INTERACT FORUM

More => Old Versions => Media Center 17 => Topic started by: xplain on February 03, 2012, 05:14:37 am

Title: Skin for Theater View - Request
Post by: xplain on February 03, 2012, 05:14:37 am
I have one small request,

It seems like there are 2 layers for background images

<PICTURE>
    <Item Bitmap="Background.png" Rect="0,0,100,110" Alpha="100" Background"1" />
  </PICTURE>

You have today only working "Background "0" and "Background "1"

Would it be possible to add "Background "2"


Hope you understand

Thomas
Title: Re: Skin for Theater View - Request
Post by: xplain on February 08, 2012, 02:38:45 am
I have this skin I'm working on at the moment

http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=69662.0 (http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=69662.0)

Quote
I would like the background image to change more smoothly
Is there any way this can be done,
I would like it to be like ex. how the backgrounds for movie and series
changes when you hoover over the coverarts, just at a much faster speed.

And my request on the above post, is that possible.

Thomas
Title: Re: Skin for Theater View - Request
Post by: MrHaugen on February 08, 2012, 07:19:13 am
I have this skin I'm working on at the moment

http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=69662.0 (http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=69662.0)
Is there any way this can be done,
I would like it to be like ex. how the backgrounds for movie and series
changes when you hoover over the coverarts, just at a much faster speed.

And my request on the above post, is that possible.

Thomas

I would very much like some changes or options here as well. The background transitions like proven in this custom skin, is just awful. I can't use the skin because of this, even though I love the rest of the skin  :(
Title: Re: Skin for Theater View - Request
Post by: Mr ChriZ on February 08, 2012, 07:57:54 am
+1
Title: Re: Skin for Theater View - Request
Post by: xplain on February 22, 2012, 07:23:50 am
I had an idea for my Rapier Fusion skin,
I made a quick picture in photoshop:

(http://www.pix01.com/gallery/F70A5EA5-F5F0-4AD2-9954-560EAC859D81/Rapier_fusion/150873342_orig0.jpg)

Is something like this possible today ??

Can a code like this
Quote
[Date Imported]=>2d [Media Sub Type]=[Movie]
be put in to the XML document somehow ??
Title: Re: Skin for Theater View - Request
Post by: xplain on February 22, 2012, 11:26:40 am
No, the code would have to be something like:

[Media Sub Type]=[Movie] ~sort=[Date Imported]-d ~n=2
Title: Re: Skin for Theater View - Request
Post by: Daydream on February 22, 2012, 03:53:25 pm
Is something like this possible today ??

Somebody will have to invent standalone item placeholders (with fixed/variable positional properties) for that to happen :)

Do you see a creative attack vector for a such a feature, short of JRiver actually implementing it?
Title: Re: Skin for Theater View - Request
Post by: xplain on February 22, 2012, 04:50:30 pm
Quote
Somebody will have to invent standalone item placeholders

Who can invent this kind of thing, can it be done with a plugin ?
or is it only possible for the JRiver developers ?
Title: Re: Skin for Theater View - Request
Post by: xplain on February 24, 2012, 05:15:21 am
Is it a no-go ?
Title: Re: Skin for Theater View - Request
Post by: MrHaugen on February 24, 2012, 05:49:15 am
I think so. According to those experienced with skinning for other programs, there have to be some rather big changes done to enable such functions. Automatic resizing of elements, positioning, behavior changes for functions and elements, items in other views like you want here... It's all things that is either hard to do, or impossible today. We can change colors, images, perhaps a bit of positioning and a little bit of resizing of some items. But that's also where it stops I think.
Title: Re: Skin for Theater View - Request
Post by: xplain on February 24, 2012, 09:47:15 am
OK, was just an idea.

I read in the wiki about theater skinning, and wondered what this is:

Quote
Picture in Picture

 <PIP Rect="1.2,76.5,22.2,97.5" PlayingNowRect="0.9,51.0,99.5,99.5" />

 PIP (Picture in Picture): the rectangle taken up by visualizations or video when not in full screen. You can see the difference in PlayingNowRect and Rect just by switching between the Audio screen and the Playing now screen. This can be used in most (all?) views.

