TiVo Look & Feel
Notes on making your app have a TiVo Look & Feel
TiVo standard remote shortcuts:
The TiVo usually supports shortcuts for sorting, filtering, etc.
These shortcuts are normally noted just below or above the main content scroll area.
If the shortcut cycles through some settings, the current setting is shown in parentheses.
These are generally not supported in HTML5 apps.
- A: options (older models: ENTER)
- this one is more rarely used than the next two, but on older models it opened a screen for casual selection of sort/filter options.
- B: sorting (older models: 1)
- example: "sort (channel number)"
- C: filtering (older models: 2)
- examples: "show (all)" / "groups (off)" / "filter (none)"
- D: special action or mode [dimmer; ; amazon: delete?] (not used in older models, but logically it would be: 3)
- this one is very rarely used. Examples during video watching: "press D to watch in HD"; "in commercial, press D to skip". I've heard the Amazon app uses D for Delete?
- enterwebz.tv example: Radio Auricle screen dimmer
- ENTER: search (this conflicts with "options" in older models, but the two never coexisted on a single screen for those)
- a special key exists for search on the Slide Remote.
In addition, a few standard keys should be supported, although not always mentioned in a hint. These are generally supported by HTML5 apps, too.
- CLEAR: exit
- except in context where it is needed to clear something like video overlay or text entry or deleting a selection (Early in app development, PAUSE was frequently used for exit)
- for a while, HTML5 apps would exit even if you were watching a video and trying to clear the overlay. This has been corrected in (for some?).
- REPLAY or ZOOM (aka ASPECT/WINDOW): back
- except in context where a "back a little bit" is valid - HTML5 media players might do an instant replay, or may jump back 30 seconds or more
- ZOOM is used for this feature because the button is placed where the "BACK" button is on the newer model remotes, but the BACK button does not send a code to HME.
- obviously left-arrow is also back in TiVo L&F, but most HTML5 apps don't support this.
- in HTML5 apps this is fairly consistent that it works for "back," and at top-level menus prompts the user "do you want to exit the app?"
- ZOOM and REPLAY may be slightly different versions of "back" or they may be completely synonymous, I'm not clear about that. I've gotten in the habit of using REPLAY over ZOOM.
page revision: 0, last edited: 02 Jun 2016 16:02