[diels_alder]

Alexey,
This app is so impressive! The last feature that I would love to see is the ability to zoom in the video to fill the screen on my square classic. I find myself using this feature often in the browser version and newpipe.

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[Alexey Gurevski]

Version 1.1.1.1 has been released today. The new version focuses on Player UX improvements.

One of the most annoying things to me was that if you go back from the Player View then the playback stops. I inspired by the YouTube app (on Android and iOS) and the BB 10 stock media player and developed something similar. I've called that as Mini Player.
It's placed at the top of the screen and it is visible if you started playing something on the Player View and then go to a different view. It gives you brief information regarding the video and allows you to continue watching (in a small window though) and listening to, plus few basic actions like Play/Pause and Stop. The switch between the Mini Player and the Player View is seamless (almost). The Mini Player is Classic-friendly, i.e. it's reachable with the trackpad.

It's worth mentioning that the Mini Player is not a full-featured player, e.g. you can't go Next or Back, it won't start the next track even if autoplay is ON. It is shown on one of the screenshots attached.

Other improvements were not that drastic, most of them were reported by @XcrazyS, namely:
- Added 'Go to Previous Video' action
- Due to the bullet above I had to move the Quality Settings action (gear icon) to the overflow menu. Unfortunately, it seems that the OS won't let you to put more than 3 actions onto the bar, even on Passport, otherwise I'm missing something
- Close icon in the top-right cornee on the Player View is now visible only on Classic screens. So those of you who use your phone in a full-touch way won't be confused anymore - just tap the screen on any place which doesn't cause any action (e.g. the top header or the slider area)

Also I fixed an issue on resizing video, in some cases it was caused by screen rotation.

This is a huge change to the codebase, hopefully I haven't introduced a blocker issue. Please report if you find anything.
Thanks for your feedback!

[Akis Tsirogiannis]

You are crazy good! Haha...unbelievable that this is happening in 2020. Especially now with corona I plan to stay forever on my passport so it's amazing haha.

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[Alexey Gurevski]

This is an interesting workaround ! Why not, for example, catch those notifications (parse an Rss feed containing latest videos alerts) and show them in the app ?
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Good idea! But I need to try it first, because YT doesn't allow you to get the feed by a list of Channels, you have to query one by one, so I'm a bit concerned about the performance (kind of the so called 'select N+1 problem')

I feel you, if it can help I found out that between 16 and 17 GMT you have a much higher chance of getting a debug certificate.. actually I got all my certs in the last few months in that time period

Lol, probably there is a dedicated employee in BB Limited who manually approves and sign each token and those are his working hours. Nevermind, just kidding...

It's a neat sdk, I like Qt a lot and QML is easy enough. But I've never done anything serious that wasn't in C++ so I'm extremely biased Sometimes Cascades feels frustrating though, I whish they exposed more of its internal behavior in order to customize it better

Btw, I lost my 'Native Core SDK' virginity while was working on the most recent release. I had to use the Screen Subsystem library. It turned out (or I hadn't figured that out) Cascades doesn't let you get the device screen size in an easy way, also it has a documented bug in ForeignWindowControl. The funniest thing is that the only way I found how to determine whether a phone is Classic or not is to request its screen size (should be 720x720) and DPI (should be 294) - that's ridiculuos!

Alexey,
This app is so impressive! The last feature that I would love to see is the ability to zoom in the video to fill the screen on my square classic. I find myself using this feature often in the browser version and newpipe.

Posted via CB10

Hi, thanks for your feedback. Classic is my daily driver too, so I try to do my best to make it more PKB- and toolbelt-friendly. I've spent plenty of time trying to implement a proper resizing technique so I have one question to you.
The app always tries to keep the video's aspect ratio. The majority of videos are 16:9, the Classic's screen is 1:1. If we fill the screen then the video will be either cropped but have the correct aspect ratio or will fill the screen but have the wrong ratio. What is your expected result and how does it work in the apps you've mentioned?
Thanks.

[diels_alder]

Alexey,
In the native browser, the video can be zoomed in and maintains the original aspect ratio. The left and right sides are cropped. Newpipe can do the exact same thing. Newpipe can also distort the 16:9 image to fit everything in a 1:1 screen. I don't like the look of the distorted video, and don't use that feature. But I do use the zoomed and cropped view often.

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[Alin Torok]

The last version released doesn't play sound on my Q10...

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[Alin Torok]

Now it's working! )

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[FortressBB10]

This is awesome! I hope there is a place to donate listed somewhere in this thread. Even if it's just to take the little lady to a fancy meal when things open up, we should show our appreciation.

A feature I would use is filtering for searches. Filtering by date and by video length are great features.

Awesome clean interface! You can tell this is a native app too.

[Simo_Dax]

Btw, I lost my 'Native Core SDK' virginity while was working on the most recent release. I had to use the Screen Subsystem library. It turned out (or I hadn't figured that out) Cascades doesn't let you get the device screen size in an easy way, also it has a documented bug in ForeignWindowControl. The funniest thing is that the only way I found how to determine whether a phone is Classic or not is to request its screen size (should be 720x720) and DPI (should be 294) - that's ridiculuos!

Oh crap
Luckily in Bird10 I don't need to know what device it is, just the screen size is enough. In that case I've seen somewhere in the reference that you can use a LayoutUpdateHandler to get the actual size of a control.. so I just attached one to the main Container in the page and it tells me how big the screen is

[NaGMeT]

@Alexey Gurevski

I have a Z10 and for some reason the Mini Player does not work.

[NaGMeT]

@NaGMeT,
The mini player opens after you open the video and click "Back". Returning to the search menu, the mini player will continue to play the video.

Спасибо! Почему-то ни разу не возникало желания нажать "Назад"))

[Alexey Gurevski]

This is awesome! I hope there is a place to donate listed somewhere in this thread.

No, there isn't. Initially I didn't consider any fundraising but then one of the forum users convinced me that it would be fine to ask for donations. However, PayPal is not available in my country (or, more precisely, I can't have other types of account than 'Send Only'). I don't know other ways how to transfer a donation which would be convenient for you.

A feature I would use is filtering for searches. Filtering by date and by video length are great features.

Good idea, I'll try to include this feature into the upcoming release.

The mini player opens after you open the video and click "Back". Returning to the search menu, the mini player will continue to play the video.

That's awesome that now the app has its own "first line of support" :-D Thanks or your help!

For example, in Telegram X or any other application...

The current version can only be a part of the 'Open In' dialog when you click a hyperlink to YT in another app or it can share a video from BBTube to another app. You're asking about an opposite thing: sharing something from another app to BBTube. From the technical standpoint this functionality is very close to the integration with BlackBerry Assistant (you've requested that earlier) which I did implement but haven't released yet. Today I've implemented the functionality to add BBTube to the 'Share' screen, but it will work in this way only for content of 'text/plain' mime-type. I don't know how Telegram shares messages, but when I'm sharing a SMS message then I can see BBTube in the list. Long story short the feature you're requesting now will be there within the next release, stay tuned ;-)

[Gordo inc]

Hi guys, I've implemented a couple of new features which might be useful for you:
- Added 'Live Streams' support - this is a self-descriptive statement For obvious reasons, you can't download a live stream. Also, the Media Player handles video's quality by itself, so you have no opportunity to change it manually.
- (thanks @Wowan) Added BBTube to the 'Open In' dialog, it will be shown for YouTube links only. So you can make the app to be the default app for any YouTube links. Perhaps, you've already associated another app with those links before (e.g. SuperTube). In that case you need to check Settings->App Manager->Default Apps page
- Minor thing: now you can copy Channel's RSS Feed URL to Clipboard from the Channel's page. With help of another app for RSS Feeds we can mimic notifications on new videos posted by a channel
- Minor improvements and bugfixes

A global change: I've edited the header post of this thread, added a Changelog. Also, I've changed the link for download to this one: https://1drv.ms/u/s!AglY1qWcsdkAniZw...5qg7h?e=Qiuy94 - I'm going to put all released versions into this folder
I'm still a newbie on this forum, hopefully that's the right approach to announce and maintain different app versions.
@conite : thanks for placing the app to the Sheet. Could you also replace the old link with the one above?

