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Author Topic: Enhancement Request: Add "Volume % (Volume dB)" to Volume Options menu  (Read 387 times)

markf2748

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Add the current value of "Volume % (Volume dB)" to the Volume Options menu.  The display should update in real time as you click the menu's "Volume Up" and "Volume Down" lines or their keyboard shortcuts.

This display would be very helpful when user wants to set the Internal Volume to a specific level or change it by a specific amount from this menu.  It would also provide a quick alternative to the Volume Slider tooltip.   Currently this information only appears in the Volume Slider tooltip when the menu is closed.  If music is playing at less than 100% internal volume then it is also displayed in the DSP Audio Path window, but that requires closing the Volume Options menu.

Internal Volume could be displayed in the second section centered above the "Volume Up" line, for example.  Even better:  Display it adjacent to the slider bar (above or below) whenever volume is changed or the slider bar is selected (either by mouse, menu, or keyboard shortcut).

Update:  Actually, I see it is momentarily displayed in the Player Bar.  That's pretty good annoying.  Adjusting volume should not blink the main interface and it should not require switching attention back and forth between the Volume area on the left side and the center of the Player Bar.


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markf2748

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In any case, please fix the Volume Options menu so it does not close every time the user clicks "Volume Up" or "Volume Down".  If one bothers to use these menu lines, then overwhelmingly, more than one adjustment is needed so why close the menu after just one hit?  For volume adjustment, clicking off the menu is perfectly adequate to close the menu.
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HPBEME

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You can get what you're after right now with no changes to MC.

Hover your mouse over the volume slider until the volume tooltip pops up - it shows exactly the info you want and remains visible as you scroll your mouse wheel to change the volume. The tooltip also remains visible if you prefer to use the keyboard Ctrl+ / Ctrl- method for changing the volume.
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markf2748

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Hover your mouse over the volume slider until the volume tooltip pops up - it shows exactly the info you want and remains visible as you scroll your mouse wheel to change the volume. The tooltip also remains visible if you prefer to use the keyboard Ctrl+ / Ctrl- method for changing the volume.
I've seen the tooltip, and yes its information is what I am after.  However it works about half the time for me, and always involves a frustrating delay for those times when it does show up.  For example, hover, wait for the tooltip, now move the slider.  Release slider and select it again.  Tooltip does not show up unless you first click outside the area and start again.  I am looking for something which is faster (read "immediate"), more direct, and does not rely on the current tooltips mechanism.

The Volume information displayed under the Player Bar title is perfect:  very fast, always tracks - so the MC developers already know how to do it (except Player Bar message does not appear when hovering over the Volume Slider Handle without moving it).  I just don't want to shift my gaze from the Volume area to the center of the Player Bar while simultaneously sliding the control or clicking somewhere.  Put that information where it belongs, adjacent to the Volume controls, and leave the Player Bar title area alone.  Just like now, it does not need to always be visible, cluttering the interface.  It only needs to appear when you adjust the volume (by Slider, menu, or keyboard shortcut) or hover over the Volume Slider Handle.  The word "Volume" can be omitted to save space in this case since the meaning of the display will be obvious.
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HPBEME

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However it works about half the time for me, and always involves a frustrating delay for those times when it does show up. 
Works 100% of the time for me.  The only delay is for the initial tooltip to pop up.

For example, hover, wait for the tooltip, now move the slider.  Release slider and select it again. 
It sounds like you are clicking on the slider directly to move it one direction or another.  Instead, go to Options/General/Behavior and tick the box for mouse wheel over player adjusts volume.  When that setting is active, scrolling the mouse anywhere in the Player Bar adjusts the volume (except when over the track progress slider - scrolling there advances the track position). That said, you will have to hover the cursor over the volume slider for the tooltip to pop up, which stays visible and updates the volume % & db in real time as you scroll.

I am confident that after you make that setting change, the previous issues, delays, frustrations you mentioned will go away.
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markf2748

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Works 100% of the time for me.  The only delay is for the initial tooltip to pop up.
It's working better for me now - maybe I was just losing patience with the ToolTip delay.

It sounds like you are clicking on the slider directly to move it one direction or another.  Instead, go to Options/General/Behavior and tick the box for mouse wheel over player adjusts volume.  When that setting is active, scrolling the mouse anywhere in the Player Bar adjusts the volume (except when over the track progress slider - scrolling there advances the track position). That said, you will have to hover the cursor over the volume slider for the tooltip to pop up, which stays visible and updates the volume % & db in real time as you scroll.

