i-loop's design - work in progress - 2007-08-10

[infinityloop]

Originally Posted by jaeger

I think this is going to happen most often when channel surfing. In which case the most likely option would be to jump over the channels until there is a available channel. If this really is the case, then the option is not really needed (often).

but if you do not want to tune that channel which is highlighted as "unavailable", why would you select it and press "okay" which brings up that dialog window?

have i missed something?

[Nicodemuz]

Originally Posted by infinityloop

well....... how do you skip 30minutes or even one hour then?

for me (and most of the other users) the skipssteps are working nicley as they do atm.

but i understand that you have an other opinion on that. and thats fine for me.

maybe you should try the "up" and "down" buttons, which instanly issue a fixed step forward/backward (cant remember how long that is, maybe should become configureable, so you are pleased then too

I will try up/down buttons, if I don't remember totally wrong I think I have seen possibillity to configure the step sizes.

Originally Posted by infinityloop

the idea is not bad, but you can overdo the configurable options

Well, yes you can but since the configuration is done rarely then I rather have a powerful solution which allows configuring more than less.
There are a few different kinds of users to please so configuration options is a must.
That also make me think that maybe we are going at this the worng way, maybe we should identify the "kinds of users" and specify their use cases?

Originally Posted by infinityloop

i do not like that. what should that be good for?

Because station logos are making the screen terrible to look at with all these mixed colors and they take up space - the mini-EPG could be having more channels visible without them.

The size is a reason why I want to be able to configure font size (I want to be able to do that for everything in MP) since I don't use an especially small display.

Would also be great if we could define "page up/down" buttons in the mini-EPG.

Originally Posted by infinityloop

nice idea, but has to be checked where this can be added (place)

You got a whole screen of unused space ;-)

Originally Posted by infinityloop

i would never add that because

1. unimportand info -> userinterface must be simple and not overwhelm the user with data
2. completely unrelieable informartion. because the majority of the TV-Cards drivers doesnt even provide these valuse.

Well, are drivers missing this info I won't insist ;-)

Originally Posted by infinityloop

back should aways bring you "back" to where you came from. either MyTV homescreen of fullscreen Live-TV

Well, I meant back to previous menu but I realise that it wasn't what I said.

Originally Posted by infinityloop

that doesnt work.
because how do you want to get "back" to the MediaPortal Homescreen?

you can only get back to fullscreen LiveTV by pressing the "Watch Tv" Button

But since I probably have been inside a submenu I already have my finger on the "Back" key so if it moves me to fullscreen LiveTV it would be great.

Leaving TV in full to enter MP main menu could be achieved by pressing back when in fullscreen LiveTV.

Originally Posted by infinityloop

again, you can overdo the configurable options

Nah, not really
Well, ok but I think MP with ease can have plenty more options with making the setup a mezz.

Originally Posted by infinityloop

no offence,j ust a general note:

this post is the best exmple of the "problem" we are faceing.

on one hand we have many user who say "KEEP IT SIMPLE"
on the other hand we have users who want to be able to configure virtualy everything.

we can only try to go the way in the middle somehow.

no offence taken

I agree, keep the "live" interface simple but that doesn't exclude a powerful, almost complex, setup capability.

[jaeger]

Originally Posted by infinityloop

but if you do not want to tune that channel which is highlighted as "unavailable", why would you select it and press "okay" which brings up that dialog window?

have i missed something?

I think I didn't get your original idea correctly. If you meant that option window comes only when you do the tuning of unavailable channel from the mini-epg. Then forget everything I wrote.

I thought that window would come also when you press channel up/down and the next channel would be unavailable. In this case what I wrote is meaningful (I hope)

[infinityloop]

Originally Posted by jaeger

I thought that window would come also when you press channel up/down and the next channel would be unavailable. In this case what I wrote is meaningful (I hope)

well, that realy is a good point

then a "third" option like "tune next available channel [channelname]" would be quite nice.

will try to add that option.

[infinityloop]

Originally Posted by Nicodemuz

I will try up/down buttons, if I don't remember totally wrong I think I have seen possibillity to configure the step sizes.

yes, but this is for the "left" "right" buttons..... i think that "up" "down" is not configureable (yet)

Originally Posted by Nicodemuz

Well, yes you can but since the configuration is done rarely then I rather have a powerful solution which allows configuring more than less.
There are a few different kinds of users to please so configuration options is a must.
That also make me think that maybe we are going at this the worng way, maybe we should identify the "kinds of users" and specify their use cases?

i thought once about a "basic" condiguration view and a "advanced" view which shows "all" config settings.
but thats a bit too much atm.

Originally Posted by Nicodemuz

Because station logos are making the screen terrible to look at with all these mixed colors and they take up space - the mini-EPG could be having more channels visible without them.

well, i dissagree on that. because the channellogo makes identifying the channel very easy.

but again, thats a personal opinion.

