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Feature Update Wishlist For 2.8


control4user007

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---UPDATED---

Ok So I thought it would be easiest to collect all the feedback at the top of the thread.  Ill occasionally update it if there is any more ideas.  PM me if I missed something/didn't get something correct.

 

Features Requests:

 
  1. Full Screen IP Camera Bookmarks
  2. Better Movies/TV Show/Media Proxy interface for browsing/choosing
  3. Better Wakeup Agent
  4. Keyboard Support for myHome
  5. Search Suggestions for Spotify and Rhapsody
  6. myHome Apps (iOS, Android, and PC Navigator) with Native Intercom
  7. Ability to delegate media management to 3rd party driver (might not understand this one, so correct me if I’m wrong Cyknight)
  8. SONOS audio decoding from a CONNECT digitally / wirelessly transmitted to the audio service running on a controller
  9. Control4 puck sized switches and dimmers that are "full sized” modules (European Users)
  10. Comfort Interface Improvements
    1. ability to copy schedules between thermostats
    2. thermostat logos give more feedback - Currently a coloured flame shows it is in heat mode. This could be a grey flame for heat mode on, but set point reached so heating not active and a coloured flame for heating active. Ditto for cooling and auto. 
  11. Allowing different screen savers (photos) for different Touchscreens (I understand photo screen savers will return).
  12. Being able to identify which Touchscreen (or iPad etc.) a command (e.g. A custom button) comes from so that feedback (or camera bookmark etc.) can be sent to this Touchscreen only.
  13.  Being able to lock down (using the access agent) certain Touchscreens and not others
  14. Keypads etc. looking to the controller for current LED settings every time they reboot
  15. Caching project for myHome PC so the “startup” time is less - won’t have to reload the entire project (similar to how iPhone knows when to reload the project)
  16. Allow myHome PC to have remote anywhere access
  17. Announcement Agent Enhancement
    1. Ability to format text (size, bold, italic, position)
    2. Ability to insert many variables into the announcement (exactly like the email agent can insert many variables into an email)
    3. Ability to insert more than 1 picture
    4. Ability to insert an MJPEG stream
 
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I was thinking of some useful additions/tweak I thought I would find useful. So I thought I'd lost them in case a C4 employee is looking for future enhancements.

1) I would really like the ability to pop up a full screen IP camera on the touchscreens via a bookmark and programming. Right now I have it programmed to show the bookmark for the front door and garage cams whenever the doorbell press/garage door open. The problem is I can't see them from across the room. Maybe a 2.7.1 or 2.8 addition, but it would be a very welcome one!

2) Better Movies/TV shows support. Right now browsing through them on the C4 interface isn't ideal.  It feels cumbersome, and the sorting/organization (as well as speed) isn't as good as the Apple TV interface.  Specifically I'd like to be able to select a movie/TV show from a shared iTunes library (selected via navigator Watch option) and have it AirPlay to the right Apple TV based on the room it was selected from. Right now there is no way to do all of that (as far as I can tell).  

 

- I should add that I don't really care about sorting them by director or actor, since most movies aren't tagged that way in my library.  For me, sorting them by Genre or TV Series/Season is how I pick a movie or TV show.

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Specifically I'd like to be able to select a movie/TV show from a shared iTunes library (selected via navigator Watch option) and have it AirPlay to the right Apple TV based on the room it was selected from. Right now there is no way to do all of that (as far as I can tell).

 

 

A minimac with iTunes and the long-existing iTunes driver will do this for you.

Which doesn't take away from the other points on the media handling mind you.

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A minimac with iTunes and the long-existing iTunes driver will do this for you.

Which doesn't take away from the other points on the media handling mind you.

I did have this setup at one point.  I think it tried to import the movies/TV shows into C4.  But strange things happened.  Like home movies got sorted under TV shows, and TV shows had only the file name in it (so S01E04 Seinfeld), which made it harder to know what it was about.  Some movies were missing.  But on ATV they are all named correctly with summary info, etc.  Completely possible I didn't do something right, but after fooling around with it for a bit I just gave up and used the ATV interface.

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TV series support together with better media management or maybe user 3rd party media manager completely like emby or plex.

