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Poke Eye (EyeTV remote for iPhone)

post #1 of 44
5/15/09 at 1:38pm
Thread Starter 
I have been advised to start a new thread to talk about the EyeTV remote control I have been developing for the iPhone. Just so it doesn't take over the other thread about remotes for Macs.

The other thread can be found at http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1084846

So any feedback, ideas, comments, questions or discussion about Poke Eye can be done here now I'll try to follow this regularly.

For those who have not yet tried it, it is available for purchase on the Apple AppStore and you can find information about it here: http://www.poke-eye.com/. My philosophy was to start simple and easy, and to build on that. Ultimately I want to get rid of the normal EyeTV control completely, as well as any need to use the mouse.
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post #2 of 44
5/15/09 at 7:24pm
Just to follow up on the other thread, I can confirm that Poke Eye & Rowmote coexist happily -- no interference in either direction. And at this point I highly recommend Poke Eye for all iPhone/iPod Touch EyeTV users without reservation. Yes, we are looking forward to improvements, but at $1.99 this should be a no-brainer for one and all -- as is it is superior to all else.

For improvement: I've noticed that when Poke Eye is initially reconnected, if the EyeTV is already playing a recording, it will take a few button presses or a few seconds for it respond -- after that it is instant.
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post #3 of 44
5/16/09 at 6:40am
Quote:


And at this point I highly recommend Poke Eye for all iPhone/iPod Touch EyeTV users without reservation.

I agree, Ted, I like and use Poke Eye with my touch; the fact that it even exists is yet another embarrassment for El Gato. There are times I still rely on the Apple remote with PyeTV, which luckily works for me since I haven't upgraded past 3.0.4

Quote:


Ultimately I want to get rid of the normal EyeTV control completely, as well as any need to use the mouse

Here's an "advanced" feature that would help me deal with a unique EyeTV irritability, the ability to toggle back and forth between "system sound" and "digital audio" with Poke Eye.

My biggest sticking point with EyeTV remains the digital audio kernel panic: I'm just not willing to leave audio out on system sound, as I suspect many users do after they get their first panic, so I live dangerously, with EyeTV app preferences set to system sound then toggling digital audio on and back off while watching particular recordings.

At the moment I screen share in with a 12" PB to do that.
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post #4 of 44
5/19/09 at 10:47am
One more for the wish-list -- support for EyeTV playlists. I find myself using them more and more as my collection increases in size...
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post #5 of 44
5/19/09 at 12:25pm
Thread Starter 
Playlists.. interesting idea. Will need to think about that.

There are a couple of users who are having trouble getting things to work at all. There's something funny going on with the AppleScript link to EyeTV for them. Could people post, either here or directly to me (setok AT scred dot com) their configurations and whether it's working or not. Just so I can try to figure out what it might be.
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post #6 of 44
5/19/09 at 1:17pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Setok View Post

Could people post, either here or directly to me (setok AT scred dot com) their configurations and whether it's working or not. Just so I can try to figure out what it might be.

What do you need? I have a MacPro (2009, quad core) running 10.5.7, latest EyeTV 3 update. In general I run latest and greatest. 1st gen iPhone running 2.2.1 No issues. Mac Pro connected to airport extreme via ethernet. iPhone talks to 1st gen Airport Express (the Extreme is set to 5GHz N only).

One question, is there any reason not to have the Poke Eye server (along with iTunes and EyeTV) as a start on login item?
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post #7 of 44
5/19/09 at 1:23pm
Quote:


Could people post their configurations and whether it's working or not.

In 10.5.6, I couldn't get Poke Eye to work for me with EyeTV version 3.0.4 and the PyeTV plugin installed--it connected to the server app fine, but the gear just spun and spun trying to retrieve the channels.

I was staying on 3.0.4 because PyeTV and Front Row was the only thing making EyeTV tolerable for me.

However, after deleting PyeTV and upgrading to EyeTV version 3.1, Poke Eye worked just fine. I'll have to do some more testing but I suspect Poke Eye and PyeTV can't peacefully co-exist.

And even with PyeTV uninstalled, I never could get Poke Eye to work with version 3.0.4

This is w/ a C2D Macbook and two EyeTV 500s
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post #8 of 44
5/19/09 at 2:18pm
Thread Starter 
OK, this is interesting. One other user with this problem is running 3.1.1, so it's not limited to 3.0.*. I do not know if they are running PyeTV. I am not sure why the PyeTV component would be a problem with Poke Eye. Both (presumably this is true for PyeTV) just send AppleScript commands to EyeTV. However, if PyeTV is the key here, that would be very interesting.

For what it's worth, there is some special handling in Poke Eye for EyeTV 3.1.1. There's a bug in it which means the command which should go into fullscreen simply isn't there. However, there's another that does it :-)

I assumed that that command problem is only in 3.1.1, but this is easy to test with a couple of scripts I have, if you don't mind opening the Terminal application.
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post #9 of 44
5/20/09 at 12:19am
Thread Starter 
Forgot to answer this...

