I have decided to set a Linux box up for a "movie" (HTPC) box. That is I am going to have it hooked up to the TV and play movies and videos from it. I have a red hat laptop set up for this.

The problem is I am too cheap to purchase a remote for the box. So I need a remote desktop setup that will allow me to control the actual desktop that will play on the TV (something like PC anywhere) so I can just pop in from a different PC and start movies. Which software package will work best for this? Can I run a movie on the desktop via SSH? Please keep in mind I'll need to be able to run the client from my windows boxes as well. Any thoughts would be helpful. Thanks!

I would install x11vnc and use tightVNC as client. x11vnc shares actual local X11 desktop via VNC protocol; VNC clients - like tightVNC - are easily obtained for both Windows and Linux. You cannot connect to preexisting desktop via SSH, although you can manually export DISPLAY=:0 before running MPlayer. That will launch MPlayer to your TV, but you will not be able to see that on ssh-client computer. You may be interested in looking at "xmove", too.

I'd say go with VNC software. Tightvnc is available for Linux and Windows.
I've used it to control my desktop PC with my laptop. I was too lazy to walk to it to change episodes

Note that by default tightVNC VNC server will spawn a new empty desktop.

I went with the x11vnc. it works just like i want it to but it requires me to be logged into the box prior to starting the x11vnc. Which isn't a problem until my box keeps wanting to freeze up. I have had to hard boot it 3 times in the last few days and climbing on a chair to get to the box to log in so i can vnc into it just isn't working for me. arg...

Personally I just spent the $20 for a wireless mouse.

It is possible to launch an X session via ssh. Hard-booting the box, unfortunately, has to be done in person..

You can have x11vnc start automatically at boot time. It shows the gdm/kdm/etc login greeter.

See the section marked 'Continuously:' here: http://www.karlrunge.com/x11vnc/faq....isplay-manager

Typically, you put the line with the x11vnc command in a setup script named "Default", etc.

That doesn't solve the real problem (box freezing), though

Remote as in remote control ? They are not that expensive

http://registration.hauppauge.com/we...uct=mce_remote

$35.00 from Hauppague for a MSMCE remote and it is on the compatability list for MythTV / LIRC
Comes with Remote, IR Receiver and IR Transmitter.

Right, but maybe this way you don't have the climb the chair to power-cycle it :-)

Just a hunch, but could temperature be the problem? It's warming up where I live and I have a couple machines that are starting to fail due to overheating...

My first thought as well. Its running on a laptop and it felt really hot. But I let it sit and cool over night and still locked up before it was even warm. I have been having issues with it so I figured a clean install would/could fix everything. System locked up while I was reintsalling the OS out in the open. So I think its hardware related.

So, try number two. Setup an old p3 1ghz desktop (no case to help with any over heating). Seems to be running movies well now to install x11vnc and get that up and running then put it in the back.

One question, anyone have experience in xming?

Just in case anybody cares and it will put this thread to bed....

Okay, I setup a p3 1ghz box with 512 megs RAM (geforce ti 200 and SB live card) with FC10 on it. Not the fastest box in the world and it kind of surprised me but it is playing movies great (even off of usb 1.1 external HD)

Well, I couldn't get the Xvnc to work at the login screen so I went a different route. I set Fedora to log in automatically as root (http://digitizor.com/2009/01/29/how-...-in-fedora-10/). Cheap, dirty, and working well. I back door in to the box via putty and start xvnc and connect in. Yes its a little PIA but it works.

After my experience, (and just booting Ubuntu for the first time yesterday) I would have gone with Ubuntu over FC10. It seems much easier to get things up and running and a quicker boot. Thanks for all your suggestions and help.