Hey buddy! It's one of the best apps I have ever used on BlackBerry. I feel embarrassed to request things despite of your honest and excellent effort but still I ask....(i won't again if it disturbs or demotivates you...let me of know with a reply)
Could you just add the option to sign in through Google account or else add an option to shift that subscription card file into it (it was an option in a third party android client for youtube as a recovery for not being able to sign in)

I am sure new features will be kept adding as the new updates roll down.

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[diels_alder]

The latest updates have worked very well for me. Keep up the amazing work! I have another small feature request: can you integrate the spacebar to play/pause the video?

I am also curious about how many people have tried your app. Are you able to see how many people have downloaded your bar file?

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[hopskirk]

thank you for the application

[Gordo inc]

Version 1.1.1.1 has been released today. The new version focuses on Player UX improvements.

One of the most annoying things to me was that if you go back from the Player View then the playback stops. I inspired by the YouTube app (on Android and iOS) and the BB 10 stock media player and developed something similar. I've called that as Mini Player.
It's placed at the top of the screen and it is visible if you started playing something on the Player View and then go to a different view. It gives you brief information regarding the video and allows you to continue watching (in a small window though) and listening to, plus few basic actions like Play/Pause and Stop. The switch between the Mini Player and the Player View is seamless (almost). The Mini Player is Classic-friendly, i.e. it's reachable with the trackpad.

It's worth mentioning that the Mini Player is not a full-featured player, e.g. you can't go Next or Back, it won't start the next track even if autoplay is ON. It is shown on one of the screenshots attached.

Other improvements were not that drastic, most of them were reported by @XcrazyS, namely:
- Added 'Go to Previous Video' action
- Due to the bullet above I had to move the Quality Settings action (gear icon) to the overflow menu. Unfortunately, it seems that the OS won't let you to put more than 3 actions onto the bar, even on Passport, otherwise I'm missing something
- Close icon in the top-right cornee on the Player View is now visible only on Classic screens. So those of you who use your phone in a full-touch way won't be confused anymore - just tap the screen on any place which doesn't cause any action (e.g. the top header or the slider area)

Also I fixed an issue on resizing video, in some cases it was caused by screen rotation.

This is a huge change to the codebase, hopefully I haven't introduced a blocker issue. Please report if you find anything.
Thanks for your feedback!

Could you create such a wonderful app for Merriam Webster dictionary (offline) as the android takes too long to respond? A native alternative shall be lovely

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[Alexey Gurevski]

The latest updates have worked very well for me. Keep up the amazing work! I have another small feature request: can you integrate the spacebar to play/pause the video?

Yes, I did implement this shortcut (and some more) few days ago, will be a part of the upcoming release.

I am also curious about how many people have tried your app. Are you able to see how many people have downloaded your bar file?
Posted via CB10

No, one of my goals was not to bother users with tracking, analytics, etc. So I have no idea how many users do have this app installed. Also, I know for sure that the app was "advertised" via other channels (reddit, fb, forums) by other users and it was even re-shared in another cloud storage. It's quite difficult to get an overview right now - the app is spreading like a virus But looking at the numbers on this forum (views, comments, unique users) my rough estimate would be ~100 people.

Could you create such a wonderful app for Merriam Webster dictionary (offline) as the android takes too long to respond? A native alternative shall be lovely
Posted via CB10

Check the App World, there is a couple of decent dictionary apps there still. Another thing: if you want to ask about other apps please use a separate thread for that, I believe this is one of the key principles of any forum. Thank you.

[Gordo inc]

Yes, I did implement this shortcut (and some more) few days ago, will be a part of the upcoming release.


No, one of my goals was not to bother users with tracking, analytics, etc. So I have no idea how many users do have this app installed. Also, I know for sure that the app was "advertised" via other channels (reddit, fb, forums) by other users and it was even re-shared in another cloud storage. It's quite difficult to get an overview right now - the app is spreading like a virus But looking at the numbers on this forum (views, comments, unique users) my rough estimate would be ~100 people.


Check the App World, there is a couple of decent dictionary apps there still. Another thing: if you want to ask about other apps please use a separate thread for that, I believe this is one of the key principles of any forum. Thank you.

