NetFlix Plugin for SageTV v4

[DwarF]

Humanzee, point taken, I will convert to a STVi as soon as I can.

Mkanet, at the bottom of the downloads, there are 4 screen shots:
http://forums.sagetv.com/forums/down...?do=file&id=49

[Humanzee]

Cool. The screen shots look nice. I don't suppose you could get the cover art picture any larger with out it looking poor? Netflix doesn't have the largest cover art. You might want to put an option to scale them none the less, at least for the movie detail page. My screen resolution is 1920x1080. At that resolution those might look like postage stamps otherwise.

Are you allowed to use the netflix logo at all? Keep up the good work.

[DwarF]

I'm at 1080i too, but I am worried about realestate. I may just make them all % so we all see the same thing, still only 3 per page. They may already be % now that I think about it.

I am going to stay away from using their logo. I can't imagine it would be a problem for a non-profit project that does nothing but make their service available to more people, but it's better safe than sorry.

[Humanzee]

Three per page looks fine to me, I was thinking more about the size of the cover art on this page.
http://forums.sagetv.com/forums/down...screen_9Y2.gif
It seems like there is enought room to make that cover a bit larger with out trading off too much space for the plot outline text. Especially for a wide aspect screen. From what it looks like in that screen capture, the two buttons "Q++" and "Vote" are actually wider than the cover art.

I would try to make it as big as possible up to the point where it starts to look rediculously pixelated. Maybe thats a 1/3 the screen height, maybe its 1/2. I guess you almost have to see how big the cover art looks on a 640x480 screen and maybe do a % of screen height or the native image size, which ever is greater. Of course maybe that would make it too big for low resolution screen. Coding it that way would also be tougher than just coding a % . You'd have to figure what the native size of the image is and then figure out how big it is at a % of the screen height and then code it for which ever is the best fit.

I suppose also that if you make it big enough for the size to look proportionaly correct, you will have somebody else complain that the cover art isn't clear enough.

Side ?: Can you integrate with the IMDB search plug-in, so folks can get more trivia, or filmographies for starring actors and such? That would be cool

[DwarF]

Sorry, I was gone for the weekend and didn't get a chance to update it. However, I did get some time tonight, and I have just posted a new version to the downloads.

Now, you can also remove from queue and update the order of the queue. I have also integrated the latest xml file. Aside from not being an STVi, it is fully usable now.

Still no STVi yet, so I am leaving it alpha.

Future releases will focus on:
Playing Trailers
Searching for Movies
Improved Cache (more details)
STVi


Regarding IMDb: I have been thinking about this a while and I don't think so. I want to add the features you are talking about, so I don't have to search for everything that is not "In the Past" on Netflix. However, IMDb doesn't provide any valuable RSS feeds. If I were to scape their site for this information, I would be taking their advertising dollars. So, I have decided to go with another site that provides RSS feeds, and thus expects me to make this type of use of it. Movies.com has several interesting feeds, such as In Thearers, Box Office and New on DVD. If you know of a site that provides other RSS feeds you think are interesting, then let me know and we can get them integrated.

[DwarF]

Actually, after looking around a bit more, I think I will go with Yahoo's movie RSS feeds:

Movies Opening This Week
Weekend Box Office
Movie Mom
Top Selling DVDs
New on DVD This Week
New on DVD Next Week

[sleonard]

As far as IMDB goes you might be able to just link this import to Nielm's IMDB import so that they work together.

[DwarF]

I looked at that somewhat. I haven't installed to see what all it does, but it would have to send strings to the NetFlix search (coming soon).

It is a good idea, I just feel guilty for taking a user out of the interface they are trying to hard to retain (advertising profit model).

[spacecadet]

So, I tried the latest files tonight and am still seeing all the same problems I had in the earlier versions: can't use the back button, can't get in to set any properties other than the ID, can't save the ID, etc).

I took some screen shots so you can see what I am looking at. These are the only three screens I can see:

1) The main screen with the configuration button. Once I navigate to this screen I can never get back to the Main Menu (the back and left buttons do not work)

2) The properties screen. It looks like buttons are missing from this screen. Are they cropped off the page? I cannot get in to edit any properties other than ID. AND I can only get in to edit ID if I hit Enter as the first action on this screen. Once I navigate to another button, like Done. I cannot get in to edit any of the properties. (The properties are set right now because I manually added them to the SageClient.properties file). If I hit the Done button, the Build Cache dialog appears and I am returned to the main screen, with only the configuration button displayed.

