Feature Suggestions

1

1. :television: TV Card – Custom UI & Source Switching

:red_exclamation_mark: Issue

TV card has limited visual customization
Cannot:

  • Add custom images per TV/device

  • Add grouped or nested controls inside the TV card

  • Source switching is not user-friendly

:light_bulb: Request

Allow:

  • Custom images for TV cards

  • Ability to add multiple buttons/cards inside the TV card

:white_check_mark: Example

Inside one TV card:

  • :clapper_board: Netflix

  • :satellite_antenna: DSTV / Sky

  • :television: HDMI inputs

:backhand_index_pointing_right: Everything inside one TV card so you can switch sources easily without leaving the card.

2. :control_knobs: Buttons + Icons

:red_exclamation_mark: Issue

Cannot properly:

  • Add buttons

  • Add icons to buttons

:light_bulb: Request

Allow:

  • Adding buttons inside cards

  • Assigning icons to those buttons

  • Naming/labeling buttons

:white_check_mark: Example

Inside TV card:

  • :red_circle: Netflix

  • :blue_circle: DSTV

  • :video_game: Gaming

:backhand_index_pointing_right: Makes the system much easier for clients to use.

3. :radio_button: Buttons Inside TV Card (Main Point)

:red_exclamation_mark: Issue

TV card currently only allows:

  • Scripts

  • Media player actions

Cannot add buttons (entities) as a control option

:light_bulb: Request

Add support for buttons inside the TV card

Buttons must be able to trigger:

  • Scripts

  • Media players

  • Buttons (entities)

:white_check_mark: Example

Inside TV card:

  • :speaker_high_volume: Volume Up (button)

  • :speaker_medium_volume: Volume Down (button)

  • :radio_button: Power (button)

  • :clapper_board: Netflix (media/source)

:backhand_index_pointing_right: Key point:
Not just scripts or media players — buttons must also be supported inside the TV card.

4. :speaker_high_volume: Amplifier Control Issue (Denon)

:red_exclamation_mark: Issue

Denon appears as:

  • media_player

But the system expects:

  • remote_id

:backhand_index_pointing_right: Result:

  • Cannot control the amplifier from the TV card

  • Media card only handles playback, not control

:backhand_index_pointing_right: Important context:

  • The amplifier is network controlled (IP-controlled)

:light_bulb: Request

  • Allow control of media_player directly from the TV card

  • Or allow buttons to control it

:white_check_mark: Example

  • Volume up/down

  • Input switching

  • Power on/off

5. :video_game: Kodi Navigation Not Working (Critical Bug)

:red_exclamation_mark: Issue

Using TV card with Kodi:

  • Navigation does not work at all

:cross_mark: What doesn’t work

  • Up

  • Down

  • Left

  • Right

  • Select / OK

:backhand_index_pointing_right: No response from Kodi

:warning: Impact

  • Cannot control Kodi from the TV card

  • Breaks cinema room usability

:light_bulb: Request

Fix navigation support for Kodi inside the TV card

:white_check_mark: Expected Behaviour

  • Full working navigation:

    • Up / Down / Left / Right

    • Select / OK

    • Back

:fire: Summary

  • TV card must support:

    • Custom images

    • Nested controls inside the card

  • Must allow:

    • Buttons inside the TV card

    • Icons on buttons

  • Must support:

    • Scripts

    • Media players

    • Buttons (entities)

  • Must allow proper control of network-controlled devices like amplifiers

  • Kodi navigation must be fixed (currently not working)

1 Like
2

I have Kodi control working, I’m using the standard Kodi integration with Homeassistant and then using kodi.call_method and sending {“method”:“Input.Left”} for example. this requires the Kodi app to have its HTTP control enabled in the settings.

This does require a script for each button to be mapped as the kodi integration does not present a compatible remote entity for the Roscard system.

Personally I have scripted generic commands for the remote which are sent to NodeRed and the actual commands for each device/app are done there based on the currently selected input (used as scenes/activities) on a single master TV card.

1 Like
3

Hi there,

I’m just sharing some feature suggestions to improve usability and make things a bit more streamlined.

