[TEW]

Senario:

1. Open the door to your home theater room and lights automatically come on when you enter.


2. Insert a DVD into your HTPC and room lights automatically dim.


3. Pause DVD and lights automatically turn up to normal level.


4. Restart DVD and lights again dim.


5. Movie ends. Lights automatically come up again.


6. Crack smoking prostitues arrive to entertain you the remainder of the evening.


Ok, so I know #6 may be out of the question, but how do I accomplish the rest of this?

 

[JamesAB]

Most of this is possible with X-10 and a HTPC. I'm using a Powerlinc X-10 Interface to send X-10 commands with Girder , using the Girder serial plug-in. It took a bit of time for me to figure out the X-10 protocol, but it was worth it.


1. For this to happen, you could try a carefully placed motion detector or use a magnetic contact placed in the door jam connected to an X-10 Powerflash Interface module.


2. Not too difficult with Girder.


3. Easy with Girder.


4. Easy with Girder.


5. This is a bit harder because you would need some event to flag that is the end of the movie. I can't think of a reliable way your HTPC could guess that the movie is over, but you could easily add a IR command to your remote for this.


6. There is no reference to this in the original X-10 protocol, but perhaps with Girder and $1000 you could work something out yourself.


Good luck,

James

 

[ErikS]

I would have to second Girder. You could also look at Homeseer.