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Rikkitic

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#185705 2-Dec-2015 13:13
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I use a streaming computer/TV with a wireless keyboard/mouse. A constant irritation is trying to navigate the browser from the couch when small details are on the edge of visibility. I have shortcuts for frequently visited sites and the Windows zoom function also helps, but it can still be awkward.

I have been looking for a better solution for some time. What I finally settled on, to my own surprise, is Google’s remote desktop. This is an extension for Chrome browsers (and maybe also Firefox, not sure).

Once installed the remote desktop is easy to activate and works very well. I have tried it on an old Android tablet as well as my notebook. The lag would drive a gamer to despair but it is no problem for anything else. The notebook computer normally sits on a shelf behind the couch anyway and now whenever I want to change a channel I just grab it and briefly activate the remote function. It works brilliantly well and I can easily see what I am doing on the notebook screen. As soon as I have set up what I want, I disable the remote connection and carry on watching my video.

If you have the same issue and have a tablet or notebook handy to use as a controller, this is an ideal solution. I wouldn’t want it on my main computer because I don’t trust anything that accepts remote commands, regardless of the security, but for a computer that is only used to browse video sites I think it is brilliant. I know this won’t be news for a lot of people, but I overlooked it for a long time so it may still be worth mentioning.





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Killerkiwi2005
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  #1439282 2-Dec-2015 14:25
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Just use ctrl/+ most modern sites will reflow as the site zooms



davidcole
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  #1439284 2-Dec-2015 14:27
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Firefox allows a plugin that makes the fonts usable at couch distance.

Also there's a ie based browser called kylo designed for 10 foot distances.

Both these solutions get around the remote desktop type situation (and doesn't require buying a tablet)





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davidcole
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  #1439286 2-Dec-2015 14:28
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Killerkiwi2005: Just use ctrl/+ most modern sites will reflow as the site zooms


but browser text (menus, shortcut names etc) wont.  Only the page data - also not all works very well since they tend to have frames or flash or another annoyances that do not scale.







Previously known as psycik

Home Assistant: Gigabyte AMD A8 Brix, Home Assistant with Aeotech ZWave Controller, Raspberry PI, Wemos D1 Mini, Zwave, Shelly Humidity and Temperature sensors
Media:Chromecast v2, ATV4 4k, ATV4, HDHomeRun Dual
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Killerkiwi2005
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  #1439338 2-Dec-2015 16:09
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davidcole:
Killerkiwi2005: Just use ctrl/+ most modern sites will reflow as the site zooms


but browser text (menus, shortcut names etc) wont.  Only the page data - also not all works very well since they tend to have frames or flash or another annoyances that do not scale.



The mobile sites tend to work, forgot to mention I set the useragent to be a mobile device

MikeAqua
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  #1439454 2-Dec-2015 18:38
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It's not just the browser -  I would quite like a version of windows that suits TV use.




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  #1439455 2-Dec-2015 18:42
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davidcole: Also there's a ie based browser called kylo designed for 10 foot distances.


Actualy Kylo browser is Mozilla-based.




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Djmixerdomo
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  #1439459 2-Dec-2015 19:06
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I do something similar to this but I use Splashtop because it's "Optimized for Geforce" and I have an Nvidia 650 in my HTPC. This is mostly because I couldn't stand the latency :P




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Rikkitic

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  #1439518 2-Dec-2015 21:00
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Killerkiwi2005: Just use ctrl/+ most modern sites will reflow as the site zooms


Sort of works, just not well enough for what I want.





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Rikkitic

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  #1439522 2-Dec-2015 21:01
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davidcole: Firefox allows a plugin that makes the fonts usable at couch distance.

Also there's a ie based browser called kylo designed for 10 foot distances.

Both these solutions get around the remote desktop type situation (and doesn't require buying a tablet)



I tried Kylo but it just didn't work well for me. My solution also wouldn't work well if I had to buy a tablet just for that, but it's sweet with the notebook I already have.






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Rikkitic

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  #1439524 2-Dec-2015 21:03
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Killerkiwi2005:
davidcole:
Killerkiwi2005: Just use ctrl/+ most modern sites will reflow as the site zooms


but browser text (menus, shortcut names etc) wont.  Only the page data - also not all works very well since they tend to have frames or flash or another annoyances that do not scale.



The mobile sites tend to work, forgot to mention I set the useragent to be a mobile device


Sounds interesting. I will have to give it a try. I used to use mobile sites when I was stuck on dial-up.





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Rikkitic

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  #1439525 2-Dec-2015 21:04
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MikeAqua: It's not just the browser -  I would quite like a version of windows that suits TV use.


Who wouldn't? Maybe that will still come.





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