Serenity for Android 1.4.6

Dev Community Apps & Creations
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https://github.com/NineWorlds/serenity-android/wiki/Downloads#146-m1-available

 

This fixes a force close issue that could occur with going back from the Season screen to the TV Show Browser screen.   If you are experiencing this issue, it is highly recommended to download the release.

 

This is also the first release available through the Google Play store beta channel as well.   You need to be a member of the Serenity for Android Beta community on google plus to get the updates through google play.   After a day or two of testing and if nobody reports issues, I'll promote the build to the general public as well.

 

 

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https://github.com/NineWorlds/serenity-android/wiki/Downloads#146-m1-available

This fixes a force close issue that could occur with going back from the Season screen to the TV Show Browser screen.   If you are experiencing this issue, it is highly recommended to download the release.

This is also the first release available through the Google Play store beta channel as well.   You need to be a member of the Serenity for Android Beta community on google plus to get the updates through google play.   After a day or two of testing and if nobody reports issues, I'll promote the build to the general public as well.

There've been some issues with the new beta distribution method through google play.

Until today I was only offered v1.4.5, except that it had some new changes, and shows up as v1.4.6 in Android "Apps" settings.

Today the very same app version is offered as v1.4.6, so it seems that text updates don't automatically follow binary updates.

Another problem is that a tablet that was running the v1.4.4-dev version was offered no update at all.

The app didn't even show in the "My Apps"/"Installed" section at google play, even though it did show as "Installed" (with no updates available) in the "My Apps"/"All" section. I had to uninstall the app and start over from scratch, thereby losing all settings. Clearly google play has some problem with the various version numbering schemes used, but hopefully this was a one-time event, so that results in future will be consistent between devices.

On a side note:

It would be useful if the 'About' screen in the app showed full version and build numbers, with clear indication of beta/non-beta status.

At present I can find no info in the app to determine which version is running. I can only see it in the Android system settings menu for apps, and there I only see the main version number (like v1.4.6) without any reference to test builds (like v1.4.6-M1).

I also think that you MUST modify the main version number for a beta update to reach users through google play.

Because it that number doesn't change their site will probably consider a new update to be already installed, which makes it unavailable for update/install without first uninstalling the previous beta (thus losing all settings). (This is really a google play bug, as they should recognize the occasional need for repairing re-installs of an already installed version, without having to lose data/settings through uninstalls.)

Returning to the main topic of the new release:

Since the force close issues didn't affect me I have no results to report on that front, but I do have two things to request, one of minor and one of major importance.

I'll start with the minor issue, which is the sort order of languages as chosen for subtitle use.

While I know that the native language names for Greek and Spanish both begin with an "E", that does not make it OK to sort the entry "English" so that it appears between the entries for "Greek" and "Spanish". All alphabetic sorting should be done according to the current GUI language. And if that is too much of a hassle (dynamic resorting of menu at GUI language changes), then I suggest that sorting be done for some reference language, such as English. Sorting according to native names is pointless, as this will make the list seem unsorted, which is no help at all in finding the proper entry.

Now on to the major issue, which is the total lack of control over resumption/restart of partly played videos.

This really is the most serious handicap of the current version.

I understand that there are some API problems involved, in how to control the resumption point of an external player, but I don't see why it should be impossible to tell it to start over from scratch. That is the most basic playback method which every player should support.

So at least offer us the choice to restart playback from scratch for these cases, which is currently impossible.

The only way to approximate that in the current version is to let the playback start in the wrong position and manually reset playback position to the start (after having to view possible 'spoilers' ruining the entertainment value).

All other Plex clients offer a choice of resumption/restart when re-launching a previously played video, and I think Serenity should do the same.

(If you dislike that method, at least make it a selectable option in the settings.)

Best regards: dlanor

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Thanks for the feedback. Google play only gives me the update the store listing description with what is new for the production version not for the beta versions. So my hands are tied in that case.


Google play won’t update the dev versions because they are signed with a different signature. So always keep the version going forward installed from the play store and future betas should automatically install.


Working on addressing the external player issues with 1.5.x. Unfortunately my time is limited right now as I was recently downsized from my day job and need to spend most of my time looking for full time employment. But rest assured 1.5.x when released will address many of the items you reported.

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Btw internal player does offer the resume functionality like the official player does. Just need to re work the external player a bit.

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Working on addressing the external player issues with 1.5.x. Unfortunately my time is limited right now as I was recently downsized from my day job and need to spend most of my time looking for full time employment. But rest assured 1.5.x when released will address many of the items you reported.

