- for grid view. It will greatly increase the WAF (wife acceptance factor) in my house.
Feature Request! Grid View.
Feature Request! Allow multiple recordings of the same program. OTA customers needs this to overcome weather dropouts. Weather and interference dropouts mean a smaller file size. Allow recording of X number of copies and we will manually keep ONLY the largest one INSTEAD of YOU keeping only the first one and refusing to record repeats of the same program so we can get one good copy worth keeping. OR… allow replacing the old copy with the new recording IF it is larger filesize. (Like you do for replacing a lower res recording with higher res recording.) Plex forcing a weather defective copy to be kept when a repeat recording with better reception can be had VERY MUCH CONTRARY to the concept of letting Plex keep a library… You’ll lose customers. Very easy to fix/automate/resolve/keep customers.
At first I really wanted a grid view as well. But after I started playing with Plex DVR I found it so much more powerful. Think about it. With a grid you can only see about 3 or 4 hours at a time. If you have 300+ channels and want to look for TV Shows or Movies to record you have to look at that 4 hour span and scroll down through 300 channels.
Then go scroll back to the top and move 4 hours to the right and scroll down through all 300+ channels again. Repeat this 6 times in order to view 1 day’s worth of GRID.
With PlexDVR you just select TV Shows or Movies and they will all be listed pre-sorted for you with Dupes removed. For example if you click on the Movies it will show you all moves for the next 3 days. Same for TV Shows.
Even better it can tell you what shows are on TV that you already have setup in your system.
How does a grid make finding anything easier than that?
Now with that said I’d still like to have a grid view to use as a backup. Sometimes this could be useful for NEWS, or infomercials, etc. But to just see whats on to record it’s hard to top PlexDVR as is especially with the built in search.
I might take a look at the databases to see how hard it might be to make an “external” web page to do just that or to allow other family members to setup up recordings.
Yeah 300+ channels would be unmanageable in a grid. Here in Australia I only have 13 Channels worth watching, the rest are just lifestyle or SD versions of the channels so big difference, 13 channels work well in a grid.
People keep saying grid. But the fact of the matter it is data in a X and Y axis chart. You can’t have a claim on presenting data in X and Y format. It’s the other delivery stuff that’s grey-area at best. Just saying.
X and Y is essentially the only way to align two data types against each other in static order. I guess if we truly believe that Rovi can assert patent claim on TV data in X and Y format, than Microsoft or other previous data software doesn’t allow any other data on a computer screen to display in X and Y format. The sentiment would be preposterous. Any argument otherwise is nonsense. Rovi’s claim is that they are highly litigious and that is it – it doesn’t make them winners and court cases are starting to show that to be so. People tend to take the path of least resistance, but don’t be fooled into believing the outcome is correct or just simply on the notion that someone is getting away with something.
My two cents. Enjoy.
Because of this I just realized you could switch from Discover! Amazing.
I’m thinking of suing/challenging (or supporting any other company who might) Rovi since I’m sure my work at Sage pre-dated their info and we used a grid style EPG that I designed for both the clients and web pages to record from.
Being able to prove prior art is usually a good way to invalidate a current patent or even collect from them. 
Anyone know the date off-hand for the Rovi patent?
@cayars said:
At first I really wanted a grid view as well. But after I started playing with Plex DVR I found it so much more powerful. Think about it. With a grid you can only see about 3 or 4 hours at a time. If you have 300+ channels and want to look for TV Shows or Movies to record you have to look at that 4 hour span and scroll down through 300 channels.Then go scroll back to the top and move 4 hours to the right and scroll down through all 300+ channels again. Repeat this 6 times in order to view 1 day’s worth of GRID.
With PlexDVR you just select TV Shows or Movies and they will all be listed pre-sorted for you with Dupes removed. For example if you click on the Movies it will show you all moves for the next 3 days. Same for TV Shows.
Even better it can tell you what shows are on TV that you already have setup in your system.
How does a grid make finding anything easier than that?
Now with that said I’d still like to have a grid view to use as a backup. Sometimes this could be useful for NEWS, or infomercials, etc. But to just see whats on to record it’s hard to top PlexDVR as is especially with the built in search.
I might take a look at the databases to see how hard it might be to make an “external” web page to do just that or to allow other family members to setup up recordings.
