Kodi 18 + NextPVR V5 : the record screen list is very poor

[Bernard0105]

Hi Martin, and the community,

I continue to test Kodi+NextPVR as a replacement for WMC. I open this thread because I find that the look of the record screen list is really poor. Here is the sreen copy :

[Bernard0105]

The screen copy :

[mvallevand]

Screen design is not controlled by the addon and there is limited information at the folder level. Neither Kodi PVR or NextPVR provide series meta data so don't expect a TV Library style view. Different skins also can do things differently.

In Leia the best you can do is play the Kodi look and feel settings. In Matrix there a several improvements and more options

- there is an option to flatten recording so in the case La Firme with only 1 recording you would see all the meta data, the poster and the background art instead of the folder at the root level
- show more meta data
- add working watched/partially watched/unwatched indicators on folders and recordings
- added season folders
- show file size

Martin

[Bernard0105]

The Kodi18 Next PVR client add-on displays only the title, not the program description, in despite it have it, for sure, because when I click on the "Directory record node", it is displayed.
The TV channel name is also missing, in my opinion, as well as the  the "rating_star" notation and the "genre".
This is not convient to browse the TV record list like this. Is there an improvement made in Kodi19 for this, or is it the same ?

If I untick the option "element grouping", the program details are displayed and that view is better for Films or stand alone programs,  but for Series the name of the Series are not displayed, and this is ugly.

In Leia the best you can do is play the Kodi look and feel settings. In Matrix there a several improvements and more options

Ok Martin, it looks better in Kodi 19, I will wait for a RC version before upgrading, as it is still in Beta. Do you have an idea when the RC1 could be ready ?

[mvallevand]

Are your comments on Leia or Matrix, where I noted you will see many changes. V18 is finished.

Also did you check with Kodi look & feel enabled where I also noted you will seem more information. I prefer this as the default but I received too much backlash when I introduced it so the reduced information view was changed to the default so users have the season and episode view with Kodi PVR developers don't want to provide.

Martin

[mvallevand]

The TV channel name is also missing, in my opinion, as well as the  the "rating_star" notation and the "genre".
This is not convient to browse the TV record list like this. Is there an improvement made in Kodi19 for this, or is it the same ?

Channel name should be there in Leia on recordings not folders.  I makes no sense on folders anyway.

Kodi doesn't currently provide an API for star rating for recordings, just for the EPG.  Genres and cast/crew have been aded. 

Martin

[Bernard0105]

Are your comments on Leia or Matrix, where I noted you will see many changes.  V18 is finished.

Also did you check with Kodi look & feel enabled where I also noted you will seem more information.  I prefer this as the default but I received too much backlash when I introduced it so the reduced information view was changed to the default so users have the season and episode view with Kodi PVR developers don't want to provide.

Martin

Now i use both, I have installed Kodi19 Beta2 today on a second PC, that is remotely connected to my HTPC server still in windows7, and Kodi 18.9 + NPVR V5.

I saw some improvement on Kodi 19, but for the issues there, it was related to the option "Kodi skin styles recordings" of your kodi NPVR client that was not activated...Thank you for the advice !!

There was no "help line" in Kodi 18 for this option, so I got no idea of it would mean.
Now in Kodi 19 the help line is there, but I did not look at it during the installation of Kodi 19...

It is strange to me that some users complain about setting this option by default. In my opinion it is more convenient for usual Kodi users, and also for new Kodi users, to get a default settings from NPVR Client that is the most compatible with the Kody default skin and L&F. And default Kody L&F is surely not to browse files through directories, as a lot of work was done in Kodi to manages the file media through the media libraries, this is the first added value to use Kodi as UX.

I currently have 200 TV records (imported from WMC) in NPVR, that is why it is important for me to get the best record browsing facility. I believe this is common to most HTPC users.

Thank you for the advice and for the improvement done there.

[mvallevand]

The reason is more apparent when browse for viewing the season and episode numbers. When the problem arose I made this demonstration video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vgQsRVOnl_4 showing the two modes in action on various skins including list and the player differences. The significance is replacing the program title with the S/E number. In some ways if you look at The Big Bang Theory, the repeated title does look a bit "busy" On the otherhand the player doesn't show what the the program is.

It is not particularly easy to document or even give a name too which is why I ask users to try them both.

Kodi PVR devs are typically from the DVB countries where this may be less important so they don't want to consider season/episode sort or displays which is unfortunate. Also perhaps there are a program collectors where date sequence doesn't match episode order so the random list would be unacceptable

Note you probably are using 8.0.1 with Matrix. 8.0.2 is ready and has the ratings (coming in the next release of NextPVR) and watched/partially watched/unwatched markers that are handy.

Martin

[Bernard0105]

Note you probably are using 8.0.1 with Matrix.  8.0.2 is ready and has the ratings (coming in the next release of NextPVR) and watched/partially watched/unwatched markers that are handy.

Martin

Yes I got 8.0.1 NPVR Client from the official Matrix repo. I am volunteer for alpha or beta testing the next NPVR release with 8.0.2  
 if it may help you and Sub.

Thanks for your detailed explanation.
Sub said he would implement API to get artwork for episode and/or program in the guide. Do you know if it will be usable also for the records (as I would expected it to be...) ?
Would it be in the next NPVR release ?  an idea of when ?

Since you are working with Sub to add the ratings (star and parental I think) and watch status, for me the lack of Artwork for Guide and Records would be the only functional regression I have by comparing Kodi+NPVR with WMC (in a custom settings with integration of the XMLTV file that you know).

Bernard

[mvallevand]

Sub hasn't talked about the new art format so I don't expect it in the next release he is quite busy. If he doesn't specifically take out the current functionality I can give you a script I am using if you'd like.

8.0.2 needs to be merged and tagged by sub for auto delivery. If he doesn't have time to do that it is available as a zip here https://jenkins.kodi.tv/job/kodi-pvr/job...ob/PR-156/

Sub provides the data but there won't be parental ratings. These are simple numeric values based on age and there is no mapping to the various standards used around the world. If any one has the desire to do the legwork I can add it in the client later.

There won't be a way to get art for recordings from XMLTV files that no longer care the show/film.

Martin