MainLobby & HS
- Thread starter jls944
- Start date
You would have to connect your computer to your tv for this functionality. Having not used mainlobby on the tv computer, I think this may be a bit cumbersome. You would have to arrow over for each selection and make sure your z order was correct when you setup mainlobby.
Mainlobby is MUCH better for touch screen monitors.
Mainlobby is MUCH better for touch screen monitors.
You can control MainLobby via a PC to TV connection and map the IR codes to keyboard commands and associate keyboard commands with buttons in MainLobby. Each button then has an action associated to it.
You can use the TV for display only as well. You can use a touchscreen to select and the TV for what was selected (like what movie to watch).
PocketPC is another "remote control" option.
For Movies, the Cinemar DVDLobby app works very well with a TV remote to navigate thru you movie coverart posters and select a movie to watch. PC has to be connected to the TV.
Do you have Homeseer now? The MLHSPlugin and MainLobby work as a great combination. If you use Insteon, X10, UPB or ZWave, you can control lighting direct from MainLobby.
You can use the TV for display only as well. You can use a touchscreen to select and the TV for what was selected (like what movie to watch).
PocketPC is another "remote control" option.
For Movies, the Cinemar DVDLobby app works very well with a TV remote to navigate thru you movie coverart posters and select a movie to watch. PC has to be connected to the TV.
Do you have Homeseer now? The MLHSPlugin and MainLobby work as a great combination. If you use Insteon, X10, UPB or ZWave, you can control lighting direct from MainLobby.
Dean Roddey
Senior Member
You could use CQC and just drop HS and ML, and get them both in a single package. CQC's user interface system can be navigated on the big screen via IR remote and is designed to be able to support this. Most people don't use it, preferring to use a separate touch screen, but it works quite well. You do have to build the interfaces with an eye towards that kind of control. You can make the CQC user interface pop up and down as required when you want to see it or not and all that. And the control of the user interface this way is not done via the sort of kludgey key-faking type of thing that some programs use. It has a dedicated control interface that it's a very solid navigation mechanism, with two way control.
Once again Dean,
"You could use CQC and just drop HS and ML, and get them both in a single package"
You don't need Homeseer to run MainLobby very effectively. It is a choice for the extra support that both offer each other.
CQC could use a little ML AND Homeseer.
Have you ever used either?
"You could use CQC and just drop HS and ML, and get them both in a single package"
You don't need Homeseer to run MainLobby very effectively. It is a choice for the extra support that both offer each other.
CQC could use a little ML AND Homeseer.
Have you ever used either?
Dean Roddey
Senior Member
He mentioned HS in his original post, so I assumed he was using it, and would then have to buy ML to get a front end, not the other way around.
I actually haven't purchased any software yet. I was going back and forth between HS and CQC, trying to figure out the positives and negatives. One thing I like about HS is that it supports "instant status" with some of the z-wave controls. Does CQC have this capability as well?
Couple other questions:
Can I use CQC on my television and control it via universal remote?
Will a PocketPC be able to display MainLobby as it appears on my computer? (i.e. if I design a floorplan layout to show which light is on in each room of the house, does PocketPC have the capabilities to show this?
I guess what I really want is to display CQC or MainLobby on a touchscreen remote or my television so I can view the status of lighting, HVAC, Weather forecasts, etc.
Couple other questions:
Can I use CQC on my television and control it via universal remote?
Will a PocketPC be able to display MainLobby as it appears on my computer? (i.e. if I design a floorplan layout to show which light is on in each room of the house, does PocketPC have the capabilities to show this?
I guess what I really want is to display CQC or MainLobby on a touchscreen remote or my television so I can view the status of lighting, HVAC, Weather forecasts, etc.
IVB
Senior Member
I don't do lighting yet, fairly certain the answer to it is yes though. It certainly is instant for HVAC and my Elk stuff. I used to use a PPC for all that until I got frustrated by the small screen size, so I know that's possible on that device too. Now I use that 3400 for all my stuff.
You can render CQC on any display device you want [TV, touchscreen, PPC, etc]. There's a few IR receiver & transmitter options you have for universal remote control, all of which work perfectly well.
Best thing to do is to try out all the packages you're looking at, see which one works best for you. If you opt to try out CQC, i've got an open offer on the CQC forums to assist folks through the setup & install of my skins live, which do media mgmt [receiver, xm, fm, mp3, dvd], weather, traffic. It generally takes anywhere from 30-90mins, based on how much we stop to teach you stuff along the way.
Of course, this is all assuming you have hardware that has drivers already made.
