Naylia's XLobbyMC Skin - Updated 1 JANUARY 2006 www

[Naylia]

I'm back, we can chat sometime tonight if you want. I have some work to do, but should be able to take some time to help you. I'll have MSN open, my email address for it is

dan AT elysianht DOT com

[visionsurfer]

Hi,
sorry i read your message to late. My adress in MSN is visionsurfer at web dot de.

I have you now on my contact list, but you are offline.

Maybe tomorrow.

Greetings,
Visionsurfer

[visionsurfer]

Hi,
i write you an email. I am now Online under my MSN Email visionsurfer at web dot de !

Greeting,
Visionsurfer

[Naylia]

I'm at work...I think we have a timezone issue Weekends may be the best since then I can try to be on mid day, which would be evening your time. During the week I am not home until 5 or 6 most days, which is probably 11pm your time?

[visionsurfer]

Hi,
Hehe,no problem. Have you read my email to you ?
Because i let the PC on over night and you can log on when ever you want and have time ? Or do you not become my email ?

Greetings,
visionsurfer

[visionsurfer]

Hi,
i see you online Cool !
But i dont see you online on MSN that i can chat with you over my notebook.

Greetings,
visionsurfer

[visionsurfer]

Hi Dan,
special thanks for your help. Now all works fine.
But i have now for the next steps a few questions:

1. I have at that moment my htpc on a normal TV. I want control everythink now with my pda. With xlobby and my PC i think it is no problem. But it is possible that can turn my TV on and off over my pda ?
I want not have two remote controls. If it possible only one. Do you have a idea how it can works ?

2. It is possible to make the PDA control from xlobby bidirectional ?
For example i want to see on my PDA which music title is playing and the time remaining from the title. If i stay in bedroom and i want controll my HTPC in livingroom i can´t see nothing information about this. I can see this information only when the TV is turned on and i look to the TV. Do you understand what i mean ?

3. I is possible to include other programs to the skin ? So i have at home a EIB Busmaster Controll System. Like the same as X-10. Are you know EIB ? In my technic room at home i have a EIB Server. This server give me a website over network an with this website i can control all. The light, the window, temputar ect. Perfect is, if i can make new buttons in the skin to can controll this functions over the pda in the Xlobby modus too ?

O.K. i hope you can tell me somethink about this ?

Greetings,
visionsurfer

[Naylia]

1. I have at that moment my htpc on a normal TV. I want control everythink now with my pda. With xlobby and my PC i think it is no problem. But it is possible that can turn my TV on and off over my pda ? I want not have two remote controls. If it possible only one. Do you have a idea how it can works ?

Yes, you can configure XLobby to turn your tv on and off. What you will need is an IR Blaster. An IR Blaster will allow your pc to send signals to your other equipment, like a tv or stereo reciever. The USB-Uirt is supported by XLobby and has the ability to send IR signals. Check out http://www.usb-uirt.com for ordering info.

If you get one and have trouble with signal reception by the tv you just need to get a little sticky IR emitter that is basically a cable that you plugin to the USB-Uirt and then stick the other hand to the IR reciever on your tv so that it always gets the signal.

2. It is possible to make the PDA control from xlobby bidirectional ?
For example i want to see on my PDA which music title is playing and the time remaining from the title. If i stay in bedroom and i want controll my HTPC in livingroom i can´t see nothing information about this. I can see this information only when the TV is turned on and i look to the TV. Do you understand what i mean ?

PDA control is bidirectional for Movies, Music, Weather. TV stuff is send only.

3. I is possible to include other programs to the skin ? So i have at home a EIB Busmaster Controll System. Like the same as X-10. Are you know EIB ? In my technic room at home i have a EIB Server. This server give me a website over network an with this website i can control all. The light, the window, temputar ect. Perfect is, if i can make new buttons in the skin to can controll this functions over the pda in the Xlobby modus too ?

Yes XLobby can control almost anything. I don't know about EIB but maybe you can ask in the general help forums about it. XLobby can send commandline commands and it can also sendmessage other programs. So if EIB supports either of those methods for recieveing data you can control it. If it needs other methods of control you can bring Girder into the mix, and have XLobby sendmessage girder which uses some other trigger with the program, but try to avoid that if you can. Check sendmessage first that is a very stable and behind the scenes way for programs to interact.

[visionsurfer]

Hi Dan,
thanks for your answer.

ok i check the information with the usb-uirt.

But by the PDA bidirectional, i think we dont speak from the same.
I mean, i can not see any information for example the play time of some music. Yes i can press a play button, and a stop etc...that is no problem. But on the PDA i see nothing about the time of a music file ect.

So if i stay for example in bedroom. I can not see how long play the music file, which is playing at the moment. Or make i somethink wrong ?
You understand what i mean ?

Or an other example. Maybe i make somethink wrong, but at that moment i can not see information about the loudness in my PDA. I start to play a music MP3 File. I can select it, and play it. That is no problem. But i see no information how loud is my loudness and i can not make it louder oder more noise....I dont see Buttons for that.

So this are the two problems.
Playtime from music and
loundness

Greetings,
visionsurfer

[Naylia]

There should be a 'Now Playing' screen, don't remember exactly where, but I'm pretty sure I made one. It may not have playtime on it though...if it doesn't then you can look up the variable neede and create a little box that will display the information. Might be a good chance to learn how the skins work

I have not made a graphical volume display yet, but there should be volume +/- buttons I'll take a look at the pda screens.

[visionsurfer]

Hi,
thanks, ok i take a look. I see that i dont have playtime on the mainscreen (i mean the PC screen, not the PDA screen), too.
So i want to make it, that i have the playtime in the pda screen and in the pc screen.

Give it a docu where i can found the variable "playtime" and but i into me screen ?

I think it should be very cool, if someone can the maybe in % the actualy loudness. For example 10%, 20%, 30% ect....

Greetings,
visionsurfer

[Naylia]

Check out the Help section found above and read the XLobby Skinning Guide and the Event Variables Sheet. If you have trouble getting something to work that you're trying to do post in the general forum that way more people will see it.

[visionsurfer]

Hi,
it is maybe possible to make the TV channel control bidirectional ?
For example that i see on the PDA to channel logo from the channel that i view at the moment ? I think that must looks very cool.

Or that i become on my pda a overview of all my favorite channels, with logos. If i press on one logo the channel be change ?

Greetings,
Visionsurfer

[Naylia]

Unfotunately none of the TV stuff can be bidirectional because SageTV does not expose the information....or if they do no one has made a plugin to get the info into XLobby. I suspect that in a while we'll see plugins for Sage to expose the info and then maybe I'll be able to add it.

[visionsurfer]

Hi,
it is possible to build in normal Radio stations. I have on my TV card a TV in and a radio in. I see that i can hear web radio. But not all stations i can found in internet with webstreaming.

It is possible that i can hear over xlobby normal radio, over my tv card ?

Greetings,
visionsurfer