Mountain Lion hostile to Front Row?

Question

Mountain Lion hostile to Front Row?

Mounting Lion seems hostile to Front Row, which would still work under Lion, with some persuasion.

It's all well and good to say it's been discontinued…

Why sell Mac Mini with HDMI and discontinue Front Row ? What are Apple customers expected to use?
Mounting Lion upgrade process lets Front Row application through.
Front Row doesn't even attempt to launch, as if it's being blocked deliberately.

If there a fix or terminal option to get Front Row working again, could someone please let us know. It's not like there's any Apple replacement.

Or any other company for that matter. And no, Plex is hopless, it ignores folder structure, it's useless to me. Put an alias in your Movie's folder and you can see anything you want in Front Row.

Simple, just works, just abandoned.

Off to apple.com/feedback, now.

Posted on Aug 15, 2012 7:07 PM

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Answer 1

Aug 15, 2012 7:26 PM in response to KoshAlwaysHere

Front Row didn't exist in Lion. It was removed. So at some point it's going to stop working... perhaps Mountain Lion is the time. I didn't even know that it worked in Lion (I thought it was removed from my system).

I think Apple TV + AirPlay Mirroring is probably more the "expected" solution to this problem now.

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Answer 2

Aug 15, 2012 7:49 PM in response to William Lloyd

Thank-you for replying and reinforcing Lion removed Front Row, but Mountain Lion didn't. However…

I have a media library on my Mac. How is Apple TV or Air Play going to help me play that media on the same Mac? Seriously? That doesn't even make sense. Do we just parrot PR speak, now?

I see the wikipedia page claims Front Row doesn't use QuickTime X, but I only ran QuickTime X under Lion and Front Row still worked, so it can't be that. At some point, Front Row used QuickLook, don't know if that's still the case, but QuickLook still exisits, and Front Row is a fairly simple skin. Doesn't seem to be much effort to keep it working - compared to deliberately annoying customers.

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Answer 3

Aug 29, 2012 2:46 PM in response to KoshAlwaysHere

Try Plex. It's free and has a very cool interface. You can catalogue and access all of your media files. Make sure you download the manual or YouTube tutorial, so you can utilize all of it's features.

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Answer 4

Aug 29, 2012 2:49 PM in response to KoshAlwaysHere

I forgot to add, that you will need to download Remote Buddy so it will work with your Apple Remote Control and Plex, as well as any other app on your computer. I think it's 15 bucks and well worth it . However, if you have an iPhone you can use it as a remote by downloading an app called Rowmote for $1.99. Cheers!

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Answer 5

petermac87

Level 5

7,447 points

Aug 29, 2012 2:55 PM in response to Grafton Reed

don't think I'll waste my breath with this one 😉

Message was edited by: petermac87

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Answer 6

Aug 29, 2012 3:15 PM in response to Grafton Reed

Thanks, I'll answer the "try Plex, it's great" suggestion, only once.

I have installed Plex, but can't wait to remove it. It's too complex and dumb. Front Row is simple and flexible and doesn't require me to run a server or nominate folders separately, just to make it useable. Front Row lets me dig around folders as I create them and is generally clean/simple and all I need.

When I want Hollywood movie meta data assigned to budgie videos from YouTube, I'll be singing the praises of Plex all over the internet. If that's cataloguing, I can live without it. I have tonnes of files, they're -catalogued- into folders. Until Apple loses the plot completely and scraps the file system, I'm safe from meddling by any number of Apps (which come and go over time).

The remote seems to work OK with Plex without Buddy, better than iTunes actually. Somebody must have fixed iTunes to stop responding to the remote, as well. Charming.

Merely deleting Front Row from Lion, apparently wasn't bloody-minded enough, Mountain Lion seems to single out Front Row - gives no error when you launch it, just refuses to let it run. An awful lot of hostility to what appears to be a simple skin for QuickTime.

How much trouble would it be for Apple to Open Source Front Row and let those that want it, run it?

