Kevin Bouck wrote:
Also interested in a Skype Plugin for SlimServer / SqueezeBox
The following functionality is desired:
- Flash Display Name of Inbound Caller on Squeezebox display
- Ability to view Missed Call and Voicemail notifications
- Show this information in Screensaver similar to RSS News Feed
Stretch:
- Ability to play voicemails back via Squeezebox
I am also considering writing this one as a slimserver plugin -- anyone worked
on or know of
anything similar?
Thanks,
-Kevin
Well - here's a way to get some of this using xAP if you have a windows
PC. It's a little bit unweildy in that it uses a number of applications
to achieve this. But the good news...it's all free and available now
If you install the following 4 apps.
xAP Hub - required to run multiple xAP applications - service or
application version
xAP SlimServer conduit - either service or application (this
creates a xAP interface to Slimserver via the CLI including full play /
user interaction events and control plus a fully managed display queue
with punchthrough and priorities :-) So messages can suspend others (eg
if they are urgent) and then the previous message(s) will resume. Very
nice....
xAPTel : (application) Provides the Skype interface link (and also
CallerID, but perhaps not working for US CID modems just as yet, but
xAP NetCallerID does). This reports via xAP who is online and offline in
realtime from Skype and also provides all VOIP tel call events SkypeIN /
SkypeOUT.
xAP Switchboard: (application) Provides a web based interface to
all your call history and provides CID lookup to a local database and
also synchs caller details and call records with Outlook. You can ever
dialback callers this way - and mix your PSTN and Skype calls routing.
The key here is that it works with xAPTel or xAPNetCallerID info to
broadcast display messages that are then picked up by the xAP Slimserver
conduit and displayed on your Slim players screens. In the UK this works
to provide both dial out and incoming call progress messages with area
and name lookup, and who is online/ offline / calling on Skype.
screenshots http://tinyurl.com/akt36
NB SlimServer can be any version ie MAC/Windows/Linux - but the above
apps are mainly Windows only, however xAP apps are truly distributed and
can sit on any (or many) machines on your home network and interact.
..and now you're mostly there, what is missing is the control of the
system from your Slim remote - ie stepping through call history or
whatever - and also voicemail playback. This would normally be achieved
via a small script running in a xAP engine (like xAP Desktop or xAP
Floorplan), and written in VB. From xAP you can instruct the
Slimserver to play any audio file ... so voicemail playback is probably
very possible too, as are other 'announcement' type uses :-). Indeed xAP
Switchboard already sends xAP text to speech announcemnts of callers by
name and creates WAV files for playback. I think this may be doable on
Slim - it does work with WinAMP currently. (as long as I can get at the
voicemail message somehow) Implementing this as an integrated
SlimServer plugin is obviously neater but xAP opens many other 'HA'
options too...particularly in allowing you to script via VB what the
Slim displays/remotes do (for those with no Perl experience ) eg
xAP Desktop also allows a floating Slim control window to sit over your
Windows desktop on any networked PC , displaying what is playing on any
or several of your Slim players and providing transport control and even
album art cover display. It can fade in and out for example when the
track changes should you wish and pass clicks through still to the
underlying desktop. Akin to the Desktop 'widgets' that are so popular
nowadays if you like.
screenshots http://tinyurl.com/e2d9u (see 6)
One aspect of this that may be attractive is that the display is totally
skinnable - with jpegs and gifs so you can have a Slim controller look
just as you always wished... The pictured one is very basic and was
designed to look like the Slimp3.
Using xAP Desktop / Floorplan - and also your Slim player screens you
can display any xAP information you want - TV listings, weather, emails,
alarm status, news, SMS messages, stocks/shares, CallerID, Temperatures
etc etc.... There is even a xAP X10 connector and a new low cost
(Ethernet standalone xAP embedded) hardware I/O module called the Netiom
that has 16 IN, 16 OUT, A/D, Serial port etc that can be linked via xAP
and hence used from a Slim players if wanted. In fact I'm looking at
doing just that shortly and may post some scripts if it's of interest.
I have seen a desire for integrated X10 control from Slim - would this
be of interest ? Very do-able as we have a xAP X10 conduit.
Lastly I should mention that HomeSeer (Home Automation application)
supports xAP via a free plugin. This allows all your Slim players to
update HomeSeer in realtime with 'Now playing' info and of course to be
controlled from HS.
More info from www.xapautomation.org www.mi4.biz and
www.xapframework.net , if anyone needs help with this I will be glad
to talk them through getting it all working.... (on the xAP Yahoo group
to avoid traffic here - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/xap_automation/
). I use 8 Slim players and display a wealth of info on the screens (CID
/ emails / temp / weather forecast / Skype) and have IR control of
things like my lighting and security alarm via C-Bus. Indeed at night
if a downstairs security sensor is tripped I get a display on my bedside
Squeezebox and an 'alarm' track is played... Slim players are very
popular with the HA / xAP community as they make great two way devices
for control - as well as great music players ;-)
Kevin
_______________________________________________
Discuss mailing list
[email protected]
http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/discuss
