[mythtv-users] reprise: improve frontend usability: working with a slick remote

come se fosse antani antani at gmail.com
Tue Mar 27 14:25:10 UTC 2007


Hi.
months ago I posted on our ML with a question regarding a possible
improvement of the remote interface with mythtv [ I forwarded the
entire conversation below].
My "dream" is to use a very slick and little remote (like wiimote, for
example) to control a rather complex app like mythfrontend; instead of
using e.g. 7 buttons for "stream movements" (like stop, play, pause,
rew, fwd, ffw, rrw) why not ONE "movement button" and then an osd on
screen to use together with the usual up,down,right,left?
I like to imagine that like a sort of "jog shuttle" even if controlled
by a remote.

So, any idea changes here on the ML?
I'm yet the only one that is looking for something like a "slick remote"?
Do you like _really_ that huge HTPC remote? :) I've an ati remote wonder...

my .2 cents

antani


Forwarded Conversation
Subject: improve frontend usability: FWD and REW
------------------------

 From: come se fosse antani <antani at gmail.com>
To: Discussion about mythtv <mythtv-users at mythtv.org>
Date: Thu, Jun 15, 2006 at 12:46 PM

Hi.
I would to suggest a feature that - I think - cam improve frontend
usability ad permit also
using a more simpy remote (W.A.F.? more apple style?).

As we know, mythtv has more type of FFWD / RWD, e.g. in order to skip
commercial or to go fast / slow forward and so on. Each of this type
of commands (any of them useful) needs a specific button on our
remote, for both FWD and RWD.

My suggestion is to use a sort of OSD which let you to choose the kind
of FWD you want to use.

in order to limit the issues with my poor english, I describe the step:
1. I'm looking a recorded show
2. I want to FWD and I press one button, the "FWD Button"
3. A tiny osd menu appears and let me choose which type of FWD I want
to use (fast, slow, commercial break, etc)
4. With cursor buttons (up,down,right,left) I choose the function and
I give the FWD command
5. myth could also remember the last type of FWD I used and suggest me
to use it for the
next times

a 2nd approach could be:
A "type toggle button" with them I can switch between the different
types of FWD I could
use, and I want to. after selecting, I can simply use ONE button to do FWD.

It's possible? it's easy to implement?
there is some CONS I don't see?

my 0.2 cents

--------
 From: Brian Meehan <emt244671 at gmail.com>
Reply-To: Discussion about mythtv <mythtv-users at mythtv.org>
To: Discussion about mythtv <mythtv-users at mythtv.org>
Date: Fri, Jun 16, 2006 at 8:39 AM

I also had an idea that I thought I might poke around the source code
to see if I could pull off, and it's similar to your idea.

Currently, if you start entering numbers, Mythfrontend thinks that you
are entering a channel number... not likely if you're watching a
recorded show. I thought that it would be helpful if I could enter
2-4-0-FWD and have it fast forward 240 seconds, or 4 minutes. Same
thing for reverse. What do you think? Might be less intrusive than a
menu. The existing functionality of the FFWD key would remain the
same.
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--------
 From: Phill Edwards <philledwards at gmail.com>
Reply-To: Discussion about mythtv <mythtv-users at mythtv.org>
To: Discussion about mythtv <mythtv-users at mythtv.org>
Date: Fri, Jun 16, 2006 at 10:18 AM

> Currently, if you start entering numbers, Mythfrontend thinks that you
> are entering a channel number... not likely if you're watching a
> recorded show. I thought that it would be helpful if I could enter
> 2-4-0-FWD and have it fast forward 240 seconds, or 4 minutes. Same
> thing for reverse. What do you think? Might be less intrusive than a
> menu. The existing functionality of the FFWD key would remain the
> same.

I'm pretty happy with the way it works now, though like this idea more
that the OP's. The original one sounds like more key strokes to me. On
my remote it's one keypress to go fwd and one to go rev. It's only
using 1 extra key. The OSD idea sounds like way too may key presses
just to fwd/rev.