 

TV series integration would be cool. I agree that media management is better handled through 3rd party devices. A good example of this is the new sonos driver.

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Maybe this is just me, but especially now with the new touchscreens being android... If we could use someone else's media plugin ability like... plex... that would be awesome. Don't re-invent the wheel if you don't have to?

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Intercom capability to/from myHome apps would be nice.

 

Using a 3rd party app now (media5 or something like that), but its not ideal.  I can only place calls to the TS, and when they try to call me it hangs up on my end right away.  Probably the iOS app, but if it could be built right into the C4 app that would be ideal!

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The problem using something like Plex is that you'd be limited to ... Plex.

 

Not necessarily.  My Plex Media Server driver parses the Plex Media Server Database for metadata and file paths.  It can be used with any media player that supports play file commands in Control4 including Dunes, Popbox's, EVA8000's, etc.

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Not necessarily.  My Plex Media Server driver parses the Plex Media Server Database for metadata and file paths.  It can be used with any media player that supports play file commands in Control4 including Dunes, Popbox's, EVA8000's, etc.

 

Yes but it's dependent on the Plex SERVER. vs for example MyMovies, or perhaps more accurately Fusion, Kaleidascape etc..

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Yes but it's dependent on the Plex SERVER. vs for example MyMovies, or perhaps more accurately Fusion, Kaleidascape etc..

 

I see where you're going.  Each media database software has its pro's and con's. I like Plex Media Server as it can be installed on supported NAS drives (Synology, ReadyNAS, QNAP, etc).  This means that you can have entry level cost systems that'll support auto import functionality with Control4.

 

Anyway yeah TV series integration is something you can definately do with Control4 with current versions of OS.

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The problem using something like Plex is that you'd be limited to ... Plex.

Shut it! ;)

Good point, but I don't know that is necessarily a BAD thing....

 

i USED TO love My MOvies but honestly Plex is so far superior and you aren't 100% dependant on it. For example, there is a bit of an API to stream to other apps / chromecast / Kodi

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Shut it! ;)

Good point, but I don't know that is necessarily a BAD thing....

 

i USED TO love My MOvies but honestly Plex is so far superior and you aren't 100% dependant on it. For example, there is a bit of an API to stream to other apps / chromecast / Kodi

 

As per Alan's post I replied to, I'm NOT concerned about the PLAYER - it wouldn't be that hard to have a plex server feed the info then have C4 send the file location to any player (with the usual limitation of that player having an API to receive it and the ability to play the file type). The problem is that it would require a plex server to be present, blocking off other possible 'servers' - be they MyMovies, or 'proprietary' ones like Fusion or Kaleidascape. Or iTunes/Apple.

 

So Control4 has to be at best VERY careful when 'selecting' any such thing.

This also is I assume part of the complexity of rebuilding the database to have the ability to 'notice' TV series vs Movies vs Shorts. I'm uncertain if there is any standard catagorisation point that MAKES that difference. Plus I'm not sure I'd like to see att TV series in 'just' a TV serie catagory - they should still fall under their respective genres no? Comedy, Horror, Documentary and so on. So do Plex, MyMovies and others all have a specific (and identical!) 'marker' that makes TV series distinguishable from Movies? If their is - great, if there isn't......

 

Add to that, that they also have to tread carefully so that they don't destroy every existing C4 database that's out there. It may even be required - but I know I wouldn't appreciate having to redo my complete library (I've mentioned before that no scanning software right now (and likely ever) is capable of being good enough for me, because I'm very specific on my info on genres in particular). If I do have to, it'd better be one heck of an upgrade!

 

That's not withstanding me thinking that C4 should try and get that sorted out (but I'm glad I'm not the having to do so!). My thoughts would be not that C4 needs to come up with a complete scanning setup for movies, but something that can easily import other existing databases, something that is easy to edit - with some imporovements along the way, such as some form of TV series (or hey why not dream, movie series) distsinction and - a big one for me - allowing multiple Genres for each Movie!

 

Perhaps it WOULD make sense to just have multiple 'plugins/drivers' that can do the actual importing instead of C4 doing it, in which case they'd only have to 'enhance' the current browsing ability - and perhaps have a db editing software OUTSIDE of the system itself that allows you to import/scan actual movie files - and then sent the (updated) info to the system.

 

I'm not saying I have the know-all answer by any means - but I do see (some) of the potential issues they're facing.

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As per Alan's post I replied to, I'm NOT concerned about the PLAYER - it wouldn't be that hard to have a plex server feed the info then have C4 send the file location to any player (with the usual limitation of that player having an API to receive it and the ability to play the file type). The problem is that it would require a plex server to be present, blocking off other possible 'servers' - be they MyMovies, or 'proprietary' ones like Fusion or Kaleidascape. Or iTunes/Apple.

 

So Control4 has to be at best VERY careful when 'selecting' any such thing.

This also is I assume part of the complexity of rebuilding the database to have the ability to 'notice' TV series vs Movies vs Shorts. I'm uncertain if there is any standard catagorisation point that MAKES that difference. Plus I'm not sure I'd like to see att TV series in 'just' a TV serie catagory - they should still fall under their respective genres no? Comedy, Horror, Documentary and so on. So do Plex, MyMovies and others all have a specific (and identical!) 'marker' that makes TV series distinguishable from Movies? If their is - great, if there isn't......

 

Add to that, that they also have to tread carefully so that they don't destroy every existing C4 database that's out there. It may even be required - but I know I wouldn't appreciate having to redo my complete library (I've mentioned before that no scanning software right now (and likely ever) is capable of being good enough for me, because I'm very specific on my info on genres in particular). If I do have to, it'd better be one heck of an upgrade!

 

That's not withstanding me thinking that C4 should try and get that sorted out (but I'm glad I'm not the having to do so!). My thoughts would be not that C4 needs to come up with a complete scanning setup for movies, but something that can easily import other existing databases, something that is easy to edit - with some imporovements along the way, such as some form of TV series (or hey why not dream, movie series) distsinction and - a big one for me - allowing multiple Genres for each Movie!

 

Perhaps it WOULD make sense to just have multiple 'plugins/drivers' that can do the actual importing instead of C4 doing it, in which case they'd only have to 'enhance' the current browsing ability - and perhaps have a db editing software OUTSIDE of the system itself that allows you to import/scan actual movie files - and then sent the (updated) info to the system.

 

I'm not saying I have the know-all answer by any means - but I do see (some) of the potential issues they're facing.

 

I think i have the answer to the problem.  I hid some links in this thread to be sneaky but nobodys picked up on them.

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Heh I actually just noticed it - hey this is one thing I'd love to be proven wrong on - but if that still involves full separate plug-ins, it's only part of the solution. But I'll repeat - I'd love nothing more than to be proven wrong! :)

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Emby is much more "open" than Plex. C4 could also integrate such media management into the software to make it more reliable. Probably needs transcoding stripped out to fit hw requirements

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I think i have the answer to the problem.  I hid some links in this thread to be sneaky but nobodys picked up on them.

 

Haha, I totally missed those.

So THAT would be awesome! Is that something you are working on?

The ability to launch Kodi or Plex HT directly from within C4's new android interface?

Or am I misunderstanding those photos?

 

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Haha, I totally missed those.

So THAT would be awesome! Is that something you are working on?

The ability to launch Kodi or Plex HT directly from within C4's new android interface?

Or am I misunderstanding those photos?

 

 

Nope.  You misunderstand.  What you're looking at is the start of the Kodi FULL driver development.  It allows full KODI library integration into Control4 including tv shows and will control your KODI system.  Think of the sonos driver but for video.

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Nope.  You misunderstand.  What you're looking at is the start of the Kodi FULL driver development.  It allows full KODI library integration into Control4 including tv shows and will control your KODI system.  Think of the sonos driver but for video.

equally awesome! If it works with Kodi.... would it be similar with plex? I have very limited knowledge of both servers but my understanding is they are both derivatives of XBMC? Or rather plex is a derivative of XBMC and KODI is a renamed newer version of XBMC?

 

 

As for other "wishes" for 2.8 features, I am also going to throw out the option for SONOS audio decoding from a CONNECT digitally / wirelessly transmitted to the audio service running on a controller :)

 

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