Mezzmo Client Interface

[ftanner]

I have multiple Mezzmo clients. What I mean by this is that I run both Roku and Android TV (nVidia Shield Pro) devices with the Mezzmo client on them.

The interfaces between these devices is completely different. Is there any way that they could be synched up to match operationally? I realize that the Android client has more functionality, which is great, but the "client interface" for viewing files from a dedicated Mezzmo server is nothing like the one for Roku and is just enough to make it clunky when using it, especially since, habitually, you use muscle memory to navigate.

[ftanner]

Another nice to have is keeping the "viewed progress bar" across platforms.

Right now, the Mezzmo client will keep the viewed progress bar across the Mezzmo client on the same platform, but not across different platforms. For instance, all of my Rokus show the same progress bar in their clients for what I have watched, and all of my Mezzzmo Android devices show the same progress bar in their clients. However those progress bars are not the same between the Roku clients and the Android clients.

[Peter]

Due to the user interface tools available on the different platforms it is not possible to make them the same. The progress bar to indicate how much of an incomplete show has been watched should be the same on each device that supports this as the same value is sent from the server.

[ftanner]

Due to the user interface tools available on the different platforms it is not possible to make them the same. The progress bar to indicate how much of an incomplete show has been watched should be the same on each device that supports this as the same value is sent from the server.

Unfortunately, the progress bars are not "staying" across device platforms. I thought that they'd be server-side based, like you said. They may be, but it appears to be storing them by device platform somehow.

Some of the things that I am talking about don't seem like they would be "interface tools" things. For example, the Roku Mezzmo app, the titles are five (or is it four?) horizontally and scroll vertically. On the Android apps, they are two vertically and scroll horizontally.

[Peter]

The list and grid views on Roku do not support horizontal scrolling otherwise we would have used horizontal scrolling here.

[ftanner]

The list and grid views on Roku do not support horizontal scrolling otherwise we would have used horizontal scrolling here.

To be honest, the vertical scrolling is more "natural". What I mean by this is that it matches how we read. Left to right, top to bottom.

[ftanner]

Unfortunately, the progress bars are not "staying" across device platforms. I thought that they'd be server-side based, like you said. They may be, but it appears to be storing them by device platform somehow.

Some of the things that I am talking about don't seem like they would be "interface tools" things. For example, the Roku Mezzmo app, the titles are five (or is it four?) horizontally and scroll vertically. On the Android apps, they are two vertically and scroll horizontally.

I think I might have an idea why the progress bar isn't working across "platforms" between the Roku app and the Android app. Unfortunately the Mezzmo trial on my tablet has expired so I can't test the theory. It uses a different Google Play account than my nVidia Shield, which has the "for pay" version of Mezzmo on it.

Here is my theory:

In both the Roku and Android apps, I am streaming from a regular Windows machine running the Mezzmo server app. However, one major difference between the Roku and Android Mezzmo apps is that the Android app has an internal server that you can actually stream from. My theory is that the Mezzmo Android app is looking to its internal server component for the progress bar, and saves its progress there as well, instead of looking to the "shared(?)" Windows Mezzmo server.

Could this be a possibility?

[Peter]

There is a flag in the MezzmoMediaServer.ini file for sharing the position across multiple devices. Go to your Mezzmo database folder (see in options for the location) and edit the MezzmoMediaServer.ini file and add under the [DB] section

UseGlobalBookmarks=1

Then save the file and restart your Mezzmo media server.

[jbinkley60]

There is a flag in the MezzmoMediaServer.ini file for sharing the position across multiple devices. Go to your Mezzmo database folder (see in options for the location) and edit the MezzmoMediaServer.ini file and add under the [DB] section

UseGlobalBookmarks=1

Then save the file and restart your Mezzmo media server.

I've used this feature across all of my devices (i.e. Kodi, web interface, Roku Android and more) for years and it works great. I can stop watching a movie on one device and pickup exactly where I left off on another. Peter, I think you should consider making it enabled as the default vs. disabled by default or add a GUI setting for it. It's a great feature that I don't think enough folks possibly use.


Jeff

[Peter]

Yes we may expose it on the Media Devices dialog. Its use depends upon whether all the devices are for one person or different people have their own devices. We don't want two people watching the same show at different times to overwrite each others saved position.

[ftanner]

Yes we may expose it on the Media Devices dialog. Its use depends upon whether all the devices are for one person or different people have their own devices. We don't want two people watching the same show at different times to overwrite each others saved position.

I think having this exposed in the interface would be cool. That said, I can also see why you don't, based on your statement. Maybe, in the Options, make a new "heading" for 'Shared Experience' or something like that where you could put settings that could affect multiple people using the same Mezzmo server.

[ftanner]

As an FYI, that did resolve my issue.

Thank you.