New Beta 1 Firmware 1.5.1.23679 (7th Feb)

[Sneckster]

I actually really like the new TV shows page, once we get some online content in the uk I can see that having that on screen instead of hidden will be useful for the mrs and kids.

That's if we get any online content in the uk. :~(

Also why do people want bigger thumbnails? that just means less content on a page which means more pages and more scrolling. We are all using our boxee boxes on TVs right?

[kr1z]

if we are talking visual design the movie screen can be improved to. At present under each movie poster boxee puts the name with cruddy text but for long films it cant fit all the name in and uses two lines to do so. It would be much better if the movie name appeared at the bottom of the screen when you scroll over a poster, that way the spaces between the poster can be less hence bigger thumbnails.

amen to that too.

[janrex]

Great job guys!

Have you located the faulty manually id:ing issue mentioned in the previous beta release topic?

I like the "new" approach with more frequent beta releases with fixes and communication.

I think I found the issue... hopefully their devs can see it too! See my latest post:
http://jira.boxee.tv/browse/BOXEE-12533

[mbryanr]

Confirmed ^^
http://forums.boxee.tv/showpost.php?...8&postcount=68

and see
http://forums.boxee.tv/showpost.php?...8&postcount=54

[yoos]

Brutal! They better update flash soon.....

Yes, and we are talking technology here.... There has to be some work around method like transcoding to the supported boxee flash version.... It may not be the preferred method, but things are just getting worse and worse and it's not going to get better.

[luckywanderboy]

This does not bother me. IMO, the side menu helped my wife to use the BB. When something is hidden on the screen may worsen the usability for people that dont have great ability with electronic devices.

It's still possible to make it optional for such people.
I don't use it at all, yet it takes so much space.

[janrex]

Confirmed ^^
http://forums.boxee.tv/showpost.php?...8&postcount=68

and see
http://forums.boxee.tv/showpost.php?...8&postcount=54

Brilliant! Hope they fix it before releasing a "stable" version!

[jairofsouza]

It's still possible to make it optional for such people.
I don't use it at all, yet it takes so much space.

@luckywanderboy It's true. I like the new UI. It's easier (sometimes) and more beautiful. But I think the better UI was the pre-1.5 version for PC because it had several features the users request: hidden side menu, filters and searches for local media, and so on.
I'd like to see a firmware with "1.5 style" and "pre-1.5 PC" features.

Second day using this new firmware and no new bugs, but the shutdown issue.

[LewisFamily01]

if we are talking visual design the movie screen can be improved to. At present under each movie poster boxee puts the name with cruddy text but for long films it cant fit all the name in and uses two lines to do so. It would be much better if the movie name appeared at the bottom of the screen when you scroll over a poster, that way the spaces between the poster can be less hence bigger thumbnails.

I agree, currently I have many films appearing on the UI with apparently the same names, e.g. when you have sequals but there is no room for the full name with the number.

Alternatively the names could be removed altogether. Theoretically the Movie Artwork should be displaying the movie name (would be odd if it didn't) and the whole purpose of displaying the artwork is to allow selection of films from the artwork.

if a user doesn't know what a film is, then he/she can always select the artwork and then get the full name, description etc pop-up.

So removing the names under the artwork to me would clean up the screen with little impact. (but then again I am guessing that they are vital for some people with colour blindness etc. who can't rely upon the pictures).

...Peter

[LewisFamily01]

This does not bother me. IMO, the side menu helped my wife to use the BB. When something is hidden on the screen may worsen the usability for people that dont have great ability with electronic devices.

I agree to. The hidden A-Z on the right was not obvious to my wife, I had to point it out when she complained about having to scroll though the list all the time.

Having the options on the left clearly visible does help with the UI. Hiding them again would take us backwards towards to Pre 1.5 UI were it was all hidden in the extended pop-up menu and not very intuitive for the mass market.

I would vote for keeping the left hand menu.

By the way, its not just about people having the intelligence to find functionality, I personally enjoy having the left hand menu to remind me of the functionality. e.g. I tend to watch local TV show content as the norm, but since 1.5 was released I have been reminded more of the online content by seeing the "Shows Library" (I believe this is what its called) option on the menu. Prior to 1.5, I would never view online shows via the UI, always via APPs. So a definite improvement in my mind.

...Peter