Ten Foot Browser and Utilities

[Andy Henderson]

I hate having to get up from my armchair to run a program on my media centre or restore a window so I can see what a program is doing! I want a web browser that I can work with just my remote. Why should I have to get up off my backside to move files and folders around and delete ones I no longer need?

What I need is a browser and a set of utilities designed to run on my TV using just my remote.

So that's what I wrote.

I hope you find them useful.

The CITA Ten Foot products consist of four modules to start with:

1. Launcher - allows you to launch any of the Ten Foot products and any other programs you want to run. This is not an GB-PVR add-in. The products will work with any Media Centre - or none at all.
   
2. Browser - displays web pages full screen with the ability to zoom in for detail. Designed to be operated with a standard remote, the Browser includes many features designed to minimise data entry. You even get a cursor you can work with your remote.
   
3. File manager - allows you to work with files and folders. Great for organising your videos and giving your files meaningful names.
   
4. Program manager - gives you options for minimising, restoring, maximising and closing windows from your armchair.

You can download them from here.

I have tested the utilities with GB-PVR and they work with it without any problem. In the Launcher forum at http://www.CITAForums.com/TenFoot I provide a personalised settings file that adds GB-PVR to the Launcher.

Andy Henderson

[madcat]

1) If not installed in the default (Program Files/CITA/Ten foot...) launcher will not launch the other programs
2) After "Close", could run "Refresh" to update the list
3) How to run them maximized all the time? or in a pre-set position? - at least open the other apps in the same position/maximized as the Launcher is running.
4) What is the purpose of the TFFM? and why does it show only folders?
5) Last - not a biggy, but to be more compatible with GB-PVR (if you wish), you could use the left/right arrows (instead of TAB) to move between the left section and the right section (also, all remotes have the 4 arrows, but they don't have TABs, do they).

dont get me wrong - it's a nice project!

[Andy Henderson]

>>>1) If not installed in the default (Program Files/CITA/Ten foot...) launcher will not launch the other programs<<<

That's right - the install instructions point that out. If you want to install to a different folder, you can but you need to tailor the program list in the Launcher.

>>>2) After "Close", could run "Refresh" to update the list<<<

It does, but most programs take longer to close than the Launcher does to refesh. I might put a delay into the refresh, but some programs take a very long time to shut down.

>>>3) How to run them maximized all the time? or in a pre-set position? - at least open the other apps in the same position/maximized as the Launcher is running.<<<

By design they take up most of the screen to make the best use of the display. Coming up with a UI to change screen position/size would be a challenge. I'll give that some more thought.

>>>4) What is the purpose of the TFFM? and why does it show only folders?<<<

It allows you to move, copy, rename and delete files and folders on your PC. I find it handy for reorganising my recordings into hierarchies, for example.

The Forward/Rewind keys switch between views (drive, folder, file and favourites).

>>>5) Last - not a biggy, but to be more compatible with GB-PVR (if you wish), you could use the left/right arrows (instead of TAB) to move between the left section and the right section (also, all remotes have the 4 arrows, but they don't have TABs, do they).<<<

In all the products, by default, Skip and Replay provide Tab and Back Tab. I did think about using Left/Right in the way you suggest but in the end plumped for using Left and Right to select and deselect objects.

However, you don't have to stick with my assignments. The Tailoring and Regionalisation Guide explains how to reassign any button to any function.

Hope you find the products useful.

Andy

[madcat]

Ok, up to now I played only on another machine. I will try it out tonight on the GBPVR machine with a remote.

[pBS]

why did ya have to make it require ie7? ewwwwww....
not gonna upgrade to that anytime soon if i can help it...
boy if you could take that out of the requirements, there'd be lots more people trying it... i've een looking into making one of these also, but with ability to transpose to mpeg2 video stream for MVP users...[that's all they can view]
but more likely will just use a vnc session controlling a real browser...

can't you get a similar effect using full-screen mode of ie?
[welll except for the other nice goodies you include like TFFM]

still, if it weren't for the ie7 thing i'd use it...

[madcat]

I tested it and it worked (as described above, not yes tested on my real GBPVR machine with a remote) and I don't have Ie7 (and not planning to have it). I don't think it's a requirement.

[Andy Henderson]

Thanks for the feedback re IE7.

There were two reasons to use IE7:

1. It implements zooming. In IE6 and FireFox, you can increse the size of some text, but not the whole page. IE7 allows you to zoom the entire page so even text created as graphics can be made visible from your armchair.
   
2. IE comes with a much stronger set of tools to embed a browser into a program. FireFox does have that capability, but it's a half-hearted effort by comparison.

If you use a non-IE browser on your media centre PC, you still can. And it can still be the default browser. The Ten Foot Browser just needs IE7 to be present.

I've not tested it with IE6, but it might work - apart from the Zoom capability. If you are on IE6 then, unless there's a particular application stopping you, I heartily commend the upgrade. People have been complaining about IE's lack of adherence to IE standards and security problems for years. IE7 is a major step forward on both fronts.

Andy