4:3 skin ::: aMPed 2.0 final (1 Viewer)

[Dadeo]

It looks like you somehow have the wrong references file. The bars on the list are not correct either (they should be wider). Just open your references.xml and look at the top of the file. Under <style Name="Title"> what is the <height>? You can always just try copy the fonts and references files from 18pt font size again to see if that fixes it.

EDIT: To post screenshots you have to 'Go Advanced' then at the bottom under 'Additional Options' select Manage Attachments.

 

[Dadeo]

BasicHome has been modified thanks to Jamiro's great feeback. Now you use right arrow for SubMenus and Left Arrow for the Exit Menu. It's in SVN. I also changed the navigation on the Games SubMenu so you can move up/down/left/right between the columns and added vertical text to identify the SubMenus.

For those who wish to modify BasicHome, I have added my mod as a sample - called Dadeo 3.0 Mod in the Layouts\BasicHome folder. In it I have demonstrated a number of different kinds of modifications that can be done to BasicHome:
1. Added TV Series to the Main Menu (with no submenu) - example of just adding an item to the Main Menu
2. Programmed Movies on the Main Menu to go to My Films - example of simply changing the link for a Main Menu item
3. Added OnlineVideos to the Videos SubMenu in place of TVSeries - example of replacing one SubMenu item with another
4. Moved Games from the Main Menu to a SubMenu of News/Games - example of using a 3rd level SubMenu

I will be documenting how to modify BasicHome 3.0 on our Wiki pages, just as modifying BasicHome 2.0 is already documented there. In future, I hope to have a program that will allow you to configure such changes easily (i.e. a Menu Generator or include it in the new Configuration program.)

Yes, the new release of aMPed will be called 3.0 as it is such a major change. Migue is just polishing up the new Install/Config program and we are ready to go - at last!

I will be starting a new forum thread for the new release. I'll post the new link here when it is done.

Thanks all for all your great help and input to aMPed 3.0 !

 

[Latvian3Dman]

Hello, i am just gonna write some quick report from my point of view(s).
I use Monochrome theme for aMPed2.1, font size 18. I also use custom pictures in Home backgrounds animation. I dont use TV features at all, i use plugins: Moving Pictures, TV Series, Online Videos, My Trailers. Btw, after some cleaning in my Windows codecs and after installing latest My Trailers plugin, apple trailers work in either way My Trailers or Online Videos. Other online streaming seams working too, didnt check them all.
Good news is that i dont see anything that could be considered a big bug or error. I can only share some my personal thoughts about several aMPed areas, but keep in mind its not a request or really critics. Just my taste.
I think movie trailers presentation is clumsy because or small places for texts, but so it is also in Blue3 and... well, i dont really know much more 4:3 skins... What I would wish? I think when entering particular trailer, there would be just poster and short main info, like release date, genre, director. And then somehow there would be possibility to switch screen totally to big texts about main actors and plot outline.
My Trailers plugin, when browsing movies (list mode), jumping to next item is kinda slow-ish, laggy. I believe it is because of loading picture also in background. I believe I can edit it out, if i wish? Its probably even somewhere in ReadMe
Also I still think in My Pictures (or simply pictures) its not a best idea to put current thumbnails as a background image. Looks kinda messy (or is it just me?). But I believe i can edit it out too?
And one completely different thing, kinda "off-topic", but maybe not. I quickly browsed things and plugins in old classic aMPed. Right now many things look broken, mostly because changes in plugins, i guess. Any chance for old aMPed to be a little in shape too someday? Lets face it, it is not as pretty, but it is lighter and faster and (almost) still functional.
And I would like to repeat, its not a critics post!
Just my personal thoughts and observations.
Thanks a lot for all great work on this much needed 4:3 skin!

 

[Dadeo]

Hey Latvian, that's great you got your Trailers going! Yes Trailers does lag a bit. It does that in all skins I have tried, it even did in aMPed 2.0. I imagine it depends on your bandwidth and other factors as it is downloading all the thumbs to display when you first open it. Try Icons view and it will take 10 seconds to display! I like the presentation of My Trailers a lot, but the performance in OnlineVideos is better. In My Trailers, once you have displayed all the items, the performance is fine. Removing the backdrops might help a bit, and yes you can (see aMPed Backdrops Wiki - no more long readme to go through!)

