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+---- Thread: XBMC Remote for Android (/showthread.php?tid=55346)
- seaweeduk - 2009-11-27
Would it be possible to allow the download covers option to run in the background?
It's going to take a number of hours to download my 1000 or so music album covers and if I press the home key to use my phone in the mean time it stops the download and restarts from the beginning when I return to the app.
I know it probably doesn't take that long to download covers from a PC but from the XBOX it takes around 3-5 seconds per cover not already downloaded.
If not I'll just leave the app running over night to download my covers
- Nazgulled - 2009-11-29
Awesome application guys, congrats
I haven't yet used it much but I have a couple of remarks to make. I'm sorry if some of them have already been discussed but I just noticed about this great app and I'm not going to read 37 pages of posts lol...
1) When XBMC server is not running (maybe XBMC itself is not running, maybe the PC is not powered on, etc...) it's kinda pointless to show the "Use as: Remote Control" option. It doesn't serve any porpuse (as far as I know) if there is no connection. Correct me if I'm wrong, but if I'm not, my suggestion is to remove that option unless we are connected.
2) When we send the WOL magic packet with "Turn your XBMC's: Power On" option, we will get a timer at the bottom, waiting X seconds before trying to connect. But if we try to send the packet a few times in a row, we will get many timers and the counting at the bottom will swap between all them. My suggestion is either allow only to send a new packet after the timer reaches 0 or allow to send many packets as right now, but only use one timer, resetting the timer (to whatever value it is on settings) each time the user sends the packet.
3) The app has a very nice interface, it looks pretty good, really.
3.1) But the whole remote control thing needs a little improvement. We have so many awesome skinners on this forum, maybe someone could create a pretty remote interface. Just a thought though...
3.2) The files listing is black text and black line separators on white background. I think it would look better if it was the other way around, white on black. Most apps on Android seem to follow this. Again, this is just a thought.
3.3) The now playing window shows a CD case with the cover when a music is playing but it also shows the same CD case when a movie is playing. Doesn't make much sense to me. Or maybe I'm missing something because in the screnshots at the top of this topic, doesn't seem like it. Note: I tried this in "file mode" and I currently ddon't have a database setup and no video covers but for audio, I have folder.jpg covers on each album folder, which is shown. Maybe that's the problem, I don't know...
4) Some default options, when I first installed the app, were being ignored. For instance, "statusbar notifications". This option was selected but the notifications were not showing. I had to uncheck the option and check it back to make it work. The same thing happened to "vibrate on touch", the option was not selected by default but the remote was vibrating when pressing the buttons. I had to check it and then uncheck it to make it work as it should. Maybe this is a bug?
5) The PC were my XBMC is installed is used for other things, not just for XBMC. Which means I don't have XBMC running all the time, making this app a little bit useless without turning it on. But there's no way I can do that without a PC in front of me. Maybe, there could be a way to add an extra option to execute XBMC if it's not running. Yes, I know that for this to work, something have to be running in the background to allow it to communicate with the app. But it's an idea for the future, maybe someone else can come up with some ideas to easily implement this, or not... It's just a thought. It would be nice though.
6) If I open the app before opening XBMC, I won't be able to connect. Every time I press "Try again to: Connect" it will fail. I'll have to exit the app (Menu ยป Exit) and open it up again after opening XBMC and then it will work. This basically makes that button pointless cause I can never use it. Maybe this is a bug?
7) I think this one has already been suggested but streaming to the device would be pretty awesome to have! But not a priority of course.
8) I used this app with 2 different connections and here's what I found out:
8.1) Connected through wireless in my own LAN:
8.1.1) Remote control works fine.
8.1.2) Wake on lan also works fine.
8.2) Connected through 3G:
8.2.1) Remote control doesn't work
8.2.2) Wake on lan also didn't work
9) Using the app interface I was able to start playing some music and videos on XBMC. Clicking on pictures though, nothing happened... Bug or something else?
10) To finish, it would be a nice interface addition after pressing the "Turn your XBMC's: Power On" option to show a little message on screen saying the system is powering up and to automatically disappear when the computer has finally booted. If it's not so hard to implement of course.
Sorry for the big testament but these are just my initial reactions to this awesome application and I'm just trying to help you improve it.
- StarChild - 2009-11-29
@Nazgulled:
I will try to answer some of your questions.
1) They have an intension to change this in the future.
3.1) Agree
4) Have you update this app from a previously version? Or have you uninstalled the older version before you installed your current version? If you did a clean install it's sounds like a bug and you could add a ticket for that.
6) This has been fixed in r371 and will be included in next version.
8.2) Really not sure about this, but I think someone has got this running for some weeks ago. It has been discussed anyway. Search for '3G' in this thread.
9) Picture support is on its way.
10) That would be a nice feature. They still figuring on how to do this. It may be (or may not be) possible though.
- Nazgulled - 2009-11-29
Thanks for your answers
As for #4, yes it was a clean install... But as I'm testing my new Android device and I'm not yet using as a daily basis, I'll probably do another clean install (as I'll be clean installing the Android ROM too) and see if it happens again. If it does happen again, I'll try to not forget about the ticket.
As for #8.2, I don't know if this is a 3G problem or a problem in the the connection as long as it's not inside the LAN. I'll be able to test this tomorrow night maybe, right now I don't have that possibility.
- StarChild - 2009-11-29
Just did a clean install and tested the "Vibrate on Touch" and I can reproduce it. So please add a ticket for this.
About the notification bar I cant reproduce it. It ain't selected as default here.
- freezy - 2009-11-29
@Nazgulled: Generally reading the main page at Google Code and the issues on the tracker wouldn't hurt.
1) It does. Event server uses UDP, which means we have no idea if what we send is reaching its target. So the remote is always there, independently of HTTPAPI status.
2) Good remark. Can you a open a ticket please.
3.1) It's the fourth version I did. I doubt I'm going to do another one. Feel free to send me your knocks-everything-out-layout though.
3.2) Yah, I followed the HTC Sense layout pretty much and they do black on white. Not going to change soon..
3.3) That's going to change of course.
4) Ticket please
5) As you mentioned, not really up to us. Search the forum, there is some guy who implemented a python script which idles and starts XBMC on some event. We'd need something more standard in order to integrate it though.
6) Fixed in SVN
7) Sure, it's on the front page. See "Longterm features".
8) Why would you want to use it through 3G? You'll have to forward the ports to XBMC in order to make that work. Note that the whole internet can control your XBMC if you do that.
9) Yeah pics is on TODO.
10) Sure. Ticket please.
Thanks for the comments!
- Nazgulled - 2009-11-29
I'll create some tickets when I get the chance...
freezy Wrote:3.1) It's the fourth version I did. I doubt I'm going to do another one. Feel free to send me your knocks-everything-out-layout though.I saw some previous versions on this topic that look better designed than the current one. It's not that it's horrible or anything, but looks to plain. And I'm not saying for you to do it (again), I'm saying that someone that knows how to do those things pretty, could try and help out if he's willing to, of course.
freezy Wrote:3.2) Yah, I followed the HTC Sense layout pretty much and they do black on white. Not going to change soon..Yes, I understand that, but it's not quite the same and if the idea is to make it look the same (or close enough), here a couple of suggestions:
a) Remove the black border lines on both sides.
b) The black separator line should be much more brighter (light gray as the Sense UI), not truly black.
These 2 changes will make it look much better in my opinion. I'm talking about the files listing of course, like I said, I haven't tested this app that much as I don't even have a library set up on my XBMC.
freezy Wrote:8) Why would you want to use it through 3G? You'll have to forward the ports to XBMC in order to make that work. Note that the whole internet can control your XBMC if you do that.It's not about the 3G itself, it's about using it outside of the LAN. I know i'm open to the world but that's why there are passwords lol. I know how those can be insecure, but that's beside the point, because that's my problem and nobody is forcing me to open the ports, I only open them if I want to, so making it work outside of the LAN will not make the existing users vulnerable.
But for one reason, I remote access my computer a lot, but sometimes my parents are watching a movie and I don't want to interrupt anything (the screen flickers every time I connect and makes the video slower). If I could connect to XBMC through the internet, I could see if they are watching something and remote access later.
Also, when you guys implement streaming, this would be needed, yes?
But what's more important to me, is not to connect to XBMC through the internet, but to wake the computer up, it would be nice to be able to do that through the internet and not just the LAN.
I just looked at the code for the WOL packet an it seems everything is as it should be (I was thinking the problem could be the subnet mask, as far as my testing went, I had to use 255.255.255.255, where sometimes, with some tools, it was being used 255.255.255.0 and it didn't work). Now I don't know what's happening, but later tonight, I'll be able to test this through much better.
EDIT:
I have created 2 tickets, for point 2 and 4. As for 10, I can't seem to understand how to create an issue as being an "enhancement", by default they are "defect", which point 10 is not. Should I submit it anyways and you guys will change it later?
- freezy - 2009-11-29
Nazgulled Wrote:I saw some previous versions on this topic that look better designed than the current one. It's not that it's horrible or anything, but looks to plain. And I'm not saying for you to do it (again), I'm saying that someone that knows how to do those things pretty, could try and help out if he's willing to, of course.Oh you made me curious. Which one did you have in mind, since their layout is all pretty much the same, only style changed...