I do currently have Kodi working, already the way you have done it but as you mentioned, it requires quite a bit of setup — creating scripts, calling the JSON API, mapping inputs, and then linking everything back through scripts. It works, but it’s not the most user-friendly process.

It would be a lot better if, within the entity selection dropdown, there was native support for Kodi — similar to how Apple TV or Google TV is handled. For example, being able to simply select “Kodi” and have the common controls and inputs already mapped and ready to use.

Right now, needing to create 10–15 scripts just to get basic control adds unnecessary setup time (easily 20–25 minutes), especially when this could be simplified into a few clicks.

|Thanks for the advise anyways :+1:

4

Hi Marsh :waving_hand:

Hi Faceman :waving_hand:

Really appreciate you taking the time to write this out in such a structured way — this is exactly the kind of real-world integrator feedback that helps us improve the TV ROS Card.

A few comments from our side:

1. TV Card flexibility (layout, images, nested controls)

We fully understand the direction you’re asking for here.

The goal is indeed to move toward a TV card that can:

  • support custom images per device/activity

  • allow richer layout composition (not just a single flat control layer)

  • support multiple control elements inside one “TV context”

What you’re describing (a unified “watch” workspace per TV) is very aligned with our long-term UI direction.

2. Buttons + icons + entity-driven controls

Yes — agreed.

We are actively working on expanding the TV ROS Card so it can properly support:

  • button.*

  • switch.*

  • script.*

  • and eventually other entity types in a consistent way

And importantly:
:backhand_index_pointing_right: not just as “backend triggers”, but as first-class UI elements with icons, labels, and grouping

This is a key gap right now, and we are aware of it.

3. Device support (Denon / media_player vs remote model)

Good point — and this is part of a broader abstraction issue.

Right now HA exposes devices in different models (media_player, remote, etc.), and the TV card currently doesn’t normalize all of them into a single control interface.

We are exploring a unified “device capability layer” so that:

  • amplifiers (like Denon)

  • TVs

  • streamers

…can all expose consistent control actions (volume, input, power) regardless of entity type.

4. Kodi integration experience

You’re absolutely right here.

What Faceman described works today, but it is clearly not an “end-user friendly” flow.

We agree that:

  • requiring 10–15 scripts

  • manual JSON method calls

  • per-button mapping

…is not the experience we want long-term.

The direction we are evaluating is:
:backhand_index_pointing_right: adding native “integration adapters” for common media systems (Kodi, Apple TV, etc.)
so they appear in the entity dropdown with pre-mapped capabilities (navigation, playback, etc.)

This would remove the need for manual scripting in most cases.

5. Core takeaway (this is the most important part)

What you’re both pointing at is consistent:

:backhand_index_pointing_right: The TV ROS Card needs to evolve from a “script-driven control surface”
to an “entity-capability-driven UI layer”

That shift is already underway in our design work.

6. Appreciate the feedback

Also thanks for the constructive tone — this kind of detailed usage feedback (especially from integrators running real setups) is exactly what we rely on to shape priorities.

We’re reading all of this carefully and feeding it directly into the next iteration of the TV ROS Card.

1 Like
5

Hi Charles,

Thanks for the detailed reply — really appreciate you taking the time to go through everything.

It’s great to hear that the direction you’re taking aligns with what we’re trying to achieve on real-world setups. Sounds like you guys are heading the right way with it.

Looking forward to seeing how it evolves, and happy to keep testing and sharing feedback from my side when needed. Waiting on new release

Thanks again :+1:

6

Hi Marsh,

Thank you very much for the kind words — we really appreciate your support and the thoughtful feedback you’ve been sharing along the way.

It’s especially valuable for us to hear confirmation from real-world setups like yours. That’s exactly what helps us refine the direction and make sure Astrion evolves in a practical, user-driven way rather than just adding features for the sake of it.

We’re actively working toward the next release now, and we’re looking forward to having you test it when it’s ready. Your continued feedback is always welcome and genuinely helps shape the product.

Thanks again for being part of the journey :+1: