myHTPC software as a front-end

Hi there.

Apologies if this is a silly question but I was wondering if anybody has considered or is using myHTPC as their front-end to their CarPC systems? I am using this software to great effect on my HTPC (Home Theatre PC) in the living room and could see this being ideal for my proposed Car PC too!

Given how popular the software is in the HTPC community, I found it strange that it isn't being used in the CARPC community since the two communities are rapidly moving closer and closer together!

This front-end offers itself perfectly to a touchscreen interface too.

Is the reason you guys don't seem to use it because:

a) It just hasn't been introduced to this community yet
- or -
b) There is a fundamental reason why this software isn't appropriate for a CARPC?

If you haven't seen it yet, myHTPC is defiantly worth checking out!!!

The website is here...

http://myhtpc.net/

Here are a couple of screen grabs from the music library section of my implementation at home...

Best Regards,

Russ.

Russ, Russ here...
1 big issue, no volume control

Hi there and welcome, here ya go.

http://www.mp3car.com/vbulletin/sear...earchid=152129

Ah gotta love the power of :search: ! ;)

Hi Russ. Nice to talk to you at last! I've been reading posts on this forum for a while now but only just started to contribute.

Yep! Got me there!! No volume controls but.... do we need them? Wouldn't that be controled directly from the head unit!? That's how I kinda saw this thing working in my set-up anyway!?! Unless I've totally got the wrong end of the stick here! (Which is very possible!) ;)

I use it on mine and it works great. A few complaints though.

On a 800 x 600 screen the "back" button doesnt show up on every screen even if you select the checkbox to force it to show. Also that little arrow to scroll up and down the lists is hard to use in touchscreen. And it would be good if they used ID3 tags or at least scrolled the names of the songs when youre looking through the lists. Finally, with my opus the program doesnt allow my computer to shut down if a song is playing.

These are minor and until something better comes along ill stick with it.

Also like you said i use my head unit for volume and just turn the computer up about 90%

Hi leenas.

Cool! Glad to see it can be used then. I've used it extensivly at home and I would imagine it would be pretty awesome in the car too! I especially like the browsing of albums by their cover art!

Quote:

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On a 800 x 600 screen the "back" button doesnt show up on every screen even if you select the checkbox to force it to show.

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Really? As yet, I haven't come across this issue? Are you using the latest version? (I'm sure you probably are!)

The only other way I could imagine this happening was if your font size for the "submenu item" property was set too high and therefore the buttons become larger. Too many of these large buttons would force the ones at the bottom of the list off the screen. (The back button as you already know is always at the bottom!) It is still there, you just need to scroll down.

Which brings us to your other point! Your right. The scroll buttons have been flagged up as "a bit fiddly" for touchscreens by a few people. It might help to know that you don't need to press the arrow directly. Anywhere along the entire horizontal line that the arrow appears on will be enough. That may help you a little.

Yea i read that in the myhtpc forums about the horizontal arrow part. The font size is whatever it comes with as default. For some reason on the page right before now playing (where it lists out all the songs) is where i have the problem with the back button. The main problem is that it doesnt give me an arrow for it to scroll down. The only way to go back from that screen is to use my remote. I think i may try to make the fonts smaller but right now the button sizes are perfect. The thing i would want the most is some sort of scrolling of song names when theyre listed out.

ah.. i have no headunit, so i need volume control

Just to give an update. I changed the font size by 2 and everything now fits perfectly.

Yea, I would much rather have a manual volume knob. The Audigy NX USB knob, mounted on the faceplate trim (extended from mainboard) works great with the 2nd release of the drivers from creative (not the DEC 23rd ones, they messed up my system).

If I don't have to take my eyes off the road to change the volume, then I'm happy :)

I think I will be running 640x480, will this have problems at that resolution?