Thanks for all the feedback. I probably should have said that I have some experience writting a plugin for Media Center and know about the controls limitation using MCML. I am QUITE familar with <UI> and how much fun that can be.
My previous Media Center Plugin ran as an appliction on the Programs Group and was pretty much stand alone and didn't interact with Media Center API's much.
You did however answer one important question. I can't easily access the Video Library or create menus that overlay the video playback.
I have been developing a prototype using VB and the Media Player API. I am able to create transparent forms that overlay the Media Player control. I can simualate a TV with a pop-up menu. I can use Media Player to manage my video playlist and the user can still select other content. This will probably be faster than trying to figure out how to use Media Center to do it.
Too bad though. I think Media Center is a slick interface and would have been a nice way to do the demo.
Jeff