Originally Posted by Nicodemuz

The size is a reason why I want to be able to configure font size (I want to be able to do that for everything in MP) since I don't use an especially small display.

well, it would be good to have a "slider" to adjust the fontsize....

but unfortunately thats impossible.
because if you change the fontsize you have to change the alignment too.
and stupidly you will also break the boundaries of your background gfx (buttons i.e.) at some point.

so only way is to create a skin in different versions. see my BlueTwoBig Skin Modification as example.

Originally Posted by Nicodemuz

But since I probably have been inside a submenu I already have my finger on the "Back" key so if it moves me to fullscreen LiveTV it would be great.

if you have i.e. mini-epg (channel selector) open, then "back" brings you back to "LiveTV"

but if you are in "LiveTV" and press "back" once, then you get to the "MyTV homescreen", press back once more and you are in MediaPortal homescreen.

thats how it works currently too

Originally Posted by Nicodemuz

no offence taken

I agree, keep the "live" interface simple but that doesn't exclude a powerful, almost complex, setup capability.

well.....
you might have not yet "found" the threads which complain about the "uber-complex" and confusing setup we have......

imo. we realy need a well working wizzard, and the TV-Server, DB-Server, client installation process has to become much easier.

+ the pre-config should work out of the box for the "average" user.

a "basic" and "advanced" configuration mode would be also a good idea to please both "user types"

the main reasons why config is painful for a none-geek are,

1. configuration.exe is only english (multilanguage is kind of a problem with win-forms)
2. no tool-tips
3. the wiki is not up-to-date

1) and 2) is something for the developers, but on 3) the community could realy help by filling the empty wiki sections with manuals

btw. for 1 and 2 the developers would also need help from developers out of our community.

[Nicodemuz]

Originally Posted by infinityloop

well, i dissagree on that. because the channellogo makes identifying the channel very easy.

but again, thats a personal opinion.

Well, I daily use one without channel logos on my STB and have no problem identifying the channels.
The screenshots I have seen since the days of "myHTPC" of channel lists with logotypes have only been confusing.

But I can see we have at least two different kinds of users here:
1) The zapping user: channel name and logo is not interesting, only whats on the channels are of interest.
2) The user who already knows what he/she wants to see and at which channel: channel names are of more intrest than whats currently on

I am a zapping user, I zap through maybe 20 twenty channels stored in a favorite bouquet and I know at what position, "channel number", they are assigned so I really don't care much about the station name and even less about the logo. Even the kids (6 and 8 years old) have learnt what positions they find the cartoons.

I am not a full user of MP yet (since my TV card aint supported) so I might be the last user which requirements are to be fulfilled but I know I am not alone at viewing channels this way.
In Sweden we really don't have that much channels in the terrestial or cable NW:s and satellite users with capability to receive really lots of channels are not that many.

[lkuech]

Originally Posted by infinityloop

well, that realy is a good point

then a "third" option like "tune next available channel [channelname]" would be quite nice.

will try to add that option.

Yes. I like that.

If you try to switch to an unavailable channel directly via the miniepg or by entering the channel number, the "free tv card" dialog should come up.
If you use the channel up/down keys unavailable channels should be skipped (and maybe a small OSD message should inform the user about that).

Bye
Lars

[infinityloop]

first post has been updated with the altered "untuneable channel" solution.

[cul8er]

rsparey have som very nice features in his thread (http://forum.team-mediaportal.com/me...pt-t26131.html), perhaps something that could be added in this concept as this is the concept that has covered most ground so far.

Some VERY nice features here.

I especially like;
* the option to record shows that are already stored in your buffer
* mini epg shows on now AND on next
* options on recorded tv like: "Remove adverts and play", "Password Protect", "Move to folder".

Hope these features are added to the Design concept eventually implemented!

One question;
How are we going to collect all the great ideas that popup in the different design concepts so that we do not miss some great feature suggested?

[infinityloop]

Originally Posted by cul8er

* the option to record shows that are already stored in your buffer

this should allready work.

i.e. tune a channel, watch a movie, notice that the movie is cool -> record now -> whole bufferfile is included in the recording

Originally Posted by cul8er

* mini epg shows on now AND on next

i had the same idea yesterday currently fideling around with Photoshop to add it

Originally Posted by cul8er

* options on recorded tv like: "Remove adverts and play", "Password Protect", "Move to folder".

this section i have not thought about yet, thx for the input

generaly speaking i would love to see a user-management, but a decent solution would require to re-work whole mediaportal (every single area/plugin) + moving it completely to a central database.

Originally Posted by cul8er

How are we going to collect all the great ideas that popup in the different design concepts so that we do not miss some great feature suggested?

we will let it going on like we do atm.
at some point the team will start to skim through the proposals, and decide what will/can be added.