3) The ID entry screen. Once I navigate here, I can never leave this screen. The Save and Cancel buttons appear to do nothing.

I am sure something is not right, but I don't know what I might be messing up. I am sure all of my details (ID, email, password, etc) are entered correctly, so I don't think that is the problem.

Thanks in advance! And once again, thanks for all of your hard work so far.

Brian

[DwarF]

Thanks for sticking with it SpaceCadet:

I think I can see most of your issues:
1) the channel listing is empty. You wouldn't even see the configure button if it didn't know your id, username, password and cache dir, it takes you directly to the config screen otherwise, so that's sorta good news.

The bad news is, none of your channels are showing up. This is for one of two reasons.
A) all your channels are configured to be hidden (not likely)
sage.properties(plugins/netflix/Channel/QueueRSS=show)
if all your channels have "hide", then change them to "show"
B) it cannot locate/use your cache directory as configured. If you typed it in manually, then I would bet money this is the culprit (it uses java paths). If it cannot locate your cache dir, the whole thing kinda falls apart.

The main screen doesn't have a back option. I suppose I should add one, but I don't know the entry point, as someone might end up putting it somewhere other than Online Services. I will add a back link to Online Services regardless. It will probably cause an issue for someone later, but I can fix that when it becomes a STVi.

2) the reason #1 is occuring is because your configuration buttons are indeed cut off. I am going to post a new xml that has the input fields % scaled. Right now they are fixed, and it is throwing your buttons off.

What resolution are you using?

3) Yeah, that's jacked. Another issue that hopefully making a STVi will correct. It is losing the Setup Menu link from those buttons when I export it as xml. I don't know why yet.


I have uploaded a new netflix.xml to this post. It has the corrections in it. For now, if you want the "left" mouse to take you back out of NetFlix from the Main menu, you will have to add the link.

It's similar to how you added the link from Online Services to Netflix, only this time, goto the "NetFlix - Main" menu and expand it, at the bottom you will see something that looks like a speaker icon. Expand it and you will see a "REM: back to parent window" action. Drag the "Online Service" menu to this action item and it will take you back out.

Please let me know if this fixes your issues. Looks like I am going to have to STVi this thing as a higher priority Though, if you get this xml setup, it is fully functional, just missing some of the "nice to haves", and I think you are very close to getting it solved.

[sleonard]

Originally Posted by DwarF

I looked at that somewhat. I haven't installed to see what all it does, but it would have to send strings to the NetFlix search (coming soon).

It is a good idea, I just feel guilty for taking a user out of the interface they are trying to hard to retain (advertising profit model).

Well, I would just PM Nielm and ask. I doubt there would be any problem since most of the STV's borrow or share code with others. Nielm may even help with any mods that would need to be done to his import (i.e. - sending strings to your imports' Netflix search.)

[spacecadet]

Originally Posted by DwarF

The main screen doesn't have a back option. I suppose I should add one, but I don't know the entry point, as someone might end up putting it somewhere other than Online Services. I will add a back link to Online Services regardless. It will probably cause an issue for someone later, but I can fix that when it becomes a STVi.

If there is no back button, how would one normally return to the Main Menu? Are you expecting the mouse icons to be enabled? It seems like there must be some way in Studio to know what screen you came from and make the back button return you to that screen dynamically (as opposed to hard coding a link to Online Services) - although I know little to nothing about Studio, so I may be way off on that. Something like this must be possible, though, as I am able to use the back button with nielm's imports. Like, I can put the IMDB Search screen anywhere in my menu structure and it knows how to get back. Maybe it's the Dynamic Menu Import that taking care of this though?

I think my cache directory is setup correctly, but I will double check this.

Originally Posted by DwarF

2) the reason #1 is occuring is because your configuration buttons are indeed cut off. I am going to post a new xml that has the input fields % scaled. Right now they are fixed, and it is throwing your buttons off.

What resolution are you using?

It occured to me that it was probably something like this. I am using 800x600.

Originally Posted by DwarF

3) Yeah, that's jacked. Another issue that hopefully making a STVi will correct. It is losing the Setup Menu link from those buttons when I export it as xml. I don't know why yet.

Unless the setup menu button is being lost due to resolution issues. I'll just have to set these properties manually in the file I guess.

