Updated iMON (Soundgraph) LCD Driver (1 Viewer)

[iSP]

This version let's mediaportal crash down again, at least it closes itself without an error screen.
Can't get into the configuration menu as that will too crash down but with error screen.
Will try a clean setup once again and see if I can get it to work the old way.

Can you look in the log files to see what, if any, errors are generated and you post them so we can investigate?

Well I tried to replace the plugin with some older ones and back to the latest ones, but can't get any errors now.
Will try tomorrow with some clean install once again, though most of the time a clean install will solve these problems.
One of the errors I got is on the other page, but today I got a slightly different error.
I'm not sure why I get these errors, it's only when I upgrade the processplugins.dll, downgrading doesn't seem to have any effect and keeps working.

 

[JoeDalton]

A possible advantage of doing it in DoWork() is that each display driver would just need to supply the appropriate methods to display a given set of icons, should the display support icons.

Having the work done in the DoWork() function would be ok, butyou still need MP functions that expose the information.... 8-}

I already had this idea, but IMO this will be difficult because not all displays support icons and if they do they do not support all the same ones. I'd like to keep the icon handling stuff in the display drivers themselves, but maybe we can at least try to determine their status at a central place.

I'd suggest to create an enum decorated with the flags attribute with bits for each possible icon one could imagine.

for example
Video = 1
Music = 2
DVD = 4
...

Then the status of all icons can be represented by a single value. For example playing a video DVD could result in the value 5 (4VD + 1:Video)

Joe

 

[Kossan]

The later version of this plugin crashes my MP.
I tried "iMONLCDG_09_01_2007.zip" and iMONLCDg_09_02_2007.zip
Same result on both.

The plugin posted on the first post on this thread works fine.
I run 2.3.0 RC1. No nightly builds.

 

[Johan]

I get some strange results with iMONLCDg_09_02_2007.zip
I am not getting any "Now playing" window when starting music.
The display only shows "/"
I.e. no artist or track title.
I can not start any DVD/Movie.
But the display turns itself off when going to standby

As soon as I changed back to an older imon plug-in everything is back to normal.
Now playing window is back and I can watch DVD/Movies

Has anyone else experienced this strange behaviour?

 

[darkaz]

I think there's a potential issue which I'm getting with my antec version of the soundgraph (either that or noone else has pointed it out) - the icons around the edges are appearing in a nice bright blue against black but the text in the 96 x 16 pixel area are still shoing as a brighter blue for the text on a duller blue for all "off" pixels - anyone else come across this?

Yep.. I have the same problem... It appears to be due to the way the display is designed (Inverse STN LCD with very poor quality polarizers). The display contrast is abismal... but you might be able to correct it with some polarizing film (not cheap).

what I can't understand is that setting the contrast to the lowest value in the antec vfd app makes this display much clearer (in fact with a better contrast ratio) - however changing the contrast value within iMONLCDg seems to have no real effect - perhaps it's my lcd not initializing correctly... might have to connect a switch to the additional power inputs rather than having to do a complete powercycle of the whole machine (and remove my case from the entertainment unit)

any other throughts on this?

I'd suggest to create an enum decorated with the flags attribute with bits for each possible icon one could imagine.

makes sense... I guess the next thing is that if the function to actually use this data (and toggle the icons) is to exist within the display driver (also the logical place for it) - how would it be called? should it be called from within the DoWork() function based upon the type of display being used or is there a logical spot within the lcd driver for the call? (apologies for some vagueness on this one - I'm not at home and don't have a copy of the source handy)

 

[cybrmage]

Here is a new version...

Only minor changes to catch some exceptions and give more details in the log file.

The file has the source and two DLLs... ProcessPlugins.dll.debug and ProcessPlugins.dll.release.

Those having problems, such as exceptions should:

1) go to the log directory and delete the MediaPortal.log.
2) copy ProcessPlugins.dll.debug to the plugins\process directory.
3) delete the existing ProcessPlugins.dll
4) rename ProcessPlugins.dll.debug to ProcessPlugins.dll
5) run MediaPortal (and then exit as soon as you determine that the display is NOT functioning correctly, if the UI appears at all or displays error messages)
6) If there are errors, look at the MediaPortal.log, and remedy any problems it points out.
7) If the log does not show any obvious (explained) errors, post the MediaPortal.log file here so we can try to figure out what the problem is. (zip the file first!)

WARNING: Do NOT run MediaPortal with the debug DLL for extended periods of time... you log files will grow VERY big VERY fast... If the driver works for you without errors, replace it with the release version for normal use.

REMINDER TO THOSE THAT ARE DOING CLEAN INSTALLS: You MUST copy the newer version of the SG_VFD.dll to your windows\system32 directory or the driver WILL throw exceptions!!


JoeDalton: could you update the SG_VFD.dll (v3.7.1.1202) file that is in SVN... It is a VERY old version that does not support the LCDs.... The new versions that support the LCD (v5.1+) are fully backwards compatible with the older VFD displays. The older version of the DLL is also installed by the v0.2.3 installer.


Regarding the icon functions... I think it is best to keep these device specific functions in the display driver... embedding the information gathering into the ExternalDisplay or DisplayHandler interface may be a nice shiny new function, but all the information that is currently used by these functions are readily available to the driver through the base MediaPortal API functions.

 

[darkaz]

after finding that no changes seemed to be pushing across to my lcd - I ended up doing a massive reinstall of mediaportal and the various lcd bits and viola! things are actually working now - seems the blue background is fixed (albeit there's still a blue tinge it's not what it was)

so all is looking good now...

 

[iSP]

No problems whatsoever, this one works like a charm right away.
Just, like in a few past versions, why is it when you play a movie both the music and movie icon light up? wouldn't you want just the movie one?

 

[Kossan]

Cant get this to work either.

With the .debug it crashes and i cant edit properties in setup without a error message.
With the .release it crashes too. But i can access its properties in setup.

Still the only plugin-release that works is the first.

Where are the log files located?

 

[Johan]

I still have problems with "Now playing" not showing up when playing music.
I can not start any movie either.

I tried the debug version but then the display is not working at all.

I have attached my log file. I don't even know what to look after.
There seems to be some exception with Externaldisplay showing in log but I have no clue.