I know this post will sounds like a apple funboy but im not a appleholic at all
I saw the interface of the "FRONT ROW" feature of those news mac and looks really great...
Its seens to be really friendly and easy just like vasili0s said with only 4 keys you can brownse in a simple way and find what you want fast. If you compare with windows media center you takes many more "clicks" to find what you want
when you press a button, the 4 icons just come moving arround and stops waiting you choose one of then.. Movie, Audio, Photo, DVDs...which is rotate smothie and looks really nice BTW
Something like this video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=--J_Gt_RY2s
I was wondering if is it possible a "VLC Media center" version... Which is a skin easy like the apple one, with nice animation if possible, while youre brownsing the videos you can see a preview of that you youre mouse is over for some time(small like thumbsnails), if music... cover flows something like the new ipods interface where the cover flow move on the background
But when you just open a file into you HDD a slim player just like the vlc now a days popup playing fast with no skins, or maybe with a "slim player skin mode"
I know theres another project called Media Portal
http://www.team-mediaportal.com/
But it doesnt works for me, its not fast, smothie easy, its just looks like a media center alternative and i prefer the VLC way of codecs, support and others things.
Well thats my ideia of HTPC
Thx Beto