Demand for Custom Picture Library and Music Library screens?

[HuMan321]

Originally Posted by PLUCKYHD

Okay I am wrapping up version 4 of the movie wall. Which gives me time for other addins I have a couple I am currently working on as well as this one but wanted everyone to know it is not dead. This is a very early build and not finalized but I am only sharing this one screen for now and even it could change.

cheers.

Screencap

I am very glad to see you are going forward with this!!!

One comment on the screenshot. The word "album" and "tracks" are misspelled.

[PLUCKYHD]

Originally Posted by HuMan321

I am very glad to see you are going forward with this!!!

One comment on the screenshot. The word "album" and "tracks" are misspelled.

Yeah early build is just that haven't really checked it for anything

[wrems]

I would like to see the searching mechanism that SageMC TV has, ported over to SMW and the audio wall.

The search I’m referring to is the ability to have the selections on the right filtered as one enters a character to the search criteria. It’s so much faster and easier this way when the exact title is not known you can just choose a word that appears somewhere in the title and the search will find it. This is also great for keying in searches with the remote.

BTW, what would be the technical term or official programmatic term for a search like this?

[PLUCKYHD]

Originally Posted by wrems

I would like to see the searching mechanism that SageMC TV has, ported over to SMW and the audio wall.

The search I’m referring to is the ability to have the selections on the right filtered as one enters a character to the search criteria. It’s so much faster and easier this way when the exact title is not known you can just choose a word that appears somewhere in the title and the search will find it. This is also great for keying in searches with the remote.

BTW, what would be the technical term or official programmatic term for a search like this?

You brought this up to me and I completely forgot about it. I call it a quick list filtering or instant filtering. I will look at adding it to the wall before version 4 is released should be easy enough.

[steambuilder]

Will the music wall be a separate add-in or will it be integrated with Movie Wall? For now will the folder.jpg system still be in place for album art or something else used? Just curious!

[PLUCKYHD]

Originally Posted by steambuilder

Will the music wall be a separate add-in or will it be integrated with Movie Wall? For now will the folder.jpg system still be in place for album art or something else used? Just curious!

It will probably be a separate add in but may be combined haven't thought thta far yet.

There is no fanart api yet for music so for the time being it will be the jpegs currently used in sagemc music library which are the folder or thumbnails.

[wrems]

It seems strange to me that 1 universal approach to searching wasn’t chosen throughout the entire SageMC UI, I can’t speak for the default since I don’t use it. This is moot since MC’s shelf life has a tbd expire data…

I don’t know how many different searching algorithms are being used but I think I’ve seen more than a couple depending on the particular screen that is utilizing a search function. I would think out of consistency and code sharing that it would be easiest to re-use the same search function wherever it could be applied. At the same time, there must be specific reason why it is not re-used.

I’m crossing my fingers that phoenix will utilize a consistent search mode like this throughout every screen where applicable, or even a better new fangled approach

[Fuzzy]

IMO, the search in the default STV is far superior to that of SageMC. It does quick list filtering, but it also does smart letter selection. For instance, to search for the word 'EARTH', in the Default STV, you type in 32784. In the SageMC search screen, you have to type 332777844... if your remote has iffy repeat issues, this is virtually impossible to do.

[PLUCKYHD]

Originally Posted by Fuzzy

IMO, the search in the default STV is far superior to that of SageMC. It does quick list filtering, but it also does smart letter selection. For instance, to search for the word 'EARTH', in the Default STV, you type in 32784. In the SageMC search screen, you have to type 332777844... if your remote has iffy repeat issues, this is virtually impossible to do.

There is actually the same search feature for tv I belive in sagemc just not movies that is what rems was refering too.

[Fuzzy]

no, SageMC does NOT include the same search. If you go to the search screen in SageMC, and type in 32784, you get a search for DAPTG, with obviously no results. You are correct, that he was referring to the different search interfaces in different parts of SageMC. I however, was pointing out that they are both inferior to the default.

[PLUCKYHD]

Originally Posted by Fuzzy

no, SageMC does NOT include the same search. If you go to the search screen in SageMC, and type in 32784, you get a search for DAPTG, with obviously no results. You are correct, that he was referring to the different search interfaces in different parts of SageMC. I however, was pointing out that they are both inferior to the default.

Remember Sagemc is 100% user created meaning done for free.. and for the stuff it does it is absolutelty amazing and in my opinion better than the default stv for looks and function for my needs. If Sagemc doesn't suite you then why keep pointing out all the stuff it doesn't do?

I am all for request and think it makes the end result of addins look good, but sometimes I get the feeling you are just putting down sagemc because it doesn't fit your needs. Which is fine if it doesn't fit your needs but it does to those who use it. It probably will never have some of the detail coding the default stv does but the people who do that have a development team, money and are getting paid for their time and ideas.