Hello. Yes there are quite a few apps but they are not at all upto the level. Few miss a lot of words and few just give meaning and no other information but I feel Merriam Webster (especially offline version) is quite nice but being android app it loads quite slow and disturbs a lot.
Since you are an active app developer, I was hoping you could help with it.

I'd rather have new forum begun but there are no active developers. I'll end up listening to their views upon dictionaries and none the better will be my condition. I just hate android installation on my BlackBerry. That is why I use instagram and Facebook on web and before I found your YouTube I have ever used the Web version for this as well.

Therefore, forgetting the key principles, could you tell me if you have any plans as of yet to change an android slow apk into a BlackBerry native client?

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[Alexey Gurevski]

Therefore, forgetting the key principles, could you tell me if you have any plans as of yet to change an android slow apk into a BlackBerry native client?

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I understand your frustration. But, personally, for now I'm only planning to work on the YT client and on a OneDrive client a bit later. Perhaps I'll change my mind in 1 year. Regarding Merriam Webster specifically, I don't believe this will ever happen unless they develop an app themselves, mainly to the license/legal stuff.

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[Alexey Gurevski]

Version 1.1.2.1 is out. The new version contains usability improvements + features requested in this thread.

1. Implemented a custom App Cover (or Active Frame, the small widget you see on the home screen when an app is launched). It shows the videos's thumbnail and title.
2. Added a bunch of shortcuts for my PKB friends. Beware that some of the shortcuts can conflict with system shortcuts for list controls so watch the keyborad's focus! @diels_alder
2. Integrated the app with Assistant (Extended Search area) and added it as an option to the Share screen. The Share feature will work if a shared text has 'text/plain' mime-type. At least it works for SMS and BBM. Those BB services launch the app and initiate the search based on the user's input. @XcrazyS
3. Implemented Search Filters. This feature is a parsed version of the YT's implementation so don't ask me why it does a search in this or that way. @FortressBB10
4. Added a page for equalizer settings. @MeMeCe
5. Added an option to set a customizable timeout to pause the playback when the app is in the background. @MeMeCe
6. Fixed the progress slider + added support of double-tap gesture - it moves the slider on +/- 10% (it turned out to be a default behavior of this control). @Alin Torok
7. Implemented different options for video's scaling methods. I didn't find an easy way how to implement the 'Pinch to Zoom' gesture so I implemented a set of four predefined settings: Aspect Fit, Aspect Fill, Fill, Original Size. Those terms are quite technical so I'm open for suggestions how to rename them. Just in case:
- Aspect Fit - current behavior we are used to
- Aspect Fill - keeps the aspect ratio but the video can be cropped
- Fill - the video is not cropped but aspect ratio can be distorted (especially on 1:1 screens like Classic)
- Original Size - no comments.
Beware that depending on the video's dimensions and the screen size/orientation different options can give identical results @diels_alder
8. Introduced a separate Settings page, Autoplay setting was moved there. @XcrazyS

Also I reduced the height of the Similar Videos list to give you more space to hide the overlay. Everything which is above the list is clickable and clicking it will hide the overlay. The list is still scrollable.

In general, the app is getting more and more mature thanks to you, guys. Now it has the top menu and even a basic Info page

Upcoming plans: to start working on Channels page (kind of subscriptions).

Thanks for your feedback!

[PepikVaio]

Thank you for your work

[brookie229]

Awesome work, sir, and in such a small amount of time. I'm not a big YT user but this is an outstanding addition for BB10 users imo. Congrats!

[MeMeCe]

I'm speachless, awesome work. Thank you a lot lot again. Please find a way for us to donate.

Also please consider following:
- PKB shortcut for equalizer (E?)
- scaling method - would it be possible to let the PKB shortcut (S) with each pressing just cycle through all options without any menu and confirmation?

[diels_alder]

I second MeMeCe's idea to cycle through the aspect ratios by pressing s. Great idea!

I have noted a small bug: when using one of the alternate aspect ratios, if I go back to the search page the mini player pops up like normal (brilliant btw). Clicking on the video returns me to the playback, but the aspect ratio reverts back to the default. It would be nice if my selection stayed after returning.

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[dwatts26726]

Keeps getting better and better. Awesome job!