Nazgulled Wrote:Yes, I understand that, but it's not quite the same and if the idea is to make it look the same (or close enough), here a couple of suggestions:Yup, that's doable. Ticket please.
a) Remove the black border lines on both sides.
b) The black separator line should be much more brighter (light gray as the Sense UI), not truly black.
Nazgulled Wrote:But what's more important to me, is not to connect to XBMC through the internet, but to wake the computer up, it would be nice to be able to do that through the internet and not just the LAN.If you properly forward the ports, there is no reason why it shouldn't work. There is at least one person who does it already, see this thread. But we can't control your network setup in the app. We don't explicitly block 3G, if that was your question. However, I think in the future we probably will, because when we're relying on UDP broadcasts you HAVE to be in the same LAN, and TCP-polling wouldn't make any more sense, even less via the internet.
Nazgulled Wrote:I have created 2 tickets, for point 2 and 4. As for 10, I can't seem to understand how to create an issue as being an "enhancement", by default they are "defect", which point 10 is not. Should I submit it anyways and you guys will change it later?Thanks for the tickets! Yeah for some reason you can only add it as defect, no worries, we'll change that later.
Cheers!
- freezy - 2009-11-29
seaweeduk Wrote:Would it be possible to allow the download covers option to run in the background?
It's going to take a number of hours to download my 1000 or so music album covers and if I press the home key to use my phone in the mean time it stops the download and restarts from the beginning when I return to the app.
I know it probably doesn't take that long to download covers from a PC but from the XBOX it takes around 3-5 seconds per cover not already downloaded.
If not I'll just leave the app running over night to download my covers
Yeah that whole process should be optimized, it's just a quick hack ATM. Ticket plz
- Nazgulled - 2009-11-29
freezy Wrote:Oh you made me curious. Which one did you have in mind, since their layout is all pretty much the same, only style changed...It was one with green buttons... I was not very found of it either but I think it looked better. The "problem" is not the layout but the design, the current one looks so plain, so simple. Well, I currently don't have any time, but when I do, I'll try to come up with some mockups and see if you guys like it. Unless someone else steps in, let's just leave it like that then.
freezy Wrote:If you properly forward the ports, there is no reason why it shouldn't work. There is at least one person who does it already, see this thread. But we can't control your network setup in the app.Like I said, I'll be able to test this better later tonight to see if it works outside the LAN.
freezy Wrote:We don't explicitly block 3G, if that was your question. However, I think in the future we probably will, because when we're relying on UDP broadcasts you HAVE to be in the same LAN, and TCP-polling wouldn't make any more sense, even less via the internet.So, you're saying that this will not work at all in the future outside the LAN, no matter if it's 3G or something else? How is streaming going to work if you only allow connections inside the LAN? Or is this something entierly different?
- musti - 2009-11-29
the_alien Wrote:Did you enable the "Let other computers connect" option in the event server?
Yeah thanks, that was the problem, i upgraded and it went back to defaults without me noticing! doh!
- jangey - 2009-11-29
I just installed on my HTC Hero, works brilliantly. But, the application wont turn off. When I reset my phone and XBMC is still running, SMS's will be displayed on the TV. I've tried killing the remote software with task manager applications, resetting, selecting Exit, but new SMS's get sent to the TV no matter what.
I can turn off notifications- that works, but I'd like to have them on when I'm actually using the remote and off when I 'exit' the remote.
- freezy - 2009-11-29
jangey Wrote:I just installed on my HTC Hero, works brilliantly. But, the application wont turn off. When I reset my phone and XBMC is still running, SMS's will be displayed on the TV. I've tried killing the remote software with task manager applications, resetting, selecting Exit, but new SMS's get sent to the TV no matter what.
I can turn off notifications- that works, but I'd like to have them on when I'm actually using the remote and off when I 'exit' the remote.
The notifications are hooked into Android - independently of the app's status. So we'd have to check if it's running manually in order to fulfill your request. Open a ticket if you're serious about this.
- freezy - 2009-11-29
musti Wrote:Yeah thanks, that was the problem, i upgraded and it went back to defaults without me noticing! doh!
Yeah they changed lots of setting names in latest XBMC. Hence the reset.
- unlocalhost - 2009-11-29
Just out of curiosity what is the barcode like image under the download link for? I figured it was a way for me to download a file on my phone but since I dont know exactly what it is I can quite come up with a good way to find my answer in google.
I have already downloaded the file via the direct link.