New Zinc.tv
Tue, 2011-03-15 19:47
I really hope you guys keep supporting PC Zinc for more then a "while". This is what separates you from Clicker.tv
Zinc.tv is very slow compared to PC Zinc. Loading a previously cached website like Crackle on the latest Firefox with Zinc.tv takes 1 minute to load. On PC Zinc it takes less then 2 seconds.
PC Zinc takes advantage of every little inch of the screen real estate. This is really important for those of us who were drawn to PC Zinc for it's 10ft interface. Zinc.tv's "leanback" doesn't really use all of the screen real estate.
Visually Zinc.tv is very dull. There are no animations, no smooth transitions. Visual appearance is very important and is something you guys have done a great job with each newer version of Zinc. Hope you guys don't throw all that hard work away.
And correct me if i'm wrong but I don't really understand what the point is in a 4 screen version of Zinc.tv. Isn't basically everything none PC blocked from Network sites?
Wed, 2011-03-16 14:50
#2
How do you add Non-Zinc.tv content? I have a lot of RSS feeds from different sources I created but there doesn't seem to be a way to add them to the "My Shows" section.
Wed, 2011-03-16 15:14
#3
sorry but that functionality has not been implemented yet. What would be really helpful is to answer the following questions:
How many Feeds?
Are the feeds hierarchical or single level?
How frequently do they need to be scanned?
How many people have created their own feeds?
Thu, 2011-03-17 14:34
#4
- Currently I have 7 feeds but that list will grow since i'm working on others.
- Some are single level while others are hierarchical. This is an important feature because it lets me split the feed into individual sections instead of having one long 50+ shows feed. I also split the feed even further within the feed for those shows that have more then 50 results. This way it loads a lot quicker within Zinc. (Something i'm sure you noticed with Crackle on Zinc.tv)
- IF possible I would think every time you opened the feed the way it is on PC Zinc. Different shows post their videos at different times. Like for example Revsion3's Tekzilla is usually up by 9am on Tuesday's. But Thursday's Tekzilla is usually posted after 5, 6, 7, or 8pm. I guess it depends on how long it takes them to render the file.
- Not sure? When I started using Zinc I knew all abou RSS feeds but I had zero idea how to make one. But I started learning (and still am). I'm sure if more people knew how to make them they would. The problem is that the information out there is very technical when it should'nt be. The ability to make your own feeds is essential because people can create their own channels with content that interests them.
To tell you the truth it's the only reason I use Zinc. I find it to be a lot faster then Boxee and easier to navigate. It also takes very little effort to make the feed look good if you have some good thumbnails unlike boxee. I rarely use any of the Network sites since I use WMC to record my favorite shows.
Mon, 2011-03-21 00:36
#5
I really don't think the HTML web interface will fly; If a simple web interface would work, we would have no need for apps for devices like the iphone.
Major case in point: Look at Netflix; They have specialized apps for blu-ray players as well as their web interface. The web interface for the pc and other mobile devices is no where near as good as the blu-ray player's specialized streaming app's quality.
Honestly, I love Zinc; It has enabled me to remove my cable and satellite service altogether. I can't stand to watch regular broadcast TV any longer; I watched some "Speed TV" or other such channel at a friend's house and used my stopwatch to time the broadcast/commercial ratio; It was three minutes of programming, then three minutes of commercials. Pathetic!
This web interface only concept may very well kill Zinc; If I had tried the web interface first, I would never have made it to the PC app. Having tried and loved the PC app, I know I can't stand the web app.
I understand you need to have the web/HTML interface for compatibility with many different platforms, but, like Netflix, I really think you should keep a multi pronged approach and keep the PC platform as well and even expand to platforms like blu-ray players and nettop boxes like the Roku an other HD media platforms.
Zinc is the best thing running; Please don't kill it with this watered down web interface. Trust me, you will never make it as good as the PC app. It's like comparing the original pac-man with the version released for the Atari 2600.
Thu, 2011-03-24 13:52
#6
Swigg: Yes, I agree Zinc.TV is great. I added Boxee to the Applications launch in Zinc. Some of Boxee's Apps are better like Pandora. I like ZincTV ability to use the MS Media Center Remote.
Fri, 2011-03-25 21:21
#7
Tmsocha:
The problem is that they seem to be discontinuing the ZincPC computer application and firefox extension in favor of the Zinc.tv web page. Try them both and see what you think.
I, for one, do not want the PC app discontinued. The web page will never be as good as the standalone app.
Sat, 2011-03-26 04:25
#8
Zinc.tv web page is not user friendly. Less clicking steps are better. Not everyone is a Technogeek. I'm trying to find user friendly solutions for an older demographic and non-geeks.
I agree swigg5 the app is much better! Keep the app or I have to go to Boxee.
Zinc you better keep the best internet tv App for the PC.
Tue, 2011-03-29 09:48
#9
We recognize that there are still reasons that the PC application would be preferred by the existing zinc customers to the new website. We are not planning on disabling the PC zinc application.
Wed, 2011-03-30 23:28
#10
Surprised/Disappointed by Zinc.tv when it came up under newly added in the Zinc|Zinc browser (3.5.7 on a MAC). The first thing that happened when i clicked on it, then clicked "play" was a notice my browser was too old. So i went and loaded in Firefox 4 which in itself is a much faster browser.
