# Refinement notes

Paul's approach, 2 November 2026: build in pieces, learn by using it, and note every refinement, so the next user gets a much easier time because we did the refining. Each note says what happened and what a new user should get by default. These feed "Build your own network" on the roadmap.

## Channels and pools

- **Rules let in misfits.** Family films, shorts, blockbusters and foreign films reached After Dark until year, rating, genre and score rules tightened. A new user should get channels that fit first time, and never have to judge a long list.
- **Lists of well-known titles work best.** Curated lists found nearly everything in Paul's library (Orbit 2 31 of 31, Sci-Fi 48 of 48). Rules are for growing a pool, not starting one.
- **Reviewing is tiring.** Paul said he'd need to go through each one again, and can't judge every title. Filling automatically and taking out what's wrong suits better than ticking what's right.
- **Rating alone is not a signal.** Filling by highest rating in 0.74 brought UFC events, wrestling and obscure films with a 10 from a few votes. Emby's type and genre don't separate a film from a recorded event. A director needs popularity or vote counts, an event filter, and a check against title lists. Until then, lists are better.
- **Titles still suggests by rating**, and ticks new suggestions by default. Fix this before a new user sees it.
- **A film channel needs about 100 films** to go a week without a repeat. With 45 it repeats in 3 to 4 days. Tell the user if their library falls short.
- **Library details have limits.** Nothing tells a British film or hand-drawn animation apart, so those need title lists or other sources.
- **Names vary by library.** WWE Raw and IMPACT! Wrestling were found under different names from those guessed. Matching should cope with this, and show what it couldn't find.
- **The same show on two channels at once looks wrong**, and is now avoided. Check this across every new source of programmes, such as the Drive-In.

## Playback

- **Some files can't play on some boxes.** The MP3 audio on Transformers failed every time, and Forensic Files had sound with no picture. Leave these out before they're scheduled, and never show an error on air.
- **Transcoding is not a safe default.** Paul decided against it, and a provider may not allow it.
- **Foreign audio** needs catching: Recess came up not in English.

## Screens

- **Paul prefers uncluttered screens, showing only what's needed.** Test tools and technical readouts confused the flow, and took 0.73 to clear out.
- **Real artwork beats drawn scenes.** Drawn channel backdrops looked off brand; real Emby artwork was "clean af", and his own Drive-In pictures beat my drawn ones.
- **Screenshots are blocked on the box**, so text placed over artwork needs a photo to check. Fixed-height lines fixed the first attempt.
- **Remote reach:** check every screen by remote. The gear couldn't be reached from the first column until 0.73.1.

## First run, for the next user

- **One screen at a time:** sign in, channels ticked from what the library holds, then the main menu.
- **Smart schedules on by default.** Today a fresh sign-in starts every channel off, and needs 29 presses.
- **Numbers in blocks like Sky** from the start, so there's never a move to make. The one move we made missed two channels until a test caught it.