"the data storage requirement for it would be pretty massive" Here's how I'd do it (I agree that it is debatable what new/social/etc. features should go into an enhanced app) but if you did go this route, some ideas:
- Add REST/JSON api to existing parts website (requires cooperation between Parts/R&D) and the app would use that data (no local storage)
- Take a video using existing camera on phone => upload to cloud; MTH R&D could use S3, self-hosted or other storage provider; limit uploads to one/two videos or a handful of pictures and charge $ for anything beyond that
- Make any video uploads "transient" and they get deleted after a day or a week or...
- Integrate to existing social platforms, i.e. upload to The Facebork/Instagram/TikTok/etc so no storage on the MTH app back-end
It might actually be a whole new app. There really isn't anything extant that provides app-level train socialization (well, other than this mighty forum, but it's not an app unless I missed something).
In any event, here's hoping that MTH R&D has the ability to produce updates, if and when required; or back to the (no longer available?) handheld remote.