Then i went to the zinc.tv url. It came up quickly and looked almost the same, but there the resemblance to the browser version ended. There was a statement that each page would have a suggestions tab.
Very soon I discovered that zinc.tv was nothing linke the Zinc|Zinc browser.
1. It seemed to mainly draw only on things that had to be purchased (or were free) on Amazon,etc. I could opt out but nothing was left.
- None of the Favorites/bookmarks that i had collected on Zinc|Zinc browser were available. I thought perhaps "leanback" would allow the free-form search i used to use.
- The search would not turn up anything like i could get before. Again it was all pop-culture-commercial stuff. Apparently anything found must be from some video source/merchant you list.
To conclude, unless you can create a zinc.tv that operates the same way and also will carry over from the Zinc|Zinc browser I would say the effort you are expending is not very worthwhile.
I made the following suggestions/critiques via the zinc.tv suggestion tab.
••••
Please make the "Leanback" Zinc.tv the same as the zinc|zinc 3.5.7 browser as far as search, favorites, etc. are concerned. Better still just update zinc|zinc within the latest firefox 4, or other browser and drop this "web application". Not being able to import my old favorites (not all of which are videos) is a real pain. Even when i search for an item that i formerly had (e.g. Charles Ives: definitely music) i get a bunch of totally unrelated stuff. I would have expected the favorites that i can currently access with other PC/Mac running zinc|zinc would have appeared in favorites under zinc.tv.
Two things with the same name and appearance but totally different in operation is total confusion.
Compared to your original zinc|free-browser PC or Mac versions, music>browse is useless. I suggest you drop this whole effort and concentrate on the browser, bringing it up to Firefox 4 standards. If it aint broke don't fix it. You have broke it as far as zinc.tv is conerned.
•••••••
Please do not abandon the PC/Mac version of Zinc.
Thu, 2011-03-31 00:17
#11
If you continue with the new ZincTV website, it would seem doubtful there will be any new users.
Disabling the PC app will kill off the user base entirely.
Think iPhone or Android; If HTML was the answer, we would not need standalone apps.
I implore you; You guys should really rethink this new strategy; Why not just do both? Continue the app for PC users and have the page for internet enabled TV's.
One solution will only make it mediocre for both platforms.
Netflix does it; They have apps for blu-ray players and a website for PC users. In fact, they are a perfect example; Their standalone app for the blu-ray is much better than their web interface. If they made a dedicated PC app I'm sure it would be as good as the blu-ray app. So long as it is HTML based, it will never be as good.
Thu, 2011-03-31 10:58
#12
Hello: I just realized what Leanback in zinc.tv does not have that the Zinc browser has.
When i do a search in Zinc browser i am given the choice of searching in Zinc, Google, or Facebook. Most of the items in my favorites/bookmarks (the distinction is fuzzy--both can be had by clicking on the heart symbol). are derived from finds in Google or Facebook. When i have more time I may put in some images to illustrate further the differences.
I isolated Firefox 4 in the trash, so that when i click on an item in mail that opens a browser (firefox is my default) I will get Zinc and not Firefox.
Zinc browser is faster than Firefox 4 in that situation. Also Zinc.tv running in Firefox 4 in addition to the above mentioned problems appears to be much slower.
Thu, 2011-03-31 18:16
#13
My previous posting was in error: The missing tabs are YouTube and Google. Without these Zinc.tv web application is useless to me. I wanted to include images of a comparison between the browser and the web application.
Although there is the statement, below,
• Images can be added to this post.
There are no instructions or tab for this. An attempt to copy/paste or drag and drop like i would with text does not work.
Fri, 2011-04-01 10:16
#14
We understand that the opensearch functionality is currently missing from the website. Opensearch is what allows us to submit a search phrase to other websites. It is on our list of functionality to implement. We also have fixed the issue with the PC Zinc application being able to access the leanback page on the www.zinc.tv
Fri, 2011-04-01 19:29
#15
Thanks. It works now and leanback doesn't tell me my browser is out of date. I'm still not sure what it gives me that isn't already there.
Sun, 2012-04-22 10:21
#16
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Mon, 2012-04-30 08:40
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Mon, 2012-04-30 22:12
#18
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Hi Gonzo,
As usual you are spot on with the issues we are addressing. The first issue is the performance. Web Zinc was initially very slow.....Large page loads for Netflix, Amazon, Crackle were impossibly slow and will need more work. We are making updates that should improve the performance of image intensive pages this week.
We have listened to the feedback on "leanback" to make the information more readable, like titles under the images, larger font, and better real estate management. The goal is to make it look like PC Zinc. We put a lot of effort into that flavor of the product and need to migrate those changes over. Since it is a web based product we can update it much more rapidly without requiring a new download...
Why build a multi-screen version?
There was a lot of feedback from the customer base about being able to do a better job with discovery and management. Without a mouse and keyboard, this is really hard to do from a 10ft interface. You want the ability to easily check boxes, re-order the queue, etc. The cloud offers us the ability to provide a product that enables users to research on their PC, find shows that you want to watch, and add them to your favorites or queue. Then, using the same account, consume that content from the couch.
Tablets, and other mobile devices can be research devices or consumption devices. The architectural approach we took with the new system will allow us to easily migrate to new devices. The PC application required OpenGL, which ran well on some platforms and not at all on others. Today's user is much more likely to try out a product that they can access from a website without requiring a download.
We want to entice you to use the new product by making it better that what you have today.
We are not there yet...