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How would you like a TV with a HDMI stick connected, to interact with your Jolla?

asked 2013-12-24 20:32:58 +0200

updated 2013-12-24 20:35:24 +0200

See http://armdevices.net/category/hdmi-sticks/ for examples of HDMI sticks. They're really quite capable - and they can also run SailfishOS's base system.

Hi, I'm Carsten Munk, Chief Research Engineer at Jolla. Let's try to grow the skunkworks of Jolla and SailfishOS together. Use the tag 'skunkworks' for your ideas and thoughts. Rule #1 of skunkworks: stick to something that is not short term (rest of site is good for that), but is possible 6 months from now or beyond that.

I believe that the best research department a mobile OS can have is a worldwide community of passionate contributors and users. Let's prove this theory right.

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6

I'd prefer direct wifi for smart-TVs (samsung-link) and MHL for everything else.

chemist ( 2013-12-24 21:07:54 +0200 )edit

To take advantage of the voting system, we should write a single proposal into a single answer and keep commenting under these topics. Not like I did previously, when I commented previous post and proposed my own subject.

sjtoik ( 2013-12-25 15:27:47 +0200 )edit
3

PlayTo all formats to anything by any support communication (bluetooth, WiFi, WiDi, AirPlay, MiraCast, NFC, etc..) replace Android by SailfishOS on Cubox-i from SolidRun i.MX 6 Series Processor (Arm9 Cortex A9) So i have SD card with ready to use SailfishOS

redge73 ( 2013-12-29 22:34:22 +0200 )edit
2

Will the soon to be available firefox HDMI stick be something that will work with Jolla??

https://gigaom.com/2014/06/20/this-firefox-os-powered-streaming-stick-is-mozillas-answer-to-chromecast-exclusive-video/

ApB ( 2014-06-23 22:27:45 +0200 )edit

15 Answers

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20

answered 2013-12-25 02:11:05 +0200

qwazix gravatar image

###There are two possible usage scenarios to this:

  1. Presenter mode:

    The user, let's say Joe wants to show the audience something be it a professional presentation, or his vacation photos. He wants a curated view to reach the audience. That means that he should be able to read his notes while presenting, or skip embarrassing photos, or seek into a video while users still see other photos or videos.

  2. Media control mode

    Joe just wants to play music on the big speakers or watch a movie. Full blown controls like equalizer, subtitles syncing or multiple audio tracks should be available on demand. A full file manager with smb support, cloud services, DLNA etc are required, and the resulting media file should be streamed directly to the dongle. None of these technologies are mature enough today to provide a stress free experience so the more supported technologies the more chances is that Joe will be able to play his media without having to get up and go to his PC.


###I use a full fledged computer for my multimedia uses and I have the following functionality

I assume this the basic stuff for any dongle to be a nice home media center

  1. PC as DLNA renderer so that I can play music from any DLNA storage to the big speakers. This allows me to use the phone either as pure remote (choose media already on the pc to be played) or as a provider (choose media on the phone to be played)

  2. PC as a youtube remote. I think of a song and I want to listen to it without having to go to the PC. I find the song on my phone and push the URL to the PC via custom sharing plugin. The PC opens a firefox window with that url and plays back.

  3. Mobile as PC keyboard. While watching, some times I need to search a movie on IMDB or find subtitles. Using an app I send keystrokes to the pc via phone so that I don't have to have a dedicated pc keyboard on the couch. It should be possible to connect more than one phones to the multimedia pc at the same time

  4. e-radio control. I can start any e-radio on the multimedia pc, but I'd like to be able view song and other information on the phone.

  5. Alarm clock. I can set an alarm clock for a specific time and it wakes me up by fading in my favorite radio station.

Additionally I'd like to have

  1. Phone mirroring
  2. FM radio control
  3. Tight integration. Right now I am using all kinds of different apps and custom made scripts for this to work, and not everything works always as expected.

###Notes

The user interface of a multimedia computer does not need to emulate a TV. The classic computer user interface, with a touchpad or phone as controller is almost perfect for the usecase. It provides the possibility to browse the internet properly, it allows all kinds of web video and casual games to be played easily, and enjoyed by many people. It also allows fine-grained control of viewing experience relative to the current conditions, like equalisers, dynamic range compression, video filters etc.

All the technology for the above is there, but it requires a pretty good integration and lots of glue. People do not realize how fun it is to have a multimedia center at home and because of the nature of the activity (relax and listen/watch) refuse to do extra work to have a better setup, so they use tinny speakers or tiny screens to watch something when the TV and HiFi is a few feet away. If somebody provides that ease of use and the ability to connect everything in a way that works it will be loved.

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1

by the way, there's a bug in the system: lines that start with ### should be <h3> and they are previewed as such, but fail to render on the final post

qwazix ( 2013-12-25 02:12:11 +0200 )edit
11

answered 2013-12-24 21:51:03 +0200

Penguin gravatar image

I wait to share photos, videos, music via wireless connection to TV or monitor connected to HDMI stick or I want to mirror whole display to TV. No Jolla specific solution and stick only but support for existing DNLA, miracast and Airplay sticks and boxes. Good ecosystem expands to competitor products and solutions too like by being compatible with AppleTV and Chromecast.

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9

answered 2013-12-25 22:04:39 +0200

LaruX gravatar image

I would like to see Miracast (mirroring) capable Jolla / Sailfish in future. Device should also support Chromecast Mirroring (similar to Miracast).

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+1 for especially Chromecast (it will be widely used). Unfortunately there's Api only for Android, iOS and Chrome. But could someone get any necessary info from there anyway? https://developers.google.com/cast/docs/developers Hopefully we will see this as supported in the future.

huuhaa ( 2014-03-20 15:59:43 +0200 )edit
9

answered 2014-01-28 14:21:20 +0200

torpak gravatar image

Airtame should be really easy to support since they will offer a native (open source) linux client. Maybe there is some work to do because sailfish does not have X...

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1

Well, they look like a future good opportunity for sure

Stskeeps ( 2014-01-29 10:11:24 +0200 )edit
2

I'm only adding indiegogo link because it has better info then the homepage. http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/airtame-wireless-hdmi-for-everyone--2 I think Airtame fits Sailfish philosophy.

abc123 ( 2014-02-12 20:54:33 +0200 )edit
6

answered 2013-12-25 21:41:05 +0200

When I look at that question, I look at some of the usage that I'd like to see facilitated by mobile(s) but driven by screens and workflows. To that end, I see the HDMI stick as:

  • Profile enabled: a section for home, a section for work, and a section for public PCs/TV (and perhaps one more for when you visit friend/family)
    • The stick is activated by tapping it to the NFC-enabled mobile, and then you have about 30sec to plug it in so that one of those profiles can be activated

Now, once its plugged in, seeing the different scenarios then allows SailfishOS to almost morph in response to what's needed

  • When its plugged into the device that's regarded as TV (let's call it Family TV, different than Parent or Child TV); then the mobile device auto-adds/starts remote and channel info app. HDMI stick would be nice to have antenna built-in so that the TV could do state-funded broadcast stations, and perhaps something like what Google is doing with Chromecast (Roku, Amazon, etc all make sense here too) with an ability to purchase channels as if they were apps. These channels could only be used when the HDMI is plugged into a verified TV. With the idea of profiles, you can have channels segmented by areas of the home, age of viewers, etc. But all would be controlled via SailfishOS device(s).
    • When its plugged into a device that's regarded as Work Computer - you get two types of apps that arise, but both require logging into the corporate account (Exchange or similar) and that data is siloed from the mobile device but usable from the mobile or other computing accessories. In this case, it would make sense for not only that NFC-trigger to be present in the hardware, but also Bluetooth for mice, keyboards, etc.
    • When its plugged into a car (because you have to do that too), perhaps we see voice-functionality opened up on the mobile, and maybe the auto's console would make easier input and response to mobile/automobile-in-motion-formatted items such as mapping, alerts, radio/personal media, etc. This would be better facilitated via a few auto manufacturers... but a right way to market this.

I'd go one step further and make a Schooling/Academic profile. But that would probably excite things a bit more. Its a good idea, thing is, it just needs to be more than a hardware play. These kinds of usage scenarios have to "almost too easy" not to play - think: iPad.

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^This plus J.A.R.V.I.S http://youtu.be/A3oq5uvGGkk - it's free If you want to play around with it you can download it here http://michaelcjarvis.blogspot.com/2013/09/michael-cs-customizable-jarvis.html The voice in the video comes from the free trial version of http://www.ivona.com/us/voices/ UK Brian If you want to go full on Ironman interface you can use Rainmeter app with IronMan skin.

aironeousb ( 2014-01-28 19:14:41 +0200 )edit
4

answered 2013-12-24 21:37:25 +0200

sjtoik gravatar image

I'm a bit skeptical on applications that requires intermediate feedback from the display device on these setups. Gaming being the most demanding example of them all. If only you could preload the limited interaction responses to the device and only send the executing bit fast, these devices could work.

First thing that comes up into my mind, is the traditional traveling presenter, who carries only his or her phone and little dongle to the meeting. Plug and play.

