A while back, we spent some time thinking about how to make it easier to group channels:
http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=71255.msg480963#msg480963We built some tools to make using keywords possible, and now I'm hoping to expose those tools in an easier way.
Here's my proposal, and I'd appreciate feedback:
1) Channels will support any types of keywords (Sports, Matt's Channels, Brooke's Channels, etc.) but there will be two default keywords:
Hidden: a channel that doesn't work due to reception, encryption, etc. or that you never want to see (even with a search)
Favorite: one of the channels you watch regularly
2) The stock Theater View and Standard View views will automatically hide Hidden channels. You will no longer delete channels because this leads to the problem of them coming back next time you scan for channels. EPG loading will skip loading data for Hidden channels.
3) The stock Theater View will have 'Guide' which shows all non-hidden channels and to the right one spot on the view roller 'Favorite' which will show only favorite channels in a grid. You could extend this for 'Matt's Channels', 'Brooke's Channels', etc. or to a view that asks you to pick channel keywords first, but we think All vs Favorite is enough for many users.
4) When you pick a program in Theater View, there will be roller choices 'Favorite Channel' and 'Unfavorite Channel' (still working on those names) to toggle whether a channel is a favorite.
5) The channel editing dialog in Standard View will have a grid of channels with checkboxes for Favorite and Hidden. It will also expose the full 'Keywords' field so that you could add the custom keywords mentioned above.
The end goal of this it to make it easy to hide channels that never work, easy to see a grid of channels you frequently watch, and extensible so you could create custom groupings if you need more power.
Thanks for any help.