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Answer 7

Sep 4, 2012 7:01 PM in response to KoshAlwaysHere

Couldn't agree with you more. I downloaded PLEX and couln't wait to uninstall it. What a pain in the butt that service is. I have all of my movies on an external 2TB hard drive. I could still use Front Row and the Apple Remote to access them and it was seamless. I'm running Mountain Lion on my MacBook Pro, but am still on Snow Leopard on my iMac because I don't want to lose Front Row. I suppose I could drag the movie I want to watch into iTunes and use the "Remote" app on my iPhone, which actually works very well, but I'd rather watch direct from the external hard drive. Apple really needs to address this.....

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Answer 8

Sep 4, 2012 7:08 PM in response to PattieLennoah

Let Apple know at apple.com/feedback. We need every voice.

Not that Apple got Front Row working with Lion, just that Mountain Lion seems to go out of its way to prevent Front Row from launching, and that's just mean.

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Answer 9

Sep 4, 2012 7:33 PM in response to KoshAlwaysHere

I've done that. I just hope they're listening.....

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Answer 10

Sep 19, 2012 6:35 PM in response to KoshAlwaysHere

lack of front row is one of the reasons i've still got snow leopard as well. plex was meh. boxee works "ok", not great, but better than plex and is apple remote compatible.

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Answer 11

Sep 24, 2012 8:29 PM in response to wickidchyld

Have you tried XBMC for Mac? I find it works quite well and is very close to Front Row in many key aspects. The main thing I miss about Front Row is the movie trailers.

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Answer 12

Dec 2, 2012 9:26 PM in response to KoshAlwaysHere

"I have installed Plex, but can't wait to remove it. It's too complex and dumb. "

I suspect that it isn't able to be both complex and dumb at the same time. It's moderately complex. In that you need to tell it which folders hold your media. Not that hard, surely? Is reading the manual too complex for you?

It's easy to see where the 'dumb' comes in...

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Answer 13

Dec 2, 2012 9:28 PM in response to Canuck1970

If you like XBMC, you'll love Plex. Give it a try.

XBMC was the source for Plex, which has grown into a really great media server as a result.

I became disenchanted with XBMC - it had too many limitations.

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Answer 14

Dec 2, 2012 9:32 PM in response to PattieLennoah

I don't understand why Plex is a PITA for you? All you do is configure plex to point to your external 2TB drive and voila!

I suspect you are over-thinking, or just not bothered to go through a few simple steps to get your 'service' (actually, an app...) working correctly.

This is what happens when people believe the hype that Mac's require no learning - they're just intutitive. People with absolutely no desire to learn anything think they are entitled to have everything done for them or they slag off a fantastic app because it is too 'dumb'.

Make an effort - pick up the manual.

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Answer 15

Dec 3, 2012 7:13 AM in response to Mike Thornbury

Thanks for replying, even if you don't appreciate complex and dumb, or more correctly brilliant and simple. Your other comments give it away.

And I'm sure not going to get into a debate about Plex. I've said it doesn't meet my needs. It is not an issue of reading the manual. Plex comes from a world where complexity and infinite choice is held up as a virtue. This is not the Mac world.

I thank you for replying, so I'll give a few examples, to help with understanding my position. I could do this all day, but here's a taste.

Plex can do so many many things - show my videos by actor director, and so on - fantastic app to your mind - but none of these I need, and far from helping, it complicates the experience to the point of frustration. Most especially when it's grabbed the wrong meta data and renamed files, so I don't even know what the video is, without playing it. (complex & dumb)

Select any one of MANY views of my data - the last option, Folder, is the only one I need, and getting there can be as simple as scrolling a long list, or fighting through some supposedly helpful large icon view.

It remembers where I was in a list, but not the type of list I want - stupid, stupid, stupid!

It doesn't play iTunes movies. Too bad it doesn't work with DRM.

Plex is not Mac-like and doesn't have much awareness of the Mac OS.

And don't even get me started on having to run a server, update the server library, and all the so-called clever things this server does - that I just don't need.

The only reason I use Plex, is because it recognises the Apple Remote, something Mountain Lion goes out of its way to ignore. Yes you can pair, and other apps like Plex and EyeTV recognise the remote, but Apple software like iTunes (and any functional Front Row) do not.

Some of the advice here will get me a functional Front Row, which I really appreciate, but even that 'old' Front Row, now doesn't recognise the Apple Remote, which means walking over to the computer - defeating the purpose.

Which brings me back to Mountain Lion's deliberate hostility to Front Row and Apple Remote, and begging Apple to remove these blocks.

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