[charlie0440]

+1 its the most annoying feature, I started a thread about this when it was added. I use page up/page down a lot to visually fly through the channel pagee now it takes ages as I can't see what is on most channels, either have to scroll to a channel and then go back or look at the info

[im85288]

Fully agree, this is one area things have actually gone backwards since Frodo. It's extremely disappointing to have such a rigid response to what is quite obviously a flawed UI decision.

[macardi]

+1
I have been nagging about how this breaks usability of the EPG ever since this feature was implemented. To not be able to see the titles of the currently ongoing shows without scrolling in all directions is very annoying. This is a show stopper for me. I have to stay on Frodo just because of this.

[opdenkamp]

Other than the title being made visible (initial offset has to be shifted a bit), and the back button being mapped to go back to the view selection (which xhaggi already fixed iic), the window has been improved in my opinion. You're free to stay on Frodo.

[im85288]

Maybe some people like to see what they have missed (still not sure why, but ok someone must like to look in the past) and indeed this aspect along with the progress indicator are new features. Like you said the title has to be made visible but this seems to contradict xhaggis opinion in that he feels the layout is fine as it is.

Also with regards now using the back button in epg..yes it works but there's no consistency in the live tv section now..if your using the tv channel view you press left to bring up the side blade..but if your in the epg you have to press back.

Don't get me wrong I'm all for change, but I honestly think this particular one has caused more problems than benefits

[opdenkamp]

I like this because I want to add some code (after Gotham) that will allow you not just to schedule/cancel a recording from the timeline view, but also to start playback of that recording directly from the timeline.

Regarding the title: I think it should be made visible indeed.
Regarding the back button / left: when you keep pressing left, every pvr view will take you to the view selection. Back is just a shortcut that's been added so you don't have to keep pressing left. A button called "back" that takes you back to where you came from, the view selection, is perfectly fine with me.

So, once these two usability issues have been addressed, what's the problem with this?

[scarecrow420]

If something (like this particular thing seems to be) is rather polarising, why not add an option to disable it (the past EPG entries) then everyone can be happy?

I do agree though that my problems with it was more about the having to scroll left a bunch of times to get to the sideblade, and the justificaiton of the title... if both of those are addressed that's good. It sounded like the title wasnt going to be addressed until these recent posts though, so thats good to have confirmed.

I did like the suggestion to make it expand/xollapsible though, allowing those who dont want it to have it collapsed, and thus can continue to hit LEFT to go to sideblade

[ProsjektX]

Completely agree with others here that the back-in-time feature should be optional. Don't think the average user will use this and it complicates navigation, regardless of adding the back button, which is really not intuitive at all. I know for sure the wife will start nagging...

So in the democratic spirit, I vote for having that as an option....

[opdenkamp]

We won't be adding any new settings for Gotham. We're feature frozen, no new strings will be added. The usability issues will be addressed.

[im85288]

I like this because I want to add some code (after Gotham) that will allow you not just to schedule/cancel a recording from the timeline view, but also to start playback of that recording directly from the timeline.

Regarding the title: I think it should be made visible indeed.
Regarding the back button / left: when you keep pressing left, every pvr view will take you to the view selection. Back is just a shortcut that's been added so you don't have to keep pressing left. A button called "back" that takes you back to where you came from, the view selection, is perfectly fine with me.

So, once these two usability issues have been addressed, what's the problem with this?

It's good that the title will be made visible and I understand the justification for the back/left button. I still think the average user will not find it intuitive but with the past data in the EPG its probably the best solution. Maybe you could consider making this optional in a post gotham release.

I do like the idea of making the timeline more interactive for scheduling/cancelling recordings. But what I do not get is the use case for wanting to start playback of a recording from the past data in the timeline. It may be the backend I use (TVHeadend) but I can only go back about 24 hours, so this change you will include would only be relevant for the past 24 hours, and even if it could go back a week or something I would personally still not look for a recorded program via the timeline view. What I think would be much better was if these recorded programs were scraped to the database allowing us to have widgets like "recently recorded tv" shown on home screens similar to the "recent movies" etc

I must be missing something obvious here as to the advantages of this but I cannot think what it is.

[trsqr]

I like this because I want to add some code (after Gotham) that will allow you not just to schedule/cancel a recording from the timeline view

Good morning opdenkamp,

Should I understand your sentence in a way that you're already looking forward to implement something what I posted here in a feature request: http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?tid=185107 ? I could just update that thread with the information.

Thanks!

[opdenkamp]

@trsqr
Yes pressing the record button is included in what I want to do.

@im85288
When you start a recording now, either via the timeline or via the record button while playing live tv, you have to go to the recordings tab and find the recording that you've just started to start playback. Would be a lot nicer if you had an option, playback recording, directly in the timeline.

[da-anda]

opdenkamp, I suppose you're thinking of some sort of dialog when one tries to watch that channel? Like "There is a recording going, what would you like to do? a) play recording from beginning b) play recording from now c) tune channel"?

[seapoint]

I feel very strongly about the entire Live TV aspect of XBMC.
To be honest, there should only be one page within which to navigate. Live, as in EPG Timeline.
Within this page, there needs to be the facility to toggle the channel groups, and to switch between recorded TV & timers. Ultimately, coming from Windows MediaCenter, and having used SkyUK & UPC Ireland for live TV, the one area that XBMC fails in is EPG Timeline. I'm a nerd and don't mind picking up the keyboard in my living room, but to gain "Family Acceptance" , navigation within EPG Timeline has to take place with direction keys, context key, OK and back.

[t-magnus]

opdenkamp, I suppose you're thinking of some sort of dialog when one tries to watch that channel? Like "There is a recording going, what would you like to do? a) play recording from beginning b) play recording from now c) tune channel"?

This is how Media Portal is and I find it useful. But, iirc it is only for currently recording programs that are still visible in the EPG.

So, I still don't understand needing 24+ hours of past EPG data... I would never search though the EPG for recordings when I can find them all on one screen in the recordings section.

-Tommy