On that issue I should mention that I've now switched to using 'BS Player' with Serenity on my OUYA, which seems to work even better than 'MX Player', though it too has some resumption issues. It's one of the players I think you should try when/if you have time for it. (I'm using the full ad-free version.)
 

Btw internal player does offer the resume functionality like the official player does.

True, but on the OUYA the native player has always tended to unacceptable stutters (not very often, but still too often to accept).

Hopefully that will be fixed in some future OUYA system update, but all the latest update did for me two nights ago was to kill my OUYA's ability to access any external HDDs. It can still access USB flash drives fine, but no USB HDDs, even if formatted identically to the flash drives and with identical content. I guess their update simply neglected to include USB device profiles for HDDs... That's also an indirect reason why I switched players as noted above, as part of the complete re-install I had to do after trying to regain HDD functionality through a factory restore (which didn't change anything, except for erasing all apps and all data). I still haven't reinstalled everything, and 'MX Player' is one of the the apps I put on hold...
 

Just need to re work the external player a bit.

Yes, I'm sure you just need to modify some launch argument a bit, to make it accept a start position either as recorded by PMS or as requested by user (for complete restart from zero, as requested in some new dialog you add for use with external player).

Best regards: dlanor
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It all depends if the external player supports provides an intent api to allow resumption not all of them do. If you know if bs player does I can add support for it. It also depends if it reports its last playback position when ending as well.

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Some news about this last version ?

Wil it published as official one ?

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1.4.6 was published. 1.5.0 dev was put up for download and testing today. Been battling a cold so haven’t been posting much.

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Some feedback on 1.5:

- Better integration with external player -> yes, it is yet possible to resume on Serenity an episode started on another device.

- Better update of watched status -> no, same as before

- Browsing -> same as before : for example when we use fast forward/backward the focus is always lost; anyway it is possible to retrive clicking twice on dpad left Arrow.

- Still not possible to browse backward (from first to last) at TV show level.

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Browsing focus I can’t duplicate on any of my devices.


Yeah I know about the browse backward issue just haven’t addressed it yet.


Watch status update works for me at least on a Google TV device.


Still need to try Ouya.

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Another strange thing:

- When we stop watching a video from MX player in the middle of the movie -> ok the watched status is updated correctly

- When we watch the video till the end, where MX Player stops alone and go back to serenity -> the watched status is not updated. (I am sure it worked on 1.4.5).

For reproducing the browsing issue:

I use a table like (MINIX NEO X5) with a IR remote using the fast forward backward for browsing fast (two pages at each click) :

1) go to TV show level and browse at least one time to left with fast forward, this work just fine

2) in order to reach the right show use the left Arrow and the focus disappear, even on 1.4.5 sometimes it returned one menu up (main menu)

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Thanks I'll try and reproduce it.  

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Canceled wrong thing

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For reproducing the browsing issue:

I use a table like (MINIX NEO X5) with a IR remote using the fast forward backward for browsing fast (two pages at each click) :

1) go to TV show level and browse at least one time to left with fast forward, this work just fine

2) in order to reach the right show use the left Arrow and the focus disappear, even on 1.4.5 sometimes it returned one menu up (main menu)

The only way I was able to reproduce a missing focus was with the Sony Google TV remote which has the FF and REW buttons on the touch pad.  This can be sensitive as the touch pad may take affect before the FF and REW buttons are pressed here.   Not much I can do about that, I tried duplicating every other way with the Google TV remote the above scenario and it doesn't occur using the Channel Up/Down and the FF and REW keyboard keys on the back of the remote.

Maybe in the future I'll have the budget to get a MINIX NEO X5 and test things out further.

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Ok,

Many thanks anyway, nevertheless I can live without problem.

The major issue in the 1.5 is the fact that MX Player do not update the watched status anymore at the end of video. I retested, it updtade correctly on 1.4.5

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Ok,

Many thanks anyway, nevertheless I can live without problem.

The major issue in the 1.5 is the fact that MX Player do not update the watched status anymore at the end of video. I retested, it updtade correctly on 1.4.5

Can you open an issue on the Github issue tracker for this.  I'm not finding this issue with MX Player or MX Player pro with my testing on my Nexus 7 tablet using them.  They are updating the position and I can pickup on my Google TV where they left off.   So I'm going to need exact steps to reproduce.

There was a change in how Watched items are done with 1.4.x and 1.5.x series to align with the way Plex official clients handle it.   So one thing I might recommend is, toggling a video to Watched/Unwatched status, and then playing the video back.  See if that fixes the issue or not.  If not, I'll need exact steps to reproduce.

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