Windows Netbook as glorified remote?

so im thinking about getting a dell mini9 and i was wondering if there was an easy* way maybe even with a nice GUI (not explorer) to control my media center (video/ music), and play over home theater speakers. Think it can be done from ubuntu? or would i have to go xpz?

 

Get Windows Vista Home Premium or Ultimate 64-bit.
They both come with Windows Media Center. You can buy a Windows media center remote with remote sensor which you can put on your TV (all you have to do is plug it on your laptop when needed). Of course if you don't plan to attach it to the TV, then you can use keyboard and or laptop mouse to navigate like any thing.

Also good 32 and 64-bit DVD codecs are provided.

 

not sure how well a dell mini 9 would handle would handle vista or any media center(it may only have a 4 gig hdd). Im looking for something more lightweight. an ms ir remote isnt gonna work me, i would need LOS to the receiver.


the main media pc is 64 capable and already runs almost every flavor of windows and ubuntu, but i don't believe the atom CPU is 64-bit. Remote desktop might be a solution but i don't know yet because the media pc has triple monitors , how would this behave on a 9in mon?

 

hmmm you are right.... Sorry, my mistake. I forgot that the Dell mini had an Intel Atom CPU.

 

an ideal solution would be a web ui like utorrent has with an interface like carpc media software (ie. roadrunner).

thinking about it that may work for seeing the files, but how to i make the media output to the server's display+audio

 

How about fooling the main PC into thinking it has another screen, VNCing into that and plop the media player on it?

 

i like the way that sounds but whats vnc?

 

Like a cross-platform remote desktop.

edit: http://www.tightvnc.com/

 

have you heard about netremote?
no experience with it myself, but have to pay for the software and draw up your own interface i think, what you want looks to be similar to what this guy has done...