What's your UI flavor of choice?

[sainswor99]

I'm just curious; with the new beta (6.2.5), there seems to be a lot of discussion about the changes to the default UI, and how they impact certain features like the hidden extras (the malore menus). Using a completely unscientific method, I'd be interested in knowing what UI's people are using.

I realize that some of you may also be using more than one UI (e.g., the hidden extras on Placeshifter, SageMC on the MVP); you can vote for more than one.

I realize that this poll might be influenced by versions, so I'm attempting to break it into logical chunks that are version-independent. Let's see how well that works.

[GKusnick]

Where's the option for "None of the above"? SageMC is not the only third-party UI out there, plus I imagine there are many more unpublished home-brew UI customizations (such as the one I use).

[sainswor99]

I figured there'd be a few of those, but didn't think about it until after the fact. I assumed the exact opposite; there would be relatively few home-brewed alternatives out there. I also didn't want to confuse the poll by having someone argue that "they use SageMC with custom menus and that was totally different than SageMC".

Andy, can you add a None of the Above to the poll?

[Opus4]

Originally Posted by sainswor99

Andy, can you add a None of the Above to the poll?

I added a couple other options for custom STVs... but now I don't know what to do. Since I work on the default STV & it is no longer the same as the current beta release, does that qualify as "Custom STV created by myself"?

- Andy

[GKusnick]

Originally Posted by sainswor99

I assumed the exact opposite; there would be relatively few home-brewed alternatives out there.

I guess by "many more" I meant many more unpublished home-brew UI mods than full-blown published and supported UI alternatives. But few compared to the number of users.

In any case my vote's in now; thanks, Andy.

[gplasky]

Originally Posted by Opus4

I added a couple other options for custom STVs... but now I don't know what to do. Since I work on the default STV & it is no longer the same as the current beta release, does that qualify as "Custom STV created by myself"?

- Andy

Decisions, decisions. I'm using the beta 6.2.5, the beta 6.2.5 with the malore menus, the wife has SageMC on the MVP and SageMC customized by me on the bedroom TV, kitchen and basement.


Gerry

[sainswor99]

Originally Posted by gplasky

Decisions, decisions. I'm using the beta 6.2.5, the beta 6.2.5 with the malore menus, the wife has SageMC on the MVP and SageMC customized by me on the bedroom TV, kitchen and basement.


Gerry

That's what I was afraid of; customization really blindsides this sort of poll. I guess the better question to ask would be "If you've customized a UI, which one did you start with?"

[Fluffdaddy]

Beta 6.2.5 with the malore menus

[GKusnick]

Originally Posted by sainswor99

I guess the better question to ask would be "If you've customized a UI, which one did you start with?"

I started from the default STV circa V3 Beta (i.e. the first version in which Studio was included). But since then I've completely revamped the UI and replaced or deleted virtually all of the original STV code, so you might as well say I started from scratch.

[JREkiwi]

Originally Posted by Opus4

I added a couple other options for custom STVs... but now I don't know what to do. Since I work on the default STV & it is no longer the same as the current beta release, does that qualify as "Custom STV created by myself"?

- Andy

That's just cheating , but I really like the direction your Custom STV is heading.

6.2.5 Default STV with a few minor tweaks and some imports like Bob's encoder names and Jim's miniguide for the UI. Then of course there's the customizations that add function rather than UI changes.

John

[sainswor99]

Wow.

I wouldn't have predicted this trend; so far SageMC seems to be the most-used UI (of those who responded). I wonder why....

Stu

[malore]

You can probably guess which one I use. Nice to see some others still are as well. Sometime I should probably update to V6, but my current setup is working well enough that so far I haven't be enticed enough to put in the time it would take to get everything back to how I like it.

[Polypro]

Always Default with nielm's AWESOME! DCMM.

P

[malore]

Originally Posted by sainswor99

Wow.

I wouldn't have predicted this trend; so far SageMC seems to be the most-used UI (of those who responded). I wonder why....

Stu

Was sarcasm on or off on that statement?

[sainswor99]

No sarcasm intended. I'm really interested in why the SageMC UI is so well-loved. Is it because it's familiar (since so many other PVR systems have adopted a version of the Media Center front end)? Is it because it is functionally intuitive? Or is it because of the "eye candy"?

I tried it for a while, but neither hated it or loved it. I really like the malore menus, but am genuinely interested in the post 6.2.5 version of the default UI. I just find it interesting that the most well-received version of the UI (among those who deigned to answer) is an add-on.

Stu

[ke6guj]

Originally Posted by sainswor99

No sarcasm intended. I'm really interested in why the SageMC UI is so well-loved. Is it because it's familiar (since so many other PVR systems have adopted a version of the Media Center front end)? Is it because it is functionally intuitive? Or is it because of the "eye candy"?

For me, it was the functionality of the base SageMC and certain plugins being only available for SageMC. When flachbar took over development of SageMC and stopped supporting the stockUI in his plugins, he brought me kicking and screaming to SageMC. At the beginning, I couldn't stand the way SageMC responded to the remote, but I worked with Dirk suggesting small changes to the navigation that made it usable to me.

As for eye candy, doesn't matter to me. I like the looks of the Stock UI, so the prettyness of SageMC wasn't a big deal. In fact, I may play with the different SageMC themes, but seem to always go back to the default SageMC theme.

I tried it for a while, but neither hated it or loved it. I really like the malore menus, but am genuinely interested in the post 6.2.5 version of the default UI.

For me, I couldn't understand the malore menus for the most part. I only use the "upcoming shows and premieres" or whatever it is called.

[malore]

Originally Posted by sainswor99

No sarcasm intended. I'm really interested in why the SageMC UI is so well-loved. Is it because it's familiar (since so many other PVR systems have adopted a version of the Media Center front end)? Is it because it is functionally intuitive? Or is it because of the "eye candy"?

I tried it for a while, but neither hated it or loved it. I really like the malore menus, but am genuinely interested in the post 6.2.5 version of the default UI. I just find it interesting that the most well-received version of the UI (among those who deigned to answer) is an add-on.

Stu

I was just checking, because based on size of the SageMC thread, its popularity seemed pretty clear to me. I think the initial draw for SageMC was eye candy, but I think pretty much every new feature has been incorporated into it on one form or another, so it would be hard to say which is more important now.

Forums like this are frequented by enthusiasts, so a poll like this will be skewed by the opinions of people most like to tinker to get the most features out of SageTV.

[bialio]

I use SageMC mainly because the top level menu has everything on it that I ever do in the course of normal TV watching. This is really a major factor in the WAF area - since the 'menu' button on the remote brings you here (or hit sleep twice!), and then everything that you might want to do is right there in sight and easily accessible.

That was my main complaint with the default STV - you kind of have to drill down to get anywhere from the top menu.

btl.

[phelme]

The only thing that's keeping me from jumping from SageMC to the new 6.2.5 UI (w/Malore menus) is the lack of encoder icons showing up in the recordings and guides. Is that easy to add??