Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[jdizzy623]

I sure would be happy with a revamped Home screen in Theaterview.

I have been using MC off and on since version 9 and don't seem to remember many changes to the UI in Theaterview.
I know that a few people have tried their hand at it but seemed to eventually give up for one reason or another.

Generally I see little support available for cosmetic changes in Theaterview which is sad due to its power when playing music and video.

I believe if the Home screen were to add rotating images of recently added, partially played video, suggested video, etc it would make a huge difference. Something along the lines of Emby or Plex's Home screens. In my opinion, much more appealing and nicer to look at opposed to a static background image with text.

Sadly, I continue to jump around between various media center programs searching for the right one. I haven't found it yet but think MC would be a step closer by updating its views.

[defenz0r]

Can aggree to jdizzi623. Just Clone the functionality of Kodi and its done. JRiver's Media Center Theater view is basically for the bucket if you compare to Kodi. Especially if you have more than 50 Series.

- There is no / no good TheTVDB integration here. If i had to move my files from Kodi to JRiver it would not work out because there is a general Tagging incompability.
- JRiver Media Center crashs if you want to switch to Videos while having much files inside for my example it is matroska video file
- When turned on Volume restriction and the volume is turned manually down from Windows and you want to turn it back mouse will lag
- Once an Audio Playback is finished and JRiver wants to play the next file and there were inputs taken from the Keyboard, The input of the Keyboard will be handled delayed AFTER the next Audio file has been buffered.
This doesnt change on any blank Windows OS that supports JRiver without any Antivirus Software.
For all Feature Requests i did strict research and used the FAQ as well.

[jdizzy623]

I sure would be happy with a revamped Home screen in Theaterview.

I have been using MC off and on since version 9 and don't seem to remember many changes to the UI in Theaterview.
I know that a few people have tried their hand at it but seemed to eventually give up for one reason or another.

Generally I see little support available for cosmetic changes in Theaterview which is sad due to its power when playing music and video.

I believe if the Home screen were to add rotating images of recently added, partially played video, suggested video, etc it would make a huge difference. Something along the lines of Emby or Plex's Home screens. In my opinion, much more appealing and nicer to look at opposed to a static background image with text.

Sadly, I continue to jump around between various media center programs searching for the right one. I haven't found it yet but think MC would be a step closer by updating its views.

Here is something by a user named Siganty who made the Metro-X theaterview skin.

 MC:UX



Alas, he ran into too many barriers and decided to move on.

But, this is an example of what might be considered for the Home screen.... the images would be clickable and would change as you moved through the various areas. They could also randomly rotate with time. This is very similar to Emby/Plex screens.

Everything beyond the Home screen is fine as it is IMHO.

Just an idea.

[Grenache]

I sure would be happy with a revamped Home screen in Theaterview.
I have been using MC off and on since version 9 and don't seem to remember many changes to the UI in Theaterview.
...

This sums up my feelings towards MC pretty well. Except that I've firmly decided to stay with it, because the sound/video quality, television capabilities and customizability is second none. Unfortunately my better half doesn't agree, so now we're running Plex all around the house, except in my "man cave" where I still can do whatever I want. If MC had the same WAF as Plex or Emby I could surely gain some or even all of the lost MC territory back.

[JimH]

Here's what a comparable screen looks like in Theater View (using the Glass skin).

It's different from the one in the previous post, but I can't say that one is better than the other.

[Grenache]

Here's what a comparable screen looks like in Theater View (using the Glass skin).
It's different from the one in the previous post, but I can't say that one is better than the other.

Well, that's a matter of taste. Personally I'm fine with it (although my heavy customization admittedly looks a bit better :-)), but my wife thinks it looks lifeless and dated. However, this isn't just about looks. As the OP says, it would make a huge difference if the home screen had "On Deck" (partially watched) videos, a nice overview of recently added movies, series, music etc., suggestions to watch, things marked for watching later and so on.

[JimH]

Well, that's a matter of taste.

Yes it is.  And that's why I don't think everyone will be completely satisfied with any interface we do.

[marko]

All just a matter of taste...

MC Theater View is just right. I've seen Kodi screens in action and they're too garish, bright, busy...

MC theater view is a calm and relaxing presentation for me and mine...
http://www.mpw.scot/galleries/rapier/bigpage.html?image=862486581_orig0.jpg#

[Castius]

All features take time to implement. I think most people understand that.
And we don't need to compare to kodi either.

Expanding what can be customized is worth discussion.
If other people are willing to utilize them on their own time.

