Android application: taSageTV

[lewispm]

Originally Posted by Fonceur

Did you make sure to stop Sage and it's service before changing the sage.properties file? You can double check the full instructions for the SageTCPServer part at:

http://talluscorp.com/mediawiki/inde...=SageTCPServer

or maybe zip and attach your sage.properties file.

I found the problem, my current Sage install was on another disk, so I was editing the wrong Sage.properties.

Excellent App! I was thinking of doing one myself, but you saved me the work. If it works as well as it has for the first ten minutes, I'll certainly be purchasing.

Requests:

page up/down (the channel up/down didn't work for this like it does on the remote)

an editable remote: add, remove, move around buttons. I'd like the whole thing on one screen, if possible.

a remote widget, or some way to click a link on the home screen of my phone and default to the remote, since thats what I'll be using it for mostly. I have three tvs that use the same sage, and only one remote, but my phone is always close by.

[lewispm]

Originally Posted by lewispm

Requests:

page up/down (the channel up/down didn't work for this like it does on the remote)

an editable remote: add, remove, move around buttons. I'd like the whole thing on one screen, if possible.

a remote widget, or some way to click a link on the home screen of my phone and default to the remote, since thats what I'll be using it for mostly. I have three tvs that use the same sage, and only one remote, but my phone is always close by.

Another Request:

The power button works as advertised on a HD200, however the best way to power on the HD200 is with the HOME button, which loads more quickly.

The home button on your remote doesn't accomplish this shortened power on.

[Fonceur]

Originally Posted by lewispm

page up/down (the channel up/down didn't work for this like it does on the remote)

So my version works fine to change the channel, as the remote, but you mean that when browsing lists and such the real remote acts as page up/down? I guess I'll need to test a bit...

EDIT: Indeed page up/down will also act as channel up/down, so I'll do that.

an editable remote: add, remove, move around buttons. I'd like the whole thing on one screen, if possible.

I did plan that for some other projects, but currently I have no idea how to do it. Since it turns out that the screen area on a real phone is higher than what I was seeing on the emulator, there is definitely room for improvements. Any chance you could "photoshop" what you'd like?

a remote widget, or some way to click a link on the home screen of my phone and default to the remote

You can already use the notification area for that, if the app is running...

Originally Posted by lewispm

The power button works as advertised on a HD200, however the best way to power on the HD200 is with the HOME button, which loads more quickly.

The home button on your remote doesn't accomplish this shortened power on.

Any way you could find out what the real remote's Home button does?

EDIT: The Home button might be doing something on the hardware side that I won't have access to...

[lewispm]

Originally Posted by Fonceur

I did plan that for some other projects, but currently I have no idea how to do it. Since it turns out that the screen area on a real phone is higher than what I was seeing on the emulator, there is definitely room for improvements. Any chance you could "photoshop" what you'd like?

I have a moto droid, 480x854 resolution. I'll try to work up a photoshop, but how about a grid similar to the home screen of the phone where you can add apps that are 1x1, 1x4, etc and you can only put things in the grid areas? You select from the available remote buttons, and build your own custom remote.

Originally Posted by Fonceur

You can already use the notification area for that, if the app is running...

I saw that, thanks.

Originally Posted by Fonceur

Any way you could find out what the real remote's Home button does?

EDIT: The Home button might be doing something on the hardware side that I won't have access to...

That is possible, my learning remote learned "Home" but it doesn't emulate that function either. Strange that IR is just running a command in the software, but we're not able to find that command?

[lewispm]

I noticed the OSD doesn't display on button presses. Is that fixable?

For example, pause should show the green progress bar when pressed. It just pauses the playback.

[lewispm]

The videos button always sends me to the media center videos. This differs from the sage remote where if you are in the recordings area, it takes you to the recording list, and from anywhere else, it takes you to the media center videos.

[Fonceur]

Originally Posted by lewispm

page up/down (the channel up/down didn't work for this like it does on the remote)

I can't seem to replicate the behavior through the API... The current sageApiMediaPlayer.ChannelUp() only acts as channel up. SageCommand("Channel Up") isn't doing anything, and SageCommand("Page Up") only acts as Page Up, it won't change the channel... I guess I might need to add more buttons.

