Options
Feature request
J.Luszczek
Posts: 159
Could we get an htm server object in LA?
I envision it like this:
drop a transparent htm server object on a custom panel and give it a name. that name would be the name of the page served to anyone on the network with given credentials. Something like https://192.168.1.10/bar_controls.htm where the IP address is belongs to a PC running LA and on line with the Blu processors and is connected to house wifi through a router and \"bar controls\" is the name of the custom panel. Alternatively in panel Properties maybe we could simply enable html controls and specify couple related parameters.
Controls for images, buttons and sliders exist in html5 spec and exact placement on a page can be done through css.
I'm doing a design for a large hotel with many public spaces and a few portable tablets like the iPad or smaller Android devices would be the ideal solution in addition to some dedicated wall controls out of the view. Imagine a manager with an iphone and a SPL meter standing at the perimeter of the property and adjusting the DJ's volume until he hits the max volume allowed by code.
If not a html server then maybe a native app for iOS and Android would be possible? It would need the ability to have multiple controllers online at the same time- just like there can be multiple Blu-8's and Blu-10's in a system.
(PS: QSys does it)
Another solution is to do a remote desktop login to the LA control computer, but I'm not sure if multiple users could be online simultaneously. Even if that's possible, then there would be two logins needed- one to the computer and another to LA, and two users with different security privileges could not control the system simultaneously.
I envision it like this:
drop a transparent htm server object on a custom panel and give it a name. that name would be the name of the page served to anyone on the network with given credentials. Something like https://192.168.1.10/bar_controls.htm where the IP address is belongs to a PC running LA and on line with the Blu processors and is connected to house wifi through a router and \"bar controls\" is the name of the custom panel. Alternatively in panel Properties maybe we could simply enable html controls and specify couple related parameters.
Controls for images, buttons and sliders exist in html5 spec and exact placement on a page can be done through css.
I'm doing a design for a large hotel with many public spaces and a few portable tablets like the iPad or smaller Android devices would be the ideal solution in addition to some dedicated wall controls out of the view. Imagine a manager with an iphone and a SPL meter standing at the perimeter of the property and adjusting the DJ's volume until he hits the max volume allowed by code.
If not a html server then maybe a native app for iOS and Android would be possible? It would need the ability to have multiple controllers online at the same time- just like there can be multiple Blu-8's and Blu-10's in a system.
(PS: QSys does it)
Another solution is to do a remote desktop login to the LA control computer, but I'm not sure if multiple users could be online simultaneously. Even if that's possible, then there would be two logins needed- one to the computer and another to LA, and two users with different security privileges could not control the system simultaneously.
0
Comments
Now I just have to make the controls correct size for tablet use.
VNC works great. I've also used remote desktop with great success. In either case, one of the various \"nettop\" computers works great because they're cheap and you can install one in the rack with no keyboard or monitor so nobody will mess with it.
Don't hold your breath for an android app. There isn't even an iOs app for generic control of HiQnet devices and those-who-decide believe that android is a distant second place at best.
Dan
However, since Dan says this isn't public release, then it might change at any time, which might prevent you from doing updates later, so using this method would require caution.
Android is not difficult to program for, I am fairly certain I could use the (former Google) AppInventor to write a generic third party interface library, but, I lack the motivation to dedicate the necessary time to that project. It would actually be easier to do the library using the regular API, but a library by itself isn't terribly useful; the user side would be far easier in AppInventor.
For VNC, TeamViewer is awesome, and works on i-everything, PC, Android, etc. TeamViewer is pretty good at sneaking past firewalls, too, which may be a good thing, or maybe not, depending on your clients needs.
Dan, \"those-who-decide\" may be aware of it, but Android activations have outpaced iOS activations for almost as long as there has been Android. Android is the number one selling mobile operating system, and within probably 2 years will have more active devices than iOS. Not that this is terribly significant given they haven't jumped on the iOS bandwagon either
Dan
As suggested, to be able to host Custom Control Panels on the BLU-box's built-in web server would be a great solution. It would obviously be platform independent and work on pc/mac/android/ios.
This was discussed a few years ago but I was told that the web server only could display the basic info as it does in todays implementation. Has this changed and it is now technically possible to use as we wish? Please please please!
Would it then also be possible to implement some kind of password protection on these web-hosted Control Panels?
Chris
Actually, that's easy. First, if you have tablets or whatever, you just need one London Architect computer in the rack for each of those tablets to control. Each tablet uses Team Viewer or something like that to control a different computer in the rack. Before anybody complains about the expense of doing that, ASUS, MSI, and ACER all make nettop computers for under $200 that will run London Architect just fine. That's small change compared to the cost of a decent tablet. How many $200 computers can you buy for the cost of a single DSP?
Next, you just create multiple usernames in the design file and give each username the appropriate access. Then Bob can log in as \"user\" and only have access to basic functions while Dave is logged in as \"manager\" with access to lots of stuff, and Steve is logged in as \"boss\" with access to almost everything (or maybe access to very little depending on the type of boss).
