iPad/iPod/iPhone application: TiSageTV

[Fonceur]

Originally Posted by tvmaster2

I think all most of us can wish for is a stable, $29.99 app that simply does what it should; play videos.

Streaming videos to the device has never been the focus of this app. There are various apps like Plex which are dedicated to streaming files between their own server and mobile devices.

I had hopes that the iOS streaming plugin would improve over time, unfortunately its developer left SageTV with the Google purchase, or possibly even before. I've tried tweaking things here and there, but that never really seemed to help much.

Originally Posted by tvmaster2

edit: ok, I assume now that the client is the iPad, which must be selected (as opposed to it being merely a choice)

Yes, that was the whole point of Adam's recommendation, by having the device as a client, there is no need for the ambiguous play and the play on device/client.

[Fonceur]

Originally Posted by Fonceur

- Now the Status also handles the iOS Device.

And on a related note, the "Remote control" can be used to control the audio playback...

[tvmaster2]

I'm confused...streaming to the device wasn't the intention? what was?

On a separate note, do you think you'll ever be able to add the ability to select a single channel, numerically, with regards to sifting through the 1,000 channel TV guide listings? That would be really great.

[tvmaster2]

Originally Posted by Fonceur

And on a related note, the "Remote control" can be used to control the audio playback...

audio playback of what - the server? a client...?

[Fonceur]

Originally Posted by tvmaster2

I'm confused...streaming to the device wasn't the intention? what was?

The 99 other things you can do with the app... Personally, I've never understood the interest of recording in HD only to watch it on a 3.5" phone in noisy public transport, instead of a 40"+ tv in a living room... Worse case, you transcode it to a compatible format and sync the phone/tablet in the morning or something.

On a separate note, do you think you'll ever be able to add the ability to select a single channel, numerically, with regards to sifting through the 1,000 channel TV guide listings?

Yes, it almost made it in 1.62, but I couldn't quite fit it in the UI of the iPhone/iPod touch. While the iPad has plenty of room for that, on the smaller devices the user might have to chose between the text field or the selector.

Originally Posted by tvmaster2

audio playback of what - the server? a client...?

Controlling the SageTV extenders/clients has always been in there... I am talking of the music playback on the device that was added in version 1.61. The initial release had no way of controlling it, when you started a song/album/playlist, it would play until completion or the app was killed. Now you can pause/play/stop a single song, or move between songs of an album/playlist.

[tvmaster2]

Originally Posted by Fonceur

The 99 other things you can do with the app... Personally, I've never understood the interest of recording in HD only to watch it on a 3.5" phone in noisy public transport, instead of a 40"+ tv in a living room... Worse case, you transcode it to a compatible format and sync the phone/tablet in the morning or something.


Yes, it almost made it in 1.62, but I couldn't quite fit it in the UI of the iPhone/iPod touch. While the iPad has plenty of room for that, on the smaller devices the user might have to chose between the text field or the selector.


Controlling the SageTV extenders/clients has always been in there... I am talking of the music playback on the device that was added in version 1.61. The initial release had no way of controlling it, when you started a song/album/playlist, it would play until completion or the app was killed. Now you can pause/play/stop a single song, or move between songs of an album/playlist.

yeah, I don't get the 3.5 inch screen either. iPad is as small as I go. And if some features won't fit on the iPhone....too bad for them
thanks for the music explanation...still figuring things out. thanks

edit: sorry, I don't see any way to stop a song...just a play button. If I hit that while song is playing, it just restarts it.

[Fonceur]

Originally Posted by tvmaster2

And if some features won't fit on the iPhone....too bad for them

Actually, in 1.63 I just split the channel number and description in two fields, which works out nicely.

edit: sorry, I don't see any way to stop a song...just a play button. If I hit that while song is playing, it just restarts it.

If you only see play button(s), you obviously are not on the Remote control screen...

[tvmaster2]

Originally Posted by Fonceur

Actually, in 1.63 I just split the channel number and description in two fields, which works out nicely.

If you only see play button(s), you obviously are not on the Remote control screen...

cool - it would be such a bonus to just go to a channel directly

sorry, the way I read it, I expected to find a "start/stop" button under the album items withing Media Center/Albums, where there are only Add to Playlist and Play buttons. So you start the song here, and then shuffle back through menus to find the stop button?

