[mythtv-users] Cool idea: Use wireless PDA to control Myth

[Brandon Beattie]

On Thu, Oct 09, 2003 at 04:31:19PM -0400, Isaac Richards wrote:
> On Thursday 09 October 2003 04:15 pm, Jamison Wilde wrote:
> > Maybe this has been said before, but I've been
> > thinking about how to be able to control mythmusic
> > without having to turn the tv on, and I kept coming
> > back to a touchscreen lcd, but this was always wired
> > and costs way too much.  It would be pretty cool if
> > there was a stripped down frontend for PDA's (Palm and
> > PocketPC) that could manage Music playlists and show
> > what was playing, without the need for the TV/monitor
> > to be on.
> 
> I actually bought a zaurus a while back with the intention of making a smart 
> remote for everything, but I've just not had the time..
> 
> Isaac

I've been designing my dream home in my head with such a remote/zaurus
(I do own one).  However, Myth needs to probably move to the following
state before something like that should be done (Or atleast this is just
my thoughts).

Myth needs to have "profile" or "session"s.  Each session can be a myth
application in whatever state.  This state either is known by the main
master server or knows how to redirect requests for that session to
other locations.  Next you have a two types of clients.  One processing
the media, and one controlling the media.  

In basic use, mythfrontend would start both types of clients.  But you
can have other controlling clients connect (Mythweb, zaurus, a PC, etc)
that selects which session (By getting a list of current sessions from
the main master server) it wants to control.  

More advanced use would be that if a myth box running in the living room
was running a music session and you went into your computer room, you
could cause your computer to add it's self to watchers for that session
and also process the music/media so you can here it in that room also.
And in the future this means watching the same program on any tv or
computer that has a myth box hooked up to it.  (And mythbrowser,
weather, and any other myth plug-in.  I can see having a half dozen via
boards around the home running myth, controlling audio or TV in rooms
and being able to select, "Connect all media clients to stream this
music" and having full home sound, for entertaining, the football games,
etc.  Maybe for art on the walls, college TV's, (I don't think these are
too far off, except college TV's).  I know videolan does something like
this, but it really doesn't do this.  Especially with controlling things
from several locations, and it doesn't have the backend like myth does
that is the right groundwork for this type of mythical setup. :)

Doing this will require a bit to be added to myth's media transport
system, and also building sessions into Myth... A lot of work, but
it would be an interesting project (Sadly, I have the idea but no time).

I personally think this is where Myth will get eventually, but maybe I'm
putting my thoughts out too early.

--Brandon