More > JRiver Media Center 21 for Mac
The Answer to Theater View for OSX Is JRemote for AppleTV?
blgentry:
That begs the question: Is a GIANT view of JRemote useful and efficient with a remote in your hand? I don't know because I haven't tried it.
Or are you suggesting some sort of hybrid interface with JRfATV?
The more I think about it, the more I like the idea of just a tablet in my hand/lap navigating around music and movies and choosing what I want to see or hear. The on screen (TV) display isn't really needed at all, except for maybe if you have other people watching what you are doing and offering suggestions. "Oh, oh oh! I want to see Batman!" ...as you scroll through the list of movies for example. In that case, some sort of mirroring would probably work well.
I'm actually pretty excited at what Pretty Face might be. I'm very unclear on what the design target it though: 10 foot interface? Touch screen PC? Tablet? Simple UI with mouse and keyboard? Several of these, but not all?
Brian.
glynor:
--- Quote from: blgentry on September 10, 2015, 01:23:49 pm ---Or are you suggesting some sort of hybrid interface with JRfATV?
--- End quote ---
Yes. The user interface would need to be re-done. But all of the underlying code could be re-used, since it is still iOS. In my mind, it would probably look and flow something like Theater View does now. Like a hybrid of that and how JRemote shows the content panes.
--- Quote from: blgentry on September 10, 2015, 01:23:49 pm ---The more I think about it, the more I like the idea of just a tablet in my hand/lap navigating around music and movies and choosing what I want to see or hear. The on screen (TV) display isn't really needed at all, except for maybe if you have other people watching what you are doing and offering suggestions. "Oh, oh oh! I want to see Batman!" ...as you scroll through the list of movies for example. In that case, some sort of mirroring would probably work well.
--- End quote ---
I've tried it a lot (you can do it now with JRemote) and I really, really, really prefer Theater View with buttons on a remote.
The issue with a tablet is twofold:
* It isn't participatory. In Theater View, we can discuss what we're going to watch as a group by just highlighting something. In JRemote, there is only one tablet that can see what is happening. Mirroring could fix this, of course, but mirroring has its own issues (you have to make fonts big enough to read across the room, and then they look weird on the tablet, and so on and so forth).
* Physical buttons win for many operations, especially Volume Control. I'm still somewhat skeptical about the new Siri remote thing, but it does look like they've done a decent "physical button + touchscreen" interface. It remains to be seen. I am interested to try it out.
--- Quote from: blgentry on September 10, 2015, 01:23:49 pm ---I'm actually pretty excited at what Pretty Face might be. I'm very unclear on what the design target it though: 10 foot interface? Touch screen PC? Tablet? Simple UI with mouse and keyboard? Several of these, but not all?
--- End quote ---
Yep.
mwillems:
--- Quote from: glynor on September 10, 2015, 01:40:17 pm ---I've tried it a lot (you can do it now with JRemote) and I really, really, really prefer Theater View with buttons on a remote.
The issue with a tablet is twofold:
* It isn't participatory. In Theater View, we can discuss what we're going to watch as a group by just highlighting something. In JRemote, there is only one tablet that can see what is happening. Mirroring could fix this, of course, but mirroring has its own issues (you have to make fonts big enough to read across the room, and then they look weird on the tablet, and so on and so forth).
--- End quote ---
I agree that lack of "participation" is one of the limitations of the tablet for control, but it's also one of the advantages. For example, I love that when I have a room full of people over talking that I can discreetly put on music or make volume adjustments on my HTPC using my phone without everyone's head whipping around to see what I'm doing with the television ;D
I use both an IR remote and JRemote for control, but for different use cases.
--- Quote ---* Physical buttons win for many operations, especially Volume Control. I'm still somewhat skeptical about the new Siri remote thing, but it does look like they've done a decent "physical button + touchscreen" interface. It remains to be seen. I am interested to try it out.
--- End quote ---
Having a physical button for volume is mandatory in my view, but most phones and tablets have physical volume buttons already. Does JRemote for ios not support using those buttons? (EDIT: looks like not based on some older threads) It's supported on the android version anyway, and they're all I use for volume control. That alone would be enough to keep me using the android version.
--- Quote from: blgentry on September 10, 2015, 01:23:49 pm ---I'm actually pretty excited at what Pretty Face might be. I'm very unclear on what the design target it though: 10 foot interface? Touch screen PC? Tablet? Simple UI with mouse and keyboard? Several of these, but not all?
--- End quote ---
I think the design target is a simplified, cross-platform, touch-friendly interface. The 10-foot interface seems like maybe a secondary objective (it hasn't been discussed as much).
glynor:
--- Quote from: mwillems on September 10, 2015, 01:54:41 pm ---I agree that lack of "participation" is one of the limitations of the tablet for control, but it's also one of the advantages. For example, I love that when I have a room full of people over talking that I can discreetly put on music or make volume adjustments on my HTPC using my phone without everyone's head whipping around to see what I'm doing with the television ;D
--- End quote ---
I do too, in exactly the same circumstances. It is fantastic for a "party DJ" setup. It is much less good, for me, for an everyday "pick what show to watch tonight" kind of setup.
I don't use an IR remote because gross. But my Logitech Smart Control works beautifully.
--- Quote from: mwillems on September 10, 2015, 01:54:41 pm ---Does JRemote for ios not support using those buttons? (EDIT: looks like not based on some older threads)
--- End quote ---
No, and it NEVER will. Apps cannot modify the behavior of, nor directly access, the physical buttons on iOS. Full stop.
That is almost always a good thing (I've seen terrible things with Android apps), IMHO. But in any case, it won't change.
gvanbrunt:
--- Quote from: glynor on September 10, 2015, 01:17:08 pm ---Pretty Face would definitely need to be designed with very limited (remote-only-style) input devices in mind to accomplish this. Would that limit its utility otherwise?
Just wondering if that is what they're targeting. One of the big problems is that touch or mouse "designed" UIs are completely useless on a TV with a remote control in your hand. Whereas a design that goes for that (like Theater View) is not ideal for using with touch or a mouse. Theater View itself does "split the difference" fairly well, but... Well, we've all seen the threads complaining about how it isn't perfect for use case X or Y (or is generically "ugly").
Jack of all trades, master of none.
Though... It could be done. I don't know what the focus is going to be.
--- End quote ---
The skin would target the device. That is how it is done on some other platforms I've seen. You can shape it according to the audience i.e. hand helds, 10 foot interface, simple , or complex, etc
The primary reason so many don't like Theater View is the lack of customization. The same will be true of Pretty Face. Creating a static interface or one with limited customization will only please a few people. Letting people skin it they way they want would increase the audience substantially. Right now there are already JRemote, Gizmo, Theater View, Standard View, eos, Web interface etc. Now lets create Pretty Face so there is another option? Seems to me they need to create something that stops they cycle of one off interfaces... Pretty Face could do that. If not it will only be yet another interface for jriver, with many more to come.
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