After discovering the Boxee Remote App for the iPhone & iPod Touch a few weeks ago, I couldn’t help but wonder if there was something similar out there for Windows Media Center. Even better would be an App for my new favorite piece of geekery, the Droid. Sure enough as I searched through the Android Market, I came across the Windows Media Center Remote Application.

The App communicates with your PC through WiFi and works by flicking your finger across the screen to navigate around Windows Media Center. You can even adjust the volume with the volume controls on your phone. Perhaps the coolest feature is the ability to transfer pictures, music, and videos to Windows Media Center from your phone.

What you’ll need

• The App downloaded and installed on your phone, which you can find in the Android Market.
• WiFi
• The IP Address of your Windows Media Center computer
• Windows Media Center Remote Plugin installed on your PC
• An Android phone

Note: It’s been tested on Windows 7, but NOT in Vista. Android 1.5 or higher is required.

Install the Media Center Plugin on your Media Center PC

Download the .msi file and run it….

Click Next and follow the defaults…

Note: If you get a firewall warning, click “Allow Access.”

Turning on WiFi on your Android phone

You’ll need to turn on WiFi on the Android phone for the remote to communicate with your Windows Media Center PC.  If you need to enable WiFi, find the Settings icon, tap on Wireless & networks.

Under the Wireless & network settings, tap the check box next to WiFi to enable it. Note: You’ll need to setup a wireless access point if you haven’t done so already. Not sure how to set it up? Check out my tutorial on How to Connect to Wi-Fi with the Droid.

Configuring the App

Once the App is downloaded to your phone, you’ll need to configure it. Find the Windows Media Center icon an tap to open.

Once you enter the Media Center Remote App, click on the menu button.

Tap on the Options button…

Tap on the down pointing arrow to the right of “Media Server Name or IP.”

Enter the IP address of the Windows Media Center PC and tap OK.

Using the Remote

Windows Media Center will need to be running on the PC for the Remote to work. Unfortunately, you can’t open WMC with the remote.

As I mentioned, you swipe your finger across the screen to navigate, much as you would to navigate the phone itself.

There are buttons along the bottom of the screen for Record, Stop, Play, Skip Forward, and Skip Back.

Note: If Media Center isn’t open, you will get a connection error.

Transferring Video, Music, and Pictures to Windows Media Center

This feature really sets this App apart and makes it a must have for any Media Center user who owns an Android phone.

The real crown jewel of this app is the ability to transfer your media to Media Center. Pictures and videos are displayed immediately after the upload finishes. Just click View or Play slide show to view your media.

Music also auto-plays…

Tip: The images and videos are stored in the C:\Users\%username%\Pictures\MCRL folder. So, if you add this directory to your Media Center Library, you’ll automatically have all your uploaded videos and pictures easily available at anytime though Media Center. Music files are stored in C:\Users\Andrew\Music\MCRL.

Overview

It takes a little experimenting to get the hang of swiping your finger across the phone to navigate through Media Center, but once you get the hang of things, it works pretty well. I didn’t find it to be quite as slick and responsive as the Boxee Remote App for the iPhone. There is just a touch of a lag, but it certainly well within the realm of acceptability. One downside for some is that it doesn’t work with extenders.

It’s not quite an ideal solution for a full fledged Media PC. However, it’s a very nice solution for those that have a Droid, Nexus One, or other Android phones, and don’t want to commit to buying a TV tuner card and remote.

The App carries a cost of .99 US and can be found in the Android Market.

Download the Windows Media Center Plugin

1. 

   Peter

   July 9, 2011 at 8:57 am

   A link or QR code to the actual app please its too hard to find exactly which one this plugin works with. Thanks

   Reply