Firefox OS for TV: UX Overview • Hacker News Board

Re: Firefox OS for TV: UX Overview

#21

Post by matthewmcg » Mon, May 04, 2015, 2:02 PM UTC

semi-extrinsic wrote: post #12

Brakenshire wrote: post #4

My flat screen TV seems to pick up about a second of latency every three months, it now takes about 12 seconds to load up the programme guide. I'd really like if it had proper OS that could be updated, reinstalled, and extended, rather than something cobbled together and frozen in time. Smart TVs are basically computers so they might as well have decent operating systems.

My 2012 Smart TV (Panasonic 50ST50) is just like it was when I bought it. Most apps like youtube etc. have been updated, and some apps are a bit slower in the newer versions due to more flashy animations, but overall it's been rock stable and I see no reason to upgrade.

Not to mention that Panasonic stopped making plasmas and you'd probably find the black level performance of all but the most expensive LCD sets disappointing.

Re: Firefox OS for TV: UX Overview

#22

Post by reaaaaaalyslow » Mon, May 04, 2015, 2:09 PM UTC

paganel wrote: post #10

kaolinite wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I feel that the grid of icons works great for the TV but the problem is the unimaginative remote control. Instead of a plastic remote with arrow buttons, a better solution is using a phone or tablet which shows a UI based on what is on the screen. You tap through apps on the phone and pick what you want to watch. Then, you hit play and it starts showing on the screen. TVs aren't really great for interacting with - so…

> a better solution is using a phone or tablet which shows a UI based on what is on the screen. You tap through apps on the phone and pick what you want to watch. Then, you hit play and it starts showing on the screen. This might be the former TV-addict in me speaking, but would you be able to change channels and adjust the volume without taking your eyes off the TV screen? Because remote controls in their present fo…

Have you tried the FanTV[1] remote and UI[2]? I switched from the Apple Tv remote/iPhone/iPad and even the Apple Watch hasn't gotten displaced this from my house yet.

[2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TyYBJTFVOo0 [1] https://www.fan.tv/

Re: Firefox OS for TV: UX Overview

#23

Post by efdee » Mon, May 04, 2015, 2:17 PM UTC

DanBC wrote: post #17

the_mitsuhiko wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I really wish the trend was TVs becoming less smart How so? Ever since I switched to a Smart TV I pretty much removed all other boxes that were standing around. My Samsung solves all the problems I had separate boxes for before. The only thing that is still connected is a PS4.

Witha smart tv I have to fight that tech, and all the other tech, to get it to do the reasonably simple task of "display the image". Let me chose the smart box I want, and be the best dumb display for that box you can be, rather than giving me a bunch of poorly engineered over-expensive cruft that I neither want nor need.

Don't you just want to buy a monitor instead of a TV then?

Re: Firefox OS for TV: UX Overview

#24

Post by Yhippa » Mon, May 04, 2015, 2:23 PM UTC

kaolinite wrote: post #6

martingordon wrote: post #2

I hope someone can save us from the "grid of icons" UI that pervades set-top boxes. The grid works fine for handheld/desktop applications where access is non-sequential, but when we're using just directional arrows, that's a lot of tedious button pressing. Traditional TV service has the advantage of shortcuts by way of being able to jump to a channel directly using the number pad, but the top set-top boxes don't have…

I feel that the grid of icons works great for the TV but the problem is the unimaginative remote control. Instead of a plastic remote with arrow buttons, a better solution is using a phone or tablet which shows a UI based on what is on the screen. You tap through apps on the phone and pick what you want to watch. Then, you hit play and it starts showing on the screen. TVs aren't really great for interacting with - so…

This sounds awfully similar to Chromecast.

Re: Firefox OS for TV: UX Overview

#25

Post by CWuestefeld » Mon, May 04, 2015, 2:32 PM UTC

efdee wrote: post #23

DanBC wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Witha smart tv I have to fight that tech, and all the other tech, to get it to do the reasonably simple task of "display the image". Let me chose the smart box I want, and be the best dumb display for that box you can be, rather than giving me a bunch of poorly engineered over-expensive cruft that I neither want nor need.

Don't you just want to buy a monitor instead of a TV then?

Yes, exactly. But that's not the way the market works these days. I want a TV-quality display (which means large, but otherwise having lower specs than the monitor on my desk), with no tuner, no speakers, just a remote control receiver and a few HDMI ports.

For some reason they keep adding stuff that I don't want to the device. And "smartness" is the worst of it. I plan to keep the display far longer than the Roku box (or whatever).

Consider: is your TV going to be able to play H.265 content when it become available? Chances are your manufacturer won't even upgrade your software - they've got a dismal record for this. But even if they do, you probably don't have the CPU power to handle it. To avoid replacing the display, you'll wind up buying a Roku or Chromecast, and (as was said up-thread) fighting the TV's UI to get to your new box.