[Fuzzy]

I was merely responding to wrems comment about sagemc's search. He said he didn't like how SageMC was doing it, but didn't know how the default was. I do like a LOT of what is in SageMC, but cannot fully make the switch until it meets the needs that the default provide. For me, Form DOES follow function, and it seems every bit of flash that is added in SageMC, even your great movie wall and razr's tv explorer, there is some usability feature that is left out, that the default has. TV Explorer lacks the filtering/multi-view that the default's malore menus contain. Both lack the great search features of the default. These are reasons why I have lamented SageMC's separate path from the default. If it had been built as add-ons to the default, then it could have grown together. Instead, we get a choice between the default, which over the years has been getting easier and easier to use, while visually remaining stagnant, and SageMC, which has become more and more beautiful, but failing to grow significantly in a usability regard. I'm afraid Phoenix will be let another split, being implemented as yet another completely separate STV.

[PLUCKYHD]

You have some points I agree with but that is the nature of the beast and people who use the default stv will develop for it and visa versa for sagemc. A unified stv would be nice but on the same hand if I had to live with the look of the base menus and such of the default I wouldn't use age end of story

Now your comments about sagemc and all looks is harsh and not necessary again these people and myself work for free and at very different locations and countries working together is something we try for but is not as easy as being all in one room under one development team. And for you to comment on phoenix which keep in mind you haven't seen it and without it and it's api you would not even have fanart period it's current greatness period!! For sagemc or sagetv.

To say apps like mine and razors are more looks than function well I won't comment on how much that angered me....

[wrems]

Originally Posted by Fuzzy

IMO, the search in the default STV is far superior to that of SageMC. It does quick list filtering, but it also does smart letter selection. For instance, to search for the word 'EARTH', in the Default STV, you type in 32784. In the SageMC search screen, you have to type 332777844... if your remote has iffy repeat issues, this is virtually impossible to do.

I’m curious, I loaded the default STV to check out what you’re referring to. I’m with you as far as the universal approach to searching. It's nice to have 1 common search interface used everywhere one would want to search. That’s exactly what I was referring to in a later post. It's nice that it searches all fields, but that does slow the performance down a bit. SageMC's quicklist filtering is much faster, but it is only searching 1 field. I like the response of SageMC but the options are more powerful in the default. Long story short, I could get used to the default stv's way of doing searches, at the same time, I like/prefer SageMC...

I’m a bit perplexed at the smart letter selection you made reference to. Is this an option that I need to enable because if I key in “Earth” I get “daptg”. What am I missing?

[Opus4]

Originally Posted by wrems

I’m a bit perplexed at the smart letter selection you made reference to. Is this an option that I need to enable because if I key in “Earth” I get “daptg”. What am I missing?

If you really want to discuss filtering/searching in the default STV, please start a new topic devoted to that. But, the default STV's Quick Filtering/Searching using One Touch Numeric Text Input is part of the hidden features. You can filter in places such as the media browsers. It also works on the consolidated Search menu. Oh, and the search menu might seem slow as text is entered because it purposely delays searching while input is happening so that response time will be enhanced because the cpu doesn't have to immediately perform a search every time input is received. The delay is shorter as you input more characters because the search goes more quickly for longer search strings.

My implementation of this is based on an idea & some regular expression code from nielm. The filtering/searching code that came out of it is not trivial.

This is one of my favorite parts of the hidden features.

- Andy

[PLUCKYHD]

Originally Posted by Opus4

If you really want to discuss filtering/searching in the default STV, please start a new topic devoted to that. But, the default STV's Quick Filtering/Searching using One Touch Numeric Text Input is part of the hidden features. You can filter in places such as the media browsers. It also works on the consolidated Search menu. Oh, and the search menu might seem slow as text is entered because it purposely delays searching while input is happening so that response time will be enhanced because the cpu doesn't have to immediately perform a search every time input is received. The delay is shorter as you input more characters because the search goes more quickly for longer search strings.

My implementation of this is based on an idea & some regular expression code from nielm. The filtering/searching code that came out of it is not trivial.

This is one of my favorite parts of the hidden features.

- Andy

My good buddy Andy thanks I was looking for this as well last night. I may be asking questions about it in studio

[HuMan321]

Any more screenshots to share?

[cowboyway]

both for me!

[Ikarius]

I'll toss in my 2 cents here; the music UI could definitely use some work.

The picture UI could, also, but I think that the "killer feature" for the Picture UI would be.... integration with a major online picture publishing website.

I don't know whether that site should be; Flickr, Facebook, MobileMe, or another? The key feature would be to allow a user to put in their credentials, and have Sage go and download all their albums & photos- preserving the "album" organization (maybe even tags, too)- THAT would get people into using the "Pictures" functionality.

As it sits, the functionality on those major sites is way beyond what makes sense to implement in Sage, because you can share those pictures conveniently. Now, if those photos were synced down to SageTV and some friends came over, you could simply pull up an album, and slideshow through it. That would be pretty cool. Another cool feature would be to allow users to do a "my pictures" screen saver while playing music.

That's the vision I have for photos in sage. Only an idea tho.

Cheers
Ikarius

[sdsean]

i actually would use this too, i use music a ton. . .but I should note that I hate it when
apps try to remove/ignore the "The", "A" or "An", and would hope that you make it an option so as too not screw up my experience.