I know would like to make a more immersive home screen, if i could.

Something like
resume previously watches
A list of top 3 new TV recordings.
New Cds ripped

[akira54]

Yes it is.  And that's why I don't think everyone will be completely satisfied with any interface we do.

Jim this does not address the valid point raised by OP that there has been very little development on the Theater View for quite some time and that is a shame.

[marko]

Are you proposing development for development's sake? Or did you have something specific in mind?

For me, it's a case of 'if it aint broke, don't fix it'....

[Grenache]

Are you proposing development for development's sake?
For me, it's a case of 'if it aint broke, don't fix it'....

Why settle for good enough when something can be great? Do you still use Windows 3.1 or an old mobile phone or listen to 128kbps MP3s? Those weren't "broke", but were "fixed" anyway. That's called evolution.

[JimH]

I agree with Marko.  If there are changes that clearly improve MC, we try to do them. 

I'm not opposed to change, but I still don't see a clear direction that everyone will like.

Specific suggestions that can be discussed might help.

[Grenache]

that's why I don't think everyone will be completely satisfied with any interface we do.

I still don't see a clear direction that everyone will like.

You're right that it's difficult to satisfy everyone. So why not make the skinning engine much more open, flexible and easy to play with? That way everyone at least has the possibility to costumize Theater View to their own taste. I also think we would se a lot more skins and inspiring, creative looks of MC, if skinning wasn't only something for the most technical minded users. I would for sure give it a try.

[Hendrik]

You're right that it's difficult to satisfy everyone. So why not make the skinning engine much more open, flexible and easy to play with? That way everyone at least has the possibility to costumize Theater View to their own taste. I also think we would se a lot more skins and inspiring, creative looks of MC, if skinning wasn't only something for the most technical minded users. I would for sure give it a try.

What you are asking for is not "skinning", its new functionality, which is not something a skin can give you.

[Grenache]

What you are asking for is not "skinning", its new functionality, which is not something a skin can give you.

Not sure what you mean? What "new functionality" am I asking for? I was thinking of things like:

- flexible customization of home screen
- put menu and text elements where you want them
- assign independent list styles to each level
- more than two lines of text for thumbnails
- setting of font size independent from graphics size
- freedom to display the metadate you want
- change the size of controls
- changing highlight colours
- put clock where you want it
- adding search boxes
- posibility of setting ratings
- customizable volume control
- changing look of volume level
- changing look of play progress
- adding menu icons
- adding icons for sound format, resolution, channels, encoding etc.
- changing graphics for watched/partially watched/not watched
- adding custom images
- using own artists images, banners etc.
- changing background transparency for different views
- control fading of album art
- adding stats and information graphics
- using plugins/widgets

Couldn't all or most of this be made more easy to achieve with a more open, flexible and easier skinning system? Wouldn't this possibly result in not only more skins but also more skin variety?

[Hendrik]

90% of the things you want are not "skinning", because "skinning" is just changing how something looks, but you want new information, new functionality, new features. Thats an entirely different topic.

[Grenache]

90% of the things you want are not "skinning", because "skinning" is just changing how something looks, but you want new information, new functionality, new features. Thats an entirely different topic.

This thread is about making Theater View more functionable. When Jim and others mentioned the difficulties in making changes to Theater View because of differences in taste I proposed to "...make the skinning engine much more open, flexible and easy to play with". How is that an entirely different topic?

[Hendrik]

This thread is about making Theater View more functionable. When Jim and others mentioned the difficulties in making changes to Theater View because of differences in taste I proposed to "...make the skinning engine much more open, flexible and easy to play with". How is that an entirely different topic?

Its a different topic than skinning, because skinning does not allow you to suddenly create new functionality that didn't exist before. Which means that no matter how good the skinning was, at the end of the day all it can do is give all the information and functionality we have a new look, but not add to it, so a "skinning engine" cannot deliver what you want it to do, that is all.

For new functionality and new ways to present information to be available, MC has to offer this information first. So either we develop an entirely new way to build plugins in some way or other ways to retrieve extra information and provide new interactive functions, or we just have to build these features into MC itself, but it goes far beyond "skinning". Which means at the end of the day this would just be another way to describe doing the same work.

[Grenache]

For new functionality and new ways to present information to be available, MC has to offer this information first.

Thanks for the clarification, Hendrik, which of course makes sense. Still, I'm surprised that even with a more flexible skinning engine (which is what I suggested), most of the things on my list above wouldn't be possible without building new features into MC itself. May I ask which 20 (that's about 90%) you don't consider "skinning"? I'm a bit confused here, because most, if not all of them, can be customized when building a skin in Kodi using their skinning system.