Originally Posted by DwarF

Please let me know if this fixes your issues. Looks like I am going to have to STVi this thing as a higher priority Though, if you get this xml setup, it is fully functional, just missing some of the "nice to haves", and I think you are very close to getting it solved.

I saw that nielm uploaded a utility to make creating an STVi easier, if you didn't see it, maybe that will help make your life easier.

Hopefully, I'll be able to give this a shot tonight. Thanks for the quick turnaround!

[DwarF]

I need to check out NielM's STVi creator project. The issues we have been having so far are not really due to the function of the plugin, but the process of getting it installed, so adding features is just

I expect to get it STVi'ed by this weekend at the latest.


EDIT:
I just recieved a pm from jbuszkie, where he offered to make it an STVi for us. So give a big thanks to him!

[jbuszkie]

I just sent you another PM with my e-mail address to send me your full STV.

I can't make any promises that I'll do it.. I'll just see how much effort it will take.. I'll spend an hour or so tonight
looking at it if he gets me the STV.

Jim

[mkanet]

I have been waiting for a plugin like this!

I am one of several people who have a hi res display 1920x1440. I would like the cover art bigger, and the fonts smaller. Currently, it look more appropriate for a 640x480 screen on a 19" tube tv.

I like the idea of having 3 cover arts per page, however, currently the pictures are too small and the text "Q++ VOTE" is gigantic (taking up too much room where the pictures could be larger).

Could you possibly offer a configuration option: [HDTV display: (yes/no)]? Or, maybe just have the picture/video/font sizes configurable?

I am also waiting for an stvi version of this.

Thanks so much for all your hard work!!

[DwarF]

I am new to sage development, and I started off letting some things default that I shouldn't have. I am going to make the whole screen scale, so that things look appropriate for whichever resolution. The cover art and such layout should be improved in a soon-coming release.

[Humanzee]

Originally Posted by DwarF

I expect to get it STVi'ed by this weekend at the latest.

Originally Posted by DwarF

I am going to make the whole screen scale, so that things look appropriate for whichever resolution. The cover art and such layout should be improved in a soon-coming release.

[spacecadet]

Originally Posted by DwarF

1) the channel listing is empty. You wouldn't even see the configure button if it didn't know your id, username, password and cache dir, it takes you directly to the config screen otherwise, so that's sorta good news.

The bad news is, none of your channels are showing up. This is for one of two reasons.
A) all your channels are configured to be hidden (not likely)
sage.properties(plugins/netflix/Channel/QueueRSS=show)
if all your channels have "hide", then change them to "show"
B) it cannot locate/use your cache directory as configured. If you typed it in manually, then I would bet money this is the culprit (it uses java paths). If it cannot locate your cache dir, the whole thing kinda falls apart.

Thanks for all your help so far, DwarF, I am 90% of the way there now. The latest netflix.xml that you posted solved most of my problems. I am now able to set all the properties through the UI with no trouble. And I added Online Services as the parent menu like you suggested and I can now use the left remote button to navigate away from the Main screen. So, we're in good shape there.

However, I still don't see any of the channels.

1) I set the property you mentioned (plugins/netflix/Channel/QueueRSS=show) in SageClient.properties (my netflix preferences show up in the Client file, not sage.properties. Is this a problem?) But this didn't seem to make a difference

2) I reset the Cache Dir using your UI to make sure the directory was valid. I even created a new directory with no spaces in the name, in case the spaces were causing a problem (I am now set to C:\Temp\NetFlix). But this did not help either.

3) I double checked that my ID is correct (it would be great if you could cut and paste the ID into the UI, as someone had already suggested), so that would not seem to be the issue, either.

I will try moving the netflix properties to the sage.properties file instead of the Client file, but if that doesn't help, I am out of ideas.

Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks again!

[spacecadet]

Originally Posted by spacecadet

I will try moving the netflix properties to the sage.properties file instead of the Client file, but if that doesn't help, I am out of ideas.

It occurred to me that I should turn the Logging properties on for the Netflix plugin, but a file does not seem to be generated. Where would I look for this file.

Also, I am running JDK 1.4.2_09, in case that is important.

[DwarF]

Oh boy. I probably didn't turn on 1.4 compatability when I compiled it.

The file would be in your cache dir.

I will make it 1.4 compatable this weekend.