FreeAgent Theater and GoFlexTV

[poddie]

I am VERY excited and happy with this product so far... a few tweaks that would make it even better:

(1) iTunes video chapter support.  The video files I encode from Handbrake support chapters in iTunes, why can't the FAT+ utilize them???  It is a royal pain to have to use fast forward and rewind... they are imprecise and definitely NOT speedy.  But chapter support would make that a non-issue.

(2) While we're at it, any reason we can't add support for the same additional info that iTunes presents?  (Title, description, etc rather than just filename).

(3) Why the heck do hidden folders show up?  I can't think of any possible reason someone would store their videos in a hidden folder that everyone can see, and it adds a lot of noise to the directory listings.  VERY odd choice here.

(4) We need to be able to add custom Shortcuts.  Right now they appear to point at a machine only.  Still have to drill all the way down every time... something like Devices --> Network --> HOMESERVER --> Username --> Videos.  Why can't I just make a shortcut to the Videos folder that automatically logs in and everything??

(5) Can we at least remove the file extensions from the listings?  Nobody cares that it's an m4v file or an mp4 file.

(6) Media Server streaming is not solid yet.  While watching videos from my media server over Twonky (as opposed to a direct network login), doing a large filecopy elsewhere on the network (all Gigabit) causes playback to stutter and halt.  None of this occurs using the network path... playback remains smooth as silk through thick and thin.  Would rather use the Media Server option, as it's less steps and requires no login.  I know this is a new option with the last firware and is likely already being improved...

(7) Needs Repeat options.  Chapter/Video/Folder.  I can think of endless commercial applications for this thing if it only offered this, and sometimes I just want some background noise and want to play the same video (or set of videos) over and over.

(8) When using subtitle srt files, if the subs on the screen use two lines, the second line is too low and all "hanging" portions of characters (like the bottom of "g", "p", etc) are cutoff at the bottom of the screen.  This is on an lcd so I don't think it's an overscan issue.  Double line subs need to be moved up.

(9) When ripping closed caption subtitle tracks using Handbrake, I can't select them on the FAT+.  They DO show up in iTunes.

Thanks!

Message Edited by poddie on 12-04-2009 11:48 PM

Message Edited by poddie on 12-06-2009 04:37 PM

[Chunkylover]

- shortcuts to a network place on the top level (preferably direct to full path names rather than just a server name).  i think a lot of us use the FAT+ just to stream stuff direct from servers on our networks, it's a fiddle to browse to the same place again and again.

- ability to create / add shortcuts quickly from your current location by pressing info and ok or something while you're browsing folders (again full path names rather than just server)

- to stop it auto playing the next video avilable after the end of the last one.  or add a repeat / loop function.  current auto play can be embaressing when you leave the kids watching a cartoon film and it ends only to go onto my pr0n collection ;-)

- BBC iPlayer support to stream BBC television programs (although i know only useful in the UK)

[chachi]

1. please add support for trueHD and DTS-HD audio

2. not sure if it's possible but Netflix streaming would be neato

[usermac]

Add the iPhone and iPod under "other devices" and once docked, they'll be able to stream! ( I actually tried to do this but it did not show up. Come to think of it, I did that before the firmware upgrade. Maybe it works! )

[stevenk78]

Bitstream support for TrueHD and DTS-HD, if the FAT+ is truly an HDMI 1.3 compatible device...

[spaceage1978]

1.) .AIF, M4A support. 

2.) Bookmark video support.

3.) DVD-Audio:  Audio_TS folder/ATS.IFO support. 

[mat schubert]

making the FreeAgent Theatre actually recognise FreeAgent GO external harddrives in the purpose built slot would be a great improvement!!

[jg]

(1) I agree with Poddie. He wrote: ' Why the heck do hidden folders show up?'.

Besides of being absolutely unnecessary this 'feature' messes up folder structures, is a possible security and privacy issue and definitely confuses less advanced users.

(2) I'd like to see a possibility to prevent files/folders from being listed in the Movies, Music, etc. folders. So far the only workaround is to store files in Theater's special root folder '.Theater' (dot Theater). Why don't you keep it as simple as that and - like in Unix - exclude ALL files and folders which names start with a dot from being listed? Ok, that's a bit tricky under Windows because the Explorer won't let you do that ('Please enter a file name.'), you have to create/rename those files and folders in the DOS-Box. Well, then take a tilde for instance. The Explorer's got no problems with a leading tilde. A simple straight forward solution which I guess would make a lot of people very happy.

And please don't even think about using the file systems 'hidden' flag.That's way to complicated to handle.

(3) Get rid of the file extensions.

[autryld]

File extensions aren't pretty but it is helpful to know whether to expect a DVD menu or not (iso vs avi). A cool alternative would be to implement unique icons for various movie, sound and image file types.

[Daveyoung2001]

Here is my wish list:

1.  Ability to delete files.  I seem to have gotten a lot of crud when I synched.

2.  Netflix & Pandora streaming.

3.  Ability to edit Genre on music.

Thanks