Complete Bluetooth Support - including full Configuration Settings GUI within XBMC?

Hi,

I would like to hear how you think about the idea to add complete bluetooth support in XBMC, which includes:
1. Search and pair with devices
2. Support bluetooth headset. When a bluetooth headset is connected, sounds are automatically send to it
3. Support bluetooth file transfer.

In Windows all the above are supported by the OS so it's probably not necessary. However in Linux, when you run xbmc-standalone, all you got is bluez, which is kind of low level thing. Right now, I have to either login to GNOME session, or use hcitool to pair with a bluetooth headset or input device; and setup ALSA asoundrc file or XBMC audio custom string to use a bluetooth headset. Those steps are very difficult for average users.

Ideally, XBMC could have a menu to search bluetooth device, pair with it, and play. (Like the way it work in most bluetooth-enabled cell phones)

It could also be obtained by an addon to xbmc.
Would have been nice to have bluetooth support with gui.

As you said for headsets and offcourse remotes possibly you could also
browse your cell phone for pictures and videos

Maybe some of the features like pairing can be supported by an addon, but for such a standard, popular technology like bluetooth, it should be a built-in functionality in XBMC, especially to support headsets.

Setting up a remote is something that is missing from xbmc
gui. Hopefully some day there will be something in the gui to setup remotes IR or Bluetooth....

Ticket created.

http://trac.xbmc.org/ticket/11003

while I see some value in having an integrated bluetooth GUI, add-ons for LIRC and wlan configuration should be of higher priority for eden

I have stated previously that I would be willing to do code for it if there is interesting hardware. Sadly I haven't found much interesting hardware.
Bluetooth headphones is a viable one but it is still quite a slow market for it. Remotes is even sader. There is almost no nice remote out there worthy of the work required. Sending files I really don't see the point behind, we are a player not really a desktop. Streaming to a xbmc device over ad2p is but that's not realty xbmc which handles.

In the end if you find nice hardware and donate it might happen

Cheers.
Tobias.

You are right, bluetooth demands seems still low in HTPC area, but things might change, who knows. Anyway, I have some intention to implement it myself and I really started to read XBMC and bluez source codes seriously...

I think that the problem is that those bluetooth devices are consuming too much energy.
For headphones still RF is a good choice.
RF or IR for Remotes.

I don't think bluetooth headset consumes any more energy than a typical RF one. The one I got gives me 4 hours continuous stereo playback and can be fully charged in 2 hours, only with a built-in 130mAH Li-on battery. Most of the energy are consumed by the speaker, not the device itself, so I don't think it makes any difference with a bluetooth one and a RF one.

I would be much interested in donating headsets to the XBMC developers, it's just the shipping fee is too high from here, The headset itself costs something like less than $10.