Poll: do you use the mouse/pointer on your SmartTV?
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[poll]
- yes
- sometimes
- no
- my TV doesn't have one
- I don't own a smart TV
[/poll]
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To qualify my answer: I don't have a mouse/pointer, but I would not use it even if I had.
- I only use my smart-TV to connect my PVR and Blu-Ray via HDMI. The only button I use is the on/off on the TV.
- Supposing the PVR had some Smartness, and a pointer to it, I would still not use it if I could avoid it. A properly designed UI for a TV ought to only show few enough alternatives at any time that I can navigate them via arrow-keys (or their equivalent)
- And, to kill the entire smart-TV-market: I have two tablets, and my kids have one each. What is the use case that a smart-TV that only one at the time can use is trying to solve?
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FYI, implementing this support can cost between 2 to 5 weeks of man/hours depending on UI complexity.
And it's a PITA. You have to add new elements like the hovering arrows, control focus between remote/pointer, hover on elements, etc.
But, this is a required thing for the certification process, so no escape.
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that is, possibly, why many "smart" things (like routers, printers, toasters and fridges) use a web interface.
Ps, I added toasters and fridges to my list to make it more... "listy", as I couldn't (and still can't) think of anything else that I know has a web interface.
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my Smart TV is a dumb TV with a ChromeCast2 plugged into it....so... ywah. no pointer to be had there unless i cast a tab, and then i'm manipulating the mouse on my laptop.
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@accalia said:
manipulating the mouse
leave the poor bugger alone to spin on its wheel :)
.... what? he was begging for it!
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That's what they all say, and it is still no defence....
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My Smart TV is an LG TV, you navigate with the remote...I didn't even know mice were a thing for Smart TVs...
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Yeah, my Vizio doesn't have any sort of mouse.
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.... what? he was begging for it!
http://static.rcgroups.net/forums/attachments/8/4/0/3/9/a2278364-86-Fox Mouse Mouth.jpg
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I don't have a smart TV, but my guess is: I'd use if it was practical, like a Wiimote or maybe a touchpad. I wouldn't use it if it was like those you have to move with 4 buttons.
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FYI, implementing this support can cost between 2 to 5 weeks of man/hours depending on UI complexity.
And it's a PITA. You have to add new elements like the hovering arrows, control focus between remote/pointer, hover on elements, etc.
But, this is a required thing for the certification process, so no escape.
Sounds like something that should be responsibility of the widget toolkit, shouldn't it?
I know, I know, SmartTV OSs are shit.
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My Roku has a motion sensitive remote (like a Wii controller wand-thing), but I never use it as a pointer. Except once, when I played the copy of Angry Birds that shipped with it for some reason.
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SmartTVs and other "Rich Content" devices are the wave of the future. They provide significant value-add to encourage uptake of new devices by the target demographics. The built-in software provides best-of-breed control over your entertainment delivery, and the Application Store provides unlimited rich experiences in an "always on" environment.
There was an excellent think piece about it on Samsung's website about 2 months ago. I'll post the link.
edit: looks like Samsung has done a content realignment on their website to better deliver a media-rich reading experience, and capture eyeballs in a pleasing and modern-design manner. So, my like is broken and doesn't work. I'll find the new link to the article with their search feature.
edit 2: Okay, so the Search has been content-optimized to deliver only the most richest and relevant results, which gives priority to "Hero elements"-- that is, market information on upcoming Product Leaders. So I haven't exactly been able to find that article. I'll try using Google.
edit 3: So google DID find a page with that content, but the link is brok-- I mean End of Life'd in favor of an upselled content area that gives the end user a safe landing and gently encourages them to experience the upcoming line of Samsung products. I did try archive.org, but the site's robots.txt encouraged search engines to index only "relevant" information to better optimize the signal to noise ratio.
Well, anyways, I'm sure this constant advertising, broken offline features, loss of online features, and perpetual re-arrangement of data endpoints has NO bearing on how awesome SmartTVs are...
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the copy of Angry Birds that shipped with it for some reason
I would guess that it was shipped with the Roku in the hopes that you
r kidswould be captivated by the awesomeness of playing Angry Birds on your television, and would thuspester you endlessly until you agreed topurchase Angry Birds 2 and Angry Birds Star Wars and Angry Birds...
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Yeah but. Even in my tablet-free house, that was like device #23 capable of playing Angry Birds.
