On my Vizio TV when I want to add subtitles to what I am currently watching:
- Hit Play/Pause and UI is exposed
- Navigate to the button that shows the available subtitles and click on it. At this point playback is stopped
- Search for the available subtitle/language if needed.
- Select language. A brief pause happens while Plex gears up the video with the subtitles. After Plex restarts the video with subtitles the controls at the bottom of the screen go away automatically
On my Chrome browser, however:
- Click on the playback controls icon. During this time the video is playing in the background
- Click on subtitles and select/search for the proper subtitle track. At this time the playback stops as Plex gears up the video with the subtitles
- When playback resumes the subtitles appear but you need to click on the playback controls again to dismiss the playback controls.
- Move the mouse out of the bottom UI for it to time out and disappear
I suggest that these two different UXs be merged so as to eliminate any additional unnecessary clicks. I understand it may take Plex some time to get the video playing with the subtitles. But it doesn’t make sense to me to leave the playback controls up once the subtitle has been selected.
I also understand that the behavior of the client on the TV would require changes in order to operate differently. I don’t know who exactly is responsible for that client’s code - Plex? Or Vizio? In any event, I believe the web client could close the controls immediately after the subtitle was selected.
