iPad as a clone monitor for HTPC

TheAmerican said:
http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/188162/windows_7_on_an_ipad_yes_you_can.html

So I was thinking. Can Win7 be installed to the iPad and then set up as a dual screen (clone) so you can sit in front of your HTPC and use the touch pad to scroll through your DVD library in MC?

What a wonderful thing if this could work.
Click to expand...

This was exactly what I had in mind when I heard of the iPad. Otherwise I was just disappointed at it being an iPod Touch on steroids.

To put it in perspective, a Logitech Harmony 1100 Advanced touchscreen remote cost $399 while the iPad cost $100 more and can do so much more than the Harmony. If I had to chose between the two, the iPad would win hands down. Not only you could get a clone-screen app, but also the AirMouse Pro and ngRC apps or any other HTPC apps in addition to anything else iPad can be used for not relating to HTPC.

I'm just disappointed that iPad screens are 4:3 instead of 10:4 or 16:9.
 
if you wanted a dual screen setup you only need a touchscreen monitor. it doesnt require an OS. if you want a second machine with touchscreen you can use the HP touch system they have already.


I am struggling how to but this into words but you cant make 2 devices with independent OSes do the same activity/function without using some sort of remote access tool.
 
IDversusEGO said:
if you wanted a dual screen setup you only need a touchscreen monitor. it doesnt require an OS. if you want a second machine with touchscreen you can use the HP touch system they have already.


I am struggling how to but this into words but you cant make 2 devices with independent OSes do the same activity/function without using some sort of remote access tool.
Click to expand...

They're all wired with VGA and DVI adapters though. Would there be a way to make it wireless?

As for the remote access, the article is written by Citrix and mentions XenApp. XenApp is a web applet that lets you remote into another computer through your web browser. XenApp is formerly known as Citrix Access Essentials and Citrix Application Server. So yeah the iPad app will be connected to the HTPC via remote access app.
 
Want to run Windows 7 on the new Apple iPad? Citrix says it will soon be possible--at least virtually--using a new version of its Citrix Receiver software.
Click to expand...

That right there is the key phrase. It means "no."

You need exclusive control of the hardware and that's exactly what you don't get when run virtually. The only way to do that is to run some kind of remote desktop app, the issue with that is that Media Center (and all PVR apps) need a DX9/EVR supported hardware, this you can't do over an RDP connection.
 
If your running a virtual desktop it is network connectivityt hat is required, not video. how about resolution issues? if your display runs at 1080p the icons are going to be tiny on an ipad screen.

also, if you run windows 7 on an ipad it just became the same as the HP tablet PCs that didnt pan out. the whole appeal of an ipad is the apple interface.

I agreee with htis line...

"Let us know how you're going to put it to work," Fleck writes, concluding his post, "Even if it's just to rationalize buying another gadget."
Click to expand...
 
Exactly, I want a wireless cloned screen for navigation. Really, it would be better to have an IR blaster on the iPad and make it a remote for the HTPC, but that is a stretch.

Can Win7 be installed or emulated or does it have to be on top of the iPad OS?

Plus the touchscreen PC is only like 22". Too big for your lap and too small for a HTPC.
 
IDversusEGO said:
how about resolution issues? if your display runs at 1080p the icons are going to be tiny on an ipad screen.

also, if you run windows 7 on an ipad it just became the same as the HP tablet PCs that didnt pan out. the whole appeal of an ipad is the apple interface.
Click to expand...

on the admin end you can control aspects of the client end of XenApp including file permissions, screen resolutions, sounds, printer access, program launch permission and much much more.
 
TheAmerican said:
Exactly, I want a wireless cloned screen for navigation. Really, it would be better to have an IR blaster on the iPad and make it a remote for the HTPC, but that is a stretch.

Can Win7 be installed or emulated or does it have to be on top of the iPad OS?
Click to expand...

Why IR? The iPad has WiFi. Put a wireless router or access point on your network - your HTPC doesn't need to be WiFi, just connected to the same network as the wireless access point. WiFi is much better IMO.
 
Azhar said:
Why IR? The iPad has WiFi. Put a wireless router or access point on your network - your HTPC doesn't need to be WiFi, just connected to the same network as the wireless access point. WiFi is much better IMO.
Click to expand...

It doesn't matter, it'll never work.
 
CrimandEvil said:
It doesn't matter, it'll never work.
Click to expand...

