Topic: Why Freestyle Can't Touch Hairstyle (Read 4942 times)

JimH · « **on:** September 26, 2002, 10:18:38 am »

In the last build of MJ 9.0 we introduced a shaky first look at Hairstyle, our full screen player interface. Like the current mega and mini modes, this is will be a complete way to control MJ.

Tonight's build has a better version:

http://www.musicex.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi?board=beta;action=display;num=1033078157

You can get it by hitting the Menu button to the right of the space bar (alternate keys coming) from the full screen Playing Now. Here is how it looks when it first comes up.

In the lower left, you can see an "Picture In Picture] image. This is whatever was displayed on the screen when you toggled the HS mode.

Once it is on the screen, you can use cursor keys or mouse to navigate, opening and closing each option much the same way as you open and close tree items in MJ.

Here's an image that is a result of choosing Media Library/Audio/Artist/Album.

The reason this is important to us is that we see TV's and PC's merging. More and more people are using a PC to drive their TV (or using a TV as a display for a PC).

HS provides a simple interface to use MJ by pointing a remote from across the room.

And it is competition for Freestyle, Microsoft's media project which is just now emerging as "Windows XP Media Center Edition". MJ with Hairstyle will run on a much wider range of Windows OS and hardware configurations. With XP Media Center, you're expected to buy a $1500 PC.

RemyJ · « **Reply #1 on:** September 26, 2002, 10:28:14 am »

After all this time... I finally figured out what that little tiny canoe logo is based on.

JimH · « **Reply #2 on:** September 26, 2002, 10:46:51 am »

Remy,
The image is called "Fur Traders Descending the Missouri". The painter is George Caleb Bingham. It was painted in the 1840's. The painting is about 24 X 30 inches and hangs in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. I go see it every time I visit NY.

I should also have mentioned that the screen you see above is skinned. You can change the background image, add buttons, move or resize the PIP, etc. You do this by editing the main.xml file in the folder in:

C:\Program Files\J River\Media Jukebox\FullSkins. In this directory, each new skin has its own name. They can be changed from the settings option on the HS screen.

RhinoBanga · « **Reply #3 on:** September 26, 2002, 10:59:01 am »

Jim,

A quick question ... what resolution were those screenshots?

The reason I ask is that most TV's can only handle 800x600 which isn't a lot of real-estate so you may have to do a lot of scrolling to get where you want.

JimH · « **Reply #4 on:** September 26, 2002, 11:03:43 am »

They are from my monitor at1024 X 768. But you can substitute any image you want.

I'm sure you're correct that there will be some problems to work out.

RemyJ · « **Reply #5 on:** September 26, 2002, 11:04:56 am »

I knew I'd seen the painting before but couldn't place it. I haven't been to the MoMA in ages. I was in New York last month and was planning to spend the day there but had to change my plans at the last minute. Oh well.

Neat concept anyway. I starting messing around with it last night on the machine that has the "menu" key.

dragyn · « **Reply #6 on:** September 26, 2002, 11:58:37 am »

Will hairstyle be able to navigate without the keyboard?

I want to use it on a touchscreen and would need the up, down, forward, and back arrows. Could they be drawn on the four sides of the screen with a bitmap for each button...or some other way that comes to mind?

Scronch · « **Reply #7 on:** September 26, 2002, 12:15:25 pm »

My first reaction was "why are they spending time on this?". But your explanation about TV usage cleared that up. I wouldn't use it, but anything you can do to make MJ more usable for the masses is a very good thing.

btw, have you had a talk with the collector that put "Fur Traders Descending the Missouri" on permanent loan with MoMA? There might be some serious copyright issues.

Scronch

JimH · « **Reply #8 on:** September 26, 2002, 12:48:31 pm »

The image is old enough to be in the public domain.

Kurt Young · « **Reply #9 on:** September 26, 2002, 12:52:38 pm »

Woah, now I totally understand what Hairstyle is! Thanks for clearing it up, and I gotta say that I'm very excited about it!

This is perhaps to early to be anything but a pre-afterthought... but it'd be slick if we could set MJ to start up in Hairstyle mode.

Also, will Hairstyle have its own "Party Mode"? It'd be sweet if I could turn Hairstyle on, and know that nobody can turn hairstyle off, edit files on my computer, or do anything except use Hairstyle to play music without entering a password. Totally slick for parties.

JimH · « **Reply #10 on:** September 26, 2002, 01:03:43 pm »

> This is perhaps to early to be anything but a pre-afterthought... but it'd be slick if we could set MJ to start up in Hairstyle mode.

That will happen in one of the next few builds. It will probably be just replace the "full screen mode" for the display.

> Also, will Hairstyle have its own "Party Mode"?

Party Mode will still be in effect if you set it.

JimH · « **Reply #11 on:** September 26, 2002, 01:07:25 pm »

Microsoft does a good job of explaining the idea here:

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ehome/delivers/delivers.asp

Griff · « **Reply #12 on:** September 26, 2002, 01:29:07 pm »

From MS

Quote

In addition, Media Center PCs also include a remote control, a TV tuner card, and may also include capabilities that enable the user to hook the PC up to a home entertainment system.

Look at the "and may also include ---"

Most of us here, already do that with MJ.

Are we ahead of the times?

Or is MS behind the times?

Looking forward to the next ver of 9.

Griff

Marty3d · « **Reply #13 on:** September 26, 2002, 02:23:12 pm »

Hm....I think it's time for me (and a few others) to pick up the old thoughts about a remote and a graphics card that can display the screen both on the computer and the TV...for now I have to switch the computer to show TV, ask someone to yell when the mouse pointer is over the 'Yes' button after changing display properties...

Anyone who knows the details about viewing the display on two screens, monitor and TV?

Scronch · « **Reply #14 on:** September 26, 2002, 02:50:26 pm »

JimH>The image is old enough to be in the public domain.

Darn it. I was trying to yank your chain a little. Can't get anything by you.

Scronch

Cephlen · « **Reply #15 on:** September 26, 2002, 03:32:57 pm »

I LOVE IT!!

I use my HTPC to play everything from movies to tv shows to music (all media stored on various drives).

I run my TV in 800x600 which is the max. Large fonts so I can read the text.

Its the reason im here

sekim · « **Reply #16 on:** September 26, 2002, 03:37:18 pm »

Hmmmm. You know, if there were a choice between simple tabbed navigation and this. Well, it would be time to change my hairstyle. This is fluff.

Sorry wouldn't use it. But I would use an interface similar to what Marty3d whipped up.

$0.02 and not expecting change.

bschuler · « **Reply #17 on:** September 26, 2002, 07:12:18 pm »

A nice JR start.. but from the screenshots, looks very limited. I haven't downloaded it yet.. because to work on my HTPC, it would need to be able to start in that mode.

Freestyle has cover art, visual effects mode, etc.. And the text size should be configureable. As even 10 point size text is very unreadable on a TV.

The biggest complaint.. and I'm not sure even freestyle can do this (but winamp can).. is the ability to not use a music DB, but enque a whole directory or CD drive at start and use that to select from. (Most HTPC's use external sources for files.. and sometimes the network source is down, or the cd isn't in the drive.. DB's don't work for that, because they list everthing)

Just my 2 cents.. Keep up the good work though.. as Freestyle proves that HTPC's are the next wave. And I don't think the Microsoft MEDIA XP Center will rule at the end, more likely a homebrewed non-DRM version will.

PhatPhreddy · « **Reply #18 on:** September 26, 2002, 08:53:14 pm »

Great to see you guys starting on this....

A few points...

TV out over S-Video is admittedly, well cr*p... But with a transcoder and a HD ready TV you can run PC's at 1080i or 1920x540p 1280x720p etc... Personally I pipe my HTPC out to a SXGA LCOS projector so rez galore....

At the moment you are allowing for images behind correct ?? If you allowed 'web content' behind you open up a whole new ballgame is customisation abilities and I suspect you already use a HTML renderer in the app anyway... Think of this for a second, lunatic fring'ers may like to build flash animated scenes looped as a background... They may even get clever and use XML to build flash backgrounds into your structures (how open is the SDK for accessing simple lists and data a la the Int_WebRemote.DLL we are playing with now) so that animated / fonted / totally customised data from the DBase is presented as we want it to be.... I know this may once again sound 'out there' but if you want to take on the big boys aim high...

Once again exciting ideas for MJ bubling away in my mind !!!

Kurt Young · « **Reply #19 on:** September 26, 2002, 09:07:53 pm »

I love it! I was using it to watch TV and I used the Display Options menu to switch to web. So I'm surfing the net, still hearing the tv, but not seeing the commercials! And I'm still within the hairspray interface! And when I hear them end, I switch back. Sweet. That's something I can see myself doing a lot. I got to thinking about ways y'all could facilitate it. I'd suggest:

1. Making it a lot easier to switch between web and tv... like maybe a toggle button, autohide toolbar, whatever...

2. Make web browser control toolbars available (Doctored Screenshot)

3. Make it easy to change hairspray's "background wallpaper" Maybe give a "hairspray options" dialogue box or something? (Big-time doctored screenshot) Moving, Flash backgrounds would RULE!!!

I think that hairspray & your tivo functions are making me GLAD I got a license when i did... I can't WAIT for v9! Boooo ya!

Edit: Please accept my apologies for calling it "Hairspray" instead of "Hairstyle" -- I feel like a knob now. I even did it in the screenshot

PhatPhreddy · « **Reply #20 on:** September 26, 2002, 09:26:07 pm »

Dont worry I am sure John Walters is smiling... Either that or just getting Devine eat more feaces...

Note when typing cuss words into this forum it actually changes them to alternatives... I dont mind having it *** but it can really ruin ones flow when it does that.... I mean Holy nuts just doesnt look right does it ??

JimH · « **Reply #21 on:** September 27, 2002, 04:03:51 am »

I got a chuckle when I saw Hairspray. I kind of like it! Heck, we don't have anything invested in it. It's just a working name right now.

Hairspray. Was that the Warren Beatty movie?

Thanks for your real world ideas. We're not finished and some of them will get incorporated.

Dragyn, if you're reading this, I forgot to reply yesterday. We will add enough navigation that you can have MJ on Board. We'll make it work for you.

PhatPhreddy · « **Reply #22 on:** September 27, 2002, 04:34:22 am »

Hairspay... John Walters flick with Devine Brown and a BIG Ricky Lake... Not one of his best...

I guess for shock value and lack of socially redeeming qualities (something he apparently was highly proud of) Pink Flamingoes is it... William Burroughs called John Wlaters the Pope of Trash... I believe he was very proud of the title...

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Author Topic: Why Freestyle Can't Touch Hairstyle (Read 4942 times)

dragyn

sekim