Using a PDA to control a HTPC

[rboz]

What I want to be able to do is use a PDA as a remote to control a HTPC, running MythTV or something similar to that. The tricky part is that I want to be browse song titles etc directly from the PDA, without turning on the TV. My entire music collection is stored as mp3s, and a solution where I have to turn the TV on every time I want to change the music just isn't good enough for me. I can hook a PDA into my 802.11b home network (via bluetooth or wifi directly), and thus connect to the HTPC, but what I need is some kind of server software on the HTPC to send out media information, and then play songs, videos etc based on what I select. Ideally, the PDA should be able to display program guides etc as well.
To make things even more difficult, I want to do all this under some flavour of linux on the HTPC, and the PDA as well.
So who's got any ideas about how to go about this? Know of any software that will allow me to do what I want?

EDIT: If I have to use windows I can probably live with myself....

 

[DavidL]

MusicLobby and DVDLobby PPC www.cinemaronline.com

 

[Mike C]

NetRemote.

www.promixis.com

 

[remoteshoppe]

NetRemote and MainLobby would both require Windows as would a new program called Clicker from Salling. http://www.salling.com/Clicker/windows/

I have bookmarked a site from someone who has used IRMan to control their Linux media center PC in conjunction with LIRC to use their PC to control their home theater components. I think this is what you are looking for. Check out these links:
http://viz.aset.psu.edu/ga5in/MediaCenter.html
http://www.evation.com/irman/
http://www.lirc.org/

You can then install a regular PPC IR remote software like http://www.novii.tv/ to send IR commands to IRMan

 

[electron]

Welcome to CoconTech rboz!

I don't think it would be too hard to write a perl or php script which can play songs, as well list the entire collection by category etc. Then all you need is a PPC with a browser, and the webserver (i.e. apache) can run on any platform you want.