PlexConnect & LetMeWatchThis ?

Dev Community Apps & Creations
1

PlexConnect works great. Also by installing the UnSupported AppStore, I am able to get LetMeWatchThis, which also works great, except for the LetMeWatchThis Search function which does not work at all from the Apple TV (though works fine if I go to the computer running Plex Media Server and search there). On the computer, I can go to the LetMeWatchThis Search, and type in searches for films or tv shows etc. But when I go back to the living room and sit down with my bluetooth keyboard, and go into Trailers (Plex) > Channels > LetMeWatchThis > Films > Search, the Search just sits with the spinning ball and has has never worked for LetMeWatchThis since I've been using PlexConnect (my workaround is to go to the computer, search for films, add them to the Favorites list, then go back to the TV, go to the Favorites list and start the film ... i.e. what a hassle !).

 

- Could people say whether they are able to use the Search function for LetMeWatchThis FROM THE APPLE TV ? (it works fine if I go to the computer and open Plex there, but it's quite annoying to not be able to search directly on the Apple TV with a bluetooth keyboard !)

 

- I'm pretty sure this will not work for anyone, as I've found the same behaviour on an Apple TV 2 and an Apple TV 3, so does anyone have any advice, fixes etc ? Hopefully someone knows a workaround as this would be great if it could be fixed ! :)

2

You cannot input text into Plex plugins on Plexconnect, or Plex/Web for that matter. Neither the ATV or web client support it. You need to be using a computer or smart phone that can accept inputs to do this. What I do is search the plugin on my computer client or my iOS client and save the searched for item as a favourite. You can then go into favorites on Plexconnect and select the item for play. Obviously a phone or tablet is the most convenient for this.

3

I do the same for any kind of search function...

but...

it should be possible to search as i can also input text on the ATV.. maybe the difficulty lies in accessing the text input part..? ;)

4

Thanks for this. I'm curious on whether this might be possible or not ...

Rock Star said: "What I do is search the plugin on my computer client or my iOS client and save the searched for item as a favourite. You can then go into favorites on Plexconnect and select the item for play. Obviously a phone or tablet is the most convenient for this."

sure, that's great advice, I've never bothered to load the Plex client on my iphone but you're right, this is probably the easiest way to do this.
 

but this: "You cannot input text into Plex plugins on Plexconnect, or Plex/Web for that matter. Neither the ATV or web client support it."

ok, 2 parts to this:

When you say that the ATV does not support it, I'm unclear on your meaning, as I know that the ATV deifnitely supports text input from a bluetooth keyboard. I do it all the time, YouTube, etc, and Movie Trailers also supports text input (in fact, I've used my bluetooth keyboard hundreds of times to do just that !). So the ATV 100% definitely support this.

The other point you said that Plex plugins on Plexconnect doesn't support this could be true though, but do you know this for certain ? The reason I ask that, is that over the last 3 months, I've seen the guys that have developed PlexConnect saying on forums things to the effect that they thought they couldn't do "x" as it was technically not possible, and then a week later, one of them finds a workaround or fix etc, and the problem is fixed ! Could this maybe be the same ?

So, ATV 100% definitely supports text input from a bluetooth keyboard. Movie Trailers 100% definitely supports text input from a bluetooth keyboard.

Is it possible then that with the right workarounds, the PlexConnect developers might(??) be able to find a workaround ?? ...

Is this something that's being currently worked on (since the support is there in the ATV) ?

5

I guess I wasn’t clear. Of course you can enter text into the ATV’s and Plexconnect’s search interface. It is what has to be done with the text by the individual plugins that is not supported by Plexconnect and Plex/Web as far as I know. But I am not a programmer and am taking my comments from Icefilm and Letmewatchthis plugin developer Real Fuzzy who knows how these things work. Will this be implemented at some time? I don’t know. Maybe Roidy or Baa could comment. It is definitely not possible at the moment.

6

I could imagine also using my little silver remote for text input usind a alphanumerical text selection box… Just like you would input text with the remote on regular atv… Or even the remote app on ios devices… If up, down, left, right and enter work sofar, great;) maybe put all plugins in some sort of container with a text input interface in its framework…


…but what do i know:p

7

So, ATV 100% definitely supports text input from a bluetooth keyboard. Movie Trailers 100% definitely supports text input from a bluetooth keyboard.
Is it possible then that with the right workarounds, the PlexConnect developers might(??) be able to find a workaround ?? ...

Is this something that's being currently worked on (since the support is there in the ATV) ?


It's a limitation of PMS. PMS will not respond to a request for a plugin that asks for text input. Plex/Web is a good litmus test for whether a plugin will work in PlexConnect or not.
8

You cannot input text into Plex plugins on Plexconnect, or Plex/Web for that matter. Neither the ATV or web client support it. You need to be using a computer or smart phone that can accept inputs to do this. What I do is search the plugin on my computer client or my iOS client and save the searched for item as a favourite. You can then go into favorites on Plexconnect and select the item for play. Obviously a phone or tablet is the most convenient for this.

is there a way to solve the fact we can't search in plugins .. cause actually the apple tv can .. and there's a search function for plexconnect and everything ..

9

Tomer, see post #5 and #7

10

Hi Rock Star "I guess I wasn't clear. Of course you can enter text into the ATV's and Plexconnect's search interface. It is what has to be done with the text by the individual plugins that is not supported by Plexconnect and Plex/Web as far as I know. But I am not a programmer and am taking my comments from Icefilm and Letmewatchthis plugin developer Real Fuzzy who knows how these things work."

