Plugin idea - Logo pack repository and updater plugin (1 Viewer)

[ibmonkey]

I'm just trying to gets some initial thoughts from others about an idea I've been toying with recently.

The idea is to have a plugin that has the ability to download a pack of TV or Radio Logos, that you've selected from a list of available logo packs. This would mean we would need just the one plugin to satisfy the needs of all users of MP regardless of location, and even for different logo styles.
I would imagine an online repository where all the logo packs would be stored, and separate folders would hold the different packs where only the pack "owner" or "editor" would be able to make changes. The plugin would then be able to pick up these changes, either by entering the plugin in MP and selecting the pack to download or by automatically updating on a regular basis (which is how I ultimately see this plugin functioning).

So, do you think this is a good idea, would you use it?

Do you have any ideas on an online repository/cloud storage, which could allow both the ability to give access rights to different users to keep them up to date, and would also make it easy to be able to download all the files from inside a folder programmably (using C# I think it would have to be)?

I have not dabbled in MP plugins before, or used C# for that matter. So any tips or even help writing the plugin would be really appreciated.

 

[MrCrabs]

I think this sounds like a good idea!

Though I think it migh even be greater if there where not just packs stored but instead each logo itself might be stored there. Then we won't need a plugin that lets me download a pack (which basicly already exists and is known as "extensions" but some kind of logo scraper that just will scrape only the logos I need for my setup from our repository. This is better since logos are cached and therefore consume GRAM.
Maybe one might even choose a style you would like to have, just like he german logo pack allows to right now.
Habing a plugin to download logo packs

 

[ibmonkey]

Thanks for the reply @MrCrabs

Having a scraper sounds like a good idea, although there may be an issue with channels from different countries that have the same name. So you may need to indicate your country somewhere. Like the german pack you've mentioned the current UK logo plugin also has 2 styles; standard and glossy. So we'd need to keep this an option for people.
So I'd see you would need the repository still sectioned off into different "packs", for example: UK standard, UK glossy, German Simple, German Modern etc..
In this case, you would just select the pack you prefer and the scraper would use that selection of logos.

Can anyone say if it is possible for a scraper to get a list of TV channels in MP for a client, regardless of if the TV-server is on the same PC or not?

Another thought is how to handle when a TV channel changes their logo, and the logo in the repository is amended.

 

[kiwijunglist]

Yes I've often thought that some kind of automatic mass collection of channel logos for tv and radio would be preferable. The current situation involves people searching the MP Wiki (under regional customisation) + Forum posts with attached collections + MP Repository .... and then +/- manually copying the files into the thumbs directory.

Every logo image in the logo repository would have the following tags

• Region
• Channel name(s)
  Some channels can have multiple names eg. TV ONE 'vs' TV1 'vs' TV 1. Altenatively you could consider fuzzy logic for tvserver channel name <-> logo's channel tag matching.
• Style

Users have access to add logo images in the special image repository, if they upload an image and there is an image already in the repository with the same tags then a dialog box asks them if they want to replace the existing image (they would have to be the original uploader), or change the style tag to a different name.

Images the repository are browsed via the web browser / uploader in the following Hierarchy;
Region -> Style ->

What happens when the plugin GUI is run in MP....

The plugin first asks for the persons region, then checks the tvserver's channel list of names then checks the logo repository and offers all the available logos that match both the region and the channel name.

There is a drop box at the bottom which lists all the styles, and selecting from this drop box automatically shifts the selection to any logos that have this style tag.

Ugly mockup obviously it's missing a few things like
- Context menu at the start asking for region
- Title to state whether we are picking logos for tv or radio
- Title to state what region we are using
- Bar at buttom for multiple pages (if channel list is long)
- Spelling mistakes
- Button to click download + install currently selected logos.

In this example the user has selected the rounded square style, however since there is no logo for TV3 : Rounded Square, the TV3 : Star will be used instead. However the user is hovering over TV3 : Plain text, and about to select this logo instead. After selecting all the logos the user wants, the user can select to download all these logos and the plugin will save them into the thumbs folder.

 

[kiwijunglist]

Actually I think I have a better idea how this can be done... will post up a concept for the team.

 

[kiwijunglist]

Internal Team Forum Thread:

https://forum.team-mediaportal.com/...installing-tv-radio-logos.116088/#post-960347

Post:

Satus Quo:

The current method of finding and installing tv & radio logos:

1. Searching for logo images which are scattered accross
- The forum as attachments
- Inside the wiki under regional customisation
- In the plugins repository

2. Then the user may need to manually copy the thumbs into the appropriate folder

Not user friendly at all!!

What would be better:

A central specific place where all logo images for tv & radio are stored
A GUI + MP Config method where users could just select their region then choose from available logos and have them automatically installed

My Proposal:

Part One: Website Repository

• A central place where all logos are stored
• Sub divided into TV / Radio
• Further subdivided by regions (or regions -> providor)
• Website automatically creates a preview thumbnail from a montage of the first 4 images in the pack
• Logo packs can be updated by author to include additional images
• Users can manually download a pack from the website, for purposing of editing

Part Two: Logo installer/chooser/downloader

Initially could be a plugin but eventually could become integrated into settings:gui and mp config.
Here is my concept mockups of how it would work



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When first entering you are asked for your region



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Next you are asked to select a logo pack



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The plugin has found "four.png" in the thumbs/tv/logos folder, there are no other images there currently.
There is no logo for "TV3" because there is no "TV3.png" in the logo pack, the author called it "TV Three.png"
The TV3 text is greyed out and the checkbox is unticked because at this stage the TV3 logo will not be changed.
I have the TV3 -> New logo box currently highlighted because I am about to select a correct logo from the pack.

Perhaps this could be enhanced by using fuzzy logic to search for similar matches between channel name <-> image, just like what is currently done when you setup the xml epg guide.



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I pressed enter on the missing TV3 logo and I am now selecting the correct TV3 Logo from all the images inside the pack.

If I select the option for "image from a different region/logo pack" I am presented with the following 3 context menus in a row;
1. Choose region , 2. Choose icon pack 3. Choose from a list of the images inside that icon pack



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I now have a new logo image matched to TV 3.

Just for an example, I have unchecked FOUR. Someone could do this if they already had a current logo image for a particular channel (eg. self made or from a previously selected pack, or if you needed more than one logo pack to fill your channel list, say you had both cable and terrestrial tv channels but wanted to use the current FOUR logo which was duplicated in both packs)



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After exiting the menu I am asked to confirm changes which will then update the logos inside the thumbs/tv/logos directory

 

[Edalex]

Ahhhh Why did you post it now?
Now I started thinking how it could be coded and forgot about another plugins development

 

[MrCrabs]

I like all this very much, but one thing I still would propose to do differently:

Why do we need to download a logopack? Instead it would be nice if a scraper could download just those logos I need. Therefore I might choose which pack I would like to get the logos from, so all like kiwijunglist posted above instead for only downloading needed logos.
I would prefer that since tv logos are cached and therefore fill up graphic memory - or am I writing crap now?

 

[kiwijunglist]

With my concept above it is only possible to save images with the same name as the channel so it would be impossible to have more images than there are channels. Current Logo is overwritten with New Logo if the user chooses to save changes + download new logos, everything else is temporary images being displayed in the GUI.

 

[Edalex]

Only one thing is bothering me after some period of thinking. Logos are not so big in size so in your case they could be already downloaded since you're viewing their pics. So no download and saving. Just saving I think.