[Fonceur]

Originally Posted by tvmaster2

So you start the song here, and then shuffle back through menus to find the stop button?

One place where the iPhone/iPod have an advantage, since the remote control is in a different tab and available at all time...

Though technically there is nothing preventing me from doing something similar for iPad. I probably wouldn't show the menu button on the Remote control tab in Portrait mode, and would lose some screen estate, but I do like that idea. Now to see how messy that is to implement...

EDIT: After starting the iPad modification, I'm tempted to simply move all the main menu items to tab bar items... That would allow for faster navigation without having to go through layers of back buttons. I'm also tempted to partially do it for the iPod/iPhone version, though it could not handle as many tab bar items...

[tvmaster2]

Originally Posted by Fonceur

One place where the iPhone/iPod have an advantage, since the remote control is in a different tab and available at all time...

Though technically there is nothing preventing me from doing something similar for iPad. I probably wouldn't show the menu button on the Remote control tab in Portrait mode, and would lose some screen estate, but I do like that idea. Now to see how messy that is to implement...

EDIT: After starting the iPad modification, I'm tempted to simply move all the main menu items to tab bar items... That would allow for faster navigation without having to go through layers of back buttons. I'm also tempted to partially do it for the iPod/iPhone version, though it could not handle as many tab bar items...

on the ipad version, you could utilize smaller fonts for the left-hand menu items, if you were looking for real estate. And from where I am looking on the ipad, there's certainly enough room for a "stop" button in both the Albums/Song listing area (right beneath the play button?), and in the "Songs" area, the "play on device" button...if you didn't have real estate, could that button be a "toggle", i.e hit Play on Device to start, and once the song starts, the requester button would then read "stop on device"
Possible?

[adamwh]

Sorry for the lack of feedback, January has been interesting at work with a lot of travel.

I like the changes in 1.62. The rearrangement of the buttons for play/client/add to playlist makes things easier. I'm still hung up on the Sort by Title thing not sticking if it's at all possible to implement that, but you're right all other sort by methods stay when navigating away from the page. In addition to having to resort by title, it also puts you back at the top of the page each time I re-select it.

I finally see how the playlist works, I think. Part of the issue (which you mentioned in your last reply but I sort of glossed over) is that if the last thing I played directly on the client is a video, that is what's in the now playing playlist. Add to playlist doesn't do anything in that case since I can't mix audio with the video currently in the playlist. Is there a possibility of emptying the now playing playlist?

If I just push play on a song within an album, it keeps playing after that song (going to the next song). Is this some sort of invisible playlist? I sort of envision that play button similar to Sage's "play this song now" button which empties the "now playing" playlist and puts just that song on it. With the client menus, I usually start listening to the first song (which clears the list), and then cue up further songs while it's playing by adding them to the now playing playlist but I can't quite replicate this in TiSageTV (or just don't know how to using the controls as they currently are).

With regards to the side menu, I too would like quicker access to the remote, and maybe even to the now playing list. Maybe it would be possible to fly it in from the side somehow rather than have it always visible? The Crestron app does something like that. That would open up that space for the main pages. Maybe also add a simpler remote that you could pop up at will that shows now playing and some basic transport controls so you don't have to navigate away from your media page every time. Or maybe even use the space freed up by remove the permanent side bar to implement some hybrid media selection/transport controls page.

[Fonceur]

Originally Posted by adamwh

I'm still hung up on the Sort by Title thing not sticking if it's at all possible to implement that

It comes down to the fact that "Sort by title" is basically at level 2 while all the other sorts are at level 1... So if it was remembered, you could never get back the other sort options.

if the last thing I played directly on the client is a video, that is what's in the now playing playlist. Add to playlist doesn't do anything in that case since I can't mix audio with the video currently in the playlist.

That would explain it indeed. The "now playing" playlist is really an odd animal, you should probably just create an "Audio" one and reuse it for that...

Is there a possibility of emptying the now playing playlist?

I could probably add a "wipe playlist" button for that purpose.

If I just push play on a song within an album, it keeps playing after that song (going to the next song). Is this some sort of invisible playlist?