I am confident that after you make that setting change, the previous issues, delays, frustrations you mentioned will go away.
That option was checked all along, but I did not realize the available scroll wheel functionality when mouse pointer is in the large Player Bar area, which works nicely (especially with an infinite scroll wheel mouse, like the Logitech G502 X).  In this case, the current immediate and "nearby" notification under the Player Bar Title turns into more of a feature.  So one has an alternative to the Volume tooltip (and the Volume Slider for that matter, which can be viewed primarily as an indicator rather than always using it as a control).  :)

Overall, in the grand scheme of things, I still think it would be preferable to see fast volume display info consolidated on the left side, do away with the Volume Tooltip, while retaining scroll wheel action in the Player Bar area.

Thanks for the clarifications.

My point in Reply #1 re closing of the Volume menu remains.
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HPBEME

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It's working better for me now - maybe I was just losing patience with the ToolTip delay.
That option was checked all along, but I did not realize the available scroll wheel functionality when mouse pointer is in the large Player Bar area, which works nicely (especially with an infinite scroll wheel mouse, like the Logitech G502 X).  In this case, the current immediate and "nearby" notification under the Player Bar Title turns into a feature, so one has an alternative to the Volume tooltip (and the Volume Slider for that matter)!  :)
That is how I use it personally - scrolling over the main text area to instantaneously display volume % and db (which immediately hides after you stop scrolling).  Your initial post however indicated you were aware of that display, but wanted it shown by the volume slider, so my reply was addressing that.  Regardless, I am glad you now have a solution you are happy with.

My point in Reply #1 re Volume menu remains.
I agree that the menu disappearing with each click of volume up/down makes it effectively useless.  Given that you can simply drag the volume slider or scroll your mouse wheel to change volume, I find it hard to believe anybody changes volume by first bringing up that context menu, and then clicking on the up/down menu items, and then repeating that process over and over - masochists maybe.

Those volume up/down menu items should be removed and replaced with far better and more useful choices from the Options/Audio section.  For example, add a menu item for changing the output device, and another for launching the device settings dialog. Yet another menu item could be changing the playback speed.  This would preclude the need for opening the full options dialog window to make a handful of common audio tweaks.
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HPBEME

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Overall, in the grand scheme of things, I still think it would be preferable to see fast volume display info consolidated on the left side, do away with the Volume Tooltip, while retaining scroll wheel action in the Player Bar area.

Since the tooltip displays the exact information you're looking for, and in the location you want, I think an easy way for Matt to address is to simply have the volume tooltip to pop up instantly anytime the mouse is scrolled while over the volume slider.

The key is for the tooltip to NOT pop up until you scroll (just like how it works in the main Player Bar area). That way, you don't have to wait for the tooltip to pop up, nor would it pop up if you scroll over the main Player Bar area (for those who don't want to see the volume tooltip displayed unnecessarily).  Seems like a perfect solution to me.

I also will reiterate that adding other common audio options (noted in my previous reply) to the volume icon's context menu would be a nice enhancement (and to also delete the useless volume up/down menu items).

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markf2748

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Since the tooltip displays the exact information you're looking for, and in the location you want, I think an easy way for Matt to address is to simply have the volume tooltip to pop up instantly anytime the mouse is scrolled while over the volume slider.
I have no idea on the effort involved, since it may have to be implemented outside of the current tool tip mechanism as a unique "fast" case.  JRiver should choose the best solution between between tooltip-like and an embedded text area.  More generally, I find the delays for ToolTips are variable, oftentimes too long (especially for the Custom Toolbars), giving the impression of flakiness.

The key is for the tooltip to NOT pop up until you scroll (just like how it works in the main Player Bar area). That way, you don't have to wait for the tooltip to pop up, nor would it pop up if you scroll over the main Player Bar area (for those who don't want to see the volume tooltip displayed unnecessarily).  Seems like a perfect solution to me.
Not exactly.  The volume info should appear when then mouse hovers over the Volume Slider as well as just above and below it, without necessarily scrolling (that's how the Tooltip works now, it is just too delayed).  I want to see current volume setting before deciding to change anything.  The only way to get this quantitatively, without actually changing volume, AFAIK is with the Player Bar's DSP Button (and that omits the info at Internal Volume=100% which is often the very case I am trying to verify).  For the hover case, the reaction rate should be fast, but not so fast as to create a nuisance when the mouse passes over on its way to the player control buttons just above.

I also will reiterate that adding other common audio options (noted in my previous reply) to the volume icon's context menu would be a nice enhancement (and to also delete the useless volume up/down menu items).
I prefer to leave the Volume Up/Down entries as they are - just don't close the menu after hitting them.  They certainly make logical sense here, especially since they also serve as a reminder of the keyboard shortcuts.  In the wide world of MC users, some may very well prefer the solid menu options.

Meanwhile, I am liking the main Player Bar action more and more after seeing volume control work with the mouse scroll wheel up there.  Thanks again for pointing that out.
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Matt

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I'll add this to a coming build:
Changed: The volume tooltip is shown right away when scrolling the volume with the mouse wheel.

Thanks for the suggestion.
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Matt Ashland, JRiver Media Center
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