2004-04-04, 02:19
hello. i really enjoy using xbmc, it's now my default dash. the software is great and best of all, it's free.
it's always been a pain having to use tv-out software on the pc. it's pretty far from user-friendly and whilst in tv mode the computer can't be used for anything else (there is a workaround but is it really that convenient?). anyway that’s why i like the xbox so much. it’s really really really user-friendly, thanks to xbmc of course. at last, the whole family (no matter how computer literate you are) can use and appreciate a digital entertainment center =)
but i'm amazed at how much the user interface of the xbmc software is similar to that of, shall we say, the “traditional” computer look and feel. this is what bothers me. does the user for example always need to have the options/settings on screen, visible at all times? does the user really need to be able to change the view setting, stack/unstack, have a dvd option presented 24/7?
these options/settings use 1/4 of the screen area (at least on my 28", non-widescreen) which is a bit too much for something that hardly gets used after a while. i did mess about with these in the beginning but now i hardly touch them (music being the exception). well actually, i do still mess about with the "switch view" option in video but that’s just because i use folders and there is no other way to navigate up/down levels whilst in certain (most) modes. this might be fixed now though i'm using 2004-03-09.
so, i think the best way to go would be to have a dedicated screen area for doing exactly what it is we want to do. to browse/view titles. am i wrong?
i’m not saying get rip of the left side menu altogether, just hide it until a certain button/combo is pressed. hey what about the remote controll button called menu?
i would be happy to throw together a mock-up for how the ui could be presented in a more efficient way (focus on browsing/viewing titles) but i wouldn’t want to step on any big toes =) so i’ll just let you chew on my suggestion for a while, let me know what you think. again, great piece of software thanks!
ps. is there a way (edit .xml file) to configure "view" settings for specific folders? i want to get rid or the [..] icon in the root dir. the [..] only shows the first time i enter the video section, the root is default home dir for my videos. this probably doesn't make sense to you but i thought i'd ask anyway.
it's always been a pain having to use tv-out software on the pc. it's pretty far from user-friendly and whilst in tv mode the computer can't be used for anything else (there is a workaround but is it really that convenient?). anyway that’s why i like the xbox so much. it’s really really really user-friendly, thanks to xbmc of course. at last, the whole family (no matter how computer literate you are) can use and appreciate a digital entertainment center =)
but i'm amazed at how much the user interface of the xbmc software is similar to that of, shall we say, the “traditional” computer look and feel. this is what bothers me. does the user for example always need to have the options/settings on screen, visible at all times? does the user really need to be able to change the view setting, stack/unstack, have a dvd option presented 24/7?
these options/settings use 1/4 of the screen area (at least on my 28", non-widescreen) which is a bit too much for something that hardly gets used after a while. i did mess about with these in the beginning but now i hardly touch them (music being the exception). well actually, i do still mess about with the "switch view" option in video but that’s just because i use folders and there is no other way to navigate up/down levels whilst in certain (most) modes. this might be fixed now though i'm using 2004-03-09.
so, i think the best way to go would be to have a dedicated screen area for doing exactly what it is we want to do. to browse/view titles. am i wrong?
i’m not saying get rip of the left side menu altogether, just hide it until a certain button/combo is pressed. hey what about the remote controll button called menu?
i would be happy to throw together a mock-up for how the ui could be presented in a more efficient way (focus on browsing/viewing titles) but i wouldn’t want to step on any big toes =) so i’ll just let you chew on my suggestion for a while, let me know what you think. again, great piece of software thanks!
ps. is there a way (edit .xml file) to configure "view" settings for specific folders? i want to get rid or the [..] icon in the root dir. the [..] only shows the first time i enter the video section, the root is default home dir for my videos. this probably doesn't make sense to you but i thought i'd ask anyway.