Sure, I think you were clear and appreciate it. I'm just curious about what might be possible (we all hear things that are "not possible" in computing, and then 2 weeks later, that thing is "possible" when someone hacks together a fix: Goalposts shift all the time in my experience of Sys Admin work !).

"Will this be implemented at some time? I don't know. Maybe Roidy or Baa could comment. It is definitely not possible at the moment."

Yep, hopefully the smart guys that built PlexConnect will find a 'Magical Fix' for us ! :)

chrisbcole #7 "It's a limitation of PMS. PMS will not respond to a request for a plugin that asks for text input. Plex/Web is a good litmus test for whether a plugin will work in PlexConnect or not."

I don't think this is a limitation of PMS ! Proof: When I go to a laptop, and start the Plex Client, and then go into the LetMeWatchThis plugin, I can go to the plugin search, and PMS responds to the request !, so it is definite that PMS *WILL* respond to a request for a plugin that asks for text input ! However, the Apple TV PlexConnect is NOT currently allowing us to do this for LetMeWatchThis :(

Hopefully, the developers can come up with a cunning python workaround ! ;)

11

I don't think this is a limitation of PMS ! Proof: When I go to a laptop, and start the Plex Client, and then go into the LetMeWatchThis plugin, I can go to the plugin search, and PMS responds to the request !, so it is definite that PMS *WILL* respond to a request for a plugin that asks for text input ! However, the Apple TV PlexConnect is NOT currently allowing us to do this for LetMeWatchThis :(

Try the same thing in iOS or Plex/Web.  Plex Home Theater has some special powers when it comes to plug-ins but Web/iOS/Android and other non-Home Theater clients play by different rules according to the info presented above.  In this light, non-Home Theater clients will not be able to use inputted data inside of plug ins.  This is the same information that has been stated above.

12

Actually, the iOS Plex client on iPad and iPhone does allow searching via the plugin. It is Plex/Web and Plexconnect that do not, at least of the clients I have tried.

13

Actually, the iOS Plex client on iPad and iPhone does allow searching via the plugin. It is Plex/Web and Plexconnect that do not, at least of the clients I have tried.

So the situation is that we know that there is an issue with LetMeWatchThis plugins search (and possibly other plugins). We know that the iOS Plex client on iPad/iPhone allows interacting search queries with PMS vis the plugins, and this suggests that this is almost certainly possible with the Apple TV iOS.

If any of the developers get a chance to look at this odd problem, hopefully it's something simple that can be fixed !! It would certainly make using these plugins a far far better experience all round, as being unable to search for films or tv shows, heavily cripples their use (sure, the A-Z works, but it takes ages to go from page to page on that, so is a very awkward way to find things; I use an $8 bluetooth keyboard to be able to jump around the Apple TV, and being able to do searches like this within Plex plugins would be fantastic).

14

I use the “remote” app from apple for typing (or in plex case, it allows me to jump around the timeline or navigate the menus)


Edit: the silver remote is nice too;)

15

I use the "remote" app from apple for typing (or in plex case, it allows me to jump around the timeline or navigate the menus)

Edit: the silver remote is nice too;)

yep, so do I, but this is something a bit different (but you are right, the Remote app is very useful so hopefully all AppleTV owners are aware of this app !).
 

Specifically, the question is about why it is (currently) impossible to type in Searches to the LetMeWatchThis (and other) plugins, which makes it impossible to search for a TV show or Film from within a plugin. I'm really hoping that the guys that made PlexConnect are able to fix this, as it would be fantastic functionality.

Note: when I plug a laptop into a TV and run the Windows Plex Media Center, and then go into the LetMeWatchThis plugin, then I *CAN* do searches !! It's just inside PlexConnect on AppleTV that this functionality is currently not working. :(

16

Plexconnect and PlexWeb cannot. Your last example of plugging in your laptop to your TV has no bearing on the issue. You are just once again using the computer client, which of course is the most robust client because it taps into the computers capabilities.

17

Hi guys,

I don't know if my comment would help but with the plugin "Kiss Anime", when I use via the "Plex Web", I can search (I searched "Death Note" and the channel show me the list of items related).

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++

dale

18

re: Kiss Anime. Interesting. Neither Icefilms or LetMeWatchThis even show that built in search field on Plex/Web . SSPlex does have it. So things are not so straight forward after all.

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re: Kiss Anime. Interesting. Neither Icefilms or LetMeWatchThis even show that built in search field on Plex/Web . SSPlex does have it. So things are not so straight forward after all.

yep, it's like I was saying. People often say "this is not possible" in forums, but the reality is that there are often tons of situations where things like this ARE possible.

PlexConnect itself is a workaround that people didn't think was possible, and it looks like there might be a workaround here also, so this is very promising.

So this probably is possible, and it's a fairly big gap in PlexConnect functionality as it makes navigating plugins on the ATV very awkward (navigating the A-Z menu is impossible, as there are 10's of thousands of films in there. Really would be great if the developers get a chance to look into this ! :)

20

Really Fuzzy has provided a good knowledgeable explanation of the issue in this post:

http://forums.plexapp.com/index.php/topic/36855-rel-letmewatchthis/page-23#entry452621

I will leave it up to the Plexconnect guys to address if they can implement the necessary functions.