[Fuzzy]

Interestingly enough, there is no "Channel Up" command in Sage. There is a "Page Up" command, but it isn't linked to the PgUp keyboard button by default (actually is linked to F5). The command that he is trying to replicate, which is the default mapping for the PgUp keyboard button, is called "Channel Up/Page Up" (and conversely "Channel Down/Page Down"). For a list of valid sage commands, either check Detaled Setup -> Commands -> Link infrared/Keystroke to SageTV Command, the results of GetSageCommandNames(), or this text file here.

[brewston]

Originally Posted by lewispm

I noticed the OSD doesn't display on button presses. Is that fixable?

For example, pause should show the green progress bar when pressed. It just pauses the playback.

I see the same problem with SageMC (Never tried the default UI) doesn't really bother me though..

[Fonceur]

Originally Posted by lewispm

The videos button always sends me to the media center videos. This differs from the sage remote where if you are in the recordings area, it takes you to the recording list, and from anywhere else, it takes you to the media center videos.

Sounds to me like each "page" might be redefining the behavior of each button, hard to replicate without monitoring where the user is...

Originally Posted by Fuzzy

The command that he is trying to replicate, which is the default mapping for the PgUp keyboard button, is called "Channel Up/Page Up" (and conversely "Channel Down/Page Down").

Silly me, it never occurred to me that "Channel Down/Page Down" was the full command, I was reading it as use either "Channel Down" or "Page Down"... So it does work properly.

[Fonceur]

Version 0.76

- The Channel Up/Down buttons now match the real remote's behaviors.
- Started to implement the "Play list". (not working yet)

[Fonceur]

Version 0.77

- Completed the Music Playlist.

[Fonceur]

Anyone not running in 854x480 resolution?

Originally Posted by brewston

Thinking about it, having live tv on the front screen doesn't make sense as its a client activity

Any objections to me just deleting that menu item, as the LiveTV button on the remote should do just fine...

[brewston]

Originally Posted by Fonceur

Version 0.77

- Completed the Music Playlist.

Had a quick play with this and it works well. I could play my existing audio & video playlists (Still have problems due to using SageMC ie the video doesn't start full screen, audio doesn't start on the 'now playing' screen but I can live with it)

I was pleased to see I can build on the fly playlists for Albums. This works and the album shows up in the 'now playing' playlist. I guess it only persists whilst it being played ? ie it not a permanent playlist ? Will there be a button to clear this playlist ? (Restarting the app does it, which answers my question on being permanent) Also, it plays the playlists in random order - will there be a shuffle on/off button ?

Thanks for implementing this !

[Fonceur]

Originally Posted by brewston

I guess it only persists whilst it being played ? ie it not a permanent playlist ?

The "Now playing" list is not permanent, but if you create some other lists and add to them, those will be permanent.

Will there be a button to clear this playlist ?

Yes, in the next update I'll add the clear and delete options.

Also, it plays the playlists in random order - will there be a shuffle on/off button ?

It most likely uses your last used settings.

[Fonceur]

Version 0.78

- Added the possibility of clearing the current Playlist.

[Fonceur]

Version 0.79

- Key pressed on the real keyboard (from the remote screen) should be passed along to the client.

[lewispm]

Thanks for all the updates, I'll have to update soon.

I am travelling next weekend, and I'm looking into taking the HD Theater with me. I have a dyndns account which gives me a static hostname, and I have that hostname set for the server.

Running the extender through the server's hostname seems to limit the ability to use this as a backup to the remote if travelling. If the tcpserver would send the command to a hostname (localhost if my extender was at the house) this should work, I would think.

Also, in the configuration, if client hostname should always be the same as server hostname, why ask for hostname in the configuration for client? If there was multiple servers/clients for the same user, then you should select which host this client belongs to.

[Fonceur]

Originally Posted by lewispm

Running the extender through the server's hostname seems to limit the ability to use this as a backup to the remote if travelling.

That is inherently how the extenders work, they use whatever gets loaded on the SageTV server... I am curious how things will work out with the hd200 in a remote location.

Also, in the configuration, if client hostname should always be the same as server hostname, why ask for hostname in the configuration for client?

Not always, if you run a software SageTV client on a different pc, that requires installing SageTCPServer to it, and using it to control that client...

If there was multiple servers/clients for the same user, then you should select which host this client belongs to.

At some point I will probably offer a list of Client options like mvp/hd100/hd200/SageTV Server/SageTV Client, and only the last one would have a selectable hostname.

[amg]

Originally Posted by Fonceur

Anyone not running in 854x480 resolution?

My Droid ERIS (now 2.1) is running 320x480.