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My SmartTV only has a pointer for the web browser, and using a web browser with a TV remote sucks so I don't bother.
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like a Wiimote
Yes, it's like that.
http://cdn.slashgear.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/samsung_smart_remote.png
I never use it as a pointer
Roku doesn't force certification based on this. Actually, not one of the apps I made for Roku used it.
My SmartTV only has a pointer for the web browser
Not that one. Instead of moving that pointer with the arrow keys, you use a WiiMote like motions.
Sounds like something that should be responsibility of the widget toolkit, shouldn't it?
That's not exactly how this applications are made. Think more of single page applications using JS, HTML and CSS. It's like Cordova hybrid apps or like Google Chrome/Firefox applications.
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Here's the pointer I use when I encounter a SmartTV:
Filed under: Technically not THE pointer finger...
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What's a TV? Never heard of it. Is that some another US-only special invention?
Filed under: A TV? I'm sorry, are you from the past?
Filed under: how do you do this nifty link-styled "filed under" stuff? Using magical HTML brute force?
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how do you do this
Nothing special, truly. There's only a few ways to
.
Filed under: Here's an example.
Also Filed under: View Raw Post </>
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a Wiimote or
i have this.
Yes, it's like that.
That one except blacker (cheaper i suspect)I actually use mine quite a lot. After youtube on the tv started supporting it it's a lot easier to use (for typing and selection)
Plex kind of supports it. It's random if it select the element you are hovering over, or if it selects the currently highlighted item (which can be different items).
Plex has gotten awefully slow recently, nice job there…
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Does it need an infrared light near the TV, like the Wii's "sensor bar"?
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If it does it's built into the tv.
It does seem to work even when out of sight of the tv, so i presume not.
But not being able to see the tv limits my ability to judge that (it may just enhance the precision with a few diodes). It does have a translucent window on the front - but still works when embedded under several layers of pillows...
So mabye…
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i presume not.
I Further presume they're using some fancy-schmancy Gyroscopic sensing input combined with an orientation sensor to achieve telemetrics.
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That one except blacker
"sensor bar"
but still works when embedded under several layers of pillows...
sensing input
orientation sensor to achieve telemetrics
Filed under: I don't let something small like not having anything useful to say stop me from posting
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Filed under: [me neither][1]
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@Lorne_Kates said:
Filed under: I don't let something small like not having anything useful to say stop me from posting
Nothing to say
Filed under: Huh, it really works, no matter how small I something it!
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er: Huh, it really works, no matter how small I something it!
Define "works".
It's only 'small' not 7x small..
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It's random if it select the element you are hovering over, or if it selects the currently highlighted item (which can be different items).
Because supporting both inputs (pointer/keys) is hard, specially when the app is not UX designed for this and it's added as an after thought.
Want to break one app? Place the pointer somewhere on the screen where it doesn't focus any element and then press any arrow key.
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If it's well made the focus should go back to the last element focused by the pointer.
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Medium quality if it goes to any fixed or random element.
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Bad if it does nothing or totally breaks (no crash though)
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Nothing special, truly. There's only a few ways to
.Thanks, now I get it. Discourse is a new
bitchbeast to me.
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@Tsaukpaetra said:
Nothing special, truly. There's only a few ways to
.Thanks, now I get it. Discourse is a new
bitchbeast to me.About that... It's a good idea if you learn to use Discourse and all its features really well. Spend some time and do some exercises on it.
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all its features
As long as you avoid it's misfeatures… well, you wouldn't be here at all then.
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It's a good idea if you learn to use Discourse and all its features really well.
Yeah. You'll be a master of it just in time for:
- Them to shuffle the UI, UX and deprecate all the features you just learned OR****strong text
- TDWTF to ditch Dipshore
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do some exercises on it.
Does
postingengaging in meaningful discussions count?
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@Mikael_Svahnberg said:
do some exercises on it.
Does
postingengaging in meaningful discussions count?It does. But in order to become a truly productive member, you need to really master all the discourse commands. They should become an extension of your fingers.
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They should become an extension of your fingers.
Something like that?
http://schmoesknow.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Dark_Lightning.jpg
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Was thinking more like
but ok...
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Not that one. Instead of moving that pointer with the arrow keys, you use a WiiMote like motions.
Oh, right, it doesn't have one of those at all.
