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[Kurt Young]

Well, it's not my idea, but it's a nice one.

Windows XP Media Center Edition 2004 changed the way that it generates thumbnails for video files.  The way it was (and the way MC9 does it) was to take the first frame and make a thumbnail out of that.

Since I upgraded my Media Center PC to 2004, it seems to pull a random frame out of the video and use that instead!  It's kind of neat, actually... take my South Park episodes for instance.  Auto thumbnails for those used to all be that screen at the beginning ("..should not be viewed by anyone") and they all looked pretty much alike.  Now, the thumbnails are just random frames from within the videos!

So, there it is, run up the flagpole.  Anyone in a saluting mood?  

[wickesy]

Sounds like a great idea to me.  Now where do I find a saluting smiley  

[dragyn]

I thought they changed this and went farther into the file? Have you redone you're video thumbnails since the change or has it been occurring all this time?

I know you could do the screen shot thing but that's a long process with a lot of videos.

[Kurt Young]

I thought they changed this and went farther into the file? Have you redone you're video thumbnails since the change or has it been occurring all this time?

I know you could do the screen shot thing but that's a long process with a lot of videos.

Aye, I've noticed that it's not always the first frame, I think that MC scans a a few frames ahead and tries to find the first "good" frame to use, but I dunno.

One of the cool things about seeing all my South Park thumbnails pulled randomly from the episodes is being able to pick out which scene it's using, hehe.  I started do do that long process a while back of using screen grabs for thumbnails, but aye, it's time consuming for sure.

[dragyn]

I also have a bunch of SP episodes...mainly the first seasons. I've noticed it too now how MC pulls from the first few frames.

I noticed you have tweek as your avatar. Where's his coffee?

[Kurt Young]

Rock on, Dragyn!

Notice the iPod in my man's hand, sir... this signifies that he's on the go!  Probably heading out for a mocha right now!  

I've got every darn episode on this ol' hard drive of mine... can't wait for the new ones starting Wednesday!

(btw, the perfect mocha == quad grande, half-chocolate mocha with a half-dose of butterscotch or hazelnut.  yum!)

[JeffB]

I think it takes a screenshot at the five second mark.  You can make your own thumbnails for the videos by pausing then
right clicking the display and selecting 'Use Screen Grab for Thumbnail'.