When using TR on windows and I’m doing lower IF workouts, rather than listen to music I sometimes like to watch content via Youtube, Netflix etc.
Some of that content has popups, text, general information on the screen, normally at the bottom, that I cannot see when I have switched the view to minimal. I know, I can move the block higher up the screen but then you cannot see that part of the screen.
I think it would be good if there was a transparency button next to the Window and Minimal button so that when you click it, you turn the TR screen say 50% transparent so you still see the TR information / metrics but then you can see the media content in full.
If you double click to menu bar of the window when minimized, it moves the minimized window to the top of the screen. You’re still left with less screen, but this avoids the problem with blocking notifications, etc that are typically at the bottom.
That said, I do think that a transparent option would be interesting, although without trying it I don’t know if it would actually be useful.
+1. there are windows addons to adjust window transparency but seem to only work for browser windows or those opened by the OS itself. seems dn doable for a stand alone application like TR. cmon TR add some code to manage window transparency.
I’m sure there is a better term for it but it’d be cool if you could set the transparency level for the TR screen. I use it in Minimal, and dragged as small as possible, overlaid on VLC while watching racing. It’s be nice if it had some transparency so you could see some of the onscreen graphics. Road usually has the important stuff on top. Cross and track on bottom. So I’m always moving the screen around depending on what I’m watching.
Maybe it makes a mess of info… I don’t know… But it’d be a nice option.
After trying various add-ons to make the TR window transparent (and failing) I have found a workaround in Windows. Something about the TR window (perhaps the hook that allows it to be always on top) prevents various scripts that alter window transparency to apply to the TR window.
But, you can use a Windows Add-on that alters window transparency for whatever you have ON TOP and put TR in Window mode behind it. Set the front window (YouTube, Netflix whatever) at 75-90% transparent and put TR in full-screen mode behind it. Since most of TR is black only the text and graph will show through. Not a bad compromise until TR can code transparency into the workout window.
Add one more for this as a request. I’d even be happy with a truly “minimal” mode. I understand the importance of branding and all, but I’ve never once been in the middle of a workout and wondered what training platform I’m currently using or the name of the workout I’m in the midst of. Take those two items out, put the clickable options behind the hamburger menu, ditch the top and bottom bars entirely and you’ve cut the total screen real estate consumption by nearly half.
I don’t know if comparisons to competing products are kosher or not, but PerfPro does this very right. You get some floating numbers and that’s about it.
After installing and looking at PerfPro, I decided my memory of it was way off and it’s just bad. Rather than leave this thread unproductively, I spent entirely too much time putting together a bad mock up of what I’d like to see.
Keep all the same info, ditch the bulk of the top and bottom bars, hide the intensity / slope option, devices and window toggle behind the hamburger menu, make everything else transparent and you’ve got an awesome minimal mode.
This is something I have gave an example of before, The Other Post , but it fell on deaf ears.
For the benefit of this thread, post duplicated below.
"I’ve not been a subscriber of Sufferfest for a long time, but interesting to see on dcrainmaker.com that SF have gone with a transparent overlay which is good.
The amount of times I do lesser intensity workouts here on TrainerRoad and want to watch something in ‘Minimal’ only to have part of the screen obscured and miss important details has always been a bug bear of mine.
I know I’ve asked before Feature Request - Transparency Switch , but come on @Nate_Pearson this would be so useful, and we know you guys can work your magic and make it possible, as the newish ‘Extend Warmup’ and ‘Extend Cooldown’ overlay / button is transparent when the view is in ‘Minimal’?"
Yes, I’d like to make minimal even smaller so that you can see more. You don’t actually need those other controls unless you hover hover the app. This is how it used to be in our very first app.
I use Netflix, and I don’t go to full screen on it. It ends up taking most of the screen, but leaves a nice spot at the top for TR. Nothing getting blocked. This is on Win10, Netflix running on Chrome.
I support the idea of transparency. I also like the idea of making transparent the video and laying that on top of the TR app. In either case the result would be similar, if not the same.
What I’ve done is just buy a separate television on which to play videos. While I know this won’t work for everyone (either due to budget or space reasons), it really changed the game for me. On the one hand, I have full screen views of both the TR app AND the video I happen to be watching. On the other hand, I have more freedom to move the computer where I want to put it in easier reach for those times I need to drop increase the intensity.
I’ll bump the feature development team about this! I know they’re definitely prioritizing some more high-priority fixes and releases, but nonetheless, I’ll follow up that this is being asked for. Thanks for the nudge!