I'm not sure why not. There are already remote access apps for iPhones to control Windows server through RDP. About the only thing I can see not working is that RDP and other remote access apps cannot run movies and 3D graphics - at least not as you would see it on the server end.

Browsing through MediaBrowser's 3D interface would be ugly.

Edit: Thinking about it more, Crim is right - it would not work on desktop PC. I administer Citrix and Terminal servers at work all the time because my servers are headless. I've forgotten that if you logged into the same account as your other computer - especially when it's a desktop OS - the other computer will log out. You can only run a single user session at a time on a desktop OS.

However if Citrix employed their LogMeIn app, they might get away with multiple logins. But you would still have to deal with pitiful graphics on the remote end, and the other end's screen will also degrade to match the remote screen. Not to mention, LogMeIn uses internet connection, not direct access, so it'd be doubly slow.
 
Last edited:
Azhar said:
on the admin end you can control aspects of the client end of XenApp including file permissions, screen resolutions, sounds, printer access, program launch permission and much much more.
Click to expand...

aspect ratio yes...but the view would have to be altered to be usuable on the 9.whatever screen. if your HTPC dvd library is showing 12 dvd covers, imagine how small they will be on the ipad. or you will have to have the ipad in a zoom mode where it doesnt show the whole screen at once. and for touchscreen controls you need all icons to be fingertip sized. nobody wants to use a stylus.

I have messed with car PCs and touchscreen interfaces. it is a pain to do a full media player/manager in touchscreen controls. you have to make sacrifices to make it work at all...and many more sacrifices to make it work on a small screen. IMHO, touchscreen needs at least 15" to work well for multimedia.
 
IDversusEGO said:
aspect ratio yes...but the view would have to be altered to be usuable on the 9.whatever screen. if your HTPC dvd library is showing 12 dvd covers, imagine how small they will be on the ipad. or you will have to have the ipad in a zoom mode where it doesnt show the whole screen at once. and for touchscreen controls you need all icons to be fingertip sized. nobody wants to use a stylus.

I have messed with car PCs and touchscreen interfaces. it is a pain to do a full media player/manager in touchscreen controls. you have to make sacrifices to make it work at all...and many more sacrifices to make it work on a small screen. IMHO, touchscreen needs at least 15" to work well for multimedia.
Click to expand...

Yeah, after thinking about it for a few minutes in my last post, a standalone widescreen touchscreen would be best, directly connected to the HTPC via wired or wireless VGA/DVI/HDMI and the HTPC's video card set on clone mode. It's probably much simpler and more reliable.
 
i use teamviewer on my iphoe to rdp into my WHS and it works great, but as already discussed RDP will not support Media Center becuase of no DX9 support
 
But, as already mentioned, there are a few Media Center remote apps out there for the iPhone/iPod that should work (according to Apple) with the iPad at launch. Instead of extending the desktop (and thus media center's UI) onto the iDevice, they pretty much work like a keyboard and/or mouse/trackpad. They will send keyboard commands of let you use the mouse on your touch friendly iDevice.

I've used a few with mine and those work great, the downside is that you don't get any sort of data information. You can't browse your music collection or anything with the TV and have track name, album, CD art, etc displayed on the iDevice. Too bad MS killed off Sideshow as that would have been perfect for a device use like that.
 
There are android tablets out now and more that are coming out. Why not pay less and get one of THOSE and be able to do more and install gmote on it.
http://www.gmote.org/screenshots

Or you could start using XBMC which has robust remote control apps for pretty much every platform (including iphone).
 
pre1014 said:
There are android tablets out now and more that are coming out. Why not pay less and get one of THOSE and be able to do more and install gmote on it.
http://www.gmote.org/screenshots

Or you could start using XBMC which has robust remote control apps for pretty much every platform (including iphone).
Click to expand...

I do have an XBOX 360, but it won't play .vob. :)

I have had gmote on my Eris, but it streams to the device, I want to use the device, pretty much for control on my HTPC.
 
not out of the box, but it can be done. I think mediabrowser adds that function if I remember right.
 
you cant rip vobs to the 360 so the only way you would be accessing them is on another PC.
 
TheAmerican said:
It took me a month to rip 487 titles. That was a long time. Now imagine doing the conversion with that many items. That was more time than I wanted to spend on that, pluse any conversion destroys the chapter selections.
Click to expand...

