Unofficial Secret Extra v5-6 UI Features

[Opus4]

Yes, the version of mlbdude's 2-pane SageTV Recordings screen is the same one that was added to the default v2 STV by somebody way back when. As I recall, it was left in v2 as an unsupported menu that had to be activated via a property setting. I believe I will be returning it to that status, instead of having it selectable in the Customize tab of Detailed Setup. I _thought_ I had at least fixed the issue where the left arrow wouldn't get out of the right-hand pane, but from people's comments above, it isn't fixed after all.

The 'unsupported' extras in this thread are really just the things I personally use & it serves as a replacement for my custom STV that used to be released as 'MalDude' (a collection of feaures from Malore's & mlbdude's custom STVs). These extras are added during my spare time, of which I have a very limited supply lately. Since I don't even use the 2-pane 'mlbdude' recordings view & have lots of other things to do when I'm not working, I haven't been able to find spare time to work on that screen. So, like I said a couple sentences ago: this 2-pane menu will most likely revert to being enabled only by a property setting. If I ever find extra time to work on updating it, I will do so. But, I don't want anyone to think it will get added to the default STV any time soon.

The rest of the extras are up-to-date, since they are the things I use regularly.

- Andy

[davey_fl]

Originally Posted by Opus4

Yes, the version of mlbdude's 2-pane SageTV Recordings screen is the same one that was added to the default v2 STV by somebody way back when. As I recall, it was left in v2 as an unsupported menu that had to be activated via a property setting. I believe I will be returning it to that status, instead of having it selectable in the Customize tab of Detailed Setup. I _thought_ I had at least fixed the issue where the left arrow wouldn't get out of the right-hand pane, but from people's comments above, it isn't fixed after all.

The 'unsupported' extras in this thread are really just the things I personally use & it serves as a replacement for my custom STV that used to be released as 'MalDude' (a collection of feaures from Malore's & mlbdude's custom STVs). These extras are added during my spare time, of which I have a very limited supply lately. Since I don't even use the 2-pane 'mlbdude' recordings view & have lots of other things to do when I'm not working, I haven't been able to find spare time to work on that screen. So, like I said a couple sentences ago: this 2-pane menu will most likely revert to being enabled only by a property setting. If I ever find extra time to work on updating it, I will do so. But, I don't want anyone to think it will get added to the default STV any time soon.

The rest of the extras are up-to-date, since they are the things I use regularly.

- Andy

thanks Andy. Is there any way we could have mlbdude's updated code integrated into this to fix the 2 pane view? After his upgrade to it, it was working flawlessly. Possibly by making it into an stvi for import? mlbdude, any chance?

Thx

Davey

[sleonard]

Originally Posted by davey_fl

thanks Andy. Is there any way we could have mlbdude's updated code integrated into this to fix the 2 pane view? After his upgrade to it, it was working flawlessly. Possibly by making it into an stvi for import? mlbdude, any chance?

Thx

Davey

I'll second that request. I love this 2 pane view but that trapping bug is a pain. I'd rather have this screen with the bug than not at all though so please don't remove it.

[Opus4]

BTW: I didn't say I was removing the menu itself, just that it might only be available via a property setting again. I also said that I don't have the spare time to update that menu to match mlbdude's latest version that works better -- I had originally planned to integrate a newer version, but I have no idea when I will be able to find the time to do so.

- Andy

[Opus4]

v3.0.11 has a few changes to the hidden feature set:

1. Merged malore's latest menu changes.
2. Added direct links to malore's individual custom menus so they can be accessed via nielm's dynamic menu system.
3. Fixed 'hidden' feature to set the background image so that the custom background is used only when the extras have been enabled.
4. Replaced old mlbdude 2-pane SageTV Recordings view with practically entirely new code, based on a version in the mlbdude2 custom STV. (OK, so I lied... right after saying I had no time to work on this, some free time appeared out of nowhere.) This menu is still not perfect, but it should work better than the old version.
5. Enabled use of mlbdude 2-pane SageTV Recordings only if extras are enabled.
6. Added optional watched-bars to recordings list entries, indicating how much of a show has been watched. (Same idea as in malore's custom menus, but the bar is just a thin line at the button of the show's list entry.) The bars are shown if they are enabled for malore's menus in Detailed Setup -> Customize.

