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Native Web Browser on Modero/MVP Panels
Reese Jacobs
Posts: 347
I am curious how other dealers feel about web browsing and Modero touchpanels (particularly the MVP-8400 wireless panel due to its resolution and wireless capability). As far as I know, browsing can only be achieved by taking advantage of G4 computer control and a VNC session to utilize a browser on the remote system. This is both cumbersome and slow. On TP4 panels with a computer attached using VGA, the options are more plentiful so I am primarily focused on non-TP4 Modero panels - particularly the wireless ones.
It seems wasteful in the case of the MVP-8400 (which has an 800x600 display) to not be able to use it for native browsing. There are a number of device manufacturers that are starting to provide web interfaces to their multimedia devices (Escient, ReQuest, ...) which allows a browser to be used for control, viewing cover art, searching playlists, etc. Using these web based interfaces, we can provide capabilities on the touchpanels (especially those that do not support video inputs) that we otherwise could not do or could not do easily. Further, the ability to turn the device into a standard browser allows the Modero to perform many of the functions of a tablet PC and means the customer only needs a single device in the room.
Our competitor's wireless panels are based on Windows CE and therefore have web browsing as an inherent capability. I think the ability to launch a browser window on a Modero and to natively browse the network would be a great feature to have as dealers and would provide benefits to our customers. I may be mistaken but I believe that the Modero panels are based on a Linux platform and if so, I suspect there is a mini-browser for it suitable to an embedded system. I can understand some of the relucatance to provide it would be the possible effect on the stability of the touchpanel. I think this is one of the reasons our competitor's panels can not execute Java/Javascript on the panel browser. Limitations like this make sense when the stability of the touchpanel can be negatively impacted and we as dealers certainly do not need the support hassles associated with panels crashing if customers used them for browsing and the environment was not stable.
Does anyone have any creative solutions? Are there other dealers that see a need for this feature or feel that it might be a nice enhancement for the Moderos? I will add a poll to register votes for anyone interested. Thanks,
Reese
It seems wasteful in the case of the MVP-8400 (which has an 800x600 display) to not be able to use it for native browsing. There are a number of device manufacturers that are starting to provide web interfaces to their multimedia devices (Escient, ReQuest, ...) which allows a browser to be used for control, viewing cover art, searching playlists, etc. Using these web based interfaces, we can provide capabilities on the touchpanels (especially those that do not support video inputs) that we otherwise could not do or could not do easily. Further, the ability to turn the device into a standard browser allows the Modero to perform many of the functions of a tablet PC and means the customer only needs a single device in the room.
Our competitor's wireless panels are based on Windows CE and therefore have web browsing as an inherent capability. I think the ability to launch a browser window on a Modero and to natively browse the network would be a great feature to have as dealers and would provide benefits to our customers. I may be mistaken but I believe that the Modero panels are based on a Linux platform and if so, I suspect there is a mini-browser for it suitable to an embedded system. I can understand some of the relucatance to provide it would be the possible effect on the stability of the touchpanel. I think this is one of the reasons our competitor's panels can not execute Java/Javascript on the panel browser. Limitations like this make sense when the stability of the touchpanel can be negatively impacted and we as dealers certainly do not need the support hassles associated with panels crashing if customers used them for browsing and the environment was not stable.
Does anyone have any creative solutions? Are there other dealers that see a need for this feature or feel that it might be a nice enhancement for the Moderos? I will add a poll to register votes for anyone interested. Thanks,
Reese
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