Media Center or PVR type front end?

[valterra]

I really like VLC as a player. I've figured it's the best choice for this project because of its ability to be controlled via a web / command line interface, and also the fact that it's the only player that does an excellent job of playing my HTPC's .tp files (HDTV).

Also, for the record, I'm NOT a programmer and am pretty much a beginner at Linux. I can write HTML, and I can hack away at something someone has already done, but that's prolly about it.

AND, (hopefully) what I'm trying to accomplish may be perfectly feasible via some other method. I've delved through the VLC Documentation, but if I've missed something that already exists and would work, PLEASE let me know!

Here is what I am trying to accomplish:

I currently have a computer that receives and records HDTV. The PVR Software saves the shows as Transport Streams (.tp files). I can schedule shows, play them back, etc. etc. That part all works great.

But in addition to those transport streams, I also have a collection of MP3s, DVD Movies (mpeg files), etc., that I'd like to be able to access via a simple interface on a client PC hooked up to a television. I've played around with various PVR / Media Center type softwares (Sage, Beyond Media, My Theatre, GBPVR, and the list goes on). All in all, VLC does the very best job with the .tp files on my other computers, which are not as powerful as the main HTPC. I've found that I can even watch "live" tv by just browsing to the right directory and opening the .tp file. VLC plays it as it's being written to the hard drive. Awesome!

Basically I'm looking to build a small form factor, quiet Media Center type PC that is basically a front-end for VLC player. I'm thinking of a simple computer with a kick-butt graphics card that boots (any OS) into a splash screen of some kind. I would like that GUI to be able to fetch filenames from directories and list them in such a way that I can either choose a video to watch, mp3 / playlist, to play etc. The UI would then launch VLC in fullscreen mode. When I exit VLC, I'll be back at the UI.

That's all (!!) I want. It would be neat if I could customize the look at feel of the UI, but all-in-all I don't really care if it's graphical or not, so long as it WORKS and I can control it with a keyboard.

I know there are many ways this could be done. I could write a web page that launches content, but I don't know how to write html to pull files from a directory and add them to a menu. I read up on Video On Demand, and maybe that software could be configured to "mount" all of my media to different "channels" that I could choose from on a menu? But I don't like the current trend of using 1 PC for server sw and the other as a client (I have lots of problems with my Hauppauge Media MVP) And I also saw some kind of text-based UI in the documentation using something called "ncurses." Would that work for what I'm trying to do?

Sorry for the long post. Hopefully I explained my idea thouroughly. I don't think I'm asking for the moon and the stars here, or something that VLC is incapable of. Thanks in advance for all the help!

[pieroxy]

It's coming, but patience will unfortunately be needed.

Watch for pieroxy

[judah]

Hi valtera.

I m a complete novice and I came to the forum looking for advice. When I read your post it was exactly what I am trying to do.

Will you give me a VLC for dummies to do list on setting up from scratch. I have downloaded the player and played a movie I am editing with it but thats it. Im gonna search for more and hopefully I will hear from you soon.

It would be nice if my friends could watch movies, videos, listen to music that I am playing from my pc. I am even looking to incorporate voice chat pc to pc while VLC is playing so that everyone who is watching or listening can hear the callers. I am not a programmer or anything and I know a small amount of flash to enhance our content. Ok thanks again. Ok thanks again.

Cheers,

lanodvideo