Web Browser Plugin (2 Viewers)

[devo]

This is a new thread for the upcoming web browser plugin.

We have seen a few previous threads on integrating a web browser into MP.

This thread will be where updates, features and discussion regarding the upcoming web browser plugin will take place.

I look foward to hearing ideas and suggestions from the MP community.

 

[civikdude]

Hi!

One feature request I have regarding a web plugin is to allow any tv/video content to continue playing in the lower left corner of the screen. Oftentimes, I find myself jumping to a web site to check out something I just viewed on tv. Of course, with my current setup of using Internet Explorer as my web browser, the tv video & sound shuts down until I return from the browser.

The video window should not hover over any web content, but should force the web content to shift to the right. Equally important, if no tv/video playing before opening web browser, then browser should be fullscreen.

Maybe someone else would find this suggestion useful?

Aaron

 

[dman_lfc]

Stop pop-ups would be a good one.
Easy option to bring up the keyboard pad to type in the http address.
Remote actions trigger browser actions such as Previous Button = Back in the browser subsequently Next = Forward.
Web window integrated seemlessly into the GUI with typical menu options like File, Options etc hidden.

DMAN

 

[mzemina]

Hi!

One feature request I have regarding a web plugin is to allow any tv/video content to continue playing in the lower left corner of the screen. Oftentimes, I find myself jumping to a web site to check out something I just viewed on tv. Of course, with my current setup of using Internet Explorer as my web browser, the tv video & sound shuts down until I return from the browser.

The video window should not hover over any web content, but should force the web content to shift to the right. Equally important, if no tv/video playing before opening web browser, then browser should be fullscreen.

Maybe someone else would find this suggestion useful?

Aaron

Aaron - This would be a sweet feature. Leave the Video preview window in the lower left (plus allow control of the channel and pause) and search the web capability on same screen.

dman - how about block but also allow pop-up to be displayed with a remote control button?

 

[devo]

Aaron - This would be a sweet feature. Leave the Video preview window in the lower left (plus allow control of the channel and pause) and search the web capability on same screen.

dman - how about block but also allow pop-up to be displayed with a remote control button?

Both good features.

It might be hard to handle popups at all. Ingnoring them should be easy.

The browser plugin will more or less function like a kiosk mode, no file menus, no popups? or dialog boxes(if possible) but will have a menu in mediaportal graphics for back forward , refresh , navigate links and enter a url.

 

[mzemina]

Aaron - This would be a sweet feature. Leave the Video preview window in the lower left (plus allow control of the channel and pause) and search the web capability on same screen.

dman - how about block but also allow pop-up to be displayed with a remote control button?

Both good features.

It might be hard to handle popups at all. Ingnoring them should be easy.

The browser plugin will more or less function like a kiosk mode, no file menus, no popups? or dialog boxes(if possible) but will have a menu in mediaportal graphics for back forward , refresh , navigate links and enter a url.

Yes go ahead (like I have final say - ha) with ignoring pop-ups, but I'd think that sooner or later people would want "some" pop-ups to be ok due to crazy web developers. That could be in a much later revision.

Kiosk mode I think would be ok to get us started. I don't see any reason to have file access on a TV version (if a person would want more hen go to non-HTPC). Yes - navigate, refresh, etc - Able to do all from remote?

Mike

 

[devo]

Yes go ahead (like I have final say - ha) with ignoring pop-ups, but I'd think that sooner or later people would want "some" pop-ups to be ok due to crazy web developers. That could be in a much later revision.

Kiosk mode I think would be ok to get us started. I don't see any reason to have file access on a TV version (if a person would want more hen go to non-HTPC). Yes - navigate, refresh, etc - Able to do all from remote?

Mike

Well it is definitely easier to ignore them ...but handling them might be very hard. ie. Do we create a new windows form and display it over the GUI? I think it would be a mess and won't look well as well as detract from the whole MP experience.

I won't be trying to reinvent the browser on this one, firefox and IE do that too well but I do want to be able to browse the net within MP.

This plugin will be remote / mouse & keyboard friendly and will handle all the basic functions as any other plugin in MP.

This is a screenshot of simple browser for meedio that I am basing this one on:

 

[mzemina]

I've like the look of the Meedio web plugin when I first saw it.

How will the visual feedback of link to link jumping appear? Will it look like (dotted border) when using the tab key (keyboard) with IE?

Regards to pop-ups, I know you don't really want to hear anything else (yes I am gong to say something anyway :wink on this. But the only pop-up I had in mind which I really wanted to be able to "handle" was when there is a link that has as its pop-up (maybe wrong term in this case) is the window to that webpage. I wouldn't need a new window (nor would I want a new window knowing that that would be a true pain in a non-windowing environment that a HTPC is in) and would only want that link to allow the new webpage to appear in the same window that we came from. The only reason I bring this up is with XP I get occasional blocks due to links that should give me a new page but instead the system interprets as a "pop-up" and halts it requiring my interaction which is distracting since I asked to jump to that new URL.

Boy it sure seems like I am long-winded doesn't it?

I think we are really on the same page and I hope I clarified more than muddied what I was trying to describe.

Mike

 

[civikdude]

It might be hard to handle popups at all. Ignoring them should be easy.

Sounds good to me! Popups can be a future consideration, as others have mentioned.

A suggestion, if using the Meedio look/feel, is to replace the page title at the top of the screen with a smaller-font address bar, showing the current URL. A further action on this enhancement would be to allow text entry into the address bar, as a replacement to the "Enter a URL:" button.

I think users might get more out of knowing which URL/site they are at, as opposed to a web page's (sometimes cryptic) page title.

Aaron

 

[mzemina]

Aaron - I like the idea of replacing the pagetitlebar area with a URL address area.