AppleTV, navigate in recordings

[Deerhunter]

Hi,
Isn't it possible to use the AppleTV remote clickpad to jump forward/backwards in a recording? Preferable Right click = 1min forward, Left = 30s back. Click & hold = ff/rev 4times speed. This is really an expected basic functionality, but I can't find it.
It's of course possible to swipe and find a position in the recording, but it's far to unaccurate and buggy to swipe with the Apple remote, as many others reported. Sometime the cursor appeares at the current frame, but most often it shows up at the beginning of the recording causing endless swiping to the right.
I've tested both AppleTV HD and 4K (1st and 2nd gen), together with Siri Remote (1st and 2nd gen).
Latest Apple TV app 3.2, NextPVR Version: 5.2.2.211017 2.211017 

[timbo3344]

I have Plex watch my recordings folder so I can watch what's recorded there

[Deerhunter]

I'm discussing the NextPVR AppleTV app, not Plex. People asked for improvement regarding the navigation since years. What else can I do for bringing attention to this?

[dongna]

Hi,
Isn't it possible to use the AppleTV remote clickpad to jump forward/backwards in a recording? Preferable Right click = 1min forward, Left = 30s back. Click & hold = ff/rev 4times speed. This is really an expected basic functionality, but I can't find it.
It's of course possible to swipe and find a position in the recording, but it's far to unaccurate and buggy to swipe with the Apple remote, as many others reported. Sometime the cursor appeares at the current frame, but most often it shows up at the beginning of the recording causing endless swiping to the right.
I've tested both AppleTV HD and 4K (1st and 2nd gen), together with Siri Remote (1st and 2nd gen).
Latest Apple TV app 3.2, NextPVR Version: 5.2.2.211017 2.211017 

My experience with my AppleTV is the same as yours, Deerhunter. It is frustrating, especially since this functionality is present in every other streaming app (Prime, Netflix, Hulu, etc.) and was present back in the day when I ran NPVR through a Popcorn Hour box. I understand the need to move off of old hardware, but I feel like my NPVR user experience is going in the wrong direction.

I'm trying not to sound like a complainer. I still love NPVR and the capability it provides. But I hope whoever is developing the AppleTV app can find the time to add this basic functionality. It would make all the difference.

[mvallevand]

@dogna as the author of the Popcorn Hour client I can tell you I take great offense to your complaint since things are absolutely not going in the wrong direction. In the last year with an extraordinary amount help from sub I have released Roku and Android clients that are better then anything that you saw on the PCH. I'd do the same for Apple TV but Apple themselves make the platform very hard to develop for. I've sideloaded Kodi on my Apple TV and run NextPVR there and it is far better than any Apple app but installing it \is not for novice's

We counted it out a couple of weeks ago and in addition to the great backend that continues to get better and better with each release and that runs on more OSes than just Windows in the PCH days, sub has to deal with 15 clients for features and general support. There is no reason that all clients need to have to be the same functionality at all times. Just look at the keys on the stupid Apple Siri remote vs the old PCH remote trying to get the same usability is impossible.

I have no doubt the Apple TV app will continue to improve but give sub a break.

Martin

[dongna]

Please accept my apology, Martin. You are of course quite right in pointing out all the tremendous improvements that have taken place. My comment about things going in the wrong direction of course was not intended as a general comment about the state of development overall-- just my own very isolated experience in having moved from the PCH to AppleTV. I'm afraid I must stand by my contention that the AppleTV app user experience is a step back from the user experience on the PCH. For whatever reason-- be it an inferior remote, or Apple's platform being hard to develop for-- unfortunately that is a fact with which even you appear to agree. I realize the app is still in its infancy and agree that it will no doubt improve as time permits.

So again, I sincerely apologize if my comments came off as overly harsh criticism. My intention was only to make sub and yourself aware that navigation while watching a recording is really a pretty basic thing that users have to deal with continually while watching, and as Deerhunter pointed out, it really is an expected basic functionality. The incessant swiping required at present is really quite a detraction from the enjoyment of watching. I was just attempting to second Deerhunter's comments in the hope of possibly getting this pushed up on the priority list. Squeaky wheel and all that...

[sub]

Hi,
Isn't it possible to use the AppleTV remote clickpad to jump forward/backwards in a recording? Preferable Right click = 1min forward, Left = 30s back. Click & hold = ff/rev 4times speed. This is really an expected basic functionality, but I can't find it.
It's of course possible to swipe and find a position in the recording, but it's far to unaccurate and buggy to swipe with the Apple remote, as many others reported. Sometime the cursor appeares at the current frame, but most often it shows up at the beginning of the recording causing endless swiping to the right.
I've tested both AppleTV HD and 4K (1st and 2nd gen), together with Siri Remote (1st and 2nd gen).
Latest Apple TV app 3.2, NextPVR Version: 5.2.2.211017 2.211017 

What remote are you using? The new one silver one, or the old black one?

I've just recently got an AppleTV 4K, with the newer silver remote, and I've been doing some updates to the application.

[dongna]

sub, I actually have 2 AppleTV 4Ks, one with the older black remote and one with the newer silver remote. The newer one with the clickable "wheel" was supposed to be a drastic improvement over the older one with the mini "trackpad". But unfortunately I find them both equally weak as far as remotes go.

If I may suggest... if you could just make the right and left-click functions work as Deerhunter suggested-- right click advance some increment (I would think either 30 seconds or 1 minute would work well) and left-click rewind a smaller increment (maybe 10 seconds?) that would be a TREMENDOUS improvement. I believe both remotes should be able to support this? Anything to avoid having to use the swiping feature (which I've found to be horribly glitchy and inaccurate).

[sub]

sub, I actually have 2 AppleTV 4Ks, one with the older black remote and one with the newer silver remote. The newer one with the clickable "wheel" was supposed to be a drastic improvement over the older one with the mini "trackpad". But unfortunately I find them both equally weak as far as remotes go.

As mentioned, I only just got access to one of the newer silver remotes, so the NextPVR app hasn't had explicit support for it's physical direction buttons until now. The next release will better support this remote. Up until now I've been using the black remote, which is such a crappy remote.

If I may suggest... if you could just make the right and left-click functions work as Deerhunter suggested-- right click advance some increment (I would think either 30 seconds or 1 minute would work well) and left-click rewind a smaller increment (maybe 10 seconds?) that would be a TREMENDOUS improvement. I believe both remotes should be able to support this? Anything to avoid having to use the swiping feature (which I've found to be horribly glitchy and inaccurate).

I should be able to support something like this on the silver remote. The black remote doesn't really provide a directional click, so won't behave the same. I'll focus on improving the silver remote first, then see what can be done on the black remote after that.

[dongna]

Actually, although it's far from obvious, I believe the black remote does actually provide directional click. It took me several months of using the remote before discovering this completely by accident. If you click on the left/right/top/bottom edges of the "trackpad", it generates a directional click event. In most streaming apps (Prime Video, Netfliix, YouTube, etc.) clicking in this manner generates incremental advance or rewind actions as I described I would love to see in NPVR. It's the same functionality as clicking on the left/right/top/bottom of the wheel on the silver remote.

Note that on the black remote there also appears to be a left/right/top/bottom "tap" event i.e. if you tap on an edge of the trackpad without actually depressing far enough to get a click, that also generates an event. This works, for example, in moving the cursor among icons on a menu screen, or moving from letter to letter on a keyboard screen.