SageMC Import - iMovies Beta 1

[jvl711]

Originally Posted by Cutty Shark

Would it be possible to add a Custom Sort? Something like this.

Sort by Date added?
Last 10/20/30 movies added?

Something like that. That was one of the Nice features of MyMovies for MCE. Add a DVD and it was at the top of the list.

Edit: Btw...LOVE the feel of this interface. It looks and feels smooth. Although i have to agree with above poster about the left right movement of the dropdown menu. Great work, the kids and Sig O love it.

Thanks for the feedback.

Custom sorting... For some reason I did not think of that??? I will add that to my list.

Just an update for anyone waiting. I am real close with the new version. I have been having an issue with the option menus and the HD100. My code works great on the client but makes the HD100 screen go all crazy for some reason...

[Technophobe]

Originally Posted by jvl711

I have added a lot of the features...
...Here are a few quick screen shots.

Spectacular.
Pronunciation:
spek-ˈta-kyə-lər,
Function:
adjective
Etymology:
Latin spectaculum
: of, relating to, or being a spectacle : STRIKING , SENSATIONAL

Used in a sentence… Your work on the plug in is nothing short of spectacular.

Technophobe

[Sean977]

Now that the wait is over and I have my HD200, I was wondering what the status is on this customization? It looks amazing and I can't wait to try it out.

Thanks for all your work on this.

-sean

[jvl711]

Originally Posted by Sean977

Now that the wait is over and I have my HD200, I was wondering what the status is on this customization? It looks amazing and I can't wait to try it out.

Thanks for all your work on this.

-sean

For everyone that is waiting. I am very close to having the release complete. I have been working out some minor issues with the HD100, which by the way do not occur on the HD200 , and I think they are mostly worked out.

I hope to iMovies version 1.0 out before xmas.

[Kypp]

So I am new to Sage but I am loving it so far. If this is installed on the SageMC PC client then will it display like this on my HD200 extender or is there something else that I have to do to make it work like this. I'd love to have an interface like this instead of the standard Sage interface for browsing my DVD collection on the big screen.

[jvl711]

Originally Posted by Kypp

So I am new to Sage but I am loving it so far. If this is installed on the SageMC PC client then will it display like this on my HD200 extender or is there something else that I have to do to make it work like this. I'd love to have an interface like this instead of the standard Sage interface for browsing my DVD collection on the big screen.

We really need to have a faq for these types of question. It is really confusing for most new users which things do and do not work in the HD100/HD200.

But the quick answer is almost all plugins work on the HD100/HD200 (Including iMovies). There are only certain plugins which use applications outside of sage for audio or video playback.

All STVs and plugins installed on the server with be available to the HD100/HD200. From the settings menu in the Sage Extender you can choose any STV that is installed on your server. Then you can import plugins into your STV.

I hope this helps make it a little less confusing.

[MeInMaui]

And if you aren't sure what an STV is, this thread might help.

http://forums.sagetv.com/forums/show...51&postcount=1

Aloha,
Mike

[Kypp]

Excellent and thanks. That does clear some things up.

Looking at this piece of equipment from a new adopters perspective... even from someone who has previously build and tinkered with various hardware and operating systems such as myself it would certainly help to have a quick reference page showing how to install plug-ins on the PC server, enable them through SageMC and also on the extender boxes.

I muddled through the steps to get a few things working on the PC but it would have been much simpler if the applications that I was downloading had a link to a generic installation guide that walked you through it.

Just my two cents.

[RedCoat999]

How do you do the import bit so it will appear in the dynamic menu list to add as an internal screen?

[jvl711]

Originally Posted by RedCoat999

How do you do the import bit so it will appear in the dynamic menu list to add as an internal screen?

There are some brief instructions in the Download link... Once you have the files placed in the proper locations(Make sure you rebooted Sage after this step). You Go to the settings screen in SageMC. Then you press on the button Import STVi. Select the iMovies BETA 1.xml file. The file will now be imported.

[bradlewa]

This looks really great by the way - nicely designed.

Maybe I haven't looked into this enough on my own, but if there any way to have this integrated with the custom background fanart pages for individual movies? I have the coverflow page working, but when I click on a movie to go into its info page, it is just the generic page with blue background. Yet, if I use the normal MyMovies page to get into my individual movies, I get mu customized fanart background page. Can iMovies be linked to these?

Thanks - and again, nice work here.

[jvl711]

Originally Posted by bradlewa

This looks really great by the way - nicely designed.

