Remote desktop connection question

Not all settings such as audio and video can be adjusted remotelly.

Just a reminder... Not all versions of windows allow remote desktop connectivity. I found this out the hard way after I purchased and installed Win 7 home premium. I originally planned to access my HTPC from the comfort of my couch via laptop but now I'm stuck running to the other room whenever I want to make changes or tinker.

You're gonna love this: http://experts.windows.com/frms/windows_entertainment_and_connected_home/f/114/t/79427.aspx

The short answer is yes. Anything you can do on a regular computer you can do with a HTPC. Netflix is built into Windows Media Center, and Hulu and YouTube both have special apps that work decently with a remote.

Ah, I see now. No, the video and audio will play in the RDP session. The RDP session creates a virtual video and audio card so that the audio and video plays at the remote location. Say you are using your computer in your office to RDP into your HTPC, the HTPC will send the audio and video for that session to your office computer. The HTPC will also have it's separate audio and video playing on the actual hardware. So you can have someone watching a movie on the HTPC, and you can also have a youtube running on the RDP session at the same time. Each will have their own audio and video.

It sounds like you want to remotely control your HTPC from another computer. In this case, you would want to use VNC instead of RDP. VNC allows you to control the HTPC as if you are sitting in front of it moving the mouse, pressing keys on the keyboard. That being said, video performance isn't all that great over VNC unless you have a wired connection to both computers.

It's a 3rd party utility that you would install on both computers. There are plenty of free options out there like UltraVNC, RealVNC, TIghtVNC, etc.

Did you try the link I posted? It allows you to enable remote access on Win Home.

He doesn't want to use RDP:

He wants to remote control his HTPC with another computer.

Remotelly is an amalgamation of the word remote and the British slang for television or “telly”

Remotely is something all together different.

I agree VNC is what you want. It will allow you to take control of the htpc, but still show's whats happening on the screen.

Or this is pretty cool too.
http://lifehacker.com/5839346/mouse-without-borders-shares-your-mouse-keyboard-and-files-between-two-windows-computers

Just drag your mouse over to your htpc.

I use that software at work and it's great. We have 4 pc's setup next to each other and it's completely eliminated having to press the buttons on our KVM hundreds of times a day.

For remote desktop I've always used Teamviewer myself, but it leaves an annoying pop up on the client machine when you disconnect.

Both VNC and RDP have problems with HTPC usage. In RDP you log in and the connected display will show the lock screen while in the session and it will also kill WMC due to the graphics/sound driver swap.

With most VNC drivers you will get a black/blank WMC screen when connected due to its display drivers. I haven't tested VNC in a couple years, but at the time I couldn't get past the blank WMC screen. I used UltraVNC and a couple others and they all had the same issue.

If you want to watch YouTube get a tablet or laptop...

OR you can do something like this if you have a smartphone/tablet http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2012/07/the-power-of-two-use-your-phone-as-a-keyboard-and-mouse/
Edited by bryansj - 7/16/12 at 6:24am

Yes is the answer to your question. I'd recommend UltraVNC.

Youtube or other browser based video applications will work just fine the way you describe in your original post. The sound will play through your receiver, video will appear on the TV. The only downside is if you are running a full screen directX application such as XMBC, it will need to be windowed before it can be viewed remotely.

UltraVNC is free, so you could check it out and delete it if you aren't happy.

It has nothing to do with the "ghraphics/sound driver swap". It has everything to do with Microsoft not wanting to allow multiple simultaneous logons with desktop Windows versions. The concurrent desktop hack linked to above demonstrates it's not an issue. It doesn't solve the OP's problem, but does resolve the artificial issue Microsoft puts in place.

Logging in via RDP with WMC playing kills WMC. Using a concurrent desktop connection you aren't logging in to the same session where WMC is playing so WMC doesn't see the graphics/sound driver swap.

A table/smartphone based mouse and keyboard app would probably do what the OP needs.