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Author Topic: Theater View - Future plans and improvements  (Read 1941 times)

MrHaugen

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Theater View - Future plans and improvements
« on: October 27, 2007, 04:33:50 pm »

I know it have been written alot on the subject before, but as I have not seen a thread regarding Theater View improvements in a long time, nor seen any news of it in resent builds, I wanted to get a little updated in the subject. I'm wondering if any of the previous suggustions are on the way into a future build? Maby some of the suggestions is even "saved" for a bigger update for version 13? Would understand it if it were so...

Previous suggestions have been things like:

1. Ability to turn on and off the left side button bar. Would make navigating easier and more intuitive.
2. Smoother designed main menu with large images/icons.
3. Increase Playing now box vertically to fit cover art dimentions (on left side menu). It could be increased vertically or horisontally depending on the image shown?
4. Ability to set different view types (thumbnails, details and lineup) for each level in each media type. For instance: lineup for genre, thumbnails for artists and details of tracks.
5. Moving mouse pointer up and down at edge of screen would scroll in that direction.
6. A way to line up each of the caption fields you set for details view. Just like in normal view. Much better view of the details that way. Would look something like this:
    "Pearl Jam                        |  (No Code)            |  Rating"
    "Bob Marley  & The Wailers  |  (Babylon By Bus)   |  Rating"

Any news of this things at all? I'm dying to see some, if not all, implemented.
Other amazing things in the works?

- Carl
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Matt

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Re: Theater View - Future plans and improvements
« Reply #1 on: October 27, 2007, 06:04:59 pm »

I like idea #5.

Idea #1 can already be done, but you have to edit the skin.
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Matt Ashland, JRiver Media Center

MrHaugen

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Re: Theater View - Future plans and improvements
« Reply #2 on: October 29, 2007, 01:01:36 pm »

I like idea #5.
Glad you liked it.

Idea #1 can already be done, but you have to edit the skin.
Yes, I know. I'll probably do some skinning stuff later on when I get the time. The problem is just that you might need more control sometimes. Would be alot better to have a keyboard shortcut default to MS menu button or similar that could show/hide the left menu. I belive I would only miss the playing now field if the menu was totally disabled.
Trying really hard to come up with ideas that could include playing now box without the left menu. I'm starting to think that anything else than shortcuts, who let you jump to playing now, would be impossible. And I belive the shortcut are already there?

I remembered something else that have been asked (or at least wanted by my self for a long time):
#7. A better way of marking currently playing track. Hardly anyone notices the green play icon at the far right side. Why not make the whole "track box" stand out or something? Like a 3D effect..

Other ideas out there?
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ThoBar

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Re: Theater View - Future plans and improvements
« Reply #3 on: October 30, 2007, 01:46:38 am »

1. An option to have the "Views" menu appear as a submenu tree 
Code: [Select]
  Audio->
  Images->
  Video -> Movies ->  Comedy
                  ->  Action -> Martial Arts

2.  ....and/or the "Views" pop-up show the views in a tree (hierarchical) form
  -- I have a lot of views, but dont really want to see the classical ones when I'm listening to rock, I'd like to select rock, and see all the views defined under rock as seen in the StdView hierarchy

3. Related to the above (and probably necessary to make it functional), the option for additional menu, on the top, side or where ever (eg for views, player controls, dsp, or anything else that i cant think of atm) ... of course this makes the usage of the left/right arrow keys change....

I personally find that the left menu feels a bit too cluttered, and would be best split off

4. More Customisation of the [Location] tag (length - from left, from right).. this can get very long on my system, with a relatively low res screen, so the shrinking text becomes unreadable

5. More Theater View Tags [Date] [Temperature] [something else]

6. Disk browsing (NOT library based), If a friend brings over some photos on a hard disk, or a movie etc, I want to be able to browse to the file, without importing them.

7. Pop-out side menu - only because other people have mentioned it

8. Animated Icons (or can the video background feature be used for non-background areas? -- I haven't tried yet)

9. A nice (semi)transparent OSD - customisable of course.
  -- I like a very simple vis for music, but I'd like the option top bring up an OSD displaying the information I want to see, esp if it's possible to do "if" statements for genre specific info
  -- Also, a nice graphical indicator for progress, volume etc would be nice

(edit -addition)
10. Add non-default 'root' views schemes. The limitation of Audio Images Video just doesn't work nicely for me. I can fudge it the way it is, but it's not how I'd like it.

11. Hierarchical custom Theater View items. It's nice we can add our own, but I'd prefer to be able to group them via functional similarities... CD/DVD tasks, Shutdown/Restart options etc...

(another edit)
12. Visual indicators (other than the Page Up / Page Down option) of more items off the screen for the menus. I dont want the page up/down button because i dont really see the point of them, but an indication that there is more above or below would be nice. Either wide arrows, or semi-transparent top or bottom item would be nice

13. Related to above, possibly an alternative, is alternate methods for menu display. A 'wrapped' or cyclic approach, a'la the competetion's UI would be nice, or better would be a perspective based horizontal rotating circle. (think of a donut viewed from 45 degrees above, with the text written on the side. There are plenty of things that can be done here to really funk (with an N) up MC's interface.

14. Some cosmetic effects for skinning. ie, slight mirroring of menu items, slight blurring of non selected items, increasing the size of selected menu items.... etc etc etc...
I had a list somewhere with more that I was building up, but cant find it, I'm sure I'll be adding more.

Cheers,
C.
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MrHaugen

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Re: Theater View - Future plans and improvements
« Reply #4 on: October 30, 2007, 02:14:52 pm »

13. Related to above, possibly an alternative, is alternate methods for menu display. A 'wrapped' or cyclic approach, a'la the competetion's UI would be nice, or better would be a perspective based horizontal rotating circle. (think of a donut viewed from 45 degrees above, with the text written on the side. There are plenty of things that can be done here to really funk (with an N) up MC's interface.

14. Some cosmetic effects for skinning. ie, slight mirroring of menu items, slight blurring of non selected items, increasing the size of selected menu items.... etc etc etc...
I had a list somewhere with more that I was building up, but cant find it, I'm sure I'll be adding more.
That's what I call a list :)
I really DIG suggestion #13. Would be amazingly beautifull to have nice 3D icons rotationg in a circle (if it's designed well). Just as OSX's in 45 degree horizontal view, as confishy said. People would buy MC just for that.

# 14 is also a good idea

Thanks for the contribution confishy
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ThoBar

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Re: Theater View - Future plans and improvements
« Reply #5 on: November 02, 2007, 06:04:59 am »

Another one...
15. Ability to pull info from, or place, a plugin on any page. (place current weather on the 'home' page, or anywhere else. obviously the plugin would need to be written to suit)
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