Regards,
Phill
[Quoted text hidden]
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 From: catfish <catfish at halfdone.com>
Reply-To: Discussion about mythtv <mythtv-users at mythtv.org>
To: Discussion about mythtv <mythtv-users at mythtv.org>
Date: Fri, Jun 16, 2006 at 2:56 PM

 > Currently, if you start entering numbers, Mythfrontend thinks that you
 > are entering a channel number... not likely if you're watching a
 > recorded show. I thought that it would be helpful if I could enter
 > 2-4-0-FWD and have it fast forward 240 seconds, or 4 minutes. Same
 > thing for reverse. What do you think? Might be less intrusive than a
 > menu. The existing functionality of the FFWD key would remain the
 > same.


That is close to how it's working now (at least in 0.19) except it's in
minutes instead of seconds. Enter in 75-Fwd (75right) it will jump ahead
1h 15m, 24-Rev (24left) will jump back 24 minutes, 60-Info (60I) will
jump to the 1hr mark from the beginning.
[Quoted text hidden]
--------
 From: Phill Edwards <philledwards at gmail.com>
Reply-To: Discussion about mythtv <mythtv-users at mythtv.org>
To: Discussion about mythtv <mythtv-users at mythtv.org>
Date: Fri, Jun 16, 2006 at 3:31 PM

> That is close to how it's working now (at least in 0.19) except it's in
> minutes instead of seconds. Enter in 75-Fwd (75right) it will jump ahead
> 1h 15m, 24-Rev (24left) will jump back 24 minutes, 60-Info (60I) will
> jump to the 1hr mark from the beginning.

Hey - I didn't know that! Gotta try that next time.

Thanks,
Phill
[Quoted text hidden]
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 From: Yeechang Lee <ylee at pobox.com>
Reply-To: Discussion about mythtv <mythtv-users at mythtv.org>
To: MythTV user mailing list <mythtv-users at mythtv.org>
Date: Fri, Jun 16, 2006 at 4:02 PM

Brian Meehan <emt244671 at gmail.com> says:
> Currently, if you start entering numbers, Mythfrontend thinks that you
> are entering a channel number... not likely if you're watching a
> recorded show. I thought that it would be helpful if I could enter
> 2-4-0-FWD and have it fast forward 240 seconds, or 4 minutes.

This is exactly how the frontend interface works right now in recorded
programs, except that the seeks use minutes. 240-> jumps four hours
forward, and 47i jumps to 47 minutes after the start of the
program. See
<URL:http://mythtv.org/docs/mythtv-HOWTO-11.html#ss11.1>. This has
been the behavior since I started using MythTV in 0.18.1.

--
Yeechang Lee <ylee at pobox.com> | +1 650 776 7763 | San Francisco CA US
[Quoted text hidden]
--------
 From: Michael T. Dean <mtdean at thirdcontact.com>
Reply-To: Discussion about mythtv <mythtv-users at mythtv.org>
To: Discussion about mythtv <mythtv-users at mythtv.org>
Date: Fri, Jun 16, 2006 at 4:30 PM

On 06/16/2006 08:56 AM, catfish wrote:
> > Currently, if you start entering numbers, Mythfrontend thinks that you
> > are entering a channel number... not likely if you're watching a
> > recorded show. I thought that it would be helpful if I could enter
> > 2-4-0-FWD and have it fast forward 240 seconds, or 4 minutes. Same
> > thing for reverse. What do you think? Might be less intrusive than a
> > menu. The existing functionality of the FFWD key would remain the
> > same.
>
> That is close to how it's working now (at least in 0.19) except it's in
> minutes instead of seconds. Enter in 75-Fwd (75right) it will jump ahead
> 1h 15m,

Or, enter 1-1-5-RIGHT and it will jump ahead 1hr 15min.
Or, enter 2-1-5-RIGHT and it will jump ahead 2hr 15min.

Note that 9-9-RIGHT is 1hr 39min and 1-0-0-RIGHT is 1 hr, so I recommend
using minutes up to 59 and then hrs and minutes above that (otherwise it
can be confusing).

>  24-Rev (24left) will jump back 24 minutes, 60-Info (60I) will
> jump to the 1hr mark from the beginning.

Or 2-RWNDSTICKY ("<") will jump to 2 minutes from the start of the
recording.
Or 2-FFWDSTICKY (">") will jump to 2 minutes from the end of the
recording (great for checking to see if you got the end of a show before
watching).
Or JUMPBKMRK ("K") will jump to the bookmark.

Mike
[Quoted text hidden]
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