Media Player Firmware Wishlist

[c3bhm]

Another video playback feature that the media player needs is a 'chapter skip', backward and forward, for videos that do not have official/formal chapters (like how a DVD does).

If I'm playing a 2.5 hour movie that is one single .avi or .mkv or .mp4 file, and let's say I want to fast forward to the 2 hour mark, this takes FOREVER to do with the standard fast forward speeds. Even at 32x it takes WAY TOO LONG to sit and wait for it to progress through.
Consider a common enough (realistic) scenario: Lets say I just watched a 2.5 hour movie and meant to catch something in the end credits, but the file played through because I wasn't paying attention. So I replay the file and have to fast forward at top speed (32x) and WAIT AND WAIT AND WAIT forever. The math itself: 2.5 hour movie is 150 minutes. Scanning through those 150 minutes at 32x speed still take OVER FOUR AND A HALF MINUTES to sit there waiting to reach those end credits. That's way way too long.
So if the 'chapter' button could do, say, 10 (or 15) minute jumps (like how your 'commercial skip' button makes short jumps), this wouldn't be a problem at all. (And then, perhaps, holding the button down could function as it currently functions - as 'next file'.)

This is especially an issue when the 32x fast-forward has very poor smoothness in the video displayed AND EVEN THE DISPLAY COUNTER/TIMER itself. 32x makes horrible jumps in the video AND THE TIMER, which can make it nearly impossible to stop it anywhere near the desired time (and I'm attentive and fast with it - to no avail).

Please fix this. This seems like something that shouldn't have been overlooked. You can't really expect a person to sit and wait for FIVE MINUTES of down time to FF through a long movie. That's 'Forever' in today's ADHD world.
Thanks!

[IAM]

c3bhm, I agree, but I have been using the commercial skip button for that now. At 30 seconds per press I can reach the end of a movie (for the credits, or any where else) in about 10-20 seconds. Yes, it takes quite a few repeated button press to reach the end of a movie, but it's not that bad for 1/4 to 1/2 way through the file. Also, using the CS button makes it much easier to "see" where you are with the on screen display/time. (I gave up using the FF button at high speeds... too jumpy for me.)


As for the previous suggestion of 1/2 and 3/4 zoom, that addition would be great! I always come across movies where the normal 1x zooms in a bit too much for my liking. Having a 1/2 and 3/4 zoom would allow people to zoom it in to a point just before a letter boxed movie over fills the screen.

[bamboo82]

Hope there is a way to change the font border size or the font background color, or perhaps able to emboss the font. Often the color usually blended into the scenery, the current 1px black border on white font is way too small, making it difficult for viewers to read the subtitles in Asian languages like Chinese where the stroke structures are complex.

Thank you

[c3bhm]

"[[[[[c3bhm, I agree, but I have been using the commercial skip button for that now. At 30 seconds per press I can reach the end of a movie (for the credits, or any where else) in about 10-20 seconds. Yes, it takes quite a few repeated button press to reach the end of a movie, but it's not that bad for 1/4 to 1/2 way through the file. Also, using the CS button makes it much easier to "see" where you are with the on screen display/time. (I gave up using the FF button at high speeds... too jumpy for me.)]]]]]"


Yeah, I often RESORT to using that function, but it's really only 'acceptable' for 1/4 or 1/2 way through a typical movie, like you said.
For other scenarios, like getting toward the end of a 2 hour movie, we're talking TWO HUNDRED AND FORTY PRESSES of that button.
That's just totally crazy, (unless someone is in training for a Tekken tournament!)...

Rockbox is an 'aftermarket' firmware for ipods and lots of other mp3 players, and they have the coolest FF function I've ever seen. The longer you hold down the FF (or Rewind) button, with one continuous press, the faster it ACCELERATES through the file. So if you have some big huge 5 hour file (like an audio book that hasn't been broken up into smaller pieces) and you lose your bookmark, and need to get far into the file, the FF zooms through it faster and faster, yet very smoothly - super easy to control. It's wonderful. THAT would be an awesome function for the Patriot Media Player!

[scboley]

If you create your own mkv or even mp4 you can add chapters into the transcode and it takes the native chapter markers from the dvd and then chapters do work so then your problem is solved.

