A more intuitive approach is needed. Example inside.
Two Problems:1) Plex needs media key support. Plex is at it's core a media center for the big screen, to be used with a remote, but many users (myself included) enjoy using Plex in a regular computing environment. On my laptop it is very convenient to have Plex running on one desktop while I work on another. While I'm working, I don't want to have to switch desktops just to change the song, it would be much easier to use the media keys at the top of the keyboard. It would be very nice if this functionality could be added to the PlexHelper process.
2) For those without a CS degree who want to use Plex on their Mac, there needs to be a more intuitive control scheme. Try explaining to your computer-illiterate mother how to queue movies in Hulu and you'll see what I mean, it was very frustrating. What I am proposing is the addition of control buttons and mouse support to Plex in windowed mode. This would have some basic GUI buttons that change to be relevant to the item selected. See the example below:
[attachment=2490:Screen shot 2009-12-16 at 10.47.57 AM.png]
In this example, the user has the option to play the movie, select the previous/next movie, go to the homescreen or switch to fullscreen. More controls would be needed, but it demonstrates the point. Note that because these controls only appear in windowed mode it would not detract from the fullscreen viewing experience.
I would like to see a similar style of controls implemented for new users. Tell me what you think and please consider these or alternate solutions to these two issues.