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Full Version: The Case for the Merging of Media Browser and Kodi/XBMC
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If some people, including and especially you - would invest more time into living their dream than just writing walls of text, all your problems would already be solved.

I have written this to inform you, that you are now on my ignore list.

Edit: @jacintech.fire of course, not Ned
@ned,
I never said that XBMC/Kodi doesn't work as a media player. Quite the contrary, I have stated that it does, and it does better than most.
The point I am making is that in the long run, it will not be enough to compete for new users against the likes of Plex and MB3. Not becuase XBMC/Kodi is inferior, becuase it is not, quite the contrary; but simply because these other options are more convenient.
I have a very large and extended family, and most of them have literally abandoned XBMC/Kodi over the other alternatives, simply becuase of the convenience they offer. Just this morning we had a conversation about the new costs of a plex pass. And even under these new conditions some of them opted to continuento use it.
More to your point: The set top box market is dead. Cheap smartTVs are hitting the market, some of them with built in apps, and given the fact that some of these alternatives require just a browser to work, how long until buying a set top box becomes redundant...?
I understand we have different opinions, but to deny self evident facts...? Look at the trends...

@fristch,
...and what do you know about our pain...?
:-)
(2014-09-24, 19:17)Ned Scott Wrote: [ -> ]
(2014-09-24, 18:38)jacintech.fire Wrote: [ -> ]But the idea that XBMC/Kodi will continue to be a viable project as JUST a media player is laughable...

Well, I guess it's a good thing I didn't say that. But fine, I'll take the troll bait, simply because of how stupid a statement like that is.

I'll let Apple, Google, Amazon, and Roku know that things that play videos are no longer viable if they are not transcoding servers for mobile phones at the same time. My TV doesn't stream to other TVs, but that doesn't mean it stops working as a TV. XBMC is primarily an exit point for your media, because other things exist and work better to share the files themselves. Why would you think this when you yourself have massive NAS storage that shouldn't need to run XBMC just to deliver the content to whatever device you are using, be it an XBMC client or otherwise?

As for as how useful this is, it's neat and can really come in handy, but heaven forbid you stop staring at a tiny screen while you leave the house.

You have this narrow minded view of how something should work, and even when people point out that it already does that you disregard it because it isn't the exact implementation in your head.

This is a program designed for your living room. Every thread you make is about how XBMC doesn't fit your needs. Guess what, it doesn't have to. Different tools for different situations. Different users have different needs. I myself have used transcoding servers with other players while on the go, and my XBMC usage never decreased because of it. Just because someone uses a different player on their phone doesn't mean the living room HTPC suddenly stops existing. I don't even use XBMC on my desktop unless I'm testing or using add-on content, because I don't need a living room interface on my desktop when I'm 2 feet in front of it. I don't stop buying cups because I own a water bottle.

But all of that doesn't matter, because XBMC today works wonderfully with transcoding options that already exist. Even if you were correct, which is laughable, it's not an issue. Our own developers are very interested in adding a built-in transcoding server to XBMC in the future.

So what more is there to say? Why do you continue to try to argue for the supposed sake of XBMC/Kodi's future? No one is saying we shouldn't have this added, even though some might disagree about how important or useful the feature would be. For someone who demands that people be open minded, you sure are quick to reject any viewpoint that isn't your own.

@jacintech.fire
I'm just going to paste the above quote in reply to everything you post from now on as it's as succinct as possible without being rude to your inane ramblings.
(2014-09-24, 20:01)m7cky Wrote: [ -> ]
(2014-09-24, 19:17)Ned Scott Wrote: [ -> ]
(2014-09-24, 18:38)jacintech.fire Wrote: [ -> ]But the idea that XBMC/Kodi will continue to be a viable project as JUST a media player is laughable...

Well, I guess it's a good thing I didn't say that. But fine, I'll take the troll bait, simply because of how stupid a statement like that is.

I'll let Apple, Google, Amazon, and Roku know that things that play videos are no longer viable if they are not transcoding servers for mobile phones at the same time. My TV doesn't stream to other TVs, but that doesn't mean it stops working as a TV. XBMC is primarily an exit point for your media, because other things exist and work better to share the files themselves. Why would you think this when you yourself have massive NAS storage that shouldn't need to run XBMC just to deliver the content to whatever device you are using, be it an XBMC client or otherwise?

As for as how useful this is, it's neat and can really come in handy, but heaven forbid you stop staring at a tiny screen while you leave the house.

You have this narrow minded view of how something should work, and even when people point out that it already does that you disregard it because it isn't the exact implementation in your head.

This is a program designed for your living room. Every thread you make is about how XBMC doesn't fit your needs. Guess what, it doesn't have to. Different tools for different situations. Different users have different needs. I myself have used transcoding servers with other players while on the go, and my XBMC usage never decreased because of it. Just because someone uses a different player on their phone doesn't mean the living room HTPC suddenly stops existing. I don't even use XBMC on my desktop unless I'm testing or using add-on content, because I don't need a living room interface on my desktop when I'm 2 feet in front of it. I don't stop buying cups because I own a water bottle.

