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Android TV app - Home shortcut? - a way to quickly get back?


hstamas

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hstamas

Call it OCD but I hate redundant/multiple remote button presses. If your browsing our library looking for something to watch, depending on how  you have things set  up, sometimes you can be 5-6 levels into the file structure. If you want to go back to the main home screen thats 6 back button presses. I'd say thats 4-5 too many!

 

Any chance of getting a home button like the IOS apps have where its available anywhere you are in the file structure?

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The issue is there is no button on the remote control that can be used for this and putting some sort of a button on the screen itself not only means we have to reserve screen real estate for it on every single screen but it also could end up taking more button presses to navigate to that button than to simply back out to home.

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Is there a identifier for long pressing the back button? 

 

Not without customizing it everywhere.  Also, there is no established paradigm for that on the platform so no one would ever know it is there.

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hstamas

I hear what your saying @@ebr but as it stands now it makes the app annoying to the point where I just can't use it. Makes content discovery painful.

 

Of course thats just my opinion.

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Jdiesel

Not without customizing it everywhere.  Also, there is no established paradigm for that on the platform so no one would ever know it is there.

I get what you are saying but would there really be anything negative if a user doesn't know it exists? It isn't a core function but more of a helpful shortcut. Those with hardware that support it can benefit and those without it or who don't know about it can continue on as things currently operate.

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CBers

I hear what your saying @@ebr but as it stands now it makes the app annoying to the point where I just can't use it. Makes content discovery painful.

 

Of course thats just my opinion.

What are you finding painful to discover?

 

I rarely go into my libraries, as all new content is in the New Movies or Next Up rows.

 

Do you have the TAB views enables for your libraries?

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I get what you are saying but would there really be anything negative if a user doesn't know it exists? It isn't a core function but more of a helpful shortcut. Those with hardware that support it can benefit and those without it or who don't know about it can continue on as things currently operate.

 

It would take a ton of customization work and even then I'm not sure it could be done reliably.

 

 

I hear what your saying @@ebr but as it stands now it makes the app annoying to the point where I just can't use it. Makes content discovery painful.

 

I'd like a further explanation as well.  There are lots of ways to discover content (have you tried search too).

 

Also, on many screens, it would take more key presses to navigate to a button at the top of the screen than it would to just hit back.  There is really nothing we can do about this...

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hstamas

No prob. Here is a typical scenario in my household.

 

My wife like cooking and home improvement shows. She wants to watch one but not sure which. She has to select the following to get to a certain episode of say, Pioneer Woman:

 

-TV Library

-Pioneer Woman

-Season 6

-Episode 4

 

She's done watching that and now its 4 back presses to get back to the home screen so she can watch something else.

 

Lets say she didnt find any cooking shows she wanted to watch and wants an episode of House Hunters instead. Thats now 4 back clicks and another 4 forward clicks to get into a specific House Hunters episode. Do this for 3 or 4 shows and you can see where she might be looking for a shortcut where ever possible.

 

This is how she watches thing. She culls trough episode lists/descriptions until she finds what she wants. She gets annoyed that she has to go "back - back- back- back" to get to the main screen to choose something else to watch. 

 

 

Emby's mobile apps (at least IOS ones) have a convenient home button that pops up when you scroll to near the top of the screen on just about every page. Very handy.

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CBers

@@hstamas - you're not the first person to suggest a HOME button and I doubt you'll be the last either.

 

So that's just a browsing of your content. Perhaps Eric can add a folder view somehow.

 

Would that work/help?

 

It's always difficult to find stuff if you're not sure what to look for.

 

Have you explored searching through GENRES?

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hstamas

@@hstamas - you're not the first person to suggest a HOME button and I doubt you'll be the last either.

So that's just a browsing of your content. Perhaps Eric can add a folder view somehow.

Would that work/help?

It's always difficult to find stuff if you're not sure what to look for.

Have you explored searching through GENRES?

I played a bit with the genres tab at the top and that does help a bit, thanks @@CBers. One think I noticed that actually make my scenario even worse is if you go in and out of a bunch of different shows, once your ready to back out to the homescreen, you basically have to go through each and every show you previously went into before it backs all the way out.

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Emby's mobile apps (at least IOS ones) have a convenient home button that pops up when you scroll to near the top of the screen on just about every page. Very handy.

 

Yes, but those are touch interfaces and you can directly take your finger and press that home button.  On a TV, in your scenario, it could easily take you four (or five or more) navigation button presses to get to the home button and then another one to press it.  Thus, not solving your problem :).

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hstamas

Yes, but those are touch interfaces and you can directly take your finger and press that home button.  On a TV, in your scenario, it could easily take you four (or five or more) navigation button presses to get to the home button and then another one to press it.  Thus, not solving your problem :).

Very true!

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BAlGaInTl

Is there a keyboard shortcut that works with Android TV?

 

Perhaps a better remote and custom key coding could do the trick? 

 

I'm willing to try it with my Harmony if a key combination exists.

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hstamas

Is there a keyboard shortcut that works with Android TV?

 

Perhaps a better remote and custom key coding could do the trick? 

 

I'm willing to try it with my Harmony if a key combination exists.

 

I have a Harmony set up and thought of that but as far as I know there are no keyboard shortcuts that would accomplish that.

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BAlGaInTl

@@ebr

 

Hmmm...

 

Okay... what about a double-press of the back button to take you back to the home screen?

 

Seems like this could be done in the app, and you could adjust the sensitivity much like a mouse double-click.

 

Thoughts?

Edited by BAlGaInTl
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BAlGaInTl

Please see posts #4 and 8 :).

I did read them... I was thinking in terms of the long press.

 

Of course, I'm hung up on Android TV since that is my player of choice. I realize you guys have to support a lot more.

 

<sarcasm> Probably not an essential feature. It should be a plugin. </sarcasm> :P

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dranderson402

<sarcasm> Probably not an essential feature. It should be a plugin. </sarcasm> :P

 

I am rolling. Love it.

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  • 1 year later...
hstamas

Bumping my original question maybe just to bitch and moan a little ;)

 

Another case of just how annoying not being able to quickly get back to the home screen revealed itself last night when we were watching a movie and then at the end was checking out what other movies one of the actors was in. In navigating around, looking at various movies the person starred in it literally took me 16 back presses to get back to the home screen since the Emby app remembers the route youve taken and back steps you through that route going back.

 

This just cant be good UI design can it?

 

Maybe Im the only one who uses Emby like this? It really takes away from wanting to use the app at least for me.

 

Dont I recall that the Apple TV app has a slide out if you press all the way left that gives you a home button? Couldnt that be implemented here?

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I get deep into the breadcrumb links as well and it's annoying getting back.

I like to binge watch movies by a particular actor.  I might start with Tom Cruise, see a movie look at more actors, select Nicole Kidman view some movies, find Tommy Lee Jones, etc down maybe 10 deep or so until I find something/someone unique to watch.  Now it could be 30 backs or more to the menu.

 

Is anything assigned to a long press left button when not playing a video?

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MidKnight

Agree, it's so annoying pressing back a 100 times to get home.

 

Would be nice of those with logitech remotes or the likes that could assign buttons for quick navigation for such as home, info etc etc

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