Btw, I just found this three year old and very interesting thread about skins in Kodi vs. MC:

http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=82489.0

Apparently you then had some of the same thoughts as me, so I'm surprised that my suggestion is so far off:

But i can understand that some people like the eye candy - so maybe a easy/easier skinning system could help? I'm not sure.

[Hendrik]

There is nothing wrong with considering to improve how skinning works and making it more approachable, but it is important to understand what it can deliver and what it cannot. The suggested home screen here is for example far more then "skinning", it adds a wide variety of new controls, new information, new functions, which just don't exist in MC today.

We tried to get some information out of skin creators before, but most we hear is "skinning is hard/limited/etc", instead of concrete suggestions what they would like.

As a developer that know the system by heart, its usually hard to see the system from the outside, so we have to rely on feedback what to make better, how to actually change the skinning to make it easier to write skins or add new options to the skinning.
But we always have to stay within realistic goals, we're not going to entirely rewrite everything over night, so small steps towards a better future, do not expect a revamp of everything.

Another issue is that a lot of the problems with MCs skinning come from the fact that its views are fully dynamic and can be nested infinitely, while in XBMC/Kodi you have pre-defined views in a pre-defined setup, much easier to come up with a skin that integrates those well.

[JimH]

Grenache,
Maybe you should try making a skin.  We might be able to help add a few things you need.

[blgentry]

The words are getting in the way here.  "Skinning" is the wrong word for what is being asked for.

What the OP and many other people want, is a way to customize the layout and functionality of the Theater View User Interface.  They want a UI customization engine that's user accessible.  This is essentially what Kodi has, which is the basis for a lot of these comparisons.

I'm hoping that the new Theater View that's being developed will have a different UI and perhaps some ways to customize the UI. 

I only use Theater View every now and then.  But I can tell you from my limited experience that it's both good and bad.  The good is that it's mostly fairly easy to use.  The bad is that it's inconsistent.  For example, the Back button.  On some screens the back button automatically activates when you hover over it.  On others, you have to click to select it.

I would give a more thorough set of suggestions, but I don't think I'm qualified since I almost NEVER use it.  If/When I build an HTPC with the windows version of MC, I'll probably have more to say about it.

Brian.

[jdizzy623]

The Home screen is what I was referring to in the OP.
Sure, everything is dynamic and all but trying to do anything.... even move text to another location on screen is very complicated, at least to me.

What I was hoping for was several different -New- (more modern/less dated), layouts for the Home screen that might have user definable areas as to what content was shown. This might take some work on JRiver's end but what the heck, give someone in house that task and see what they can come up with. (rather than turning on/off the house lights)... really....

The screen that Siganty was trying for, the Emby Home screen, Plex, etc..... are just examples of what might be achieved. As it stands, the Home screen just sits there with perhaps an occasional background change. Wouldn't it be nice to have areas of the Home screen that changed dynamically.... lets say, random movies, new additions, in progress, or suggested titles because you watched xxxx, etc....

Comparing the Glass artist screen....nice but no comparison... it's static!

Whether you call if functionality or skinning.... the Home screen is lacking when compared to its peers.
BTW, thanks for the colored text, it's been a long time comin.....

[jachin99]

One specific request that I have seen elsewhere in terms of theater view improvement.  When a user sets their own background with the default theme applied, it darkens the picture.  I would really like to be able to set my own background, and get a bright, colorful picture rather than a darker version of the image I select.  I can fix this problem by changing the default theme to none but then I lose backgrounds in screens for individual movies, weather backgrounds, news backgrounds, tv guide backgrounds, etc.  So I have the choice of either living with a dark picture, or living with just one background throughout theater view.  I've seen quite a few people bring this up in the competitive advantages thread, and even though you will never make anyone happy, you could very well be better off trying something new, and customizable. 

Suggestion 2, simplify the process of navigating through theater view.  In the current iteration of theater view, just pressing back might take me back to the home theaterview screen, or it might take me else where.  Within theater view, I can change list views, etc.  from each subscreen.  Finding a way to move this to another area of the program would make it easier to navigate with a regular remote.  I love touch screens just as much as everyone else but I don't have a way to keep mine charged all of the time, and this alone makes any phone or tablet a potentially bad choice.  My MCE remote lasts for about two or three months on the batteries vs my tablet, which I have to set in the corner to charge, might last a few days, MAYBE a week.