Virtual Earth Media Center Add-in

I’ve been playing around with a VirtualEarth HTML add-in for Windows Media Center. I’ve got a number of features lined up but I’ve been side tracked with other work so I’ve only got the basics implemented so far.

 

Remote control keys:

 

Panning – use the arrow keys

Zooming – use the channel +- keys

Map Style – use the 1,2,3 keys to toggle map styles between road, aerial and hybrid

 

In addition since the text labels on the map have been sized for viewing on a regular monitor with a 2 foot experience I’ve added a local zoom option. Use the 4,5,6 remote control keys to change the zoom factor, especially if you’re running MCE on a CRT TV.

 

To install download this small zip file.

 

The zip file contains:

 

MapControl.js – standard VirtualEarth implementation from MSN

VirtualEarth.html – MCE HTML add-in page with handlers for the remote control

VirtualEarthLogo.png – logo to use in MCE

VirtualEarth.mcl – MCE shortcut registration file

 

To install unzip to:

 

%Documents and Settings%\All Users\Start Menu\Programs\Accessories\Media Center\Media Center Programs

 

Or unzip to a directory of your choice and place a shortcut file in the directory above pointing to the VirtualEarth.mcl file.

 

For more details on using the VirtualEarth JavaScript API take a look at the ViaVirtualEarth website.