Re: Firefox OS for TV: UX Overview

#26

Post by wlesieutre » Mon, May 04, 2015, 2:33 PM UTC

efdee wrote: post #23

DanBC wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Witha smart tv I have to fight that tech, and all the other tech, to get it to do the reasonably simple task of "display the image". Let me chose the smart box I want, and be the best dumb display for that box you can be, rather than giving me a bunch of poorly engineered over-expensive cruft that I neither want nor need.

Don't you just want to buy a monitor instead of a TV then?

Yes, if reasonably priced monitors in the 30-60" range existed, I'd take them over a smart TV. As far as I can find, they don't.

Re: Firefox OS for TV: UX Overview

#27

Post by CWuestefeld » Mon, May 04, 2015, 2:33 PM UTC

jonathansizz wrote: post #5

While it wasn't difficult to understand what the author was trying to say, I found this post jarring to read. Surely Mozilla have native English speakers who can at least edit their blog posts? Anything that goes out to the public affects Mozilla's reputation, and should therefore be taken seriously.

Actually, there are parts of the essay that I am finding difficult to understand.

Re: Firefox OS for TV: UX Overview

#28

Post by darklajid » Mon, May 04, 2015, 2:40 PM UTC

the_mitsuhiko wrote: post #16

kaolinite wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I bought my TV just before smart TVs became popular and am dreading having to replace it, with - from what I can tell - all of the good, high end TVs now being "smart". I really wish the trend was TVs becoming less smart, more like a monitor than a computer, especially now that TV "pucks" like Apple TV, Roku, etc are gaining popularity.

> I really wish the trend was TVs becoming less smart How so? Ever since I switched to a Smart TV I pretty much removed all other boxes that were standing around. My Samsung solves all the problems I had separate boxes for before. The only thing that is still connected is a PS4.

I post that in most discussions about smart tvs.

I have one, connected it to the internet once, disconnected it and did a firmware reset. Never again.

That particular thing - a Samsung, mind you - installs adware/crapware/shit when you first connect it. We can argue about the featureset in general and if the 'smart' part is usable in general (I .. don't think so), but it is especially annoying if you look at the device, connect it and see it installing the worst of the worst stuff, pinning it to the most prominent places in your menu.

Tech support (yes, I was desperate to call them) said "Yeah, that's a feature", "No, you cannot prevent that from happening", "No, you cannot hide/remove/move those applications and icons". Disconnect, firmware reset, no Samsung TV in the future, ever again.

Re: Firefox OS for TV: UX Overview

#29

Post by CWuestefeld » Mon, May 04, 2015, 2:42 PM UTC

striking wrote: post #18

The UI is (almost) just like any other on a Smart TV. Okay. Strikes me as somewhat unimaginative. Also, the Dashboard is a separate app. Like, um, in a car, right? Just like the radio and temperature controls are away from the user, so they have to look away from the road (their focus) to access it, right? Right. What this UX actually needs, instead of being an app menu that can access TV or whatever, is TV-centric d…

I agree that this is disappointingly unimaginative.

Unless you mean you're going to make my Netflix another channel just like Fox News, which would be pretty nice. But that differs in the fact that Netflix is a video focused application that acts a lot like a channel or something. But that means you had better add a unified UI for video playback. Netflix and YouTube and everything should share the same UI widgets.

I think that's a big part of it. The distinct between "channels" and "apps" is artificial. On my Roku, most of the "channels" can be interacted with in at least some way, making it difficult to draw a line.

Most channels on Roku are offering on-demand features, and you interact with the channel to locate a feature. The Weather Underground channel has controls allowing search for locations, and viewing maps and radar. Some really big things, like Tablo, include features for programming recording; and Plex is pretty much everything but the kitchen sink.

I think if they saw that the apps/channels distinction is artificial, the rest of the design would collapse into a bunch of irrelevancies, and they'd be forced to confront the question for real.

Re: Firefox OS for TV: UX Overview

#30

Post by stephen_g » Mon, May 04, 2015, 2:44 PM UTC

the_mitsuhiko wrote: post #16

kaolinite wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I bought my TV just before smart TVs became popular and am dreading having to replace it, with - from what I can tell - all of the good, high end TVs now being "smart". I really wish the trend was TVs becoming less smart, more like a monitor than a computer, especially now that TV "pucks" like Apple TV, Roku, etc are gaining popularity.

> I really wish the trend was TVs becoming less smart How so? Ever since I switched to a Smart TV I pretty much removed all other boxes that were standing around. My Samsung solves all the problems I had separate boxes for before. The only thing that is still connected is a PS4.

Maybe the newer Samsung ones are better, but the one I have is clunky as hell...

I only ever go into the smart functionality by mistake now - I find the Apple TV to be a way better experience (and I have a few iDevices so AirPlay a fair bit of stuff also).