I tried to put in to see what it does, but cant get anything out of it

Thomas
Title: Re: Skin for Theater View - Request
Post by: Daydream on February 24, 2012, 06:31:54 pm
I tried to put in to see what it does, but cant get anything out of it
My educated guess is that the trigger for that cannot be controlled, is hard coded. You have to play something/display visualization and then snap out of full screen for that element to come into play. You can't call it anywhere you want it, when you want it, to display what you want it.

That's one thing. The second and third thing is how what was accomplished so far was accomplished, and what are the consequences. I can't shake a feeling we're hacking it, which is a big difference comparing to creative use of an existing framework. There is no framework for TheaterView. The skin engine is locked down 95% and I don't see any encouragement that this will change. The recent additions from JRiver are welcomed but they are a drop in an empty bucket of options that need to be opened and offered to the users to make something new and revolutionary.

It seems disingenuous to me that JRiver helped exactly with NOTHING for years on end on the TheaterView front, but the moment somebody (that's you, xplain) tweaked the few options available, they announced it - between other things - in a mass email to all their customers that "beautiful new skins" are available. It makes me very reluctant to work on anything skinning related, but that's just me of course.

Title: Re: Skin for Theater View - Request
Post by: JimH on February 24, 2012, 06:39:59 pm
... what was accomplished so far was accomplished, and what are the consequences. I can't shake a feeling we're hacking it, which is a big difference comparing to creative use of an existing framework. There is no framework for TheaterView. The skin engine is locked down 95% and I don't see any encouragement that this will change. The recent additions from JRiver are welcomed but they are a drop in an empty bucket of options that need to be opened and offered to the users to make something new and revolutionary.

It seems disingenuous to me that JRiver helped exactly with NOTHING for years on end on the TheaterView front, but the moment somebody (that's you, xplain) tweaked the few options available, they announced it - between other things - in a mass email to all their customers that "beautiful new skins" are available. It makes me very reluctant to work on anything skinning related, but that's just me of course.
Why don't you start a thread with a request, or if you've made one, please bump it.
Title: Re: Skin for Theater View - Request
Post by: MrHaugen on February 25, 2012, 12:31:10 pm
Yes, please do! We need some with skinning experience to give some advice as what should and could be done. I'd love to see something more being done in this field. It's needed.
I've been wanting to work on some skins my self, but the current limitations is not exactly a huge motivator.
Title: Re: Skin for Theater View - Request
Post by: xplain on February 29, 2012, 03:21:26 pm
Quote
Why don't you start a thread with a request, or if you've made one, please bump it.

Ok I know this line wasn't adressed to me, but I have three requests.

1. Menu (Roller):

Make it possible to use images as menu instead of text, this way, I think, would also make it easyer
for those with a touch-screen.
The downside to this is ofcourse it woudn't be as easy to add your own menufield without also have to make
something for it in photoshop, but on the other hand for us who like the eyecandy this could be sweet.
It would also require different ways to set up the menu, the only thing that works good today is the horizontal way.

2.

On the "Homepage"
Make it possible to drag things out from the underlying menu
ex. when over the movie part of the roller
Quote

(http://www.pix01.com/gallery/F70A5EA5-F5F0-4AD2-9954-560EAC859D81/Rapier_fusion/150873342_orig0.jpg)

[Date Imported]=>2d [Media Sub Type]=[Movie]

And again have it possible for the audio, images, homevideos etc. etc.
It dosn't need to be clickable, just to show.

3. Playing now

Make it possible to show a little window with the Playing Now (If something is playing) on the "Home screen"


Thats it for now, maybe more to come  ;D

Thomas
Title: Re: Skin for Theater View - Request
Post by: Fabricio on February 29, 2012, 06:25:14 pm

3. Playing now

Make it possible to show a little window with the Playing Now (If something is playing) on the "Home screen"


Thats it for now, maybe more to come  ;D

Thomas

Good idea. Waiting ...

Fabricio, from Brazil.
Title: Re: Skin for Theater View - Request
Post by: raym on February 29, 2012, 06:50:13 pm
Quote
3. Playing now

Make it possible to show a little window with the Playing Now (If something is playing) on the "Home screen"

Back in "the day", this used to be possible. When Theater View was changed to use the "roller menu" system, this functionality was lost. Hopefully it's a simple thing to re-introduce.