But all of that doesn't matter, because XBMC today works wonderfully with transcoding options that already exist. Even if you were correct, which is laughable, it's not an issue. Our own developers are very interested in adding a built-in transcoding server to XBMC in the future.

So what more is there to say? Why do you continue to try to argue for the supposed sake of XBMC/Kodi's future? No one is saying we shouldn't have this added, even though some might disagree about how important or useful the feature would be. For someone who demands that people be open minded, you sure are quick to reject any viewpoint that isn't your own.

@jacintech.fire
I'm just going to paste the above quote in reply to everything you post from now on as it's as succinct as possible without being rude to your inane ramblings.

+1
"...Our own developers are very interested in adding a built-in transcoding server to XBMC in the future..."
Doesn't that supports my point? Which was, to those who didn't get it, that to maintain its viability and relevance, XBMC/Kodi has no choice but to evolve beyond a Local Media Player...?
"...Our own developers are very interested in adding a built-in transcoding server to XBMC in the future..."
I like the smell of napalm in the mornings...it smells like victory :-)
J***s wept.
How do I block users?
I made my point, good night...
You click on his username and then choose "Add to ignore list" :-) - much easier than to implement him his transcoding server.
Thank you!
Bit gutted I fell prey to a troll.
Oh well.
(2014-09-24, 19:19)fritsch Wrote: [ -> ]If some people, including and especially you - would invest more time into living their dream than just writing walls of text, all your problems would already be solved.

I have written this to inform you, that you are now on my ignore list.

Edit: @jacintech.fire of course, not Ned

My apologies...I didn't even know you existed until now :-)
Yeah - that makes sense. I think selfawareness will follow later.
I'll bite (a little), just to add to the flames...

1. Bandwidth increases, the need for transcoding to transmit decreases
2. CPU and GPU power on all clients increases, the need for transcoding to play decreases

... so perhaps the necessity of an all-singing, all-dancing, transcode-to-CGA-for-transmission-by-carrier-pigeon is disappearing as fast as anything you've mentioned. I already have (and have for several years) a device in my pocket that plays 1080p H.264 videos with multiple channels, so the client is fixed... add a 4G or ubiquitous wifi backhaul and I'm done.

As for set top boxes... the trouble with smart TVs is that they're universally poor. A bit like car stereos, and built-in satnav systems with extortionate map upgrade fees: the software is obsolete long before the chassis (the car, c/f the TV screen here), so there's a thriving aftermarket world to replace and upgrade - frequently with much better, much cheaper units. Know what we call those units on televisions? Yup, you've got it.

There's a strong argument that TVs will give up on the smart rubbish in the medium term, or settle on a core set of apps but leave the flowery stuff to external devices that can be upgraded independently. With the rise of SAT>IP and streaming, perhaps we'll even lose the tuners in TVs in due course (because the DVB-T airwaves would be better recycled into data bandwidth for all our mobile clients). Kodi should aim to be the de facto external application of choice (assuming some more progressive TV manufacturers don't want to build it in *and then upgrade it with future firmwares* - that's where they all ultimately die in my experience).
@Professsor,
I finally figured out what the issue is: I think you guys are looking at the world through your eyes...not through the eyes of the generation that is growing up with today's gadgets and technology...
Because I seriously doubt that you can convince a teenager to give up a piece of technology that allows him/her to carry his media collection wherever he is, for another one that does not; simply because the latter plays his media much better...
The argument that @ned made earlier, illustrating the incompatibility (at a source code level) of MB3 and XBMC/Kodi is right in all front. If this is the argument you guys are making then I stand corrected.
If the argument is that there is no developer willing to code a transcoder/server for XBMC/Kodi, then again I stand corrected.
If the Argument is that the XBMC/Kodi development community is not interested, for whatever reason, to include a transcoder/server into XBMC, then, my all means I stand corrected.

But the only argument that you cannot make is that XBMC as a media player ONLY, satisfies the demands of current and new users for media consumption...or that XBMC, atop an HTPC has any kind of long term viability, because it does not. On noth count...or even that users will go for the dedicated solution over the alternative that does more good enough to pass the mustard.
Yes, there will always be people who still prefer their TVs with Vacumn tubes; but they are a percentage of a percentage of a percentage. I seriously doubt any company or group will stake their future in serving that segment...
If you really want to hurt Plex, add a serious Plex client side to Kodi/XBMC's VFS. They only make $$$ on the client side.
IMHO there is sufficient interoperability between mb3 and xbmc at present. If you want a transcoding setup install mb3, install xbmc on your htpc and install the mb3 client on your phones and tablet. Job done. Works now. Nothing to see here, move on please.
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