The Remote
The first protype for the re-imagining remote project project consists of three parts:
- • A commodity PC running Ubuntu Linux and MythTV software for viewing and recording television (and other media)
- • The PepperPad, a Linux-based internet tablet computer, with a touch screen and qwerty thumbpad for text input.
- • The MythRemote client, our Java-based remote control client that runs on the PepperPad. This controls the MythTV client software via a network socket, and communicates with a backend chat server which allows for live, time-stamped commenting on television programming.
The remote control functionality of the client relies on a feature added to the 0.19 revision of the MythTV project, which allows control of the MythTV frontend via a simple telnet connection. Basic keyboard commands can be replicated, as well as ‘jump’ commands, which can quickly take you to a specific section of the Myth on-screen UI. In addition, the remote sends us the status of our current position in the UI, or more significantly, which video we are currently watching and the playback’s current position in time.
By parsing this information we are able to generate a unique id for the video, and standard timecode for that video.* We can then use this information to create unique ‘channels’ in our video commenting server, and to tie comments to specific times in the video. This feature then works both as chat, allowing realtime discussion of the video, and commentary, perhaps more realistic when viewing time-shifted television.
What’s to come…
Improved UI: Currently the UI is neither optimized for the touch screen interface of the PepperPad, nor is the chat functionality designed with usability in mind. Coming up with the best way to display the text, for readability, differentiating between ‘live’ comments and historical ones will also shape the user experience.
Tangible Applications: Coming up with tangible applications for this new style of interface will be important both for guiding the future of the project, as well as exploring new ways for individuals to interact with each other, and with video content. Whether it’s creating alternative histories for television programs, or guiding providing real-time backstories for serial-based dramas, or allowing viewers to generate their own remixes of shows based on the collected commentary, the possibilities are rich for experimentation.
Other Platforms: Since the remote is written in Java, adapting it for other platforms (such as cell phones) would be relatively painless (and useful). Other ’smart internet tablets’ like the Nokia 770, Microsoft’s Origami PC, and Palm OS devices are also good candidates. And while we are designing it with these types of devices in mind, the client also runs fine on traditional platforms (Windows, Mac OS X or Linux).
Open Source: We have chosen to base the project on open-source platforms and tools, we also wish to provide the source to the remote control and chat software to the open-source community, who can hopefully help improve its implementation and develop new and exciting uses for this platform.
* Currently, the remote protocol only gives a unique ID by way of the time the recording was started, and the channel number. For small scale projects this is sufficient, but it is our hope that the MythTV contributors will add more universal identification to the videos, such as the XMLTV id received from the program guide.