Does this mean that multiple computers being logged in simultaneously is a supported feature of London Architect? Nope. It just means that it works anyway. It's \"not supported\" because nothing has been done to stop you from chopping off your own foot with this particular chain saw. Set up the system carefully and you'll be fine. Get sloppy and bad things happen.
Bad Thing A) - If 30 computers which are all running the exact same design file should happen to all going online at the same time to the same network, that would mean that each BLU box would need to respond to 30 simultaneous subscriptions. Can they handle that without crashing the network? <blank stare>Dunno.</blank stare> That's what \"not supported\" means. It would be a really cool thing to try, but I only have 5 computers here. A BLU box can handle thousands of subscriptions from different devices, but how many can it handle going online at exactly the same time? Beats me.
Bad Thing
Bad Thing C) - There's absolutely nothing stopping Bob from going online with the exact same version of the design file as Joe and then hitting the \"sync TO devices\" button and wiping out all of Joe's EQ and crossover settings.
Bad Thing D) - There's absolutely nothing stopping Bob from going online and \"fixing\" the EQ and crossover settings that Joe worked on for hours.
On the other hand, there's also absolutely nothing preventing a designer from offsetting these problems by using his own intelligence and the security tools already available in HiQnet London Architect along with some basic communication skills.
Preventing a network crash due to BadThingA is pretty much out of your hands, but you can experiment to figure out how many simultaneous subscriptions a BLU box can handle without falling over. I know what the maximum number I've seen in simultaneous operation is, but it wouldn't be any fun if I just told you. Go borrow all of the laptops in your engineering department during lunch and put them all online to a single BLU-80 to see what happens. HINT: it's very, very many.
BadThingB can be prevented if you turn on Box Security and change the box pasword with each rev of the design file. Don't complain about how tedious and time consuming this is, or I WILL get the stopwatch out and make you look silly. It doesn't take that long to do.
* * * next message * * *
BadThingD is the result of human stupidity. I can't fix that. Knock him off a ladder or something.
Yes, you can give the end user multiple portable controllers with different access levels. It can be done for less than $600 per controller ($400 tablet + $200 nettop) and there's really nothing too complicated about it.
No, this isn't even CLOSE to being as cool as HTML control panels would be, but this works today and HTML control panels aren't going to work tomorrow or the day after that. Maybe the Tuesday after that. Maybe.
Dan
So next question...
I have tried a couple of different Remote Desktop applications (for iPad). So far, the best (in my opinion) has been Wyse PocketCloud. But I'm dissapointed with the sluggishness. Even if the resolution is set low the response is no way near what you get from for example the Crown app. Obviously I'm comparing apples to oranges, but the feel of the controls should be much better than what a remote desktop can offer.
Or do you or anybody else have a suggestion for another remote application with faster response?
Does VNC connections in general offer quicker response than RDP?
/Chris
I'm not sure how I missed this question back in September, but pretty much anything is faster and more responsive than RDP. I use VNC for all of my machines because RDP is too annoying.
RE: exporting from LA to iPad/Android/whatever
Don't hold your breath.
Dan
So is there any part of this that is available to us or is it all internal to BSS. If someone had the time and inclination, would there be enough information there to work up something?
Scott
Dan
Hi Dan, does Extron offer an App for mobile devices?
Dan
Or do you or anybody else have a suggestion for another remote application with faster response?
Does VNC connections in general offer quicker response than RDP?
/Chris[/quote]
I am just implementing this thread as we speak.. Setup:
2 x Net books running JUMP DESKTOP VNC
1 x IPAD
4 x Iphones
After spending 8 hours trauling through the MANY VNC solutions out there, I settled on JUMP DESKTOP VNC.
IMO it offers the best real world navigation experience as close to normal I-devices. E.g. you can hide the mouse pointer and use single finger touches to activate buttons/page links, you dont have to use your fingure to scroll to a button like a mouse.
SO far so good.
I havnt even had time to see if JUMP has an app for Android, just doing this project up and running on the clients MAPPLE devices.
As to the discussion above, the 200 dollar pc's are even cheaper than setting up terminal server to do the same thing
_______________________________________________
Having this done directly from the internal BLU webserver would make life so much easier.
Having to run a dedicated PC (for LA etc.) and either pay $10 / device for the Motion Control app or cobble together some kind of VNC / RDP solution is just something else to fail / manage. Imagine trying to sort out a venue full of (itinerant) staff you want give remote zone volume controls to with a number of different mobile device types / platforms. Ouch.
Have a look at the simplicity of things like the Symetrix Jupiter - inbuilt webserver that generates basic custom user controls and presets. Works on any device that has a web browser in it.
I'd be installing 10x as many BSS BLU units if there was a dead easy webserver control interface...