I will not be purchasing Beyond Media ... Yet

[koan00]

Well after having some time to play around with Beyond Media, and read some of the other posts on the forum, I decided not to buy Beyond Media just yet.

It's great of snapstream to have offered some of us a discounted rate, but in all honesty this product is not ready for prime time and I am not ready to pay snapstream for the honor of freely beta testing their software for them.

How this could be released as final? I really dont know. A media player where fast forward and rewind dont even work? You have got to be kidding! Someone up in QA needs a good rattling of the brain. Releasing software like this does nothing but reflect poorly on you. Possibly making this a "public beta" would have been a better idea.

I do think the product has immense potential, but until it is actually worthy of the 1.0 badge, I will not be spending any money on it.

[nanook105]

Possibly making this a "public beta" would have been a better idea

There was a long public beta for BM

[mcowger]

Yes, but nonetheless, the software isn't ready for primetime, and maybe the beta needed to be longer. I was on the beta team, and SHOCCKED when I discoered when they were going to release it. It is nowhere near feature complete, especially not for the silly price Snapstream wants for it. For somethign that requires as much work to setup as BM, I'd rather just use one of the free alternatives.

[koan00]

I'd rather just use one of the free alternatives.

I agree, but the one thing I was really looking for in BM was good integration with BTV as I use BTV 90% of the time. It looks like "integration" just means starting BTV from BM and a BTV skin for BM. Wow

[Cornelius Robot]

I agree.

I am presently hoping for an option from Snapstream that would be sufficient for me to kick Winamp, Windows Media Player, Game Spy, and Hauppauge FM Radio to the curb.

What I'd like to see before I'm willing to spend any amount of money on this software is

-Proper integration with my ATI Remote Wonder (Haha, I would have a Firefly, but I got An All-In-Blunder a couple of years ago)

-Proper integration with BeyondTV (I was hoping that this would essentially be an upgrade to BeyondTV with the ability to act as a stand-alone file player)

-Better file browser (I'd like to feel like I'm browsing through a database that I can tailor to my needs... not a more bluish version of my Windows desktop)

-DVD Player in the demo (Having a good DVD player is an important part of my decision to purchase... why would I purchase if I can't even test the features I'm focused on?)

-A bigger attempt to take over my computer (Come on... be bold! I was hoping that it would detect my games, allow me to browse through and select which one to play, and allow me to play games on the net. That was wishful thinking on my part, but it is certainly a good idea)

-Support for Winamp file format plugins

-Integrated CD/DVD ripper!!!

-Include a more compact version of the music player for people who wish to be able to browse the web while listening to music, and play games while utilizing less system overhead

...Basically, what I'm looking for is something that I know can effectively be the all-in-one solution for all of my media needs.

Once remote control support is properly implemented, the interface is properly tweaked for better integration with BeyondTV, some rudimentary level of support for games is added, and the price is reduced ($19.99 please!) for people who already own BeyondTV, this software will be a worthwhile purchase.

It's not perfect a perfect piece of software, and the changes that I'm suggesting wouldn't make it perfect, but it would be a whole lot more buyable... and I'd be glad to kick Winamp and WiMP to the curb.

Edit: Farther expanding on the games idea... I don't know what anyone here might think of this, but wouldn't it be fun to be able to play simple games against each other on the Internet with your Firefly or Remote Wonder?

[grot]

I'd just settle for keymaps that work betweek the two programs, having the same skip/rewind paradigm, and having SOME ability to really customize things like DVD libraries.

Oh, and running on DX9? Video isn't even watchable.

I hope they don't invect BTV with any of this - i Love BTV - and I PAID for BM...

[AHX]

i would expect form the little response to these questions that they will nto be resolved any time soon. the only response i see is we have to wait for 4.0.

[Cornelius Robot]

Originally Posted by AHX

i would expect form the little response to these questions that they will nto be resolved any time soon. the only response i see is we have to wait for 4.0.

I haven't been a member of these forums for more than 24 hours, so I don't know how stuff gets done around here.

I guess I'll have to be patient until Snapstream can come out with some Knock-your-socks-off software that will allow me to get rid of everything else... haha, even my Windows desktop.

As it stands, BeyondTV 3.5.1 is the most excellent TV software that I've ever had my hands on. Blows Hauppauge's stuff right out of the water, and Gemstar Guide+ doesn't even deserve to be mentioned, unless in mentioning that it doesn't deserve to be mentioned.