- Andy

[JUC]

Any way to have the preview window enabled on the start/main page? one could always use a custom stv but this is a feature that I think should be stock by now--at least be able to set with the hidden features...
thanks
JUC

[Opus4]

The current menu design doesn't allow room for that. Who knows whether the default STV's layout will change in the future & include a preview window area, but I don't plan to change it just for the hidden stuff. (I try not to change such things around too much with the extras.)

- Andy

[JUC]

makes sense, thanks for responding though....

[abbott_m]

I'm on 3.0.11 and enabled the extras. when selecting a video to play from the recordings menu it just goes to a preview window rather than going to full screen. It has the same behavior when pressing play. I've done the changes in the customizations menu to select either smart or do nothing and get the same behavior.

Is there a way when I either press play or select (I don't care which as long as I can get a video to play without having to take an extra step) to get the video up on the screen.

Mike

[Opus4]

It plays in the preview window because the Video Menu Options are set to use the preview window style & it is not set to "Never" display videos on menus.

Also, since you said elsewhere that you are using the default recordings list menu, the customizations choices for the Malore Menu Options have no effect here. The extras don't come into play here.

- Andy

[folly12345]

Andy,
I am using the malore recorded show style with the unsupported features. Whenever I am gong thru and cleaning out the recoreded shows and delete the last show in a category and then arrow back to the left hand pane (listing by show) the cursor jumps to the first show in the alphabetical list. I am using the keyboard, not the mouse as I know there were issues using the mouse to do this in the past(version 2.x stv). I do not remember this occuring with your stv for version 2.2.8 with the keyboard. Has something changed or am I doing something stupid?

[malore]

jeffashland, changes had to be made to the my menu because of changes made to SageTV, I've been gradually tweaking the focus to fix little things like you've just described. If you're using the default STV you might try my custom STV, because it includes some tweaks that weren't in the SageTV 3.011 release.

[folly12345]

Thanks Malore, I loaded your latest STV and it works beautifully.

[Opus4]

BTW: and anything that gets fixed on those menus will be in the next beta. (Well, except for times when the fixes come too close to a release for them to be intergated in time.)

- Andy

[DavidFeinzeig]

From reading this thread it sounds like it might be a direct x 9 related problem, but with version 4, with the secret extra features, BUT using the 'stock' Sage menus I get the screwy differently colors with strange shapes problem. When I'm playing video and I pull up my Recordings menu, search, favs, etc. I have the strange colors and shapes show up. It is impossible to navigate.

Any one else having this problem?

Dave

[kevpriest]

Yes, I also have this problem. I don't know that it's associated with the Extra UI features, though. I assumed it was DX / Video Card related. Until I get time to troubleshoot, I just push the stop button and kill the preview window, which resolves the problem (with some sacrifice, obviously).

Let me know if you look into this further, as I'm not going to have much time during the holidays.

[Opus4]

As was mentioned earlier in this thread, it is a problem that happens at times while using DirectX when video is playing. It has been around for quite a while.

- Andy

[DavidFeinzeig]

Is it a DX9 problem? Or a Sage not using DX9 properly problem? I never had the problem with previous versions of Sage. Any ideas on resolving it?

Thanks,
Dave

[Wheemer]

It seems to me that regardless wether it a dx9 problem or not, other applications do not suffer from this problem at all. When a bug in the software exists and is pawn off on being someone elses problem, it's not a good thing.

This has been around for a while and it seems to come and go. There really should be a definative fix for it.

[Opus4]

The default STV for v4.1 has a few minor hidden changes:

1. Added "Malore Menu Options" button to Options menu in those custom menus; and changed shows.XML button to appear by default.
2. For malore's menus, changed "movie_channels" property to default to "" so that all channels are used until configured.
3. Added "alternate_movie_category" property + Detailed Setup -> Customize dialog to set it. It defaults to "Film" & acts as a second "Movie" category in malore's menus. It also causes such shows to have the same background color as "Movie" in the Program Guide & so on. (You could actually change it to be any category, not just movies.)

- Andy