Hi everyone!
Per NC Bullseye’s request, I’ve moved all future discussion of my infuse redesign concept to this Lounge post. Nothing’s really changed between this post and the older one, but I’ve decided to take the time to outline everything that’s new here. As per usual, all current screenshots are attached below.
Home
The new Home screen is the main hub for of all of your content. At the top is the new tab bar introduced in tvOS 13, which defaults to Home, Movies, TV Shows, and Playlists.
I’ve also added three different views to the home screen: Classic view (close to what it looks like now), Details view (bigger thumbnails), and Theater view (Apple TV-esque). Having this customizable might bee too much, but I figure I’d play with what each would look like.
On Deck is a live-updating row featuring two types of content: what you’re in the middle of watching (Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker and Rick and Morty in my mockups) and the next episode of any tv show you’re binging (The Expanse). I’m not a big fan of how Plex separates Continue Watching from On Deck (because you’ll likely continue watching what’s on deck) so merging them seems like the best option if possible. Tapping anything in the On Deck row will begin playing content immediately—no extra tap necessary.
Below this should look pretty familiar as I’ve just pulled from what Infuse already uses!
Movies and TV Shows
The new Movies and TV Shows screens now use a split view to bring filters directly next to content (instead of having to click down a few levels). Sort by genre, network, rating, etc. right from this screen. Beyond this, not much else has changed.
Details View
Clicking a movie or tv show will bring up a brand new details screen, complete with background, synopses, and basic media info. Scrolling down will pull cast images, reviews, and similar movies for those who like to see extra details on their stuff. For tv shows, I’ve added the ability to quickly scan between seasons—basically cribbed from Apple TV’s interface.
Additionally, note that this view now allows you to play movies with or without trailers.
Collections
The new Collections view looks almost entirely like the details view, the one difference being that the More From X row has been replaced with a row showing all movies in a collection (and moved to the top).
Now Playing
Basically the only thing new about the now playing screen is that chapters are now under the info panel. Didn’t forget about you, Mr Lucas!
Playlists
Playlists now utilize a split view, three big ol’ buttons to play all movies, shuffle movies, and enable Movie Night (more on that in a sec). Movies are now in a list for easier glancing.
Movie Night
As mentioned in my previous update, Movie Night is a special mode in Infuse 7 that, when activated, does three things:
- First, it plays a set amount of trailers prior to starting the playlist. That amount can be configured via Settings.
- Second, it will automatically add intermissions between movies—time to use the bathroom, get snacks, whatever. Intermission length can be adjusted, or turned off entirely, via Settings.
- Finally, with the upcoming HomeKit support, it will automatically dim and un-dim your lights for you.
To-Do List
- Bring back the old Favorites UI (so that non-Plex users can access content not covered by the tab bar)
- Reduce padding around Home tab
- Polish everything up
- iOS/iPadOS redesign? macOS concept?
- Try not to turn Infuse into just an Apple TV clone
As per usual, I’m always open to feedback/comments!
