ViewModeSwitcher plugin (Version 0.3) (1 Viewer)

[lkuech]

@Netptune31: My plugin does no real stream analysation, because of this it is only aware of values reported by the MP player. The width and height behaviour seems to be codec depended but there maybe a solution thought. Because the plugin checks the AR values from the MP player...

...please try the following:
* Enable verbose log in the plugins config
* Set the MP logging to "debug"

After watching tv you should so values like this:
[Debug][ViewModeSwitcherThread]: VideoAspectRatioX 768
[Debug][ViewModeSwitcherThread]: VideoAspectRatioY 576
[Debug][ViewModeSwitcherThread]: VideoWidth 768
[Debug][ViewModeSwitcherThread]: VideoHeight 576

I hope in your case it will look like this:
[Debug][ViewModeSwitcherThread]: VideoAspectRatioX 768
[Debug][ViewModeSwitcherThread]: VideoAspectRatioY 576
[Debug][ViewModeSwitcherThread]: VideoWidth 720
[Debug][ViewModeSwitcherThread]: VideoHeight 576

If the the VideoAspectRatioX value looks like this (and 1024 for 16/9) you should still be able to use the plugin by simply setting the rules based an the values from your log file.

Please give me a feedback if it works. I will then sooner or later update the documentation in the first post.

fer2:
Sorry for the misunderstandings. I somehow came to the conclusion you are using a 4:3 screen because of the values you have posted (i.e. 800x600).
Regarding the distortion of the "zoom" mode you have described I will try to have a deeper look at home. Maybe the problem is codec dependent as well. If you create a log file like I have described it for Netptune31, which values do you find in there? Maybe we should continue this tests/discussion in the thread you have posted, before we're running offtopic here

Bye
Lars

 

[cheffe97]

Hi Lars,
any news on a version for stable 0.2.2.0?
Desperately waiting to use your plugin
cheers
cheffe

 

[lkuech]

No. Unfortunately no new on this topic right now.
I am lacking the time to "play" around with that right now. But If it is really true and the next stable version is not far away, this problem will solve it self

There are already some new functions included in version 0.3 but the most will only bring an advantage if I am able to assure the devs to integrate some actions (to bind to remote keys for example) to the SVN. One function is a menu to change the different values of the plugin and the other function is to move the visible image up and down (in zoom mode).

Bye
Lars

 

[cheffe97]

yeah I see your point. I can wait. One question: Is it very CPU demanding to use the fake 16:9 letterbox detection?

cheers and hoping for next stable release coming soon .-)
cheffe

 

[lkuech]

Well. Very CPU demanding is relative
The plugin grabs a frame from the current video an analyses its content. The grabbing itself is not done by the plugin but by a function provided by MediaPortal. Because of this I have not much control of it.
On my test rig (Pentium4 2,4 GHz) the CPU usage in rising to 100% in the moment of a letterbox detection (just a peak) but the playback remains fluent. On my other system (Pentium4 3,6 GHz) it not even noticeable. I guess it depends pretty much on your system specs. If your system is already close to the edge of its maximum performance during a playback of a TV stream you will most likely run into problems with enabled letterbox detection. Normally it should work fine

Bye
Lars

 

[cheffe97]

thx Lars. That answered my question
cheers
cheffe

 

[flokel]

great plugin

though I'm not quite sure what ovenscan means

 

[lkuech]

Hi flokel.

The overscan has the following "mission".

TV broadcast are often "build" for old analogue TV's. Those old TV do always overscan the picture a little bit. Because of this you don't see the edges of the image on such a television. Even modern flatscreens use an overscan for old broadcast like PAL to keep the potentially crappy edges (i.e videotext) from being shown. You can see this if you compare the picture of a TV broadcast watched on your normal television and your computer. The image on the computer may have a lot more information at the edges that you have never seen on your TV.

In MediaPortal you can normally set only a global overscan which effects everything even the skin, pictures and HD videos. But overscan means nothing more than zooming into the picture a little bit. And zooming means always a decrease of picture quality.
For example if you own a FullHD screen that is capable to show real 1920x1080 (Pixel by Pixel without any overscan) and you watch HDTV that comes with 1920x1080 as well. Then you will only see the full beauty of it when you do not zoom into it. The same is with the skin which look best if the skin resolution fits for screen resolution exactly.

So the overscan value of ViewModeSwitcher gives you the possibility keep MediaPortal itself "unzoomed" but define a rule that "zooms" if a PAL stream (or what ever you define) is played back.

Here is some more detail: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overscan

Bye
Lars

 

[flokel]

Hi Lars,

actually I just wanted to point out the little spelling mistake
-> ovenscan which should be overscan
hence no question mark but a smiley

 

[lkuech]

Ok. I guess now everyone should now know what overscan is all about ... and I ... eh ... eh ... will change ovenscan to something more meaningful

Thanks for mention that!

Bye
Lars