SideShow PDA/PocketPC remote interface for XBMC?

For whatever reason, Vista's SideShow hasn't really done jack - even though it's actually a really cool idea.

I think that with the porting of XBMC to Linux, there is an opportunity to re-kindle development of a PocketPC-based remote control that (although it may lack the same hardware buttons) is as good as any of these remotes.


*Some links to help move this idea along:

Check out this SideShow renderer for iPhone. They also have a beta of their renderer for Windows Mobile, but who knows, maybe Microsoft will beat them with an official version.

Salling Clicker allows you to "Control PowerPoint, iTunes, Windows Media Player, and more with your mobile device." Although it looks a little like a ripoff of the now abandoned XBMC http client for PocketPC.

For user interface, PointUI has a dang good one that will work on WinMo, except I'd like to see vertical and horizontal scrolling as mentioned in this thread.

Of course there's a web server skin for mobile browsers, but anyone who's used it knows it could be better.

Anyway, thanks for any feedback. No, I don't have a mockup or anything. I've just been obsessing about all the possibilities that XBMC on Linux opens up, and this is an idea that crossed my mind.

NS

Please respect that feature requests for the Linux port of XBMC are not yet allowed in these forums. You may only post generic feature suggestion that cover all XBMC platform.

PS! XBMC HTTP client interface (actually called HTTP API) is not at all abandoned. It is still being developed and new PocketPC/PDA clients keep pooping up all the time, ...you just have happen to only find one (of many). If you like to develop such a PocketPC/PDA client yourself (or just improve and existing one, or even just create/edit a webserver skin) then please go right ahead, there is plenty of information available in the XBMC wiki manual and this topic thread:
http://xboxmediacenter.com/wiki/WebServerHTTP-API
http://xboxmediacenter.com/wiki/The_Web_Interface
http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?tid=8760

Hopefully someone will develop a 'SideShow' clone for Linux.

Maybe someone on the Linux XBMC team (nudge nudge) -- This would put XBMC light years ahead of any other media center.

I am considering writing good xbmc-remote-software for either my nokia 770 (runs linux, has wifi) which basically makes calls following the http-api stuff.

Then again: I am also considering to write such a client for Pocket PC / Windows Mobile. I know there's a couple of clients out there that do this already, but the ones I found didn't really have the kind of user experience I am looking for.

What I do wonder: Doesn't XBMC-Tux have the same http-api? (so won't these apps just work there too?).


If not: is there any other way to give commands to XBMC? (maybe a Telnet or SSH-like command interface?).

You mean XBMC for Linux (IE. XBMC Linux port)?, if so then yet it has the same HTTPAPI.

Another option would be to make a website for XBMC that has the resolution of a the target PDA.

zeno Wrote:...the ones I found didn't really have the kind of user experience I am looking for.

Exactly. Unless I missed something, there's no way to navigate through the web interface in library mode (i.e. just as individual files). That's my biggest frustration. Something as simple as cover art and title/artist would be great...

Sorry for the initial post. Of course this would have to be fully functional for XBMC. Compatibility with the Linux port comes secondary.

NS

This would be great

i really really wish I'd time to work on programming again. LIfe is SO busy that every moment for doing that kind of thing is filled up with course related stuff...Sooner or later I'll find time. I'll need to start from scratch and teach myself everything over again because it's been so long.

zeno Wrote:If not: is there any other way to give commands to XBMC? (maybe a Telnet or SSH-like command interface?).

Basicly from my knowledge you have HTTPApi if you want to get detailed information of XBMC, like now playing and the whole music library.
If you just want to send commands to XBMC, like a remote then you have the EventServer which is a UDP server which reacts on certain commands.
In short, you do a fire and forget packet which will yield a response in XBMC.
In linuxbranch these are used to emulate quite many remotes.

If you need to turn your phone into one of these there actually already exist a extremely basic eventclient that works in Java on the phone. Although there are no coverart nothing fancy, just a remote with buttons. And you need a PC to be the bluetooth host. the intent of this remote is to become somewhat like the salling clicker version if the EventServer allows it. I have had little time to go the HTTP way though

Anyone have any serious dev info or a SDK for these devices? It would be very neat to have sideshow support in XBMC, even just for music, so that the new remotes that are coming out with built in Side Show LCD screens could navigate the music library of XBMC. Any ideas? Feasibility?

Dustin

Hard to say now but when the eventserver has 2-way communication and there is some reasonable amount of SDK/information about programing for the sideshow I for one would like to see it being made, and I think it should be more than possible to be created as an eventclient given those asumptions.