ViewModeSwitcher plugin (Version 0.3)

[lkuech]

Hello!

If have done some test with the old TV engine.
The good news is the plugin works perfectly.
The bad news is that you have to create separated rules for the TV and Video section.
You can find the information in the first Post of this thread.

For all others waiting of version 0.2... Hopefully tomorrow. The letterbox detection works pretty well so far, at least if your system is not already at the cpu limit. But I like to make a few currently hardcoded values to become editable via the plugins configuration first.

Bye
Lars

[moiristo]

I have the same problem is you here in the NL: 4:3, 4:3 LB and 16:9 emissions...you always have to keep the remote near and push the blue button (I feel like John in the Hatch ) I'll try this out asap

[lkuech]

I have uploaded the version 0.2 including letterbox detection.
Please find the information in the first post of this thread.

Bye
Lars

[JulianBuss]

I tested it and it seems to work very well! Great plugin!!!

First I did not understood that using the letterbox option implies that when a letterbox was found it automatically switched to zoom mode... but now I just have two rules, one for PAL 4:3 and one for PAL 16:9, like you described.

I suggest to put a short readme into the package which describes that the plugin file as to be put into plugins/process folder.

[fer2]

Fantastic plugin!! I tried it this weekend and the letterbox detection runs just perfectly.

I have a problem and a suggestion:

The problem: I'm not sure if it is related to this plugin but from its installation the zoom does not keep the aspect ratio, since I see the figures taller and thinner. I measured the zoom and the horizontal was well scaled while the vertical was over scaled. I'm not sure if I had this problem before installing the plugin because I have MP only few days. Any suggestion on the source of the problem and a possible solution will be very welcome.

The suggestion: there are some tv programs that are better suitted for a 14:9 zoom than a full zoom. I suggest you could improve your tool if the detector could chose between those two zooms depending on the black horizontal bars width.

Thank you for the pluggin, it is very usefull!!

[lkuech]

@fer2:
Thanks for your feedback!

Well, there may be a bug or lets say a "missing feature" that may lead to the thin faces you have described. The plugin it self simply activates the "zoom" mode that is implemented in MediaPortal if it detects an letterbox stream. But the problem is, that it does not change the overscan value again (currently there is no option to define a overscan value for the "zoom" mode). This should be part of the next version of the plugin if this is really the case.

If you set the overscan values to 0 in all of your rules this problem should be gone as well. Maybe you can test this and give me a feedback.

Bye
Lars

[fer2]

Thank you. I already have all my overscan rules set to 0. But as you mention it, my computer Svideo output does not exactly fit my TV screen so I want to the settings menu and adjusted the screen. In my computer I have a 800x600 resolution that is cut to 768x595 to exactly adjust the screen. The 4:3 runs perfect but all other modes seems to be sligltly distorted.

The ScreenCalibration800x600.fs.xml file:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<profile>
<section name="screen">
<entry name="offsetx">0</entry>
<entry name="offsety">-3</entry>
<entry name="zoomhorizontal">10000</entry>
<entry name="zoomvertical">10000</entry>
<entry name="offsetosd">6</entry>
<entry name="overscanleft">16</entry>
<entry name="overscantop">0</entry>
<entry name="overscanwidth">768</entry>
<entry name="overscanheight">595</entry>
<entry name="pixelratio">13796</entry>
<entry name="subtitles">541</entry>
</section>
</profile>

Any suggestion? Should I post this problem to other forum? which one?

Thank you!

[lkuech]

Well, if you use a 4:3 screen, then you should watch nearly all signals using the "normal" zoom mode. The "zoom" mode for example is designed for delivering a 16:9 crop about of an 4:3 signal... but if you try to display that 16:9 crop on a 4:3 screen you will see those thin faces you have described.

The sample rules I have posted are designed for a wide screen, for a 4:3 screen they will make no sense. Even letterbox detection is not necessary on your screen.

Bye
Lars

[fer2]

I do have a 16:9 TV set so your letterbox detection is very handy. The problem, I say it again, is the distortion of the MP zoom mode for wide screen, did not you notice it?? I think it is not a problem of your plugin so I post this problem elsewhere and there are some people that also have noticed the distortion of the zoom and zoom14:9 in widescreens.

http://forum.team-mediaportal.com/zo...tml#post144011

I first posted this problem to you since I discovered it when using your plugin.

Please, take a while and check if the zoom mode keeps the AR shown in the normal window. If so, let me know how do you do it, if you do something.

Thank you!

[Neptune31]

Hello,

I've just tested the plugin and there is someting I do not understand. I am using a DVBT card and for both 4/3 and 16/9 programms I have the same video size 720*576. So the plugin is not able to detect the format. When I look at the ffdshow information there is a DAR info that properly indicates the format. Why not using it ?

Thank you
Christian