Plex HTPC client - scrolling through the channel guide?

[lar6023]

Server Version#: 1.32.6.7557
Player Version#: 1.49.0.3994

Reading through the forum here, it looks like I may be flogging a dead horse, but I wanted to raise the issue anyway. I’m running the HTPC (Windows) client, and the only way I’m able to scroll through the channels in the guide is with the up and down arrows. This takes FOREVER when trying to skip over 50-100 channels. I would have expected the mouse scroll wheel to do it, but I read that an esthetic decision was made to deprive users of this feature.

So how else can you do this? Page Up and Page Down seem to be ignored. Are there other key codes to scroll a page at a time, or even more? Some of the notes here allude to the idea that the HTPC client is intended to be used with a remote control, but what keycodes should be configured to the remote control to scroll through the channel guide quickly?

[JohnAlex]

This is the official guide on input maps

Plex HTPC Input Maps | Plex Support

Personally I use a FLIRC USB to set up keyboard codes that communicate with my Logitech remote.

The codes in the link below used to work but I haven’t used them as FLIRC makes it easy.

Plex Keyboard Shortcuts Cheatsheet - Make Tech Easier

Also, as you point out, Plex HTPC is designed to be used with a remote control as a 10 foot interface.

Mouse-only navigation in Plex-HTPC

In an effort to bring some sanity to this discussion which has gone way out of control, I’ll try to summarize the intent of the two apps, Plex for Mac/Windows/Linux (sometimes called Desktop for brevity) and Plex HTPC. First both apps use MPV for the playback engine. We wouldn’t entertain the disservice of putting out an app with the poor media stack you find in electron apps and dare to expect users to accept it as an application for the desktop. While the UI in both apps is rendered using a…

[JaysPlex]

As you said, the page up/page down buttons don’t work in that part of the UI which seems odd to me

Which means a remote won’t help, as any keys on that will still function like an up/down arrow

Is this a true HTPC on a tv or do you use this on a computer with a standard monitor?

I don’t use the live TV but Plex for Windows seems like a much better layout for searching

HTPC

Plex Web

I think I would have to rely on the favorites tab 99% of the time. TBH a lot of those channels aren’t worth the energy a battery uses to scroll past them

[JohnAlex]

@JaysPlex

As you said, the page up/page down buttons don’t work in that part of the UI which seems odd to me

Which means a remote won’t help, as any keys on that will still function like an up/down arrow

I just enabled Plex TV and Plex Movies and my Logitech remote scrolls just fine (runs via my FLIRC USB) - I have mapped Page Down and Page Up and also Home and End. My Down and Up keys are set to do item scroll on single press and fast continuous scroll holding the key down.

I also mapped keys in FLIRC for FF and Rew etc

[JaysPlex]

Your flirc is using the buttons at the bottom. He’s talking about the “page up/page down” button at the top of this pic

In theory it would jump all four channel listing rows at one time instead of each one individually

[JohnAlex]

@JaysPlex

. He’s talking about the “page up/page down” button at the top of this pic

No, I have page up and page down mapped to scroll button on the Logitech

As I said, I’ve also mapped Home and End using Flirc. Separate to the standard config that the Logitech software loads to the remote.

I’ve also added a Win # to launch Plex HTPC and an Alt F4 to fast quit on the Logitech (with Flirc doing the work).

[JaysPlex]

If you’re in a regular library and hit that button, does it go down one row or two?

[lar6023]

The setup here is a big tv in a small room. Is that technically a home theater? I don’t know, but I do know that running the Plex desktop client makes the channel guide too small to easily read from our usual viewing position. I experimented with dialing up the Windows text size option (settings->display->text size), which seems to improve things.

As far as the remote is concerned, I’ve got a Pepper Jobs remote that I bought back when I though I was going with Kodi. It sends windows keycodes to a USB dongle (RF, not IR), and can also ‘air mouse’. I’m pretty sure it can be remapped, so I should be able to get it to work, and if not there’s always Logitech/FLIRC.

After deciding to finally give up on WMC, and having experimented with Kodi, nextPVR, and Jellyfin, I’m increasingly thinking that Plex will be my home. I disagree philosophically with the idea of leaving features out of the HTPC implementation to ‘guide’ users to the ‘proper’ behavior. OTOH, I’m grateful that I can easily install both the HTPC and desktop clients, and hop back and forth between them until I decide which one works best for me. (And more importantly, which one passes the spouse test.)