On Sun, Feb 08, 2015 at 01:02:07PM +0000, Chris Walker wrote:
On Sun, 8 Feb 2015 10:55:57 +0000 Chris Green cl@isbd.net wrote:
For the umpteenth time when we recently looked at some pictures I decided the 'media centre' way of looking at them is truly awful!
[snip]
I could dedicate a system to the TV but this entails either leaving it on permanently or waiting for it to boot every time one uses it. A Raspberry Pi is a possibility, leaving it on is then not an issue but there are downsides like will it be fast enough and it needs a keyboard and mouse. Another fundamental problem is that whoever is managing showing the pictures needs to be close enough to the TV screen to read text and that's likely to be too close for comfortable viewing and/or sociability.
Why do you need a keyboard and mouse on a Pi? Use OpenElec or one of other XBMC clones and use a remote control with it. The remote I use with my tv will also control the Pi so I consign the extra remote to a cupboard. It's more like 'media' viewing that way than using a PC.
Er, but I suspect that XBMC etc. will just be like the WD TV Live media player and have a (for me) unusable interface. How easy is it to navigate a hierarchy of directories with one of these 'media centre' apps?
How does the remote talk to the Pi by the way? The Pi doesn't have an infra-red interface does it?
A permanently connected Pi is very attractive but I'm not sure about the details.