You can render CQC on any display device you want [TV, touchscreen, PPC, etc]. There's a few IR receiver & transmitter options you have for universal remote control, all of which work perfectly well.
Best thing to do is to try out all the packages you're looking at, see which one works best for you. If you opt to try out CQC, i've got an open offer on the CQC forums to assist folks through the setup & install of my skins live, which do media mgmt [receiver, xm, fm, mp3, dvd], weather, traffic. It generally takes anywhere from 30-90mins, based on how much we stop to teach you stuff along the way.
Of course, this is all assuming you have hardware that has drivers already made.
In considering TV-based interaction, consider a media center solution. And amongst media center solutions, Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 systems are by far the most popular.
Media Center PCs allow you to centralize/manage media (TV, videos, music, pictures, etc.) and access this data easily using a remote control. While other solutions have some very nice user interfaces, it's hard to beat the integration, ease-of-use and depth of features that MCE 2005 has. Check this out: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/mediace...ed/default.mspx
In addition, there are various "plug-ins" you can get for home automation and home theater automation - that fit directly into MCE 2005. We produce a plug-in for MCE 2005 called mControl. (BTW, we offer near-instant feedback/status for Z-Wave devices.)
Ted
Media Center PCs allow you to centralize/manage media (TV, videos, music, pictures, etc.) and access this data easily using a remote control. While other solutions have some very nice user interfaces, it's hard to beat the integration, ease-of-use and depth of features that MCE 2005 has. Check this out: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/mediace...ed/default.mspx
In addition, there are various "plug-ins" you can get for home automation and home theater automation - that fit directly into MCE 2005. We produce a plug-in for MCE 2005 called mControl. (BTW, we offer near-instant feedback/status for Z-Wave devices.)
Ted
Dean Roddey
Senior Member
If you mean the recent 'trick' that someone came up with, no it doesn't support that. But the dust hasn't settled on whether that's an allowable thing according ot the Zen-Sys rules, so we'd wait to see what happens there before putting in the effort to support that.
Dean Roddey
Senior Member
Yes.
No program is going to do that very well. There is both a large difference in resolution and in aspect ratio between the two displays. A display that looked good on the big screen TV would likely be unusuable on the PPC because the buttons would be microscopic pretty much, and unless you flipped the PPC on it's side it would also be very distorted on the PPC. You could come up with a very simple interface that could be used as is betweenthe two but you'd do better creating interfaces that take advantage of the resolution and AR of the two display types.
Do most people mount the 3400 or use it as a mobile remote?
Can CQC do the same thing that HS, MainLobby and MusicLobby can do or would I have to purcahse add-ons to CQC? I just want to be sure that I am going the most cost efficient way with software. By the way, I will be using z-wave modules.
Can CQC do the same thing that HS, MainLobby and MusicLobby can do or would I have to purcahse add-ons to CQC? I just want to be sure that I am going the most cost efficient way with software. By the way, I will be using z-wave modules.
IVB
Senior Member
I wallmounted mine using a custom woodframe that's cut in half so it's removable/mobile..
That said, in 3 months i've pulled it out of the wallmount once. I've been getting roughly 90-95% network uptime using the SMC card, which is about the same as my laptop. As I just bought a 2nd 3400 for the MBR($160 now on eBay), i'm going to hardwire the network to the wallmount one, and just walk over to the MBR if I ever want a roving remote.
I've got 2 other PCs on either ends the house plus a wifi laptop if I want to change stuff whilst not near one of the 2 3400's. My house has only got a 25' x 75' footprint, so it's not like it's a trek. I'm contemplating buying a 3rd 3400 for the Living Room, but these things must be done slowly or else the wife will hurl.
That said, in 3 months i've pulled it out of the wallmount once. I've been getting roughly 90-95% network uptime using the SMC card, which is about the same as my laptop. As I just bought a 2nd 3400 for the MBR($160 now on eBay), i'm going to hardwire the network to the wallmount one, and just walk over to the MBR if I ever want a roving remote.
I've got 2 other PCs on either ends the house plus a wifi laptop if I want to change stuff whilst not near one of the 2 3400's. My house has only got a 25' x 75' footprint, so it's not like it's a trek. I'm contemplating buying a 3rd 3400 for the Living Room, but these things must be done slowly or else the wife will hurl.
IVB
Senior Member
oh, if you want to see what i'm doing with CQC, here's my latest set of screens.
Those are what i'd help you install on your system if you so choose.
Those are what i'd help you install on your system if you so choose.
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