Maybe I haven't looked into this enough on my own, but if there any way to have this integrated with the custom background fanart pages for individual movies? I have the coverflow page working, but when I click on a movie to go into its info page, it is just the generic page with blue background. Yet, if I use the normal MyMovies page to get into my individual movies, I get mu customized fanart background page. Can iMovies be linked to these?

Thanks - and again, nice work here.

Bradlewa,

I am going to assume that you are using the beta version of iMovies since you posted in the beta thread. The beta version never had support for fan art. Version 1 does have support for fan art. Try that version and let me know if you are still having issues. Version 1 also has support for the Movie Info Screen.

[bradlewa]

yeah, you were right, i had the wrong one installed. the non-beta version works great. thanks again.

[mkanet]

jv711, I know you have been suggested this before, probably more times than you care to hear.. but I thought I'd give another friendly reminder to please consider adding an optional primary menu showing Genres or Folder objects with respective artwork (like native sageMC videos menu).. once you select the Genre or Folder object, it would take you to the awesome imovie menu as we know it. That way people can have their cake and eat it too

I'm guessing the only hard part might be the work involved to do that...

[jvl711]

mkanet,

I am working with ikarius on adding some new functionality for genre switching. It is not going to be a new screen with a list of genres, but a key to scroll through the possible genres. I think this is close to what some people are looking for.

I am still struggling with the folder view. I really want to keep everything in one screen. Can you let me know what some of the issues are that you have with the way I currently allow users to navigate thru the folders. Is there anyway I can enhance the way it currently works to make it better for more users without making exactly the same as the built in video library.

Originally Posted by mkanet

jv711, I know you have been suggested this before, probably more times than you care to hear.. but I thought I'd give another friendly reminder to please consider adding an optional primary menu showing Genres or Folder objects with respective artwork (like native sageMC videos menu).. once you select the Genre or Folder object, it would take you to the awesome imovie menu as we know it. That way people can have their cake and eat it too

I'm guessing the only hard part might be the work involved to do that...

[mkanet]

jvl711, it looks like you and ikarius have the right idea by keeping things consistent by scrolling through genres and their respective artwork the same way you would with the videos.

Now.. as far as your folder view and showing all of them on one page...

I have pretty neat idea I want to run past you (maybe something close to this anyway) which would not only help with how to do your folder view, but also address one big limitation with iMovies when compared to SageTV's native Imported Videos menu and SageMC's Imported Videos from a practical standpoint:

Currently, iMovies only has one row of videos (limiting the user from seeing more videos at one time and wasting valuable real estate on the screen).

Why not have 2 or 3 rows AND still have the same awesome eyecandy you have now using fixed focus/scroll? There should be enough room on the screen without the vidoes looking too small. It would be something like SageMC's Fixed Focus method for displaying the Main Menu; something like a snake like pattern.

Or, if you really want to go crazy, go 3D!! Have the videos rotate in a circular-like orbit (you would actually get to see the backside of the artwork of each video!

Anyway, I hopefully you can visualize this concept for folder view. Each time you select a folder, it displays the contents of the folder in this multiple row pattern; one of the items in the mix of folders and files would be a ".." to take you one folder higher up in the folder hierarchy.

Am I just dreaming or is something like this feasible/desirable?

-Michael

Originally Posted by jvl711

mkanet,

I am working with ikarius on adding some new functionality for genre switching. It is not going to be a new screen with a list of genres, but a key to scroll through the possible genres. I think this is close to what some people are looking for.

I am still struggling with the folder view. I really want to keep everything in one screen. Can you let me know what some of the issues are that you have with the way I currently allow users to navigate thru the folders. Is there anyway I can enhance the way it currently works to make it better for more users without making exactly the same as the built in video library.

[ejkeebler]

One of the primary reasons I have stayed away from this plugin, it just simply seems to waste too much of the screen. I wish I had an answer for what it needs, but I don't. the suggestiong by mkanet is definately something that would help though in my opinion

movies move like so

<-- <-- <-- <-- <--
--> --> --> --> UP
UP <-- SEL <-- <--
--> --> --> --> UP
UP <-- <-- <-- <--

SEL would be the focused selection so the movie would always be basically in the middle and as you pressed left or right the movies slide accordingly? Just incase you were having a hard time visualizing what mkanet was saying or at least how I visualize what mkanet was saying. and then you could always see 9 or 25 (or whatever looks good) movies on the screen and the rest would just be available as you moved along, or maybe you could even have a button to turn off the focus so if you saw a movie appear on the screen on the top left and didnt want to scroll till it got to the middle, you could hit a button which would remove focuse press up and press left and select it?