireless keyboard with integraded mouse. I don't take my (small) remote with me when i go to the bathroom or outside.

Now everyone have big problems remapping all those keys for their remote and screaming for a bigger remote or pulling their hair if the remapping doesn't works like they want it.
oooogh yes..we want a big soft keyboard in mediaportal ))) oogh yes..how can we surf the internet easely with our remote. The future is touchscreens of some kind..so BIGGER remotes

And bigger resolutions...so smaller thumbs and smaller fonts. Everyone is buying lcd display or plasma's with higher res...so why are all the mediaplatforms still made for pal or ntsc resolutions with big buttons and big thumbs. I really don't get it.

The only one that was good was xlobby...not easy to configurate but it was worth it...it's a pity they went $$

just my 2 cent

 

[level20peon]

remote control...i don't understand it ...everyone who use mediaportal or xlobby or meedio etc. must agree, if you want to really install everything and use it with ease...you need a wireless keyboard.

I disagree. Well actually everybody has to decide for themselves, but I have tried several ways to control my HTPC and am stuck with a remote control right now. Even if I wasn't you would have to consider that MANY people use a remote control.

So why not skip those stupid small remotes and let it just work with a small multimedia wireless keyboard with integraded mouse. I don't take my (small) remote with me when i go to the bathroom or outside.

So you take your wireless keyboard to the bathroom or outside ?

Now everyone have big problems remapping all those keys for their remote and screaming for a bigger remote or pulling their hair if the remapping doesn't works like they want it.

Just because there are people who aren't clever enough to do so doesn't mean a bigger remote or keyboard would make this problem go away.

oooogh yes..we want a big soft keyboard in mediaportal ))) oogh yes..how can we surf the internet easely with our remote. The future is touchscreens of some kind..so BIGGER remotes

Again, your opinion, there are "some" people out there who have other opinions. You cannot just burden your opinion on them. Speaking of me... my remote control has more functions than I really need... I used a WiiMote for several month which basically has 7 buttons and a cursor pad (this was totally sufficient).
Maybe you don't see things as simple as they could be Or maybe you use your HTPC for things which aren't really tasks a HTPC should provide like browsing the internet. Why would one need a keyboard at all for just watching movies or TV or listening to music ?


-level20peon

 

[kasper]

in some point you have right..if we only use mediaportal for watching movies or tv and listen to music, a small remote will do.
But as usually we want more...more..additional features like weather, email, skype, messenger etc. I saw it in meedio and xlobby.
I have a business at home and my main computer stand in my workspace..their i can set everything up to test stuff etc. In my livingroom i have dedicated stuff like b&o setup and another computer and a beamer with screen. My first idea was just to use it like you said..just watching movies and tv and listen to music. But then i wanted to check my email to so i haven't got to run downstairs to my workspace..or i wanted to see if my friend were online.
Or have a quick look in internet explorer to look for something..and then my small remote wasn't enough. to much hassle.

We have to do a poll to see who is using mediaportal just for watching movies and tv and listening music

Btw i meaned that normally you leave you're remote at the same place..so a bigger remote (keyboard) isn't a problem to.

I'm jalouse at your setup...very nice.
And yes my opinion is just that, nothing more and nothing less

 

[level20peon]

iI'm jalouse at your setup...very nice.

Just go out and buy ten of them. I am sure someone with a B&O setup could afford


-level20peon

 

[Darre]

I think mediaportal should be just that: a media portal. A way to display images, listen to music, watch TV and movies in your livingroom. I know i dont want a bloated screen with 500 icons when im sittin in the sofa, i want 3 options really: watch, listen and config/apps. And submenus from there of course.

THAT should be the focus, and people can just create own plugins for other stuff. I think most users agree with me on this, and the devs as well(as this is what mp has been focused on so far).

Checking my mail, browsing inet and other stuff i do on my laptop.