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3

answered 2013-12-24 21:01:21 +0200

fk_lx gravatar image

updated 2013-12-25 12:12:12 +0200

  1. When playing games on your TV through HDMI stick your Jolla phone could become a game controller possibly with some game stats. Multiple Jolla phones could be used in multiplayer games.
  2. When doing a presentation with slides (HDMI stick plugged to projector or TV) you could have on your phones notes and/or view of next slide(s).
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Or you could have a Moga Ace Gampad type other other half that fits over the Jolla and the phone screen is in the center and acts like the center screen that used to be on the steam game controller before it got nixed. http://www.mogaanywhere.com/ace/

aironeousb ( 2014-01-28 20:01:12 +0200 )edit
3

answered 2014-02-12 16:46:44 +0200

vattuvarg gravatar image

updated 2014-02-12 17:37:08 +0200

A TV is a box of parts nowadays. There is a receiver, a screen, etc. Adding a tiny computer to the mix makes the system more than the sum of the parts. Adding two computers (plug and phone) multiplies those possibilities.

Having touch on the TV is simply silly. Who would get up from the comfort of the sofa? Nobody would attach a cable to the phone just to see TV either. So the basic difference between the big screen and the small one is mobility.

The phone could be the interface for setting things up and then controlling. No need for a remote, the phone is all that and more. It has a touchscreen that easily replaces both keyboard and mouse. Run an app on the Jolla phone that basically is the panel for the TV. It would show the channel, the program guide and other information. All this is viewed on the phone, not on the TV. The experience on the big screen should be clean and undisturbed. The digital life of most people has moved to the phone anyway. The TV is the media server. Add a NAS for the household data. ...and make sure that the TV has more than one receiver. ...and a good internet connection too. All videos, whether recorded or downloaded, are stored on the NAS and can be viewed on the big screen or transfered to the phone.

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1

Now that I think about it... The HDMI stick connected to a TV is more or less a version of the jolllaDesk idea.

The stick would be a Sailfish computer attached to a BIG display.

vattuvarg ( 2014-12-09 22:34:09 +0200 )edit
3

answered 2014-03-10 13:33:48 +0200

dreinhold gravatar image

updated 2014-03-10 22:09:24 +0200

I usually don't stream things to my phone but very often from it (usually to my Apple TV's). The ultimate solution for me would be an easy-to-use Silica Component that wraps different kinds of interfaces (with interfaces I mean Apple Airplay, Chromecast, DLNA etc.) so that developers can add support for that in their apps. If this component could also be included in the native web browser (like in iOS) that would be great.

As you might notice I come from the Apple-world and my answer might sound a bit biased towards Apple, but I think in this case, it's not without cause... I don't think anyone who tried the AppleTV/iOS combo can say that it's hard to use. The same will probably go for Chromecast/Android when that gain's some traction.

Edit: abc123 kindly pointed me in the direction of MiracleCast (http://dvdhrm.wordpress.com/2014/02/17/on-wifi-democratic-republics-and-miracles/) and Airtame (http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/airtame-wireless-hdmi-for-everyone--2) and to answer him: Yes! MiracleCast is exactly what I am looking for. Imagine one single component that supports Miracast, Chromecast, AirPlay (and why not Airtame). That would certainly give Sailfish a big advantage over other mobile OS's in the streaming area.

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Proprietary things... have you tried an iPad with a samsungTV? or an android tab with appleTV? All my devices supporting DLNA can cast to my TV but only Samsung devices can do screen-sharing and that can not be solved by anyone but samsung afaik - so DLNA is good for playback of things only for now - screensharing needs a proper TV out and as there is only proprietary stuff around that works flawless there is need to support the FOSS community on that matter

chemist ( 2014-03-10 15:45:28 +0200 )edit

What you want seems to be the goal of miraclecast but on sailfish. http://dvdhrm.wordpress.com/2014/02/17/on-wifi-democratic-republics-and-miracles/http://www.freedesktop.org/wiki/Software/miracle/

abc123 ( 2014-03-10 17:49:18 +0200 )edit

Kind of, I'd like to have a HDMI dongle being the wireless hdmi output the phone is missing, in a way that others do also (miracast could be one way), preferably not with any data-farming code on it like what I expect from google, apple and samsung products.

chemist ( 2014-03-10 18:31:17 +0200 )edit

"While Miracast will stay the main target, other competing technologies like Chromecast, Airtame and AirPlay can be integrated quite easily." Other than miraclecast there is also airtame that's interesting. http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/airtame-wireless-hdmi-for-everyone--2http://airtame.com/ Both use open source so you can verify that it respects your privacy.

abc123 ( 2014-03-10 19:44:13 +0200 )edit
2

answered 2014-02-15 23:28:01 +0200

attah gravatar image

In short, id like to see the following:

  • Screen duplication mode, show what you see
  • Video player mode (send the compressed video as-is to the stick that then plays it, but the controls remain on the phone)
    • Some kind of (chrome)cast-like functionality where the stick pulls content from a third party (maybe cast becomes good and open enough so we could just use that..?)
  • HDMI remote function, so you can use the phone as a remote control for the TV

See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HDMI#CEC

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Asked: 2013-12-24 20:32:58 +0200

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Last updated: Dec 09 '14