MB3'ifying your HTPC

[crashkelly 62]

Hi, me again

 

In conjunction with my Media Browser Bling post (http://mediabrowser.tv/community/index.php?/topic/1921-media-browser-bling/) if thought it might be cool, cause bowties are cool, to get a repository going of ways to MB3'ify your HTPC.

 

I am not a programmer, well I used to be but have been out of the coding loop for quite awhile, so I am not sure how to totally accomplish some of this stuff, but I bet there is more than one person in here who does and can help out with advice

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It is probably common knowledge, but with Win8.1 you can have a slideshow on your lock screen. Info can be found here http://windows.microsoft.com/en-ca/windows-8/personalize-pc-tutorial (Scroll down to the Customizing your lock screen section). You can select photos from a variety of sources, but it would be really sweet if somehow photos (backgrounds) could be pulled from movie/tv show libraries that are housed on MB3 server.

 

Again, no idea how to accomplish this, but I bet than an app/plug-in could be written that would/could generate new images for the lock screen slide that were based upon new addition for TV and movies. All the artwork needed would be available via the metadata, clear logo or clear art, episode or movie name, and the TV/movie poster or background(s)

 

As a tidbit regarding the 8.1 lock screen slideshow, your power setting can be setup to take the slideshow into consideration and turn off your display after x iterations

 

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Also with the lock screen in windows 8/8.1 you can add apps to it to get updates from those apps, Skype, Calendar, Weather, ......, could not the same be done for MB3 to present updates to content.

 

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Some of you may have noticed that I do tend to ramble , but you never know when you are going to come up with an idea that may make a lot, well some anyway, sense and if you don't jot it down somewhere you can lose it.

 

I know there are feature request sections for all of the goodies that are MB3, but I am thinking about things that are outside of that environment like my HTPC and to me the more integrated it can be the better and more seamless the experience.

 

I know what my current process is for watching  media on my HTPC and it is a number of clicks and other before I am enveloped in the MB3 experience, but having that experience start shortly after I hit "Media Browser" on my Harmony One would make it so much less like watching content on my computer and more like a complete media experience (how many times have I said that now  )

 

Cheers and thanks for reading my ramblings.

 

P.S. If you have other ideas for MB3'ifying your HTPC feel free to put them in the thread and I will edit my original post to add them in ... it is not all about me you know (well okay, most of the time it is )

[swhitmore 781]

The upcoming Win8 app has live tile support, and will soon be having lock-screen support also

[crashkelly 62]

The upcoming Win8 app has live tile support, and will soon be having lock-screen support also

 

Read about that shortly after I posted the above. I still think some sort of separate tool would be good in the event that you do not have the win8 app on your system and are using something like MBT instead.

 

Cheers

[swhitmore 781]

Read about that shortly after I posted the above. I still think some sort of separate tool would be good in the event that you do not have the win8 app on your system and are using something like MBT instead.

 

Cheers

 

You could always install both. I doubt a dev would spend time on something that is already included.

[crashkelly 62]

You could always install both. I doubt a dev would spend time on something that is already included.

 

Very true and I am sure the win app has a small footprint as well so have it installed just for that purpose, more lock screen info than live tile in my case, would not be a major hit to the system.

 

Cheers