[c3bhm]

If you create your own mkv or even mp4 you can add chapters into the transcode and it takes the native chapter markers from the dvd and then chapters do work so then your problem is solved.

Good lord - no way. Thanks for the techie tip, but I download and watch several videos a day...straight from torrents...so I'm not going to go through all of that over and over and over and over and over.
This is not an issue for that kind of inconvenient workaround. It's an issue that should be fixed, like an overlooked bug.
Either give the 'next' button a 10 minute leap, or do accelerating fast-forwards. Either one needs to happen. Both would be great.

[scboley]

Good lord - no way. Thanks for the techie tip, but I download and watch several videos a day...straight from torrents...so I'm not going to go through all of that over and over and over and over and over.
This is not an issue for that kind of inconvenient workaround. It's an issue that should be fixed, like an overlooked bug.
Either give the 'next' button a 10 minute leap, or do accelerating fast-forwards. Either one needs to happen. Both would be great.

Ahhhh so don't say something is a bug if you're downloading subpar files off the internet. I create all my mkv from actual dvd source and all have chapters in them and work fine.

Your pbo is only as good as the files you feed it. You might want to go off the grid and find the wiki site and install acrbo and experience their version of navigation with the paddle keys as it would definitely give you what you desire here. And yes the pbo needs a better navigation system but chapters aren't the problem because they have to be placed in the file before the buttons work.

[c3bhm]

Ahhhh so don't say something is a bug if you're downloading subpar files off the internet. I create all my mkv from actual dvd source and all have chapters in them and work fine.

Your pbo is only as good as the files you feed it. You might want to go off the grid and find the wiki site and install acrbo and experience their version of navigation with the paddle keys as it would definitely give you what you desire here. And yes the pbo needs a better navigation system but chapters aren't the problem because they have to be placed in the file before the buttons work.

Good lord all of the acrobatics you're describing are just silly.
There's a 'commercial skip' button that leaps forward 30 seconds, so there's no reason whatsoever for a 'chapter skip' that does the exact same thing but 10 minutes. Simple and easy.
And 'subpar' files? I bought this device to be able to play the video files that MILLIONS AND MILLIONS of other bit-torrent users are encoding and playing. THEY ARE THE STANDARD, really. So for this device to not factor in acceptable navigation through those files - some of the most common file formats on the planet - is overlooking one of the main populations of purchasers of this device.
You're making silly excuses. This is a feature that simply NEEDS to be a part of this device, because .avi and .mp4 (etc.) files are the ultra-common reality of the market out there in Real Life. Sheeeeesh!

[scboley]

Acrobatics???? I just suggested looking at another firmware that would give you exactly what you want. As for torrent files being a standard that is so untrue as there is no standard for compression, bitrates, chapters in or out, as well as the majority of it is illegal. I was trying to stay out of that realm of the conversation but your skills of video manipulation are lacking if you think all torrents are the standard of video files.

Go get some source such as dvd or bluray and convert it to mp4, avi, or mkv and see how many different settings there are for the files and some if set incorrectly will render your file not playable on your pbo even though it will play on a computer.

Then the problem of it isn't playing isn't the fault of the pbo but the actual transcoding parameters of the file you created. Unload the codec on your pc and it won't play there either. Not the fault of your windows media player or whatever player you use but a missing codec and a file that wasn't transcoded for what the pc supported.

It is one thing to ask that something be included but to demand a feature based on if a file supports something or not is kinda out there.

The acrbo left right paddle gives a timeline and you can move to any point you want in the file and then press the enter and it resumes playing. So you could go from beginning of the video to the end in a matter of seconds. This is the feature that should be placed in the pbo firmware and even medebo which the paddles do the x forward reverse speeds not the line navigation.

[ninja1]

If I'm playing a 2.5 hour movie that is one single .avi or .mkv or .mp4 file, and let's say I want to fast forward to the 2 hour mark, this takes FOREVER to do with the standard fast forward speeds. Even at 32x it takes WAY TOO LONG to sit and wait for it to progress through.

That's what the 'GO TO' button is for. You can directly jump to whatever hour:minute:second point you want.