CQC for me? iPod touch interface questions

[Mukha]

I've been thinking about automating my theater and I was wondering whether CQC would be suitable. Here are some of my requirements:

[INDENT]All media including blu-ray and TV (although pvr isn't important) served off a PC running Windows 7.[/INDENT]

[INDENT]iPod touch as a universal remote control, but it must use the iPod interface or something very similar looking. As I have nothing other than the video and audio needing automation I don't want anything superfluous to that cluttering up the interface. Coverflow for music, DVDs, and TV channels; a volume slider like the iPod's; a slider to control time in music and movies; a pause button and next/previous track buttons (these would change the channel for TV use); and that's it.

A way to display DVD menus on the iPod and be able to select things with the touch screen.

I'm probably going to use TMT5/WMC as the player (but I'm open to other suggestions) but I don't ever want to see any of their interfaces nor the windows desktop.[/INDENT]

[INDENT]Minimal lag after control signals are sent.[/INDENT]

Basically what I'm looking for is something polished that feels integrated with the iPod. So what on this list is possible with CQC?

[potts.mike]

The interfaces are created by you so they can look however you want.

that being said its going to be a challenge to mimic the iOS feel, there is no way to get cover flow that I know of.

[Mukha]

I know that Apple provide access to the iOS interface elements in their SDK (which is how other apps are able to use coverflow/keep the same feel). Is it under consideration to build a dedicated iOS or Android app for CQC that would allow the use of their interface elements when building a new interface. I am no interface expert so building an interface myself without the use of advanced structures is likely to result in something resembling a glorified Etch-a-Sketch.

[Fonceur]

I'd say that most of your demands are unrealistic for any mobile apps... You just can't receive/process data fast enough over wifi/3G on such underpowered devices... You can't stream a dvd menu to a mobile device, that would require some missing codec and other stuff not present.

It's one thing to build a native app which has all its data in its own sandbox, it's a whole different thing when you want it to interact with everything out there...

[IVB]

I did a minor amount of working getting iPod kinda sorta screens going, here's what my screens look like, happy to share them. Still on an older version of CQC, i need to upgrade to whatever the latest production release is though.

I also have this thread about S70 screens that mimic an iPod classic but they're optimized for an S70 with hardbuttons for navigation. My S70 broke, havent' tried fixing it yet, and I recall some bugs in the screens but I currently use iPeng for actual music navigation so its not a pressing issue. Happy to export these too if you want to shortcut some of the work.

From this iPod Touch thread.

[SamVimes2]

All media including blu-ray and TV (although pvr isn't important) served off a PC running Windows 7.

This part is straightforward.

I'm probably going to use TMT5/WMC as the player (but I'm open to other suggestions) but I don't ever want to see any of their interfaces nor the windows desktop.

This part always escaped me. Now i use SageTV as the server, and the HD300 media extenders as clients, and i have never looked back. Even if you don't use the PVR aspects (arguably, especially if you don't!) I think this is the best solution for CQC/Media integration (ie least time spent fussing with codecs and whatnot)

iPod touch as a universal remote control,

Possible, using the iRIVA client or a remote desktop solution

but it must use the iPod interface or something very similar looking.

Not possible currently, but could be someday (Fonceur's points are very valid, but we've been kicking a few ideas around of how to do it). For the moment, you can only get the "CQC look" on your iTouch. See IVB's or my current video screen (attached) as example.

As I have nothing other than the video and audio needing automation I don't want anything superfluous to that cluttering up the interface. Coverflow for music, DVDs, and TV channels; a volume slider like the iPod's; a slider to control time in music and movies; a pause button and next/previous track buttons (these would change the channel for TV use); and that's it.

This is exactly the kind of scenario I'd love to facilitate and that we're thinking about.

A way to display DVD menus on the iPod and be able to select things with the touch screen.

Do you mean like "Scene selection" and "Sound setup" and "Extras" on your iPod touch? I don't think that is possible....

[Fonceur]

I'm tempted to say that the best way to do most of it from an iPod, is with the appropriate hardware and native software:

- iSonos + Sonos receiver for the audio.

- TiSageTV + SageTV software + HD300 extender for the video.

- iRIVA + CQC + hardware for all the rest...

[SamVimes2]

I would agree, and propose SqueezeBox + iPeng as a music alternative. This is mostly how I run my system.

[Mukha]

Thanks everyone, a lot of great information there. How do you integrate iPeng/iSonos/TiSagetV with CQC and automation? Can CQC somehow detect when you choose to play something (with iPeng say) and handle all the automation like turning on amps/receivers and controlling volume? Or do you have to do all that separately with the iRIVA client?

I don't really feel like getting squeezebox or sonos, I had a sonos system that I sold because I thought I would be able to get CQC to replace all of its functions.

I really don't mind what application is used to play the media as I hope to only ever use it's media playing capability and never see the interface, which ones are capable of talking to CQC? As I already have TMT5 I was hoping to be able to use that for everything except TV and use WMC for TV.

[Fonceur]

The point was that while CQC + iRIVA can handle audio/video/etc. just fine, some of your specific requirements seemed to be better fulfilled with extra dedicated hardware/software...