Idea for SageTV integration with third-party programs

[cwilson]

Hi,

I'm a [relatively] new SageTV user (~3 months or so), and am wondering if it might be possible to integrate a third-party application into SageTV. For example, a Firefox shortcut that opens a predefined web page, or CQC's software (which I also started using around the same time as SageTV).

My thought is, would it be possible to configure a special "channel" in SageTV to show the specified application full-screen? So, for example, I could make my Firefox link channel "100", CQC channel "101", etc. When "tuned in" to the special channel, the remote would take on mouse-like functionality, and there would be some escape sequence to allow me to change "channels" away from the third-party app and back to SageTV.

If nothing else, seems like a pretty powerful enhancement idea... It could then be used with pretty much any other Windows app.

Or is there another/different/better way to do what I'm talking about?

Best,

Chris

[Fonceur]

While you can certainly feed the s-video output of your video card to a capture card to make use of the "NetFlix watch now" or such, you can't just load a program in a second application and do what ever you want with it...

[cwilson]

Seems like a powerful enhancement idea for Sage, though, no?

So is there any way to integrate (for example) a web browser session into Sage (for actual interaction with the browser), or a general purpose home automation app like CQC? Even a Sage button/link/whatever that would do an equivalent of "alt-tab" to the other app, with some hotkey/remote-control-accessible way to get back to Sage?

I know some might say I'm thinking backwards, and should focus on integrating Sage into the more general purpose app (since, for example, CQC has support for controlling/interfacing with Sage already) rather than the other way around. I don't disagree, but...

Using CQC as the example, I have touchscreens running the CQC interface, but not always close at hand. For such occasions it would be nice to be able to pop the interface up on the TV screen too, and the "virtual channel" in Sage seemed to be a logical way to do it. This would be especially effective for things like security cameras integrated into CQC, where a "big screen" view could be beneficial.

Similarly, the approach could work for webcasts and such that would be normally accessed through a browser, but aren't packaged as podcasts that could be easily integrated through the "online services" part of Sage. There again, a "virtual channel" that would take you to the browser to do its thing would be pretty powerful.

-Chris

[pjpjpjpj]

Originally Posted by cwilson

For example, a Firefox shortcut that opens a predefined web page...

There already is a plug-in which allows you to read web pages (http://forums.sagetv.com/forums/showthread.php?t=23376). I don't know if you are wanting to actually surf them, but you can at least read them.

[cwilson]

I'll check that out, thanks!

[GKusnick]

Originally Posted by cwilson

Using CQC as the example, I have touchscreens running the CQC interface, but not always close at hand. For such occasions it would be nice to be able to pop the interface up on the TV screen too, and the "virtual channel" in Sage seemed to be a logical way to do it.

A CQC item on the Main Menu would be more logical. The channel grid is meant for scheduling TV shows to record, so shoehorning random non-recordable apps in there as "virtual channels" seems (to me) like the least logical way to do it.

The Dynamic Menus plugin already allows you to set up menu items that link to arbitrary external apps. Seems like that and a wireless keyboard should cover about 99% of what you're proposing.

[cwilson]

The dynamic menus capability sounds like a better solution, I agree. So, the dynamic menus allow you to launch a separate Windows app (with GUI), not just command line?

Thanks for all the ideas!

-Chris