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ted Todorov View Post

One question, is there any reason not to have the Poke Eye server (along with iTunes and EyeTV) as a start on login item?

Nope, there should be no reason. Just add it to your login items in the System Preferences. You can even set it to be hidden on startup. Let me know if there are any problems.
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post #10 of 44
5/22/09 at 12:01am
Thread Starter 
Argh, an update got rejected because I don't display a screen telling the user to connect to a network if they aren't connected (a popup does come up). The thing is, in this respect the app works exactly the same way the current 1.0.0 does. So a totally unrelated, and essential patch, is not getting to users.

Long weekend ahead...
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post #11 of 44
5/22/09 at 1:26am
Thread Starter 
Well, I was annoyed by this so I quickly made some code changes and resubmitted. Let's hope it gets accepted this time... But I guess it will be next week before I know.
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post #12 of 44
5/22/09 at 6:06am
Does the Server app auto upgrade (with Sparkle)?
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post #13 of 44
5/22/09 at 6:13am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by whodean View Post

Does the Server app auto upgrade (with Sparkle)?

Not at the moment. Definitely on my TODO list.
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post #14 of 44
5/22/09 at 9:20am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Setok View Post

Well, I was annoyed by this so I quickly made some code changes and resubmitted. Let's hope it gets accepted this time... But I guess it will be next week before I know.

Hey be grateful Apple didn't ban Poke Eye because EyeTV is capable of displaying dirty movies. Think I'm kidding -- See Daring Fireball about Eucalyptus
Quote:


Eucalyptus is a new e-book reader for the iPhone, created by James Montgomerie. Content comes from freely available books from Project Gutenberg. The main draw for Eucalyptus is that the user interface is simply exquisite. See for yourself here. Montgomerie sent me an ad hoc beta last month, and the page-turning animation is simply amazing. It’s really one of the most amazing things I’ve seen on the iPhone yet.

But: Eucalyptus has been rejected by Apple, for the absolutely outrageous reason that one of the books you can search for and download from Gutenberg is Kama Sutra of Vatsyayana. Not only can anyone load and read this exact same book on any iPhone using MobileSafari, but it’s also available through other e-book readers already in the App Store such as eReader, Stanza, and Kindle.

This might be the shittiest and most outrageous App Store rejection to date, and that’s saying something.

Dear Apple, the App submission/evaluation/acceptance/rejection process is completely, utterly broken. Fixing it has to be your number one priority. These absurd rejections have got to stop.
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post #15 of 44
5/22/09 at 9:24am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ted Todorov View Post

Hey be grateful Apple didn't ban Poke Eye because EyeTV is capable of displaying dirty movies. Think I'm kidding -- See Daring Fireball about Eucalyptus

Yeah, I saw that Don't jinx the process, though! I mean, the update can still be rejected...
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post #16 of 44
5/24/09 at 11:16am
Thread Starter 
I just heard from one more user that they couldn't get Poke Eye to work with EyeTV 3.0.x, but after upgrading to the latest version, all was fine. It's bugging me a bit, because the library I use reports that a weird apple event is being sent.

Just out of curiosity, when did EyeTV go Universal?
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post #17 of 44
5/25/09 at 5:37am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Setok View Post

Yeah, I saw that Don't jinx the process, though! I mean, the update can still be rejected...

Well the latest is that Eucalyptus was approved over the weekend. Good news, of course, but no evidence that any systemic change has occurred. One hopes that Apple tires of getting bad publicity over absurd rejection decisions like this one, or some higher up is cranky enough over having to deal with this over the Memorial Day weekend to make some real changes in the iPhone Apps approval process.
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post #18 of 44
5/25/09 at 5:39am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Setok View Post

I just heard from one more user that they couldn't get Poke Eye to work with EyeTV 3.0.x, but after upgrading to the latest version, all was fine. It's bugging me a bit, because the library I use reports that a weird apple event is being sent.

Just out of curiosity, when did EyeTV go Universal?

Don't know, but I just checked 2.3 and 3.0.0 and both are Universal. So that is not the problem.
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post #19 of 44
6/17/09 at 1:47am
Thread Starter 
Apple finally accepted version 1.0.1 of the software. This fixes two important bugs:

* The recording list is now updated when you create a recording with Poke Eye (the record button)

* This now works with PowerPC machines.

Both the client and the server will need updating (sorry, but I will be trying to avoid this in the future). Took them weeks to finally accept!
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post #20 of 44
6/17/09 at 4:59am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Setok View Post

Apple finally accepted version 1.0.1 of the software. This fixes two important bugs:...