This works very well if the data is perfect. It isn’t. I’ve gone through and given the example of Newsline, which is a carried by a local OTA here, NHK-WORLD.
Let me give you another example that happens often: most adverts are not “program x at y o’clock”; they’re more on the lines of “tonight at y o’clock” - how are you going to figure out what’s on at 9pm? I just gave up and went back to using WMC. Keep search, by all means. Just don’t take away the grid. That’s just changing UI for the sake of changing UI, my problem with Discovery.
@sundawg337 said:
- for grid view. It will greatly increase the WAF (wife acceptance factor) in my house.
No kidding, it’s like getting the MS dialog box that says “see your administrator” on Windows, complete BS!
@cayars said:
I’m thinking of suing/challenging (or supporting any other company who might) Rovi since I’m sure my work at Sage pre-dated their info and we used a grid style EPG that I designed for both the clients and web pages to record from.Being able to prove prior art is usually a good way to invalidate a current patent or even collect from them.
Anyone know the date off-hand for the Rovi patent?
Filing date Apr 12, 1994 if it is this one that is being referred to that I found on google. I know Rovi actively goes after anyone who comes close to their patents. The sued comcast over is in April of 2016.
US5541738A - Electronic program guide - Google Patents
Patents are enforceable for up to 20 years if filed after June 8, 1995 (less if before). I’d be pretty certain this patent is likely expired or due to expire soon. The specific patent listed by @ohiomedia is expired.
I don’t know the specific patents that they are trying to enforce. It would be interesting if someone compiled a list of guide patents enforced by Rovi.
Yes. +1 Something with channel numbers please!
Just switch the X & Y axis.
Here is PS Vue on FireStick.
And FWIW, one can write a file to a filesystem and still read from it, so watching and pausing live TV should have been a feature Day1.
One more reason for a grid. I know a show is coming on Wednesday at 8pm (Legion). My old Windows MCE systems can see it and I have it scheduled there. But Plex simply refuses to find it. The channel is enabled and I have some shows recorded from that channel. So, without MCE as a fallback, I would have no way to record this show.
If I had a grid, I could simple go to the channel I know it is on…go to the time I know it is on…and hit record.
Is there ANYONE from Plex actually reading this (if so, just reply with “yep…we’re here and listening”) or is it just a post where all us users vent over and over???
@tannerjim said:
One more reason for a grid. I know a show is coming on Wednesday at 8pm (Legion). My old Windows MCE systems can see it and I have it scheduled there. But Plex simply refuses to find it. The channel is enabled and I have some shows recorded from that channel. So, without MCE as a fallback, I would have no way to record this show.If I had a grid, I could simple go to the channel I know it is on…go to the time I know it is on…and hit record.
Is there ANYONE from Plex actually reading this (if so, just reply with “yep…we’re here and listening”) or is it just a post where all us users vent over and over???
I’m in favor of the grid, but I think the more important question here is why is the Plex guide missing the show Legion. A grid layout wouldn’t necessarily fix this if the guide data is simply not there, however it might be much more obvious that the content was missing.
Something else is going on…now I have NO..NONE…ZIPPO…recordings scheduled after today. See image. I just downloaded the current guide data, so I know that is current.
Anyone have suggestion on how to fix this?
It’s a patent that Rovi holds? Betcha 10,000-1 it’s “Decorative”. The Patent office does TONS of these! In my opinion stated here and below it has no power or authority. They patent the entire design, but only the decorative bits are protected from someone else making theirs look too similar that it can be mistaken for the other guys company work. Type of thing McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Taco Bell and KFC need. They protected JUST their coloring scheme… the artwork… and used that to get a patent. Or they get a copywright. It’s very common (worked for a company that did this with a patent). It’s ONE STEP UP from from copywrighting. But covers ONLY the decorative part of the design that stands out as unique to that one comany. Patent office churns them out for good $$$ with no effort, liberally. It’s the cheapest patent you can get, needs no lawyer, you just declare "We made same thing everyone else does but we made it PURTY and don’t want anyone to copy the way ours LOOKS. And it only covers the LOOKS! And there ARE plenty of people that hear patent and It’s enough to scare them away from competing with anything even vaguely similar to the product out of FEAR of being sued… but it’s ONLY the decorative bits that are protected. JUST That FANCY grid layout WITH SPECIFIC ARTWORK and special decorative fonts of specific colors and patterns so it looks like a different grid than anyone else’s. The GRID LAYOUT itself is far far too obvious to be patent-able… and if patent-able it would be far wider reaching that just TV Guides… it would even cover Microsoft’s Excel Grid Layout. Graph paper manufacturing would be shut down. Sidewalks may even have to be laid out in triangles rather than squares! LOL. It is NOT BE ENFORCEABLE. TOO OBVIOUS.
Such patents are OFTEN obtained because the company wants it’s own look, OR it wants to scare DUMB people away. It’s like doing Concealed Carry with carved bar of SOAP. Totally harmless, totally inexpensive, fools people that take ONE look and scare off, plus you don’t really have to have a permit! Well… here’s Rovi calling… they say they got this patent… Did anyone look up that patent? ROFL. It’ll say “Decorative”.
You got somebody that did NOT read the Popular Mechanics Article concerning decorative patents. Nor spend the $50 for a two minute legal consult, cause it’s gonna be that quick.
Anybody that believes this grid layout patent thing is being taken for a rube! TV-Guide. TitanTV. PBS. NBC. ABC. CBS. ALL post their program schedules in a grid layout and did so long before ROVI came about. Just bring up your web browser and LOOK guys… well… you don’t have to go look… I know you been looking at it for years.
We have far too many “amateur social engineers” forcing people into this way or that cause they “know a better way” and want to feel like they can make change in society.
And yes… I too have SEVERAL examples of how this “ROVI patent avoiding non-grid guide layout” makes it impossible to find a program that Windows Media Center definitely shows is coming up in 20 minutes but it can’t be found in PLEX even with a typed in search. So yes… we do seem to be benefiting from this new and better way of doing things to avoid Rovi’s patent.
I scrolled up and found a link seeming to lead to this Rovi patent. My opinion is the patent in the link refers to EPG/guide data transmitted with the video as OTA or cable. During my purchase it was made clear the EPG/guide data is being delivered to me via internet and this was paid for by PLEX from the funds I paid for a lifetime membership. This leads me to the opinion that the Rovi Patent would not apply. PLEX however, does seem to act as though feeling threatened. Don’t think the truth is out yet but I’ll let it drop as walking away from someone in the cafeteria that clearly just farted.
As the schedule data I receive is organized by PLEX is in a format that is so difficult, and with strange guide reliability issues, that it’s not practical for the purpose I use it for… results in my opinion that it is a functional but diminished product. I experience sudden gaps in the data for no cause such as shows which I did find in the guide and set to record and then later just in the last hour or so before recording the data goes missing and I most diligently dig to relocate it because it was there and is supposed to be there and this is proven as I do easily relocate it by other sources NOT usable within PLEX, and then recorded it on that other system just fine, while PLEX goes ahead and NOT records it… PLEX to me is NOT fullfilling the purchase contract I entered into with PLEX. To me this is the same as 3 drops of gasoline per glass of milk. But, I bought into the lifetime plan… So I’ll be here for life but hence do grant PLEX demotion to the kid’s room where it will see many many many years of mind-numbing cartoons and I don’t have to pay attention to it and instead move on to a different and more professional product for the front room. In my opinion WMC still has you beat cause it obeys the human and pulls no tricks… same for Kodi with Tvh.
BTW. This is my second time around as a PLEX member. First time didn’t work out well either, and for the about the same reasons. I can describe my opinion and feeling both times as disliking the too-often non-intuitive interface with myself and other users making sound improvement requests but receiving back what seemed as… dismissal or not enough time to bother with. And none of us needs the irritation, your end or mine. No customer likes to feel as “handled” or “ignored”. If you’re gonna refuse to take action on a customer request you hear, then stand up and say so, and why, and add apology… it’s a LOT more impressive than just being ignored and the customer won’t wrinkle their nose from that smell.
I too would like to voice my opinion in favor of the GRID view for the DVR. I also have NextPVR and their panel is just about perfect. It is the only reason I would not give the PLEX DVR a rating of 10 out of 10. I find it very difficult to look over a schedule to add my favorite shows to the record list in PLEX. The rest of the program seems so versatile. And then you come to the DVR which seems really cumbersome compared to the rest of the program.
