Pure Web Remote Control or Listening Audio with switched off TV

[pompon]

The initial goal was to provide NMT with an alternative/PDA based remote control to listen audio with TV switched off. A pure web remote control was the most preferable as it would allow NMT remote controlling from any web browsing device. Unfortunately all the current remote controlling applications have minor (sometimes significant) drawbacks.

More & Download

[TheAdder]

Anyone some experience with this RC?

The downloaded ZIP file contains two PHP files.
One is partly decoded and I can't see/check the content of it

[pompon]

pwrc-install.php – is the installer, just to copy pwrc.php under myihome server root.
pwrc.php – is the main application, it is not coded actually, it is pre-compiled/accelerated with Turck, precompiled/accelerated exactly as _all_ the other myihome php based web-pages.
As the result of the pre-compilation the code size is decreased and the code is executed faster (there is no need to re-compile the php to serve each the page request).

[TheAdder]

Great App, thanks pompon

It's quick, low memory profile and works perfect including play all!

Despite above facts I have a few suggestions to make PW-RC even better:
- Nicer UI of even better skins
- Add more controls, like Caps/Num, Mute, PugeUp/Down, Zoom, Quick keys
so to make it al full replacement for the IR RC. Full control of the NMT from my PocketPC, Palm or iPhone, wow!

Thanks!

[pompon]

>Nicer UI of even better skins

I do understand your intention. The ascetic UI is the first what came into my mind as well.
But…. well…. “buts” are everywhere….. Almost any UI enhancement will increase the memory profile. There would be no One-File implementation approach anymore and slowing the response would be guaranteed….
The situation with skins is even worse. We will probably have to have separate skins for each screen color/resolution/dimension/orientation and so on. Then skin management/creation utilities will be required. Then a fat client approach will be required to manage the stuff locally as all the devices have their own understanding of Javascript, the current CPU MNT resources will not be enough anymore and so on. So skins look the way to nowhere….. I may be wrong however…. Do you know an operable sample of such skin realization; I would try to look over. Who knows, maybe I have missed something important…


> Add more controls, like Caps/Num, Mute, PugeUp/Down, Zoom, Quick keys

Oh yes, it’s reasonable and doable. But we should keep a compromise between the expected key usage frequency and mobile devices screen dimensions.
So if you help me to draw a list of _actually_ missed keys I would do that. The list of the related keycodes would significantly speed up the process.
One thing we should take into account however, PWRC will never be as fast as real IR remote control. The real remote control sends keycodes to gaya/mono directly, PWRC will add web negotiations. As the result we will have to forget about key auto repeat, for instance….. I mean the total IR replacement is hardly doable in full…

[joshua.lyon]

Awesome work! I thought about implementing a rudimentary version of this - it's cool to see someone else already has!

I agree that you won't very easily be able to stick with a one-file implementation if you want to add in skins, but you could fairly easily manage them as css/image packs. Then if a user wanted to have the additional load of a skin, they could choose to do so. If they just wanted the basic UI they could choose that option as well.

[TheAdder]

Better UI or even skins is maybe a little to much and also not really necessary. Anyone who want to use a good and quick RC can use PWRC as it is now. You are 100% right about that!

My idea was making a client based UI (eg C#, Air) and use your control codes (URL's) to make the action. In that way I can make a simple program (PC, PPC, Palm) with a nice UI (buttons, repeats) without increasing memory usage in the NMT. I think it is a good alternative for the IR-RC espically if you have to type characters of long URL's. Does that make sense?

Do you agree in using your code that way?

About the keys: I think it is not neccesary to display all available key control in the current web UI. It even better to keep the wrb UI as simple as possible. All other keys codes can be available 'under the hood' so other programs or UI's can them....

[pompon]

(10-14-2009 03:13 PM)joshua.lyon Wrote:  I agree that you won't very easily be able to stick with a one-file implementation if you want to add in skins

Fair enough, the main one-file "executor" will just check the presence of other stuff around and utilize them on the availability.
Then, after the job is done, however there would be the need of a specification for that, samples, a co-installer as a user friendly way to put all the stuff in the correct place on NMT..... I am not sure I have enough time for that myself solely. It's just a hobby anyway... I mean is there a sense to start without a guaranteed finish.....

(10-14-2009 03:13 PM)joshua.lyon Wrote:  , but you could fairly easily manage them as css/image packs.

Have you ever try to make CSS-s that looked _equally_ even on all the desktop browsers. ;-)
CSS-s of mobile devices are more “unexpected”.
The CSS based approach is clear and reasonable, but... well.... how could I explain. The purpose of the skins is improving appearance. Correct? So the skins are better to be prepared. The more prepared skins the better. A skin management/creation tool even exposed to a big community is hardly a substitution of the prebuilt skin set. Need a sample? XBMC (as the first came into my mind).
How many _usable_ skins do you know? One? or two? What is the total amount of the skins?
Even (extended) gaya skin may be another sample. I’ve tried one, two and then reverted back to the default…. I mean there should be a strict reason for trying to substitute a good prebuilt skin set with a home-brew (in this case) management tool. Don’t you think so?

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(10-14-2009 03:26 PM)TheAdder Wrote:  My idea was making a client based UI (eg C#, Air) and use your control codes (URL's) to make the action. In that way I can make a simple program (PC, PPC, Palm) with a nice UI (buttons, repeats) without increasing memory usage in the NMT. I think it is a good alternative for the IR-RC espically if you have to type characters of long URL's. Does that make sense?

Yes, why not, please do it. I can provide you with direct URLs to send commands to NMT directly or add a bit more functionality to pwrc.php. However, anyway any commands will have to be sent via http. The file/folder lists will have to be obtained via http as well.
The same can be done via telnetd alternatively, if so telnetd must be installed.

[abraxe]

Im trying this app since it would be cool to be able to play music whitout turning on the TV. Im using a HDX 1000 and trying to controll the machien from my laptop. But it aint work very well, i have installed the app and when i use the webadress it do find the HDX and connects to it but when i press for it to enter the harddrive it enters the harddrive and on the TV screen i come to the page where i should choice movie, music, photo or file but nothing hapens on the webbrowser, i can continue to navigate the HDX with the tv switch on but it dont update the folder system in the browser.
Anyone got any suggestions on what could be wrong?

[pompon]

(10-25-2009 09:47 AM)abraxe Wrote:  when i press for it to enter the harddrive it enters the harddrive and on the TV screen i come to the page where i should choice movie, music, photo or file but nothing hapens on the webbrowser, i can continue to navigate the HDX with the tv switch on but it dont update the folder system in the browser.
Anyone got any suggestions on what could be wrong?

At first sitght there is nothing wrong. You should not expect any synchronization between web browser and TV screen content. If you would like to navigate/start/stop playing form the web you have to do it from the web only disregarding of TV and vice versa.

Did you encounter any problems with navigating and playing via web only?

[reconan]

Hello, I tested the application on my phone and Nokia n95 and I do not visualize the folders on hard disk. In contrast, if I introduce a USB if I can see and run all types of files. Someone can help me? Thanks

[pompon]

So you saw a hard disk name when you browser is navigated to NMT. ( btw A-110? )
How exactly your hard disk is listed in the browser? as HARD_DISK ? (any letter/case is meaningful)
How your USB drive is listed?
What exactly happened after you pressed the hard disk link?
Did you anything in the browser below Prev/Stop/Play/Pause/Next line?

[reconan]

I have an A-110.
When I log on my phone through http://MYNMT-IPaddress:8088/pwrc.php, go right and below the Prev/Stop/Play/Pause/Next shows the HARD_DISK link, but when I click the link appears correct until Prev/Stop/Play/Pause/Next, but not shown below the folders, when I should see 'apps', 'downloads', etc...

I have done an observation.
If I light the television (seeing the NMT's menu) and I pulsate from my mobile in the link HARD_DISK and then in the symbols/\ or \/, if it responds, seeing in the television what I am doing, even executing files, but in the mobile the folders do not appear, only until Prev/Stop/Play/Pause/Next.

Sorry for my English.

[evb62]

Thank you pompon, it's working for me! A no frills web interface, just what I need for listening to music without turning on the projector.

I have question: not that I really need to uninstall, but if I wanted, which files should I erase on the PCH? I looked around, and wasn't able to find where the remote control was installed.

A nice idea would be to do as you mention above to TheAdder. Your remote commands could be used by another client, not necessarily a web browser. I was thinking some program where I could enqueue media files for playing, much in the way that foobar2000 works, for instance.

Anyway, this is very welcome. Thanks again!

[pompon]

(10-26-2009 02:51 PM)evb62 Wrote:  I have question: not that I really need to uninstall, but if I wanted, which files should I erase on the PCH? I looked around, and wasn't able to find where the remote control was installed.

/mnt/syb8634/web/pwrc.php -- 9 kb only. Still need to remove ;-)

(10-26-2009 02:51 PM)evb62 Wrote:  A nice idea would be to do as you mention above to TheAdder. Your remote commands could be used by another client

Well... I think it's a big job and honestly it's exactly what I was trying to avoid - a dedicated client for each the platform. Personally I will not go that way however I would be happy to assist anybody who would decide to conquer even a part of the platforms.

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(10-26-2009 01:51 PM)reconan Wrote:  but not shown below the folders, when I should see 'apps', 'downloads',

Do you have non-english file names or folders in the root of your hard disk?
Most probably the hard drive listing process breaks due to a mistakenly unexpected character. If so, is it possible to temporarily make the files/folders in the root english only.
If hypothesis is confirmed I would try to make the required modifications to the product ( I would need your file/folder names to reproduce the problem though)