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Scott Davilla

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jan 5, 2016
160
69
https://mrmc.tv/2018/02/06/mrmc-and-mrmc-lite-3-5-0-step-1-lets-focus/

MrMC v3.5.0 brings major improvements to GUI navigation on the tvOS platform using a new Focus Engine View tracker. This Focus Engine tracks every item in the GLES rendered skins and presents an invisible layer with tvOS native views that allows Siri to smoothly navigate around without having to interpret every move as click. Taps/Pans/Swipes are handled just like any other tvOS app and the interaction is truly amazing.

Armed with the new Focus Engine View tracker, we added progress scrubbing to tvOS platform, just how apple wanted you to use Siri touch pad.

This version is the first of several steps, which includes the return of python and of course, more skins.
 

jeevestobs

macrumors newbie
Aug 30, 2008
21
4
This is fantastic! What an ingenious and seamless implementation of native Siri remote behavior, too!

A couple of tiny annoyances with this version (after using it for 10 minutes):
- I can't swipe down to switch audio tracks or turn on subtitles during playback without pausing first;
- when I try to toggle audio tracks from the Settings menu, I have to go back to tapping the touch surface instead of swiping because I always overshoot and the focus cycles back to the first option of that menu;
- circular progress animation when pressing left or right to skip backward or forward feels distracting (the random numbers indicating progress are redundant for such a quick and often used action);

My biggest wish for the Opacity skin: please consider making all available audio tracks and subtitles visible and listed as top-level menu items (like in the native video player UI) and not hidden behind the clunky toggle options with cryptic three letter abbreviations. Larger size movie/TV show posters would be great as well.
 
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Scott Davilla

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jan 5, 2016
160
69
Thanks, there will be some tweaks to nav and settings over time. This is just the 1st of many changes we have planned.
 

Peepo

macrumors 65816
Jun 18, 2009
1,174
627
Great work.

I find VideoToolbox has lots of bad artifacts (noticeable more in dark scenes) where AVFoundation is very superior and clear - even with HD x264 and x265 1080p, 720p sources it improves playback drastically. I was wondering why the native Plex app played some videos "cleaner" until I turned off VideoToolbox and use AVFoundation exclusively. I do however find AVFoundation a bit clunkier when jumping chapters - mainly in 4K streams and sometimes playback pauses/gets stuck and solution is that I have to skip forward/backward to resume playback. I am using an AppleTV 4K.
[doublepost=1518588158][/doublepost]
This is fantastic! What an ingenious and seamless implementation of native Siri remote behavior, too!

A couple of tiny annoyances with this version (after using it for 10 minutes):
- I can't swipe down to switch audio tracks or turn on subtitles during playback without pausing first;
- when I try to toggle audio tracks from the Settings menu, I have to go back to tapping the touch surface instead of swiping because I always overshoot and the focus cycles back to the first option of that menu;
- circular progress animation when pressing left or right to skip backward or forward feels distracting (the random numbers indicating progress are redundant for such a quick and often used action);

My biggest wish for the Opacity skin: please consider making all available audio tracks and subtitles visible and listed as top-level menu items (like in the native video player UI) and not hidden behind the clunky toggle options with cryptic three letter abbreviations. Larger size movie/TV show posters would be great as well.
I don't like either... I found that with Siri remote if I tap, then Click, Click (click twice), it brings up the legacy controls.

Also, clicking left part of remote seeks back 10 sec. Clicking right part or up/down does not do the expected seek forward 10 sec and/or forward/back chapters or 10 minute increments.

I use a Harmony remote and prefer the legacy controls on-screen but cannot seem to get to them with that remote. I could get used to it though if I had to. At least seek still works for that remote otherwise that would disappoint me.

Edit - figure out how to get to legacy on-screen controls with Harmony remote. I seek (for example by pressing right button, but any one will work) and while the seek windows appears in top right I press OK before it disappears in a few seconds. When seeking like this, it does not show the little scrubber window. Should make it an option for old way (eg. disable scrubber)
 
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Scott Davilla

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jan 5, 2016
160
69
Scrubber and new ODS are present if and only if certain conditions are present. for example, if you are watching a source that cannot seek, you do not get scrubber and get the old OSD. This is still a work-in-progress as there are a lot of different ways that MrMC can access local and remote video, music and picture content. Way beyond what other tvOS Apps that offer video media playback.

There is also an exclusions available on file type, for example, xxxx.strm. Testflight reviled some users were using xxx.strm format and their subscription was connection limited. As stubbing activates an independent inputstream, a second input connection resulted.

For requests, we highly recommend joining us and others in the MrMC forums. There is a request section and we use this for gauging user requests.


As mentioned in the OP, this is the 1st of many steps that will greatly improve MrMC capabilities, including more skins.
 

Scott Davilla

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jan 5, 2016
160
69
Here's a teaser for next version: Plex for Kodi addon running under MrMC on AppleTV 4K. Python is back :)

ZfqHspF.jpg
 

Scott Davilla

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jan 5, 2016
160
69
The re-integration of python and addition of Plex for Kodi (now called Plex for MrMC) is going nicely in TestFlight. Possible release soon.
 
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