[mythtv-users] 0.22 MythVideo slow first time cover art displays

[Michael T. Dean]

On 09/29/2009 04:42 PM, Kevin Kuphal wrote:
> On Tue, Sep 29, 2009 at 3:32 PM, Michael T. Dean wrote:
>   
>> So, the solution is for someone*** who thinks waiting until 0.23 for these
>> metadata features would be better to actually write a theme that doesn't use
>> any of the images (or uses just the poster images, like in 0.21-fixes).  If
>> the theme doesn't use the artwork, MythVideo/Watch Recordings doesn't
>> attempt to retrieve/scale/process it, so there's no delay.
>>     
> A workaround,

I really don't see that as being a workaround.  It's simply providing a 
means to not use the feature until it's more finished.

>  but also not really the point of what I was saying.  Why
> include something in the release if it requires this type of
> workaround which essentially disables the feature?

Because no one else wrote any themes? (Assuming "something" means 
Graphite and any other metadata-image-using themes.)

So that users can run the stable version of Myth and still create themes 
that support the feature, or play/experiment with the feature?  
(Assuming "something" means metadata image support.)

>   I know it is
> probable that not every user will experience a delay or not everyone
> will find the lack of integrated metadata fetching in Watch Recordings
> a problem.  I was simply making an observation about including
> features that might appear incomplete to general users who likely
> don't have the patience that people more development oriented have
> given that it's supposed to be "release quality".
>   

Well, it's easy enough to disable those features--either through the 
code (so that /no one/ can play with them with the stable released 
version) or through choice of theme (so that those who want to can 
experiment with them).  I personally think the theme-based disabling is 
the right choice.

>> Really, I think the main problem here is not the images, but the lack of new
>> people stepping up to create new MythUI-capable themes.  It just so happens
>> that the people who have done the MythUI themes happen to like the metadata
>> image stuff.  I also believe that once we have a MythUI-ed release out
>> there, we'll get a /lot/ more people stepping up to create these themes.
>>  So, we kind of have a catch-22 chicken-and-egg issue here.
>>     
> I get what you're saying above but how does additional themes address
> an issue of the metadata feature being either 1) slow, as some users
> are beginning to report or 2) confusing,

It addresses the issue of users being able to choose to not use the 
not-complete features.

>  as my own experience has
> shown in helping a friend build a 0.22 system (this relates to the
> Watch Recordings use of fanart).  A new theme that uses these features
> will not change how they are implemented (no background download, no
> integrated Watch Recording fetching of metadata).
>   

No, but it will allow those who feel that the features aren't yet ready 
to choose not to use them until Robert, and anyone else who decides to 
help him, gets the image download automated (which relies on further 
integration of MythTV and MythVideo recording/video-file metadata) and 
until someone (we all know who will end up doing it, but I won't mention 
his name as he has far too much on his plate, already) modifies MythUI 
so that image loading/scaling/processing is done in a separate thread 
and the UI updates once the processed image is ready for display, and 
until ...

MythWeb has also had a not-ready-for-primetime Flash-based 
transcoding/streaming/playback functionality in it for a couple of 
releases, but it seems users were more than happy to get the opportunity 
to play with it and work within its huge number of constraints/usability 
issues.***  The only difference I see with that one is that you have to 
check a box to enable it.  And, I would consider enabling that far more 
confusing than setting up the metadata downloading because it relies on 
so many other external factors (such as external ffmpeg having proper 
CODEC support, system having sufficient resources for real-time 
transcoding, Apache http configuration, browser flash support (and Flash 
audio configuration) and ...).  Then again, that may be mainly because 
I've followed the development of the video metadata stuff much more 
closely, so maybe I just learned a lot more about it than I realize.

And, since you have to explicitly choose the Graphite theme after 
upgrading, it's kind of like having to enable the image-metadata 
features.  :)

Mike

***And, funny enough, the MythWeb Flash stuff is also waiting on changes 
to the MythTV metadata handling that MythVideo is currently waiting on.