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[negopus]

I would like to see the audio output of Media Center as an oscilloscope or as a spectrum analyzer (or as a VU meter, or as a PPM meter with digital "over" indicator, or as a stereo phase diagram), fully configurable. And with its output replicated on the system tray.

The standard Visualization Studio is somewhat limited, as it provides basic oscilloscope and spectrum visualizations only, with little control over them, and no reference grids for level and frequency. It gives more an "aesthetic" view than a technical view of audio output.

I have also tried the DirectX Host plug-in, but it is designed for pure audio plug-ins, not for real-time visualization. Its display is refreshed only a few times per second.

I think that a custom plug-in should be developed. I understand that Media Center plug-in developing is for "real programmers", so no documentation is provided (only source code). Which is the best way to start such an effort: a visualization plug-in or a DSP plug-in? How does one get the current audio output of Media Center in order to process (and display) it?

[negopus]

RTFM! 

Searching again on the Dev page, I found the documentation about plug-in development. It was just not clearly highlighted enough. I found that a display plug-in is mode appropriate for an oscilloscope plug-in. The SDK documentation starts with:

This SDK contains everything you need to create your own display plug-ins for Media Center.  A display plug-in is a COM control that Media Center displays during playback.  Typically, it uses the currently playing audio data to dynamically adapt the display, but in theory, it could be anything.

At the same time I started analyzing some visualization plug-ins, reading the source code for the Arsenolite visualization plug-in (the TrackInfo plug-in source is similar). The following statements seem to retrieve the waveform amplitude data, in order to have it displayed.


HRESULT CArsenoliteImpl::OnDrawAdvanced(ATL_DRAWINFO& di)
{
   // get the data (call this once each draw to get new data and have it analyzedy)
   m_pVisData->GetData();
   VIS_DATA * pData = m_pVisData->GetVisData();


Searching in the forum I found only one refercence to IVisData::GetVisData(), in thread http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=25214.msg175341

Problem with MultiZone and IVisData::GetVisData() ?
In an interface plugin with one zone, i use the function IVisData::GetVisData() for recover the wavebuffer, OK.
But with two zones (or more),  how to recover the wavebuffer first or second zone ?
(I use MediaCenter v10.0.173)

[Tab]

I've done so far:

oscilloscope with scale
barmeter scaled
VU meter, scale expected some time

[Yovcho]

Look in this address:http://spectool.megafongsm.net/

This is a  proffesional spectrum analyzer for winamp.The difference from another spectrum analyzers for Winamp is that DSP Spectrum Tool gets data as DSP (Digital Signal Processing) plug-in and performes its own Fast-Fourier transformation routines in 32-bit double float number format, so spectrum is displayed correctly even at weak signals. Even a masking noise added to any record before CD-mastering is shown!

DSP Spectrum Tool work with MJ and MC but cannot visualizate.

Will be very cool if you created  similar plugin for MJ & MC

[negopus]

Looks really good. This is a good spectrum analyzer plug-in. What a shame it does not work in MC.

Unfortunately I don't have the time to develop something similar.