aMPed 3.2 - mega-aMPed for MP 1.1.x! (1 Viewer)

[2BitSculptor]

Re: aMPed 3.2 - mega-aMPed!

Waiting for MP 1.2 compatible version of aMPed before I can install MP 1.2....

waiting .....

still waiting .....

(not to worry, I fully understand the delay)

-Chuck

 

[Dadeo]

Re: aMPed 3.2 - mega-aMPed!

LOL - you are a funny man Chuck!

I have a serious problem - I do not have a development machine, and I must retain the latest stable version of MP - not only for supporting the current version of aMPed, but also to be able to document all MP 1.1.x features in our new Wiki. I have to resolve this problem, but MP does not work well in VM. I cannot afford another machine at the moment, either financially or time wise! And here in India, the power is so bad I have to have a separate circuit, extra voltage stabilizer AND UPS for each machine! (almost for each device - but certainly my sound system and TV)

I tried using multiple boots, but it just ends up awkward. AND I don't like using notebooks for skin design because I find there are unpredictable variations due to screen sizes.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to whine and complain!

Actually it is my usual policy to only support stable releases of MP. Normally test releases should always be used with Blue3/wide since only the default skins can be used to report bugs, which is the main purpose of a test release after all . However with all the skin features being added in 1.1.0 and now 1.2.0 this is not feasible because Blue3/wide is intended only to support basic skin features to keep it workable for even older systems. Thus, I am screwed, because there is no other 4x3 skin that supports the new features, so no way for 4x3 users to really test all the new skin features. HELP!

 

[briegel]

Re: aMPed 3.2 - mega-aMPed!

I'll take a look when I start skinning aMPed for 1.2.0, If you refine it any further let me know - I could use that as a basis.
.... If there is any interest, let me know, we can post a poll to see how many users would like that. It's a bit of work so I only want to do it if many users would like it.

Hi Dadeo,

in made some further changes that might be of interest.

1) MyMusicPlayingNow:
- i enlarged the album art image to the best possible size (300x300). I like to see the album cover / Artist in this screen.
- thus i changed the track progress width to 244
- i moved the next track information a litte bit
- and most interesting: You hide the best album tracks but not the best tag tracks when selecting the menu. I needed some space for the bigger album art image. So i took your idea and show the best album tracks and best tag tracks alternating (like your best album tracks) at the same position. Both slide to the left (see attached screenshhot).

2) Common.mediaoverlay:
- I deleted musicoverlay.xml and videooverlay.xml.
- i changed the size of music rectangle music logo.... for quadratic thumbs
- i changed the size of videopreview and -background. Due to the problem with trackchange and a resulting wrong image i added an animation for this control: <animation effect="fade" delay="2000" time="500">visible</animation> and <animation effect="fade" time="0">hidden</animation>.
Now it can't apper when the music track changes.
- i added a small track progress bar to the thumb (see attached screenshot)

3) references.xml
- the diffuse image for "flipy" was wrong (not inside the mediafolder). So there was no refection. I changed the diffuse attribute to "Thumb_Mask.png".

For me it is of interest to get many items into the music listview and to use only the 12pt skin.
The main appliance of mediaportal for me is the "music-section" and sometimes to watch a DVD.
So for me you must not blow up the configuration of aMPed because i can adapt it by myself a litte.

Briegel

 

[Dadeo]

Re: aMPed 3.2 - mega-aMPed!

Cool briegel! Looking really nice!

I really like your idea of alternating the best tracks and tagged with tracks lists! I should have though of that because I had a hard time fitting both in using 18pt font!

I think removing the musicoverlay and videooverlay xmls is very risky. Even though I mostly don't use them in aMPed they are almost 'required' files by MP. IIRC there are places where you need them. That is why I tried to make them identical with the aMPed overlays.

The small track progress the thumb is a nice touch. Which media file did you use? Looks like you used a wine glass theme one in Monochrome theme - to get more contrast?

That error on the flipy diffuse image was just an oversight on my part. I never noticed because I keep changing my mind about reflections sometimes I like them and sometimes I find them distracting.

The only thing that was not clear to me was "So for me you must not blow up the configuration of aMPed because i can adapt it by myself a litte." What did you mean by blow up? It's just in English that can mean so many different things I am guessing you mean don't destroy it? Because some of your changes would only work in 12pt?

You are making me excited to start working on aMPed 3.3 now! STOP THAT! I have way too much work to do to finish and launch our new wiki first!

 

[briegel]

Re: aMPed 3.2 - mega-aMPed!

....
The small track progress the thumb is a nice touch. Which media file did you use? Looks like you used a wine glass theme one in Monochrome theme - to get more contrast?

...

The only thing that was not clear to me was "So for me you must not blow up the configuration of aMPed because i can adapt it by myself a litte." What did you mean by blow up? It's just in English that can mean so many different things I am guessing you mean don't destroy it? Because some of your changes would only work in 12pt?

Hi Dadeo,

the small track progressbar is a shrinked (4pixels) osd_progress_mid.png from, the winglass theme. For a better visibility i chosed a coloured bar. But the original bar was too coloured, that's why i reduced the saturation.

The "blow up" comes more or less from the german colloquial speech. It means to expand or magnify sth. I did not mean to destroy sth.

In fact some of my changes are working only in the 12pt Design, but it is the design i use.

 

[briegel]

Re: aMPed 3.2 - mega-aMPed!

Hi Dadeo,

right now i faced another problem: I'd like to see the total Duration of a CD in the albums listcontrol.

For Playlists it is possible to show the total playlists Duration, but not in the album view.
Where do i have to add an appropriate label (or is it a new feature of the 1.1.0 Version of MP) ?


Thks
Briegel

 

[Dadeo]

Re: aMPed 3.2 - mega-aMPed!

AFAIK the total duration in playlists is hard coded in the #itemcount for playlists view only. Have you ever seen an album view that displays total Duration of a CD? I can't recall seeing it anywhere in MP.

 

[briegel]

Re: aMPed 3.2 - mega-aMPed!

...total duration in playlists is hard coded in the #itemcount for playlists view only.

Thanks for the answer - i think this is what i was worried about. So there is no way to indicate the total playtime of CDs.

But in the older version 1.02 of MP it is indicated. I have it still running on my active system.

May be i report it as a bug to the devolopment team.

 

[Dadeo]

Re: aMPed 3.2 - mega-aMPed!

If you can - post a screenshot or let me know the link to the bug report. If Migue or I can confirm it we can add it to Mantis for 1.2.0, since we are both Team members now

 

[briegel]

Re: aMPed 3.2 - mega-aMPed!

Hi Dadeo,

her is a screenshot from my active MP-system: