Can This be Done with Xlobby ??? - Touchscreen PC Remote ?

[alaric]

Hi There,

I have a small home cinema which i've been working on for a while and i've played once or twice with Xlobby, but haven't really been in a position to do anything with it....Now I am, its changing

I have a touchscreen monitor and PC dedicated to running it and controling the interface. I also have a HTPC which is driving a projector.

From reading bits, Xlobby is typicaly on the HTPC and in some cases has either PDA or thin PC clients.....However i'd idealy like to keep xlobby off the HTPC and use it as a controling interface.....Is it Posible ?

I need :

IR - I belive this is easy via a USB-UIRT, which i have

Serial - Eventghost can do this and i've found a plugin on here for it, though how two way i can get things is another matter

TCP/IP - Not sure on this one. I know TheaterTek and Zoom can be controled bi-directionaly via tcp/ip but not sure if there are the mechanisms to link into Xlobby ??? - Not sure if Winamp has a tcp/ip or other interface - I may be able to run a second instance of eventghost on the HTPC as server app ???

Ta,
Lee

[Colby]

I have a touchscreen monitor and PC dedicated to running it and controling the interface. I also have a HTPC which is driving a projector......However i'd idealy like to keep xlobby off the HTPC and use it as a controling interface.....

Why? two computers to run the same thing? I dont see why. I have a similar setup only using 1 computer. My HTPC runs it all, I have dual video out, So the touchscreen always is control, and output 2 is the "projector" (except I have an LCDTV). I also use USB-Uirt for remote, and switching of AV components. I use zoomplayer controlled through my remote, and Xlobby. All in all I have a pretty good setup, Ive been using for a long time.

I dont fully understand what youre trying to do, so I cant answer if its possible. Xlobby will have to be on 1 machine to run itself. Or are you wanting to "surf" the touchscreen and output the video card of the HTPC? Like I said I dont get it.

[alaric]

Hi There,

I want the touchscreen remote PC to be seperate from the HTPC.

The HTPC runs and scales for a CRT PJ and i tend to tax it fairly hard with fliters and other bits, so i don't want to increase the load on it too much. The dual screen card already runs another monitor in my rack area.

I also want to do things with the remote that shouldn't interfear with what the HTPC is doing, particularly at times the HTPC may even be off, but the remote will probably be always on. The remote PC is an ex-web server, whereas the HTPC is a consumer built unit (heck i've already replaced a blown PSU in it and the rooms not fully running!).

I guess its more power, less load, more redundancy etc.

cya,
Lee

[rhinoman]

Alaric,

I have what your after, I have an xlobby machine which is my multiroom music and xlobby server. This has RME soundcards for eight independent zones controlled via 2 touchscreens and 2 PPC's.

In the front room I have a PJ fed from a seperate HTPC which runs as a fat xnet client to the xlobby server. This is used for TV recording (via MCE) but also for launching films. This is controlled via the MCE remote which also controls Theatretek.

[escort]

rhinoman, what RME card are you using? I am very interested in the zone's. Thanks

[rhinoman]

As my signature, its a HDSP with 2* aeb8 outs.

The best thing about the HDSP (apart from the sound quality) is the RME mixer app that comes with this range of cards, this allows sync of zones to be set up independent of xlobby by routing channels, thus avoiding the need to pull 8 steams from the hardrive and try to keep them in sync (which doesn't work).

[alaric]

Hi John,

so are you using xlobby as a control of the HTPC then, or the HTPC just connects to xlobby for some additional content ?

Oh and whats a Fat xnet client ?

Thanks,
Lee

[rhinoman]

My setup.

Xlobby runs as a server on a PC in the garage, its connected via RME soundcards to music zones.

Zone 1 - Office
Zone 2 - Bedroom 1 & Ensuite, fed to 2 amps, in-line volume control for the ensuite to allow the volume to be backed off independent of the bedroom which is controlled from within xlobby, (ie Xlobby sets the max for the bedroom, the other control allows the smaller room to be quieter).
Zone 3 - Gym/second bedroom
Zone 4 - Bathroom
Zone 5 - Outside
Zone 6 - Kitchen
Zone 7 - Lounge and Garage, fed to the Myryad processor and amps in the lounge using a 10m phono to easily allow party sync mode. Seperate old hifi amp for the garage with its own volume knob.
Zone 8 - Front Room - 10m phone feeding a "Keene" in wall digital amp with IR remote for volume.

Zones 1, 2, 2-ensuite, conncted to a Rotel 6 channel power amp.
Zones 3, 4, 6 connected to another Rotel 6 channel power amp
Zone 5 connected to a Rotel 2 channel power amp.

All amps above use long speaker cables from the amps located in the garage to the various locations.

Touchscreens are Xenarc 7" widescreen in the downstairs hallway and bedroom 1. These use a usb interface for the touchscreen, the upstairs one as its 15 metres from the pc uses a cat5 usb extender.

I use the thin client running on my desktop PC in the office using the PPC screens to allow control from the office with a small floating window.

2 Dell PPC's allow wifi control.

Media is stored on a "Unraid" server. Radio is provided via a line in to a shoutcast server running on the Xlobby server. This broadcast the chosen station on my lan and allows selection of in any zone.

The main lounge has a Sony HS50 fed from a HTPC, this runs a full version of xlobby running as a xnet client to the main server, this means it gets it databases records from the server thus saving updating both machines. This machine runs a different skin at a different resolution to the music server and is controlled via a MCE ir remote which also controls Theatretek. If I listen to music in this room I normally use a PPC as I wouldn't want to turn the pj on. This could be from the main server or from the HTPC, itr deosn't seem to make much difference as the HTPC has an RME card also, (just shorter phono connections).