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[HTPC4ME]

ive tried everything, and i cannot get jriver 18 theaterview/displayview to show what is playing now when i hit the down arrow, as i can do in 17? all we are seeing is volume, position, and vid settings(aspect ratio brightness etc...)

how do we enable showing the playing now on bottom roller in display view in 18 as it was in 17 on Server & clients?

it's really a pita having to leave theaterview/display view to go back to playing now/info/list to see what is playing. Especially when watching music vids, and TV.
Thanks!

[raym]

The "playing now" item was removed for some strange reason. I agree it's annoying to have to back out to theater view to see what's playing.

I think this should appear on the time bar. No need for a separate OSD item.

[HTPC4ME]

I'm not complaining here (well actually maybe i am, but this needs to be said). I would really like to know why are items removed from software (ANY company) when many like/use the items? isnt it possible for developers to just turn something off by default, but yet leave the options available to be turned on for those who love/use the feature?

this is one of those things again, where the user is left with more work being added to there plate... and more posts having to be made for a workable solution. 

So where does a customer go from here?
1. remove 18 from all pc's in the home (hours of work again) and go back to 17 (not to mention all the family and friends, that i have moved to jriver, and im in charge of maintaining their machines.)
2. if you go back to 17 then you no longer can reep the benefits of TV, or new features.
3. keep 18 and redo all remote control settings on all servers and all clients. (which isnt a solution, in my opinion, because who wants to watch a music video, tv show, then have to leave fullscreen view to see what is playing, and interrupt the show being watched?) On a daily basis a family member will ask another family member.. what are you watching? ummmm well, ahhhh let me see. ok one second here i'll have to figure out how to get back to where i was to see what im watching so i can tell you... ohhh screw it i'll just hit stop cause i knwo that will bring me back to playing now.
4. having to re-learn/re-teach how to use the software on a monthly/version basis... EVERYONE in our household has been using the down arrow for months/years in theaterview. now that this is removed they no longer can see playing files in theaterview nor hit the down arrow and then hit the left/right arrow to go forward or back to the next item in list.
5. what about users who use gizmo theater remote? lol.... you only gave us 4 arrows and an enter button. how do we leave theaterview? to see what is playing?

6. future upgrades, purchasing jriver... is there somewhere in the wiki/forum that one can goto (in a reasonable amount of time) to see what has been removed before purchasing upgrades? is it possible (I'm reaching most likely) to offer polls on items removed? I would definitely have been one to vote no!

Raym/Others may i ask what you are doing about this new conundrum?

[fitbrit]

I understand and feel your strife. I will continue to be a pain in Matt's behind until we get more info out of the OSD and bottom roller again.

[raym]

I'm not complaining here (well actually maybe i am, but this needs to be said). I would really like to know why are items removed from software (ANY company) when many like/use the items? isnt it possible for developers to just turn something off by default, but yet leave the options available to be turned on for those who love/use the feature?

this is one of those things again, where the user is left with more work being added to there plate... and more posts having to be made for a workable solution.  

So where does a customer go from here?


Raym/Others may i ask what you are doing about this new conundrum?

I agree with u but I guess I live in the hope that the devs will realize it was an oversight and simply re-introduce it if enough if us complain.

I'm currently also struggling with the removal of SELECT from Theater View for videos. A terrible decision given that it hasn't been removed entirely (still available for other media types) and many of us have been used to using it for years.

I'll also be a pain in Matt's behind until this is rectified

[MrHaugen]

I do understand the frustration, but I also understand the choise of removing it. The OSD contains playback spesific things, so the Playing Now option was rather misplaced. I would rather have it there than not though. Not because I have ever used it, but because I think that other do.

Instead/or in addition to adding things to the OSD rollers, I belive that the OSD should be turned into something more. There's been a post or two recently about more playback information. Here's one of them: http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=77330.0

There was a link to a nice example of what could be done with a Info view/OSD. I think it was removed.

Just imagine the current OSD, with the cover art on the side, info about sound codecs, channels and video resolution as lables. Info on time elapsed, time left and approximatly time the video will end. Time bar and current OSD options would be in there as well, along with a Playing Now link. In my head it would look very much like this: http://img138.imageshack.us/img138/6084/osdl.jpg
I do not know about the buttons though. I would rather keep the sort of roller based system we currently have, if it's possible. But I'm all open to ideas.

Only thing is that such things should not be hard coded. This should be possible to skin, and it should be part of the theater view skins. Everyone will never be happy by the decisions made by someone else. That is why I think it's so important to add small features to the skin engine over time, so we can spend time creating things our self, instead of being a pain i Matt's behind all day long

[Grenache]

Just imagine the current OSD, with the cover art on the side, info about sound codecs, channels and video resolution as lables. Info on time elapsed, time left and approximatly time the video will end. Time bar and current OSD options would be in there as well, along with a Playing Now link. In my head it would look very much like this: http://img138.imageshack.us/img138/6084/osdl.jpg

Yeah, this looks very nice indeed. However, without knowing a thing about it, I don't think this kind of graphical OSD is possible at all based on the current MC-engine.