That's actually a default SageTV functionality, if SageTV doesn't do it itself, it probably uses a different call then the one I use to start the song...

I sort of envision that play button similar to Sage's "play this song now" button which empties the "now playing" playlist and puts just that song on it.

Which I guess is the different call mentioned before. They're not playing directly, but adding to a playlist and starting it instead. If that's the only thing that the "Now playing" playlist is used for, then it would make sense to implement the functionality that way.

[wayner]

I upgraded for the first time in months. I initially had continuous crashing until I deleted one of the server entries that was not live - this was the "remote" server that I had never used.

One small problem - I have about 20 clients that show up, many of them PCs that ran placeshifter at one time. (I do have about 10 extenders, many are not being used but they all have been active at one time, at least to upgrade firmware). The last entry in the list of the clients is almost impossible to select as only about 25% of it is visible as the scroll list won't allow it to go all the way down. Is this a known issue or do you need more info and a screenshot?

One other issue that hasn't been resolved is that if you have the same channel in three lineups it shows up three times.

[wayner]

i am now getting pretty much continuous crashing. I am on 1.62 with iOS 6.01 on an iPad2. The app is startiing up in remote mode and crashing after about 1 second.

[gtaillon]

Hi I have used this app extensively when I travel to steam video from my home sagetv. When I am home I use extenders not this app. But when I am out of town this the only possibility for connecting to sagetv with my ipad. This was my primary use of the app and the only reason I bought it. I wish you could restore this steaming function as I know I am not the only on who uses it on an ipad.

[Fonceur]

Originally Posted by wayner

One small problem - I have about 20 clients that show up, many of them PCs that ran placeshifter at one time.

You could shutdown SageTV and its service, then edit sage.properties to remove those clients no longer used.

The last entry in the list of the clients is almost impossible to select as only about 25% of it is visible as the scroll list won't allow it to go all the way down. Is this a known issue or do you need more info and a screenshot?

I never tried with that many entries, so I'll have to see.

One other issue that hasn't been resolved is that if you have the same channel in three lineups it shows up three times.

Yes I've already fixed that in 1.63, not sure when I'll submit the next release.

Originally Posted by wayner

i am now getting pretty much continuous crashing.

Try switching to air plane mode, then go to Information/About and hit the wipe TiSageTV database button. Kill the app, re-enable wifi and restart the app.

Originally Posted by gtaillon

I wish you could restore this steaming function as I know I am not the only on who uses it on an ipad.

It's not gone, you just have to select the iDevice as a client, then the Play button will actually stream to it.

[tvmaster2]

I too seem to have many more clients than I own. What is the line in properties that needs to be edited?
thanks

[Fonceur]

Originally Posted by tvmaster2

I too seem to have many more clients than I own. What is the line in properties that needs to be edited?
thanks

I guess if the router keeps assigning a different IP, the same software client could have multiple entries... You want to look for the lines:

sageTCPServer/client=IP1: port1,IP2: port2...IPn: portn

there is also a line for the extenders, but unless some died or were retired, there is probably not much need to remove them.

[tvmaster2]

Originally Posted by Fonceur

I guess if the router keeps assigning a different IP, the same software client could have multiple entries... You want to look for the lines:

sageTCPServer/client=IP1: port1,IP2: port2...IPn: portn

there is also a line for the extenders, but unless some died or were retired, there is probably not much need to remove them.

some show up as ip addresses, and some as what appear to be Mac addresses

[wayner]

Originally Posted by Fonceur

sageTCPServer/client=IP1: port1,IP2: port2...IPn: portn

there is also a line for the extenders, but unless some died or were retired, there is probably not much need to remove them.

Actually it seems to be the extenders entries that are the issue. It appears that extenders also includes Placeshifter clients. Through the years I have run Placeshifter on many PCs.

What happens if I delete an entry that I still use? Will it be added back the next time I connect with that client?

All of the entries for the extenders are MAC addresses rather than IPs.

From what I can see it looks like HD-200 extenders start with 001d6a and HD-300 extenders start with 0023a500.

The other entries that I have are PCs but it will be a pain in the butt to determine which ones are live and which ones are dead.