I'm a big fan of Theater View. It's the main reason I purchased MC to begin with! Unfortunately though, Theater View gets criticised from time-to-time on this forum for being inadequate compared to other HTPC front ends like Microsoft MCE etc. So, this got me thinking.... wouldn't it be great if Theater View was not only as visually appealing as MCE but feature rich like the rest of MC as well?!
I hope I'm wrong but based on what I read here, Theater View development is not high on JRiver's priority list. If this is true, I think it's a real shame. HTPC's are extremely popular right now and many people I know are either buying one or thinking about buying one. The problem with most HTPC front-ends available today is that while they look good, they fall far behind MC in terms of its sheer media management power. Few HTPC applications on offer today (well, none I've seen) give you everything you could want to manage a large media library well like MC does PLUS allow you to view and listen to your media in the comfort of your living room thanks to Theater View!
Over the last couple of years I've recommended MC to quite a few friends and family members interested in a HTPC setup. Unfortunately, the majority of them have ended up choosing something other than MC because of Theater View's "problems". This makes me angry because as most poeple reading this are well aware, MC rocks! If only Theater View was a little slicker...
So, based on my own experiences with Theater View as well as feedback I've had from those who have used it, here's some suggestions which would surely rocket MC far beyond the competition:-
01. Fully customizable interface. Not just colors - the works!
02. Ability to save and name Playing Now playlists (Remeber, we're talking Theater View - IR remote only!!)
03. A usable search facility (ala Meedio's on-screen keyboard perhaps?)
04. Ability to drill down into an item to show useful tag information eg, Director/Plot info for DVDs etc
05. Ability to delete files and make simple tag edits (configurable option???).
06. Ability to move items around within Playing Now (not just remove)
07. OSD improvements to include time remaining info etc for audio AND movie playback
08. Improvements in the way items are added to Playing Now. Eg, opting to play a single song should NOT include the whole album the song belongs to while blowing away your current Playing Now playlist in the process!
09. There's probably more but I think you get the idea...
Anyway, like I said, I love Theater View and I'll continue to support it 100% !!!
Cheers.