[HTPC4ME]

well it looks like there are a few beta team people here, do you Beta team people have any clout?  is there a "JRiver Round Table" where you can put in your vote to add playing now back? i really don't care where it is... for ease of "winning the vote back" go back to 17 grab that code and place it in exact spot on the bottom bar. or grab all of the code from bottom bar, and make a new bar on top that acts like the bar on the bottom.... when movie is playing, instead of clicking down arrow to see bar on the bottom of screen, one would click the up arrow, and that would show what is playing on the top of the screen, after a few seconds (like the bottom bar) it would disappear, once it disappears you then have the choice again of seeing the top bar or bottom bar depending on the arrow position you click on first (Up/Down).

to be honest. i really don't care where it is, as long as it is somewhere in theaterview/display view, so we do not have to leave that screen, or go back to older versions.

Just imagine the current OSD, with the cover art on the side, info about sound codecs, channels and video resolution as lables. Info on time elapsed, time left and approximatly time the video will end. Time bar and current OSD options would be in there as well, along with a Playing Now link. In my head it would look very much like this: http://img138.imageshack.us/img138/6084/osdl.jpg

Def. beautiful! but for time being... i'd be happy with just getting what we had back... throw a turn on/off in settings and set it as disabled (fine by me) but at least let us turn it on if we need it.

[marko]

do you Beta team people have any clout?

In our dreams I dare not imagine what MC would be like if we had clout

You've presented a good case with suitably diluted frustration. This will give you your best chance of being heard, way better than any beta team lobbying. What you need now is a wave of support for your motion

[JimH]

In our dreams I dare not imagine what MC would be like if we had clout

You've presented a good case with suitably diluted frustration. This will give you your best chance of being heard, way better than any beta team lobbying. What you need now is a wave of support for your motion

Funny.  I was reminded of the quote, "A camel is a horse designed by a committee". 



But you, as a group, do have an enormous amount of clout here.

[MrC]

This guy's solar-powered camel reminds me of The Professor and his ability to build every possible contraption but a boat.

[mojave]

In my head it would look very much like this: http://img138.imageshack.us/img138/6084/osdl.jpg

I like that!

[fitbrit]

well it looks like there are a few beta team people here, do you Beta team people have any clout?  is there a "JRiver Round Table" where you can put in your vote to add playing now back?

We, the Beta Team Illuminati met at the JRiver High Table to decide the fate of this request. After days of deliberation and much sacrificing of virgins (easy to do, since most of us are), we have spoken. Here is our verdict:
This may or may not be done as you wish. You shall have to wait and see.

[HTPC4ME]

Funny.  I was reminded of the quote, "A camel is a horse designed by a committee".  Wink

I had to look this up... makes sense to me (sort of), therefor "This saying shows that, if only one person is given a task, it will probably be better carried out than if several people work on it." but i must ask... carrying out and debating/choosing to bring to the table a feature doesnt have to mean all those voting/discussing are involved in making of the final item, correct?

But you, as a group, do have an enormous amount of clout here.

what can we as group do to be heard? are we allowed to start polls? or are these threads just saved into "possible to do's/changes needing to be made?"

For starters. may i put a request in to enable what is playing now SOMEWHERE in theaterview/display view. thanks.

We, the Beta Team Illuminati met at the JRiver High Table to decide the fate of this request. After days of deliberation and much sacrificing of virgins (easy to do, since most of us are), we have spoken. Here is our verdict:
This may or may not be done as you wish. You shall have to wait and see.

lol, Now that's funny...awww ok now i get how it works. it's similar to the Bilderberg groups. where we peasants all just wait and see what our Fate shall be! (i'm playing along/joking)

[raym]

Seriously, if the name of the currently playing program was added to the time bar, that makes a lot of sense to me and should be a simple addition. We don't need a redesign of the entire OSD to achieve this.

[HTPC4ME]

i agree Raym. it would suffice, but the old style where one could hit Left/Right was a nice touch... because when one hit the right arrow, the name would show up right away and if watching music vids, or on a shuffled movie marathon one could see what's next and skip past it if they didnt like what was next.

[raym]

i agree Raym. it would suffice, but the old style where one could hit Left/Right was a nice touch... because when one hit the right arrow, the name would show up right away and if watching music vids, or on a shuffled movie marathon one could see what's next and skip past it if they didnt like what was next.

Ah yes. Valid point.

[glynor]

Just imagine the current OSD, with the cover art on the side, info about sound codecs, channels and video resolution as lables. Info on time elapsed, time left and approximatly time the video will end. Time bar and current OSD options would be in there as well, along with a Playing Now link. In my head it would look very much like this: http://img138.imageshack.us/img138/6084/osdl.jpg

Just chiming in.

I'm not much for the cover art part (covers up too much of the action on screen).  My general "goal" would be to block as little of the viewable area as is possible, while allowing sufficient functionality...

However...

If the Playback controls could somehow come down from the top (in the same place the on-mouseover scrub control bar comes down when you use the mouse), that would be pretty cool.  Often things are letterboxed anyway, and you could show some of your informational icons up there too, without being too intrusive.  People do like their blinky TrueHD lights on the receivers, and maybe it isn't too bad there... But preserving the remote-only control system without being too convoluted might be tough without a complete overhaul.  If you did my idea, how would you switch between the play controls "up there" and the regular OSD "down there"?

Still, for users who don't have specialized controllers with hardware Play/FF/RW keys, I think some easy-to-grep play controllers, always visible and easy to access might be handy.

Not necessary, really (left/right and enter for pause does that pretty well for most movie/show watching)...  But it might add to a comfort-zone kind of quality, and be much nicer for touchscreens.

As far as the rest of the icons... I don't know.  I don't know what those things all do.  Even in your screenshot, you had to post an arrow to explain that the fullscreen looking button was subtitles (it isn't, and you'd use a Font-looking icon, but still).  The text is clear.  I can give the remote to my mom, and explain that all the crap is just up down left right enter, and she could probably eventually figure out the subs without being told or having to "guess" at what icons mean.

[glynor]

I will say, the glass under the OSD could be a little less flat than it is now, for my tastes, and the font could be better.  I'm not a massive font nerd, but that font is a bit blocky, "generic computery", and not particularly high-res friendly.

Honestly, I think the existing OSD, with a different, less aliased font, and maybe some slight size/layout tweaks, could go some way to change impressions like these:

The UI (Theater View) is a couple of notches below XBMC, but it more than makes up for the lack of eye candy and ease of navigation by...

[HTPC4ME]

If you did my idea, how would you switch between the play controls "up there" and the regular OSD "down there"?

in case you missed my post...maybe similiar to as i described above? it would just be a "known rule"

when movie is playing, instead of clicking down arrow to see bar on the bottom of screen, one would click the up arrow, and that would show what is playing on the top of the screen, after a few seconds (like the bottom bar) it would disappear, once it disappears you then have the choice again of seeing the top bar or bottom bar depending on the arrow position you click on first (Up/Down).

[HTPC4ME]

sharp layout in your link Glynor. i like!

But for now i'd be ecstatic just to be able to see what we are watching, as we could before. =)

[HTPC4ME]

Still, for users who don't have specialized controllers with hardware Play/FF/RW keys, I think some easy-to-grep play controllers, always visible and easy to access might be handy.

+1... especialy for noobs/less advanced. they hit the down arrow/up arrow for which ever rollbar it would be on, and then they would see the international symbols for controlling the player.
I've mentioned in the past about a top bar and items i dreamt up..
1. a share to bar on top - email, facebook, desktop, ftp, youtube.. (WAY WAY OUT THERE IDEA... but while in position bar having the ability to cut and trim... move slider to begininng, move slider to end, chose cut/send to email/facebook etc...
2. jump to bar...where we could have "hot" jumps.... hit up arrow for top bar, and in there is your choice of pickens... mine would be (places visited most often in jriver Theater View) Music videos, Movies, TV Shows, TV GUIDE, Family Pics, Home vids) at anytime in theaterview you could just hop to your shortcuts you made)
3. another bar that allows for complicated jump to's... example. The movie you are watching, on that top bar you could "hot" jump to All movies by that director, actor, or similiar movies from within that genre.MUSIC - jump to all music by that artist, similiar artists in genre, etc... guess maybe this would be considered a smartlist? or library item, or library group?
4. a info bar - similiar to other posts/links here. they click up/down bar pops up goto info, and then click to the right and info will pop up on screen/as an overlay. or like glynor mentioned in letterbox zone

Anywho... a player bar, great idea!

[MrHaugen]

I think there's definately some common things that could be done to the OSD, to make it more informational, perhaps more user friendly, as well as better suited for touch screens. We will never agree on it all though. That's why I'm suggesting that these bars to be added as an independent skin, or part of the interface it's launched from, so the users could skin it to their liking. Texture, opacity, size, cover art size, position, adding of other meta data, looks, position and functionality of buttons or rollers of the OSD options. It's examples of things that would be nice to tweak for those of us that like such things. It could be a nice little project for how to expand on the skinning functionality.

The point of this thread however, is simply to get back missing functionality. Which I support. I never used the Plauing Now shortcut, but I believe it was mostly because I never noticed it. I think I would use it if it's reintroduced, now that I know where it is/was.

[HTPC4ME]

new update today. no changes back yet

[marko]

They're extremely responsive, but a three day turn around is a little too much to expect really.

[HTPC4ME]

anyone from jriver... will we be seeing this option again?
thank you.

[fitbrit]

bump

[HTPC4ME]

bump please.
Still really desiring this feature back.
is this on the to-do list?
thanks

[No One Of Interest]

Does anyone know if this is being added back to MC19?  That would be a huge motivation for me to upgrade if it is!

[raym]

Bump