I noticed (with the old version) the the server would stay in the visible (in the Dock) even when hiding was enabled in login items and the machine was rebooted. Did that get fixed?
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post #21 of 44
6/17/09 at 5:08am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ted Todorov View Post

I noticed (with the old version) the the server would stay in the visible (in the Dock) even when hiding was enabled in login items and the machine was rebooted. Did that get fixed?

No changes to that have been made. In fact I don't think that option normally works that way (or if it does, it depends on the application). It just hides the windows, but doesn't impact the Dock.

I'll have to look at that separately.
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post #22 of 44
6/17/09 at 7:50am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Setok View Post

No changes to that have been made. In fact I don't think that option normally works that way (or if it does, it depends on the application). It just hides the windows, but doesn't impact the Dock.

I'll have to look at that separately.

Your competitors, which also feature server sides, like Snatch do somehow manage to keep their servers out of the dock and otherwise hidden -- only visible in login items and Activity Monitor.
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post #23 of 44
6/17/09 at 8:05am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ted Todorov View Post

Your competitors, which also feature server sides, like Snatch do somehow manage to keep their servers out of the dock and otherwise hidden -- only visible in login items and Activity Monitor.

Yes, this is completely possible (although it may need extending Tcl/Tk, which I use for the server). Many applications run as kind of services, which you'll see in the menubar. How high up on the list of priorities would people reckon this to be?
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post #24 of 44
6/22/09 at 7:21pm
I continually get a network error message when I try to use this on my new iPhone 3GS with OS 3.0
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post #25 of 44
6/23/09 at 12:48am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by whodean View Post

I continually get a network error message when I try to use this on my new iPhone 3GS with OS 3.0

What is the exact network error?

I assume you are running the latest version of Poke Eye (1.0.1) and the latest server (1.0.2)? It's essential to have both.

For what it's worth, I'm running on OS 3.0 myself, but not 3GS. Indeed 1.0.1 would not have been accepted into the App Store if it didn't work with 3.0. Is there anyone else having either problems or successes with 3GS?
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post #26 of 44
6/23/09 at 6:38pm
quick question, sorry if this has been addressed. I don't have an iPhone.. yet, may borrow one to check this out, but just wondering if this app makes it easy to switch between multiple tuners. thanks.
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post #27 of 44
6/24/09 at 12:21am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by tkmedia2 View Post

quick question, sorry if this has been addressed. I don't have an iPhone.. yet, may borrow one to check this out, but just wondering if this app makes it easy to switch between multiple tuners. thanks.

To be honest I'm not quite sure how EyeTV deals with multiple tuners, as I currently only have one.

If you are talking about multiple tuners connected to a single Mac, I would've assumed EyeTV would deal with that in a transparent way. There is an AppleScript command for changing input source, but I would need to hear (possibly from people on this forum) if that is something I could deal with and how EyeTV actually manages it.

If you are talking about multiple tuners on different Macs, at the moment Poke Eye just connects to the first server it can find on your local network. The good thing about that is it's quick and straightforward to start (no need to select which Mac to connect to). Let me know if you want this.
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post #28 of 44
6/24/09 at 4:29am
Quote:


I'm not quite sure how EyeTV deals with multiple tuners...If you are talking about multiple tuners connected to a single Mac, I would've assumed EyeTV would deal with that in a transparent way.

Good assumption, EyeTV "deals with" multiple tuners plugged into the same Mac transparently, in that EyeTV will either A) work just fine with the tuners, allowing you to record several shows at the same time, or B) it won't.

It still isn't an officially supported feature, despite years of user requests; what that means from a user perspective is that there's still no way to tell EyeTV which tuner to use to record which program.

Quote:


just wondering if this app makes it easy to switch between multiple tuners

tk, why don't you be a little more specific about your hardware/network setup and what you're trying to do? I use Poke-Eye and Snatch with a touch to control EyeTV with multiple tuners, and would be happy to help.
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post #29 of 44
6/24/09 at 5:10am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by chefklc View Post

Good assumption, EyeTV "deals with" multiple tuners plugged into the same Mac transparently, in that EyeTV will either A) work just fine with the tuners, allowing you to record several shows at the same time, or B) it won't.

It still isn't an officially supported feature, despite years of user requests; what that means from a user perspective is that there's still no way to tell EyeTV which tuner to use to record which program.

I've had a look at this and I think it could be done, although obviously I would need to get the program guide thing finished first as there's no support for scheduling a programme in Poke Eye yet.

It would also be possible to add a control for selecting the current input source.

All of this assumes that when EyeTV's documentation talks of 'input source' it means also selecting from multiple tuners. Not immediately sure how to get a list of them, though.
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post #30 of 44
6/28/09 at 9:21am
I bought and installed this yesterday. I like it very much.

Would it be possible to change the sort order in the recordings? It would be fantastic to be able to switch between alphabetical and date recorded sort orders.
Thanks for writing this!!!
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