Handbrake has the ability to keep chapters while converting DVDs into MKV and M4V/MP4.

Having said that, I also ripped 508 DVDs into my BlackArmor and it took several months. I used DVDFab to pull the main movie, 5.1 audio (dolby and DTS), and english subtitles. Everything else is gone. VIDEO_TS folder structure is maintained and 7MC is perfectly happy with it.
 
CrimandEvil said:
That right there is the key phrase. It means "no."

You need exclusive control of the hardware and that's exactly what you don't get when run virtually. The only way to do that is to run some kind of remote desktop app, the issue with that is that Media Center (and all PVR apps) need a DX9/EVR supported hardware, this you can't do over an RDP connection.
Click to expand...

Not entirely correct, this will be coming soon:

http://www.brianmadden.com/blogs/br...calista-technologies-what-will-this-mean.aspx
 
danman said:
Not entirely correct, this will be coming soon:

http://www.brianmadden.com/blogs/br...calista-technologies-what-will-this-mean.aspx
Click to expand...

Awesome. :)

But what I said is still entirely correct. Just because MS bought this company doesn't mean a solution is going to released in the next month or two. Hell, when MS bought Virtual PC was a while before MS released anything based on it and when they did it was just a repackage of Virtual PC 2007. It wasn't until Windows 7 and it's XP Mode that anything new came from it.

So yes, there is no way to get Windows 7 working on an iPad for HTPC control use since to RDP doesn't support hardware rendering for Media Center's UI. The only way to do it is too use the many remote control apps already in the Apps store.
 
personally i hate DVD menu structures... I would rather deal with mkvs or other formats which preserve chapters but eliminate the menu, the only benefit I see of vob is that if you keep the default vob size then you can reburn the dvd's easily

i use makemkv and I do not decrease quality with my rips... same format for DVDs and Blu-Rays
 
I hate menus, love chapters. I rip vobs in "Movie Only" format and leave it. quickest and purest rip that I can live with.
 
IDversusEGO said:
I hate menus, love chapters. I rip vobs in "Movie Only" format and leave it. quickest and purest rip that I can live with.
Click to expand...
Me too. I have no idea why Adidas keeps going on about menus and shit, you just rip the main movie to vob. I am checking out MakeMKV but I only see limited use for it.
 
to each there own. I use the disc if I want bonus features. With 3 kids and 3 tb of movies, these days that its a bonus if I get to watch it at all.
 
i dont know if this is out there, i think there was on the xbox media center, but cant you use a web page front end to control your media library with the ipad. you could browse the movies or other media sources in the library via the ipad and upon selecting something such as a movie, it would start playing on your main tv or projector... just a thought.
 
darrenster said:
i dont know if this is out there, i think there was on the xbox media center, but cant you use a web page front end to control your media library with the ipad. you could browse the movies or other media sources in the library via the ipad and upon selecting something such as a movie, it would start playing on your main tv or projector... just a thought.
Click to expand...

One cool thing in Windows Media Player in Windows 7 is the ability to sling playback from anywhere to anywhere.
 
CrimandEvil said:
Awesome. :)

But what I said is still entirely correct. Just because MS bought this company doesn't mean a solution is going to released in the next month or two. Hell, when MS bought Virtual PC was a while before MS released anything based on it and when they did it was just a repackage of Virtual PC 2007. It wasn't until Windows 7 and it's XP Mode that anything new came from it.

So yes, there is no way to get Windows 7 working on an iPad for HTPC control use since to RDP doesn't support hardware rendering for Media Center's UI. The only way to do it is too use the many remote control apps already in the Apps store.
Click to expand...

Its in SP1.
 
RemoteFX might allow video, I don't know about media center's UI though

http://arstechnica.com/microsoft/ne...ves-vm-hardware-requirements-from-xp-mode.ars

also the Idea about instaling windows7 on a iPad made me laugh so hard I almost fell out of my chair.

It's a big iPad touch and doesn't even run x86 chips, it is ARM based.

Why do people assume apple made a be all end all device that can magically run any type of OS or work as anything a person would want a small wireless screen for.

it 's just a big iPad touch with a updated ARM chip. If they had mad a "real" tablet based off the Desktop OSX running on X86 it would pretty much have been a Macbook air without a keyboard but people probably would have gotten much better use out of it than what I see the iPad in it's current state offering.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top