What I would wish? I think when entering particular trailer, there would be just poster and short main info, like release date, genre, director. And then somehow there would be possibility to switch screen totally to big texts about main actors and plot outline

Currently, when you open My Trailers there is only the list and poster so I don't know what you mean? That's the way the plugin works - it does not support any more info until you go to the details view. On the details view I already made the text fields larger for you. If you mean have the whole screen covered with text, then no. We designed aMPed especially to avoid this.

Pictures looks messy for you? Can you post a screenshot of what you mean? Attached are a couple of random shots from mine. But yes you can remove the backdrop thumbs (same Wiki page as above).

The whole point of aMPed 3.0 is that it is very easy to customize. With new features in MP 1.1.0 I hope to be able to make more features configurable in one file or in our new Config program.

Any chance for old aMPed to be a little in shape too someday?

LOL, not by me! I can barely manage to keep up one skin!

 

[jamiro]

Hey Dadeo,


Quick question, one thing I love about current amped is the weather and news ticker displaying on the basichome, will this be in the new version?

Maybe I don't have the infoservices plugin installed on my test machine so I am not seeing it, will I see this feature on the SVN with the infoservices plugin installed?

Latvian, it must be your set of plugins, because my classic amped still works like a dream, and with the latest versions of plugins like online videos, Moving Pictures, My Lyrics etc.

Dadeo,

I am getting something similiar thing to what latvian describes when I am browsing my picture folders (see screenshot below) once I am INSIDE a folder and browsing my pictures/photos the backdrops look exactly like your shots above. It's just when I'm browsing those folders it looks yucky.

 

[Latvian3Dman]

Dadeo, Jamiro: yes, picture jamiro posted is what i was talking about. The same in icons views too. Blurry quadruple thumbnail in bacground, not pretty.

Dadeo: about my imagined structure in movie trailers (My trailers, Online Videos, anyway). I imagine something like this: when you choose particular trailer from list, opens page only with decnt size poster, buttons for launching teasers/trailers and only short short main info: year, genre, director. Maybe also "catchphrase" for movie, if there is any. And then, if you -really- wanna read about that movie (plot outline, actors cast), then with some button press or else magic trick all above goes away, and there is full uncompromised screen for movie plot text (and cast listing), easy to read. As i said, its nothing like "request", but i think that would be convinient and cool. Two separate screens for each trailer: one for quick launch and poster/short info viewing, another for deeper info about movie -if- needed at all.

 

[Dadeo]

@ Jamiro - yes with Infoservice you get weather, news and even more - multiple feed lines, twitter, and 5 day forecast pops up on BasicHome when you press right arrow on Weather. That also highlights the feed image which now appears as part of the scrolling ticker and if you press Enter/OK while the logo is highlighted, it takes you to the full details of the feed. The short Weather at the top formats long weather conditions much better as well. You can see it all in the screenshots Here And it's great to know what features you love, so thanks!

About the pictures - I get it now, you mean the folder images. I don't know where MP gets those thumbnails - maybe from the images Windows creates, which are designed to be very small. Yes they are craptastical (Migue's word, I love it). I don't know how to turn those off and leave the others on! If anyone can tell me where they come from and how MP creates them, I will see what I can do!

However, I am working on a way to let you turn thumbnail backdrops on or off, throughout aMPed, in the new Config program. But that is the best I can manage at this point! The Wiki already tells you how to turn them off window by window which takes about 30 seconds to do.

@Latvian - your idea regarding trailers is a good one, but the plugins do not have this feature built in, so I will have to see if I can invent a way to do it and that will take a lot of time. Can you wait until after 3.0 is released? Can you add this as a feature request in Issues Tracker. That way I won't forget!

darkside40 - I haven't forgotten about Anime2. I just have not had time yet. Could you also add it as a feature request in the Issue Tracker? Thanks.

 

[darkside40]

Okay just added it to the tracker.
I was als i little bit busy the last days, so dont worry.

 

[Dadeo]

aMPed 3.0 is now released, at last! Please post anything regarding 3.0 in the new aMPed 3.0 thread