Viva Snapstream!

[Kilrsat]

Originally Posted by Cornelius Robot

I agree.

-Better file browser (I'd like to feel like I'm browsing through a database that I can tailor to my needs... not a more bluish version of my Windows desktop)

-A bigger attempt to take over my computer (Come on... be bold! I was hoping that it would detect my games, allow me to browse through and select which one to play, and allow me to play games on the net. That was wishful thinking on my part, but it is certainly a good idea)

-Integrated CD/DVD ripper!!!

-Include a more compact version of the music player for people who wish to be able to browse the web while listening to music, and play games while utilizing less system overhead

Things like these should be able to be added through the plugin options. If you're a developer, get started. If you aren't, maybe toss a few ideas out there of what you'd like and try to get someone else interested in doing it.

I know "SnapStream should just implement every feature everyone wants," but the reality is that then you get a complicated piece of bloat that does some things decently but masters nothing. With plugins people are free to add as many or as few features as they want, and with development outside of a big corporation there's more room for user input and fewer restrictions on things that "can't" be done.

[Cornelius Robot]

Originally Posted by Kilrsat

Things like these should be able to be added through the plugin options. If you're a developer, get started. If you aren't, maybe toss a few ideas out there of what you'd like and try to get someone else interested in doing it.

I know "SnapStream should just implement every feature everyone wants," but the reality is that then you get a complicated piece of bloat that does some things decently but masters nothing. With plugins people are free to add as many or as few features as they want, and with development outside of a big corporation there's more room for user input and fewer restrictions on things that "can't" be done.

Thanks for the thoughts... and for the most part you're right. But there are some features that I mentioned that I think should, and hopefully will, be included by default.

I don't know if I'm right about this, but I with the release of Beyond Media and the fact that you can disable the exit button on BeyondTV, I see the grand purpose of Snapstream as an easy to use, robust interface to simplify the transition and complex change of turning a regular PC into the centerpiece of one's home theater.

With that point of view, it logically follows that Snapstream should utilize the power of the PC to maximize a user's home theater computing experience to far greater heights than could ever be achieved with the usual consortium of standalone components (DVD Player, Television, CD Player, Game Console, PVR, etc). Everything in a home theater compacted into a PC, honed through one program, and controlled with one remote... and no mouse and keyboard. Haha, you know, that BeyondTV guy looks like that for a reason.

I most certainly have the vision and concept for an intuitive interface that includes every feature that I mentioned, and I know it can, and eventually will be done. Allowing for plugins and user input is a significant part of the puzzle and a good way to test the market for new ideas without having to spend any money, but I still drool for the day when all the cool stuff becomes the basics and the plugins are just a way to placate the people on the fringes. (Support for uncommon file formats, skins, ultra specific features... yada yada yah)

[richt]

One way SnapStream could go is to start to work on and release a whole bunch of plugins to add to Beyond Media 1.0. There are lots of rumors about increased functionality and this would be a quick way to achieve it while they work behind the scenes on developing enhancements to the core application.

[Cornelius Robot]

Originally Posted by richt

One way SnapStream could go is to start to work on and release a whole bunch of plugins to add to Beyond Media 1.0. There are lots of rumors about increased functionality and this would be a quick way to achieve it while they work behind the scenes on developing enhancements to the core application.

Nifty idea. They could monitor usage and see what plugins are the most popular and use that data to decide what should be offered and marketed as out-of-the-box features, and what should be left to provide service to customers on the fringes (Like a guy wanting 24 hour access to an obscure Shoutcast broadcast of numbers between 5 and 6 being read out in Japanese.)

[Baylo]

But if the plugin already exists, why would Snapstream want to develop their own version?

I do, however, think it would be useful to have a link - maybe in the Settings menu in BM? - that takes the user straight to the plugins forum here. And if it could be integated such that the download and install process could all be done from the remote throught the BM interface, so much the better.

Mark

[mlbdude]

Supported professional plug-ins are the only alternative to having it in the main application. SS wants to be able to advertise that they have this functionality.

[nanook105]

But if the plugin already exists, why would Snapstream want to develop their own version?

Caller ID is a good example. In beta testing, this started of as a user developed plugin, but I think that it got too complicated when it came time to display it on top of an active video.