TV Guide and number of entries

[Shurik]

Hey,

I've got a widescreen 32" TV and when viewing TV guide I have hard time reading TV guide due to the fact that it displays schedule for 11 channels at a time. Is it possible to change the number of channels it displays to, let's say, 6-7, and make TV guide use bigger fonts for the schedule? Is this a functionality of a skin or MP itself?

Also, the color scheme of the guide.. I saw a post here that someone hacked the code and posted source for two classes that allow a user to specify colors, but this requires for the source to be compiled, which I wouldn't want to do. So, is this functionality already in the main build or is planned to be added to it? I've got 0.2.1.0 and couldn't find a way to do that.

If this is not in the build and dev group is not planning on it, then what's the criteria to become an MP developer?

[knutinh]

In the same cathegory:
I would suggest to skin-designers (or whoever decides this) that the EPG is made not to "wrap around". Currently, if I have 4 channels, those will be displayed as many times needed to fill the static list length.

To me, allowing the total list length to shrink with channel count would be better.

regards
Knut

[J-B-N]

I have the same problem as Shurik. I have a 32" LCD widescreen and the EPG is often way to small.

From my point the best development would be an option in the configuration EPG area. There you could be able to specify the amount of channels to show in the TV GUIDE PANEL thus affecting Channel template, Channel image template etc... But also the font size used.

Ofc you can hack the skin files used every time but it feels cumbersome...

Well, a small request anyhow...

[Taipan]

Since this thread does not contain a working "Tips & Tricks", I have moved it to "General".

[Taipan]

There is a way to reduce the number of displayed channels, but you have to edit the skin files to display the correct number of channels. Here are some instructions that Boilermaker gave me that work fine:-

Look for this code in the mytvguide.xml file, and play with the values marked below...I just used trial and error to get a nice fit.

<control> 
<description>Channel template</description> 
<type>image</type> 
<id>20</id> 
<posX>60</posX> 
<posY>125</posY> 
<width>136</width> 
<height>36</height> <-----[change this to like 40 to start, and see what happens, keep raising it til you get a good fit] 
</control> 
<control> 
<description>Channel image template</description> 
<type>image</type> 
<id>7</id> 
<posX>1</posX> 
<posY>1</posY> 
<width>32</width> <---[change this to fit better] 
<height>32</height> <---[change this to fit better] 
<keepaspectratio>yes</keepaspectratio> 
<centered>yes</centered> 
<zoom>no</zoom> 
<texture>defaultVideoBig.png</texture> 
</control>

at some point you will make the height in the channel template just high enough that only 5 will display, then take it back one...if you end up with an unbearably large and ugly gap to your bottom scroll bar, here is where to change it:

<control> 
<description>Horizontal scrollbar</description> 
<type>hscrollbar</type> 
<id>28</id> 
<posX>196</posX> 
<posY>481</posY> <--[change the y position til looks good, remember how much you moved it up] 
<width>1002</width> 
<height>20</height> 
<visible>yes</visible> 
</control> 
you need to remember how much it moved, because you need to reduce the size of the scrollbar on the right by the same amount 
<control> 
<description>Vertical scrollbar</description> 
<type>vscrollbar</type> 
<id>29</id> 
<posX>1200</posX> 
<posY>125</posY> 
<width>20</width> 
<height>357</height> <---[reduce the height to match above] 
<visible>yes</visible> 
</control>

HTH...

[Shurik]

Thanks for replies, guys.. This kind of hacking is possible, but will it actually change the font size? I will try it later on.. However I'd really like this to be configurable via some UI in the setup window - way easier to use that way. Will this be possible or current software design does not allow that? This may not be possible if these params should be defined by a skin...

Also, guide colors.. Default colors sometimes totally unreadable, so this also needs to be moved into a configurable module.

Also agree that the problem described by knutinh is very annoying - I have a channel group with few channels and they get repeated, which is quite lame, imho.

So, is there any way I can contribute if there are no plans to implement this, the I can try to find some time and code it myself. Any thoughts about this, dev?

[Taipan]

Originally Posted by Shurik

This kind of hacking is possible, but will it actually change the font size?

What I have suggested above will not change the font size, but once you make those changes, it is very easy to change the font size for the EPG - it is all done in the skin xml files. I can give you some hints , if that will help?

Originally Posted by Shurik

However I'd really like this to be configurable via some UI in the setup window ?

Boilermaker has already done this with his "mce 720p" skin and it works very well - you might want to try it to see if it satisfies your needs.

Originally Posted by Shurik

Also, guide colors.. Default colors sometimes totally unreadable, so this also needs to be moved into a configurable module.?

Again, you can change the guide colours in the skin - I assume you are referring to the backgrounds, in which case you have to change the actual graphics (the .png files in the Media folder).

Originally Posted by Shurik

Also agree that the problem described by knutinh is very annoying - I have a channel group with few channels and they get repeated, which is quite lame, imho.?

I can't help you with this one - I think that would require a coding change?

Originally Posted by Shurik

So, is there any way I can contribute ?

Yes, there are ways you can contribute and your contributions would be very welcome ...

[Shurik]

Originally Posted by Taipan

What I have suggested above will not change the font size, but once you make those changes, it is very easy to change the font size for the EPG - it is all done in the skin xml files. I can give you some hints , if that will help?

I will try the skin you're referring to below and then will get back to you with further questions, if you don't mind...

Originally Posted by Taipan

Boilermaker has already done this with his "mce 720p" skin and it works very well - you might want to try it to see if it satisfies your needs.

Will try it...

Originally Posted by Taipan

Again, you can change the guide colours in the skin - I assume you are referring to the backgrounds, in which case you have to change the actual graphics (the .png files in the Media folder).

So, the colors are not the colors but images? Wow... Strange design decision... Would be interesting to know the reasons..

Originally Posted by Shurik

Also agree that the problem described by knutinh is very annoying - I have a channel group with few channels and they get repeated, which is quite lame, imho.?

Originally Posted by Taipan

I can't help you with this one - I think that would require a coding change?

Well, then the code would need to be changed.. I would consider this to be a bug, not a feature limitation and this should be addressed.

Originally Posted by Taipan

Yes, there are ways you can contribute and your contributions would be very welcome ...

I guess I need to read the "contribute" section of the manual..

[knutinh]

I think that the general tone towards people spending their free time coding an application free for my and your use should be positive.

Programmers tend to dislike any comments about their work as being "lame" - but when they are paid big bucks they may be able to ignore it.

And any frustration I and you may have over bugs/features/whatever should be filtered by the "conversion from frustration to positive enhancement suggestions" routine :-)

-k

[Shurik]

Well, I am a developer myself.. Maybe what's some of those posts miss is tone, so someone may take it in a wrong way.. But I support my comment that had "lame" in it - this is an obvious bug and I am surprised that it wasn't addressed... But I am happy to help out to address some of the issues here..