View Full Version : AEON [ALPHA] (formerly "Xephyr"): Skin Release Thread
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DreamStatic
2008-06-05, 08:01
Hello all,
I am brand new around here. I had checked XBMC way back, and while it was pretty powerful I didn't care for the look. I recently noticed it had spun off for OS X so I came back around to have a look at the progress and saw quite a few nice looking skins. However, it wasn't until I seen Aeon that I was sold on giving my HTPC a go. I am in the planning stages for the HTPC now, so hopefully soon I will be able to test this out full fledged. :)
Thanks so much for all your hard work you have obviously invested into Aeon. I know it is still in "Alpha" so I am not expecting a finished product. For being alpha I am impressed so far. Keep it going, we sure appreciate you.
The backdrops you provide on your site are beautiful and really lend to the customization/personalization of Aeon. I love this very much. Expect me to start chiming in more and more to attempt to help out as much as I can. :)
Speaking of the backdrops, I have followed this complete thread and noticed you continue to be hammered on bandwidth. I know your host now is better in that regard, but I was a bit overwhelmed as to how to keep up with which backdrops I have gotten and which I hadn't from memory. Being as that was the case, I downloaded a few twice - and such causing more bandwidth to be used. So to help me keep track easily of which I have downloaded I built a cheesy little Firefox Greasemonkey script to "dim" the ones I have already downloaded. This will provide me a super quick way to know which ones I have downloaded and which I need still. I have uploaded it for anyone interested. (tip: go into Firefox preferences and set Remember Visited Links to 365 days.) By doing this it will remember the ones you downloaded for a year. :)
Example screenshot showing the ones I have downloaded "dimmed":
http://www.divshare.com/img/thumb/4666378-126.png (http://www.divshare.com/download/4666378-126)
Direct link to download the "zipped" Firefox Greasemonkey script (so you can view the source and confirm nothing nasty is going on):
DivShare File - aeonhilite_user_js.zip (http://www.divshare.com/download/4666278-a50)
Anyhow, thanks again for a gorgeous skin and for reading my SUPER long winded post, sorry about that.
~DreamStatic
Could you elaborate on this a bit more? I can't say I've seen a lossless TIFF file achieve sizes similar to JPG. Also, isn't a compressed TIFF supposed to open more slowly than a regular one?
Well here is a 3MB .BMP file that i converted to the HQ .JPG format and it came out to be 676KB, pretty impressive but with some loss. Now when i converted this file to .TIFF using the ZIP compression in Photoshop (not compressing using winzip, winrar) it came out to be 660KB. The whole point is when converting back to .BMP for smoother transitions.
I downloaded the MUSIC and PICTURES .JPG backdrops from the AEON website and converted them to .BMP and i still get that 1 sec lag when transitioning from Movies to Music. I havent tried it the .BMP's i converted using TIFF, but sure would look into it. Guess this might be alot of hassle of conversion just to get the smoother and prompt transitions, so thats why i offered to help and can convert the backdrops to .TIFF for download.
http://www.taringa.net/posts/imagenes/1267526/simpsons.html
(Its the last image on the webpage - homer picked up by the wrestler)
If someone does need to convert them, it's pretty simple just using Irfanview's batch convert. That said, due to the zip compression in TIFF files, they'll always load slower than JPG and BMP files. For compressed formats JPG is better since you can control the amount of compression based on the image. On an image with large amounts of detail you can leave the quality high... like 80%. On an image with limited small details you can set the quality low to 60%. Also, since most backdrops will be photo and not cartoon, it's not accurate doing tests using a Simpsons backdrop. :)
I think the overall issue is that djh needs a better host that doesn't restrict bandwidth or storage space. $80/yr for hostmonster isn't bad, and I'm sure people would be willing to donate some money to get that going.
cellopoly
2008-06-05, 20:05
I already have an account with Hostmonster and DJH if your interested I could setup a place for you to store your backdrops on it.
Thanks for the offers, but it should be fine with the host I have now. As for this discussion about image formats, I think the current system is probably the best option. It's just a shame that, while Windows seems capable of a seamless transition between backdrops, Linux seems stuck with a split second delay in opening whatever file, be it BMP or TIFF.
Oh, and thanks to DreamStatic for that cool little plugin. I should really do the whole thing with cookies and a basket for the backdrops, but that does kinda invite people to download everything which, given the bandwidth concerns, might not be the best idea.
I've converted all of the backdrops (including the new ones I just noticed were uploaded before I started - please list them in order of time added my eyes hurt after checking each one ;)) from JPG to BMP and also made a set 720p ones as well.
As usual you can get them from here -
http:// w w w . m i n i n o v a . o r g /tor/1476157
I thought the new release was going to have posters across the entire screen (w/o info) for library view?
I've converted all of the backdrops (including the new ones I just noticed were uploaded before I started - please list them in order of time added my eyes hurt after checking each one ;)) from JPG to BMP and also made a set 720p ones as well.
As usual you can get them from here -
http:// w w w . m i n i n o v a . o r g /tor/1476157
There are no seeders for the file...
I'm seeding and there's one downloader.
fluidman
2008-06-05, 23:35
how come when switching back and fprth on the home screen only every second backdrop is displayed (jpgs) and when convertet to tiffs the xbox wont display any of them?
Yeah sorry about getting everyone confused about the FORMATS. Regardless whatever format you have just convert them to BMP.
fluidman
2008-06-06, 00:32
Convert them to BMP.
hmm, now they are all BMPs converted with irfan view and lets say focus is on movies and i switch to tv shows the backdrop stays black...when i move up to the system shortcuts and back to tv shows then the backdrop shows...
how do the short cuts for the homescreen buttonswork? what do i have to put in for the path?
I've converted all of the backdrops (including the new ones I just noticed were uploaded before I started - please list them in order of time added my eyes hurt after checking each one ;)) from JPG to BMP and also made a set 720p ones as well.
As usual you can get them from here -
http:// w w w . m i n i n o v a . o r g /tor/1476157
I was wondering if you could upload the whole BACKDROPS folder in a zip file to rapidshare.com, so i could help with seeding as well. Thanks.
First of all. Aeon, and only, aeon is the greatest skin for XBMC. I got it when the first alpha hit the web, and I've been loving it ever since. DJH thanks so much for the imagination and time spent making this what it is today.
Well, I have a few thoughts on the your newest release DJH! Love the way everything is coming together. Just one or two issues.
1. When displaying the 'IMDB Video Info' window, some of the green Labels like 'Studio' and 'Director' are missing. Have a clue how to fix this?
2. On the 'Weather', some of the text on the 'Today' tab is all jumbled up. Just thought I'd let you know that if you didn't already.
I also hope the other pieces of the puzzle are coming together DJH. For instance, a 'Music Info' screen would be amazing. Sorting the visualizations on the title screen out would be great as well. You can never add enough Bling to your work of art.
Again, thanks so much for the lovely skin. Keep up the great work and remember, your closer to the Final than you were a few months back.
I have a Guestbook now. Not that you should fill it with lovely comments or anything.
I was wondering if you could upload the whole BACKDROPS folder in a zip file to rapidshare.com, so i could help with seeding as well. Thanks.
It's 2.7GB.
DreamStatic
2008-06-06, 08:47
Hey Hitcher, you still seeding that Torrent file? Thanks so much if you are. :)
DreamStatic
2008-06-06, 09:05
Disregard last post, Hitcher. I posted in the wrong forum. Thanks.
Just a quick question - how do you bring up the lyrics when playing music in Aeon?
Is it me or is the latest AEON build menu a bit different than the ones on the screens? It looks likes like it has a "defused/add noise" effect applied to it. Its not purely soft white like it is in the screens. Its the same when I run it on my PC. Do you want me to snap a screenshot? And can I turn it off? :oo:
I think a screenshot would be a good idea. I'm not entirely sure what you're talking about.
joebrady
2008-06-06, 20:33
Just got Aeon running a couple nights ago. I've skimmed the forum but haven't had time to read the whole thing so this may have been brought up already.
1. When showing full screen visualations with music. Album art is larger than Cd case border and I can't seem to keep it on the screen or toggle album info on/off as I could in other skins.
2. Was mentioned I think, but the weather page is slightly jumbled. And, I may be retarded here, but where do you change the weather settings?
3. I'd like to see a "browse" where you enter in the locations for "clips", "movies", Adult, ect...
4. Also, a lock on the Adult, and associated folder would be great.
5. Crazy thing happened to me last night, after setting up backdrops for each section, I turn the xbox off and back on later. XBMC booted to PMIII skin... I changed back to AEON, and all the setting I had just made were gone... anyone ever seen this happen?
fluidman
2008-06-07, 02:47
can someboda explain me how i get the shortcuts to work? what "path" do i have to set?
steve1977
2008-06-07, 03:00
First of all, AWESOME skin!!!
To my question: Browsed through the last 20 pages of this threat, but couldnt find help. Anyone besides having probs with Fanart? I have activated them in options, set content to tvdb, but nothing shows up.
Any thoughts?
Where are you expecting the FanArt to appear? The only place it applies in XBMC is the folders for whichever TV show you've scanned.
steve1977
2008-06-07, 03:26
Where are you expecting the FanArt to appear? The only place it applies in XBMC is the folders for whichever TV show you've scanned.
Thanks for your quick reply. Unfortunately, the FanArt doesnt appear anywhere. Maybe, it has something to do with my folder structure:
--- TV
------- Lost
------------Season 1
-----------------Episodes 1
-----------------Episodes 2
Set content is "TVDB", library mode is activated and perfectly identified the show and provides synopsis for each episode.
Shall I post a screenshot?
Many thanks!!!
I think a screenshot would be a good idea. I'm not entirely sure what you're talking about.
http://s3.tinypic.com/8y56e0.jpg
Can you see it now? Isnt the white "ribbon" behind MUSIC/GAMES/PICTURES/etc supposed to be pure white. Doesnt look like it should... I think. ???
http://s3.tinypic.com/8y56e0.jpg
Can you see it now? Isnt the white "ribbon" behind MUSIC/GAMES/PICTURES/etc supposed to be pure white. Doesnt look like it should... I think. ???
One thing I've noticed is that the menu seems to be more translucent when it is in "xbox mode".
http://s3.tinypic.com/8y56e0.jpg
Can you see it now? Isnt the white "ribbon" behind MUSIC/GAMES/PICTURES/etc supposed to be pure white. Doesnt look like it should... I think. ???
That's an old version you're using there.
First of all, very nice skin! :grin: But I have a question...
In the future, is there gonna be a view like the TVshow plugin of MediaPortal?
Something like this:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh247/Tha1Clown/TVSeries2.jpg?t=1197288161
or
http://jossan.visse.nu/~spuck/aeon/aeon_tvseries-series.jpg
That's an old version you're using there.
Hmm. I think I have the 1st June version. I am getting the 4th June version and will report back. Are you planning on setting up an SVN?
The TV show views are being redesigned, yes.
I'm focusing now on making better use of XBMC's TV Show support. Don't expect views that implement every type of control and icon for the sake of it, more something like this:
http://www.aeoncentral.com/downloads/misc/aeon_tvconcept1.jpg
http://www.aeoncentral.com/downloads/misc/aeon_tvconcept2.jpg
This looks fantastic. Are the backdrops dependant on the show selected? About my previous question - I will have to take a pic from the TV to show you what I mean. ;)
It doesn't look that fantastic, really - I'm not happy about reusing the main texture like that, nor do I plan to. The important thing is having an interface that befits the TV library but doesn't feel detached from everything else. I'll come up with something.
Kprojekt
2008-06-08, 07:53
I've noticed one issue with Scripts. Most of the scripts out there are absolute crap but the only one I've been using is Itunes Streamer. The problem is the background for scripts is white and the text appears white with no selection. I have to switch skins to see what I'm selecting.
dteirney
2008-06-08, 08:51
I'm focusing now on making better use of XBMC's TV Show support. Don't expect views that implement every type of control and icon for the sake of it, more something like this:
It's great that there will be TV show specific views.
Is it likely the final view will also work with the TV show information that comes back from the recorded shows directory listing exposed by the myth:// protocol?
It would be magic if there was a Live TV button that could point to a Source pointing to myth:// that could then use the final TV shows view!
Would be lovely if the TV show thumbnail could also be shown but you are right - that's in the nice to have bucket.
I like that very much, djh. I like that there's a small area over the right half open in case they add support for the file info icons at some point (DTS, DD, resolution, etc). Very cool. Got any mockups for wide icon mode in the TV section? :)
djh, I am really impressed with your work, so hope you take this in the spirit it is meant.
BUT... I was a little underwhelmed by the initial images you posted. They are far better than I could do myself - but just not quite up to the standard of your other work. I think you have hit the nail on the head when you say that part of the problem is in reusing the textures from the main area. They don't quite fit; I can't quite put my finger on it. But I am really pleased to hear you say pretty much the same thing. It restores my confidence that you will come up with something amazing in the end (no pressure :) )
Can I suggest - I agree it doesn't need to be "loaded with bling" but a little subtle use of icons wouldn't go amiss. Used right I think they set the screen off, tv shows in particular. And I too would be really interested in seeing what you have planned for wide icon mode :)
I'm actually in talks to outsource the icons at the moment. In fact, Aeon might even be used to showcase icons from a number of talents on DeviantArt. You'll hear more soon enough.
mst3kroqs
2008-06-08, 19:37
Greetings -
New to AEON, and apologies for the newbie question, but in your readme you indicate: "1080p textures and seven year old consoles don't play well together. For that reason, any backdrops from the Aeon website should be resized to 720p or lower to avoid out-of-memory issues."
You also mention that for smooth transitions, backdrops should be converted to .bmp form.
Can anyone help with a pointer/link or advice as to how to accomplish this? Converting from .jpg->.bmp in Paint.Net seems straightforward, but how to "resize to 720p"?
Thanks in advance.
Can anyone help with a pointer/link or advice as to how to accomplish this? Converting from .jpg->.bmp in Paint.Net seems straightforward, but how to "resize to 720p"?
720p is an image resolution of 1280 by 720 pixels. So simply resize the images to that resolution. I don't use paint.net but I'm sure a function like "resize image" will be easy to find.
Greetings -
New to AEON, and apologies for the newbie question, but in your readme you indicate: "1080p textures and seven year old consoles don't play well together. For that reason, any backdrops from the Aeon website should be resized to 720p or lower to avoid out-of-memory issues."
You also mention that for smooth transitions, backdrops should be converted to .bmp form.
Can anyone help with a pointer/link or advice as to how to accomplish this? Converting from .jpg->.bmp in Paint.Net seems straightforward, but how to "resize to 720p"?
Thanks in advance.
Check my sig for a torrent file containing both 1080p and 720p packs converted to BMP.
fluidman
2008-06-09, 13:32
djh: would it somehow be possible to have backdrops for specific albums in the music views? for example: if i have multible albums of bob marley it will only display a bob marley backdrop? or have a backdrop.bmp (or backdrop1.bmp backdrop2.bmp etc) in the album folder like the folder.jpg?
Can someone please explain how the homescreen shortcuts work? i havent used xbmc for a while and dont remember how to set the paths or whatever...
ewequeone
2008-06-09, 15:01
djh_, I am still using alpha 9 because I enjoy the wide icon views, but I would like to move the menu down on the home page. can you point me in the right direction to do this with alpha 9?
cheers,
jason.
I'm getting closer to a TV view that works, I think. The first screen is what happens as you scroll through the episodes. Leave it hovering on an episode for a couple of seconds and the icon swooshes over to make way for the info. I like this because it uses nothing (tech porn logos aside) but existing skin components, so it doesn't look out of place. Obviously, though, there's work still to be done.
I should add that there are potential spoilers in these screens.
http://www.aeoncentral.com/downloads/misc/aeon_epconcept1.jpg
http://www.aeoncentral.com/downloads/misc/aeon_epconcept2.jpg
http://www.aeoncentral.com/downloads/misc/aeon_epconcept3.jpg
Rand Al Thor
2008-06-10, 03:19
Wow! I really like that. That is actually one of the ideas I had for the my own skin (ie not using any actual backgrounds like the glass just using a fade effect). In other words i think you are definitely on the right track!
Nice but i wouldn't count on your 720p and DD5.1 logos working any time soon
jaredharley
2008-06-10, 07:27
Once you "swoosh" to the info view, would you be able to scroll up and down to see other episode info views?
Also, it looks sweet!
Nothing on screen but what's most important makes it much easier on the eyes and doesn't hide the lovely backdrops that much.
Big thumbs up.
Gamester17
2008-06-10, 14:33
Nice but i wouldn't count on your 720p and DD5.1 logos working any time soonFeel free to bump the suggestion topic-thread for this though if you like add additional ideas or just +1 the request, see:
"High-Definition video flagging (library filter, and thumbnail overlay) (http://xbmc.org/forum/showthread.php?t=30419)"
http://xbmc.org/forum/showthread.php?t=30419 :;):
Here's the TV view in a rather misaligned, early state, but at least it's animating properly. Still need to clean it up and put more labels in. On a related note, I noticed that many, if not most of the episode synopses on thetvdb.com are in a pretty sorry state - half are written in pseudo-English and some aren't even finished. So I hope I'm not stepping on too many toes by rewriting some of them, starting with Red Dwarf. I also cobbled together a Red Dwarf backdrop and uploaded it. You can see the results below.
http://www.aeoncentral.com/downloads/misc/aeon_tveps1.jpg
http://www.aeoncentral.com/downloads/misc/aeon_tveps2.jpg
http://www.aeoncentral.com/downloads/misc/aeon_tveps3.jpg
I'm hoping to use this dynamic info display on some of the older view types as well, ultimately removing that rather fugly info display I've used previously.
Competes2win
2008-06-11, 04:06
Hey djh it's great seeing so much work being put into this skin lately. I love the tv view. Keep up the good work!
Love it too. Simple and elegant.
Plus, I like the idea of pressing up and down to move straight to the next/prev episode info view. Would make usability so much better IMHO. Is this possible?
Up and down are reserved for the menu at the moment. I'll have a think about how it might be done, though. I suppose you could have dual methods, one for hover and the other for a button you can press to toggle info on and off. I don't see why this shouldn't be finished for the release on Sunday, though it'll no doubt evolve from then on. The TV section's nice and efficient now, at least, especially now it's using the proper Poster view.
That is looking real sweet.
On a related note, I noticed that many, if not most of the episode synopses on thetvdb.com are in a pretty sorry state - half are written in pseudo-English and some aren't even finished. So I hope I'm not stepping on too many toes by rewriting some of them, starting with Red Dwarf. I also cobbled together a Red Dwarf backdrop and uploaded it.
Go nuts improving as much content as you want. That's what it's there for. :) Many of the older synopsis were originally pulled from tvtome.com, which is why they suck so bad. Over time I'm hopeful they improve due to people like you updating series you watch. :)
I love the tv view. I also like the idea of up/down being used to navigate the episodes while they're in info mode. Perhaps left/right could be used for the menu at that point? Or maybe that'd confuse some people. :(
Rand Al Thor
2008-06-11, 18:41
@djh
Are you using fanart colors for fonts in the tv views? The last image of lost the font looks a little light compared to the faded background effect. If you are using that same effect on all backgrounds you might want to make the font black (or just darker) as I don't think it will change much with the color of the background. Cheers and keep up the great work!
Looking great DJH! New TV Shows view looks amazing!
Now, all we need is a 'Music Info' Tab, a working 'File Manager' and if possible, to include the music view made by Rand Al Thor with the diagonal CD Covers on the right. Anyways, no requests, just ideas.
Thanks for all the hard work. Keep it up super Dude!
I agree - fantastic stuff happening with the tv and films section, but an overhaul of the music section is also needed.
Is it possible to have the addition so when you view genre, you are then able to select view by album as well as the existing view by artist? Also, when you view by genre there's blank cd cases on the side - anyway to remove them, or insert a random album cover from that genre?
Oh, and bloody good work on this skin.
While the support is, as ever, appreciated, I'm quite aware of what does and doesn't need doing. :;):
There won't be any "overhaul" of the music section, though the issue of the missing icons is now fixed. All it ever involved was duplicating the existing placeholder icons with the required filenames. As I said earlier, though, the proper Aeon icon suites are being handled separately, for inclusion at a later date.
As for what you can and cannot sort within each view, correct me if I'm wrong (wouldn't be the first time), but isn't that the domain of XBMC itself?
Competes2win
2008-06-12, 01:24
As for the requests of everyone who wants navigation to be possible for the episode info view, would it be to hard to just make a separate view that shows the episode info view as default?
Personally I have always been a big fan of the info text in all sections of xbmc, so I know that if available, such a view would be my default. Although i am also aware of the many other opinions on the matter.
as always great work djh.
While the support is, as ever, appreciated, I'm quite aware of what does and doesn't need doing. :;):
Yeah, I suppose what I put down came across wrong. The music section doesn't need an overhaul, it's just the tv and movie sections are perfect, so that's what makes the music section seem like the bit that could do with a bit of spit and polish.
Also, would it be feasible to have a choice of RSS feeds for the main screen? I know it's easy enough to edit, but it would be a nice little touch to have something in the menu section with a selection of feeds to choose from.
Keep up the good work, it's looking better each time I see a new screenshot - looking forward to the next release after seeing those tv show screens.
Billou_French
2008-06-12, 23:30
Lo,
GREAT Skin for XBMC !!!!!!! I Love !!!!!
Thanks a lot for the designer.
Well, i've got some probleme with Aeon10b :sad::
- in PosterWall, when I want to view film description (grabber), the "wallpaper" is not black, is transparant ==> I can't see the description since ecritures is white.
- in some script (like XBMC+), i can't see the selection in the menu while with the skin Project Mayhem III is OK.
- The Files in XBMC are black (i can't see the ecritures) while with Aeon 9, no probleme
Sorry for my english :sniffle:
thank you in advance for answers
Yeah, I suppose what I put down came across wrong. The music section doesn't need an overhaul, it's just the tv and movie sections are perfect, so that's what makes the music section seem like the bit that could do with a bit of spit and polish.
Also, would it be feasible to have a choice of RSS feeds for the main screen? I know it's easy enough to edit, but it would be a nice little touch to have something in the menu section with a selection of feeds to choose from.
Keep up the good work, it's looking better each time I see a new screenshot - looking forward to the next release after seeing those tv show screens.
I second this one DJH... movie section is swell, tv section looks like it's going to super swell... but as u incorporate more and more into the skin, i guess u'll add more to the other sections... but no pressure... times always a pain in the ass...
reckon, u should concentrate on the simple more important things, like getting the "file manager" and "weather" sections to work 100%... then ur very close to a final product already, coz i think AEON is so sweet already!
Keep it up! and please don't take this as a request... it's encouragement... wish my coding was up to scratch so i could help out...
:eek:
djh you probably took it out for a reason, but one of the few things I miss about the older (9) build was the way it overlayed the crossbar over the visualization if you were playing music; looked really cool :D
If you would consider bringing that back it would be awesome, but don't let it compromise any vision you might have of the skin
Thanks man, keep up the great work!
cellopoly
2008-06-13, 05:23
I was just curious how hard would it be to implement different view type for snes covers in the arcade. I am using the icons view and its ok but not meant for snes covers. I think it would be neat to have a posterwall for the arcade section. I know it could be done easily for nes covers but since snes covers are different dimensions it might be more difficult.
If its to hard to implement then dont worry about it. Just a small request for an Amazing Skin
KEEP up the good work
This is what it looks like with the Icon view
http://xbmc.org/forum/picture.php?albumid=1&pictureid=4
Competes2win
2008-06-13, 07:21
Hey DJH actually just finally got around to trying out the new build... great work as usual, i like all the new additions, makes the skin feel much more complete.
I do miss the old views for the pictures section, also in the weather section for the "today" block there seems to be some text overlap. I would also like to join the petition to bring back the wide icons, in some shape or form. I feel that the majority of us users have all of our tv shows in wide icons, seasons in dvd covers, and then episode thumbs... as it is organised on thetvdb.com. Your new tv views will be great for the episode and seasons levels but i feel that a wide icons view would be great for the show level.
I was just curious how hard would it be to implement different view type for snes covers in the arcade. I am using the icons view and its ok but not meant for snes covers. I think it would be neat to have a posterwall for the arcade section. I know it could be done easily for nes covers but since snes covers are different dimensions it might be more difficult.
If its to hard to implement then dont worry about it. Just a small request for an Amazing Skin
KEEP up the good work
This is what it looks like with the Icon view
http://xbmc.org/forum/picture.php?albumid=1&pictureid=4
Wouldn't the 'Episode' view be perfect for SNES games?
I'm not sure it's active for Arcade. Easily fixed if not.
Sunday, then...
http://www.aeoncentral.com/downloads/misc/aeon_tvfinal8.jpg
http://www.aeoncentral.com/downloads/misc/aeon_tvfinal7.jpg
http://www.aeoncentral.com/downloads/misc/aeon_tvfinal1.jpg
http://www.aeoncentral.com/downloads/misc/aeon_tvfinal4.jpg
http://www.aeoncentral.com/downloads/misc/aeon_tvfinal5.jpg
Quite a few other fixes in this version, too, like Now Playing and more complete backdrop/View type support. Oh, and the better fading, TV info etc etc.
Rand Al Thor
2008-06-13, 19:34
Very nice. I look forward to trying it out. Thanks again.
smcnally75
2008-06-13, 19:40
I like that look a lot!
Looks lovely, but what happened to the show title I saw in previous screens?
smcnally75
2008-06-13, 20:54
The shots that showed the show title were totally different views. I don't personally see a need for the show title anyway...I think the fan art lets you know what you are viewing anyhow.
That said, I'm hoping thetvdb.com decides to introduce PNG logos for TV Shows - that would be a nice decoration and I have a whole batch of them ready to go.
Hint.
Sunday, then...
http://www.aeoncentral.com/downloads/misc/aeon_tvfinal5.jpg
I love this view.
If I may make a suggestion...i would LOVE this view available for Movies and library view, with posters instead of episodes...that way the backgrounds could "really" be seen. Just a thought...
DreamStatic
2008-06-13, 22:01
WOW! This view is really growing on me. I am digging he direction you are heading.
+1 on png support from thetvdb.com. It is a great resource already, just one more thing it could support. :)
The shots that showed the show title were totally different views. I don't personally see a need for the show title anyway...I think the fan art lets you know what you are viewing anyhow.
My only worry is for shows where there is no fanart yet (plenty of those), I imagine it will use the default TV backdrops which will make it a bit confusing for the wife...
I doesn't use anything yet. Still, maybe that'll incentivise people to get that fanart on thetvdb.com. On a related note, I'm going to properly start rewriting those plot synopses this evening (have only done seasons one and two of Red Dwarf so far), and they'll all be of a uniform length. So when you look at shows like Lost and The X-Files in Aeon, it should never have to scroll and it'll never look too short.
smcnally75
2008-06-13, 22:33
My only worry is for shows where there is no fanart yet (plenty of those), I imagine it will use the default TV backdrops which will make it a bit confusing for the wife...
If there isn't any fanart for some shows you have then make something and upload it to the site. It doesn't have to be incredible...anything would be better than nothing. I had one show that had no fan art so I went online, found a photo of the cast that looked 1/2 way decent, uploaded it, and it was showing as a background on my xbox in about 15 minutes.
http://www.aeoncentral.com/downloads/misc/aeon_tvfinal5.jpg
I love this view.
If I may make a suggestion...i would LOVE this view available for Movies and library view, with posters instead of episodes...that way the backgrounds could "really" be seen. Just a thought...
Give it time. :;):
Movie Posters in that view would look awesome!
smcnally75
2008-06-13, 22:58
http://www.aeoncentral.com/downloads/misc/aeon_tvfinal5.jpg
Movie Posters in that view would look awesome!
I agree!:nod:
Sod it. It's not like I was ever any good at keeping secrets.
http://www.aeoncentral.com/downloads/misc/aeon_moviefinal.jpg
Sod it. It's not like I was ever any good at keeping secrets.
http://www.aeoncentral.com/downloads/misc/aeon_moviefinal.jpg
The only missing from that is the IMDB rating :;): Some lovely grey stars like in iTunes would look fantastic...
platanito21
2008-06-14, 00:23
The only missing from that is the IMDB rating :;): Some lovely grey stars like in iTunes would look fantastic...
Consider me SOLD on this skin. Great job man
Rob Xbox User
2008-06-14, 00:49
Quick query - sorry if already answered in a previous post.
User definable tabs on the main menu would be really handy. Will this feaure ever be supported? Eg Cartoons, Music Videos?
And that's the standard poster info done. I can finally do away with that slightly rubbish info panel I've been using.
http://www.aeoncentral.com/downloads/misc/aeon_movieinfo.jpg
Roll on Sunday! Fantastic stuff.
SandmanCL
2008-06-14, 07:37
The only missing from that is the IMDB rating :;): Some lovely grey stars like in iTunes would look fantastic...
IMDB Rating and Duration of Movie :nod:
Sod it. It's not like I was ever any good at keeping secrets.
http://www.aeoncentral.com/downloads/misc/aeon_moviefinal.jpg
LOL.
Sunday can't come around quick enough.:laugh:
djh, just a quick question - what files need to be copied from an old version to a newer one to keep all your folder destinations? It'd make it easier to copy something across than having to set it all up from scratch again.
bionic1234
2008-06-14, 12:27
AWESOME - what can I say djh you hit the mark with every one of the tv episode views and i like the movie views that you have shown as well.
Didn't see any "tv series" listings - only one comment - a wide banner view would be perfect for those of us that use folder.jpg and/or tvdb banners
BTW: thanks so much for the user selectable fix for those of us with different video cards (ie; Intel onboard) (aka "Force GPU Friendly Mode") - WORKS PERFECT!
Sodapop666
2008-06-14, 13:02
I've seen these wonderful sharp movieposters on this beautiful skin, but I'm not sure I've seen the same magic on my screen at home.
What size are you using for the movieposters? And any special kind of format?
Thanks for the injection to the old xbox. And other streaming platforms as well.
smcnally75
2008-06-14, 14:20
I've seen these wonderful sharp movieposters on this beautiful skin, but I'm not sure I've seen the same magic on my screen at home.
What size are you using for the movieposters? And any special kind of format?
Thanks for the injection to the old xbox. And other streaming platforms as well.
This could be due to a bunch of things. Answering these questions may help narrow it down though.
#1 - What resolution is your XBOX set to output at?
#2 - What brand, size, and type of TV do you have?
#3 - What are you using as a movie scraper?
And, most likely of all, what resolution are your thumbnails set at in advancedsettings.xml? Unless it's changed recently, the default resolution on Xbox is lower than HD requires. That said, running HD thumbnails on Xbox does potentially cause problems with memory consumption.
Check the XBMC wiki for info on advancedsettings.xml.
Sundays almost here (In New Zealand that is :) We're the first country in the world to see it.)
Sodapop666
2008-06-14, 16:21
#1 - It is set to 720 wide
#2 - Samsung 42' Just HD, not full HD
#3 - No idea what a scraper is. I download the cover on the internet and adjusts it in photoshop. I usually set it to about 700x1000.
I havent ever opened the advancesettings.xml but maybe I will now :) What settings do you recommend I set there considering the facts stated above?
Thanks for help and interest
smcnally75
2008-06-14, 17:40
#1 - It is set to 720 wide
#2 - Samsung 42' Just HD, not full HD
720p is HD. There really is no such thing as "Full HD" since the top end is always getting higher. Hitachi is showing a new display at Infocomm this year that has 2160p
#3 - No idea what a scraper is. I download the cover on the internet and adjusts it in photoshop. I usually set it to about 700x1000.
When you setup your movie folders you want to go to "Set Content" and then set it up as "Movies" and then select "IMDB" as the scraper. It will then automatically get the posters for you and populate the movie descriptions. If you are downloading the posters and resizing them then you are doin a lot of un-necessary work. I would suggest flipping through the XBMC manual too because if you missed that you probably aren't aware of a bunch of features available to you.
RisenGryn
2008-06-15, 02:03
Hi,
First of all, thank u for the best skin ever made for xbmc :)
so, Anyone got any good backdrops for the settings and/or apps screen ?
Regards
RisenGryn
pantherman007
2008-06-15, 03:00
And, most likely of all, what resolution are your thumbnails set at in advancedsettings.xml? Unless it's changed recently, the default resolution on Xbox is lower than HD requires. That said, running HD thumbnails on Xbox does potentially cause problems with memory consumption.
Check the XBMC wiki for info on advancedsettings.xml.
What would you recommend as the ideal setting for thumbnail sizes for use in AEON?
ALPHA11 is up. Please see the readme.txt for known issues and Fanart guidance, and bear in mind the entire view system had to be restructured for this one. In all, several hundred lines of code have been changed over the last couple of days. And, as ever, note the bit that reads ALPHA. I will eat the next person who complains about some piddly animation or visibility issue. That goes for "the List view's shit" and "the File Manager doesn't work" too.
www.aeoncentral.com
smcnally75
2008-06-15, 04:53
So would I be bitching if I pointed out that the navigation bar doesn't show any text until you click on something? :D
I just loaded Alpha11 and I can't see where I'm going.
smcnally75
2008-06-15, 04:55
BTW...I just found my way to the movies and the "Showcase" view is the shit!
smcnally75
2008-06-15, 05:04
BTW...In case the "no text" happens to anyone else...Once I found my way into the settings and set it to "Xbox Mode" it fixed the issue for me.
I don't know about the first thing you mentioned - it's not a problem on Linux, at least. But there is a problem with the backdrops not showing in Showcase for TV Show root folders, so bear with me a sec while I fix that.
EDIT: Ah, I see. Xbox mode should enable by default on Xbox hardware. Have the system detect conditions not gone in yet or something?
Okay, I'm uploading a fixed version now. But for those who've already downloaded it, here's a file you can drop into your Aeon/720p folder. After extracting it, of course.
http://www.aeoncentral.com/downloads/misc/MyVideoNav.zip
smcnally75
2008-06-15, 05:15
Must not have because I had to select it. Dude, the new TV and movie views are absolutely amazing! It is exactly what I've been looking for since I started using XBMC. I really like how it goes right to the movie decription a little bit after you stop scrolling. Awesome job!
ewequeone
2008-06-15, 06:58
thanks for the update, greatly appreciated.
one issue I have is, because the wide icon view has been removed, all of the wide icons that are set as my episode icons are obviously not in the correct aspect ratio when in the showcase view.
I can't find any way to change the icon in this view .. in each show's view, I can change the icon by "set season thumb".
WOW. The new update is amazing. I have shit bricks.
Hey... the List view's shit and the File Manager doesn't work. ;)
Seriously, this is an amazing release. I'm in awe of Aeon.
I love the new showcase view for tvshows. When you have fanart in the background it looks great.
If I can make a suggestion, though, I would reduce the time it takes to display the plot. Now it is set to about 3 seconds, I would make that 2. I don't know if I can customize that by myself.
As soon as wide icons get reintroduced, the TV part of the skin will be perfect.
steve1977
2008-06-15, 09:35
As always, another awesome update!!!
I have an important question: is anyone using the Port for OSX and is everything working properly? Which release of XBMC for OSX are you using? Since the code forked, I am completely confused...
so, Anyone got any good backdrops for the settings and/or apps screen ?
http://www.teirney.net/blog/2008/05/21/photeon-backdrops-for-xbmc-aeon-skin-released/
What would you recommend as the ideal setting for thumbnail sizes for use in AEON?
On the Xbox I don't think you should change it because of the memory limitations.
On my HTPC I think it's set to something like 288 or even 384.
ALPHA11 is up.
And here was me thinking we'd have to wait until this evening.:;):
Nice Father's Day pressie.:grin:
djh this is great sutff mate. every release its getting more and more slick.
i like the new view in library mode to. its great.
like i think someone else mentioned having imdb rating on the main partof the view along with teh WAR/DRAMA ect taht it shows a film would be perfecto :)
just putting a votein the hat for that
thanks for your effort putting this together
Just one little thing, when entering 'Movies' or 'TV Shows' the on-focus (I think that's what it's called) is on the view types and not the first video and then when you go deeper into TV Shows or go back the View Type is not shown so you have to press down twice to get the focus back on the videos.
Is there a way to always have it on the video files and not the View Types?
fluidman
2008-06-15, 14:54
again another awesome release, thanks for the great work!
hmm.. i dont seem to get the fanart to work... i set the content to thetvdb.com it scanned the content shows the plot and all but no fanart/episode thumbs, etc... what do i do wrong?
MikeBeecham
2008-06-15, 15:18
This is a great new version....excellent new views. The only critique I have at the moment, is that when entering TV Shows 'list' view, all my wide icons are squashed into that 'poster' panel on the right...
...is there a fix for this?
Just one little thing, when entering 'Movies' or 'TV Shows' the on-focus (I think that's what it's called) is on the view types and not the first video and then when you go deeper into TV Shows or go back the View Type is not shown so you have to press down twice to get the focus back on the videos.
Is there a way to always have it on the video files and not the View Types?
There's a very good reason why it does that, unfortunately, which is that the timings of the animations go beserk if you default to the icons themselves. So you come back from watching a movie and you have more icons than there should be, one of which is out of place, and a load of text on top. That kinda thing. If there's a workaround, I'll use it, but I haven't found one yet.
This is a great new version....excellent new views. The only critique I have at the moment, is that when entering TV Shows 'list' view, all my wide icons are squashed into that 'poster' panel on the right...
...is there a fix for this?
A wide icon view, I dare suggest, much like the one arriving next Sunday.
MikeBeecham
2008-06-15, 15:29
cool....I will put up with this until then ;) Great work again Dunc.
Razor_109
2008-06-15, 16:06
i'm running this skin atm on my HTPC, and it's perfect...
but i got one question, Apple Movie Trailer Script wont work when i'm using this skin..
i have to switch to PMIII to make it work.. any suggestions? or is it planned to be fixed? or not?
MikeBeecham
2008-06-15, 16:13
I daresay that it's on Dunc' to-do list! I wouldn't worry for now...after all, we're in the Summer of Aeon!!!
:D
Great job DJH! Really good. Seriously love!
Pitty the "File Manager" ain't working yet... hahahaha... l8r and keep the good work up!
MikeBeecham
2008-06-15, 16:55
Just one thing that I've noticed...I believe the 'Now Playing' was supposed to be fixed? However, I can see that this section is now skinned, but there is no text or album cover showing...it is, for all intense and purpose "blank".
Dunc, any thought about this?
Almost certainly an issue with the view types getting restructured and the window not being updated. The kind of problem, dare I say, that you could fix within the space of a single forum post.
http://www.aeoncentral.com/downloads/misc/MyMusicPlaylist.zip
smcnally75
2008-06-15, 17:07
If I can make a suggestion, though, I would reduce the time it takes to display the plot. Now it is set to about 3 seconds, I would make that 2. I don't know if I can customize that by myself.
I felt it was a bit long myself but I'm sure different people think differently about this. DJH, is there an xml file we could manually edit to change the delay? 3 seconds is fine with me, but if I could make it a little faster myself, I would.
MikeBeecham
2008-06-15, 17:12
Almost certainly an issue with the view types getting restructured and the window not being updated. The kind of problem, dare I say, that you could fix within the space of a single forum post.
Thanks for this Duncan. To be honest, i was not intending to test all these elements...I was just trying to do various things and came across them when I did!
Will be sure put them ALL in one post in the future ;)
I figured this would be an issue. Given that I can't use user-defined strings to control things like timings (not an XBMC option as far as I know), the most I can realistically do is put an option in there to simply "quicken" the switch to, say, two seconds. Even then, though, it's a grossly inefficient way of doing things.
If you want to change the timing yourself, you need to edit two files:
Includes.xml:
- do a find/replace on the phrase: delay="3000" and change it to, say, delay="2000" (for two seconds). Change all instances.
FullscreenViews.xml:
- do exactly the same thing: find and replace all instances of delay="3000" with your own choice of time.
Thanks for this Duncan. To be honest, i was not intending to test all these elements...I was just trying to do various things and came across them when I did!
Will be sure put them ALL in one post in the future ;)
Heh, I wasn't complaining! I was simply saying I could provide a fix within the one forum post, which I did. It's not like I'm Mr Concise when it comes to forum posting. On which note, those looking for instructions of changing timings should refer to my previous post which occurred about three seconds ago.
smcnally75
2008-06-15, 19:01
I figured this would be an issue. Given that I can't use user-defined strings to control things like timings (not an XBMC option as far as I know), the most I can realistically do is put an option in there to simply "quicken" the switch to, say, two seconds. Even then, though, it's a grossly inefficient way of doing things.
If you want to change the timing yourself, you need to edit two files:
Includes.xml:
- do a find/replace on the phrase: delay="3000" and change it to, say, delay="2000" (for two seconds). Change all instances.
FullscreenViews.xml:
- do exactly the same thing: find and replace all instances of delay="3000" with your own choice of time.
Thanks!
First of all great work on the update. Love the new view.
I have two question for you djh_.
The first is regarding making it possible to filter by watched/unwatched and adding the checkmark icon to the movies that are flagged as watched. I was going to try out the mods listed on the AEON website if they support this, however the whole mods directory was gone (due to incompatibility?).
Any status/thoughts on implanting this?
When in the library view and pressing the "Info" key the box that is displayed with the Movies information is quite hard to see. Maybe reduce the transparency or make the info dialog into a solid box. Perhaps the same style/color that the new auto info dialog when hovering over a movie is?
Just a few thoughts, and keep up the good work (looking forward for Wide Icon support). Aeon is easily the most visual appealing skin out there.
The first is regarding making it possible to filter by watched/unwatched and adding the checkmark icon to the movies that are flagged as watched.
Next Sunday.
When in the library view and pressing the "Info" key the box that is displayed with the Movies information is quite hard to see. Maybe reduce the transparency or make the info dialog into a solid box. Perhaps the same style/color that the new auto info dialog when hovering over a movie is?
Ah, I think you may be committing the cardinal sin here of forgetting that ALPHA status. I think the easiest way to put it would be that if the view isn't great, or at least functional, then it's yet to be designed/implemented. All the dedicated Info screens and dialogs are designed solely for the standard panel views at the moment, not the newer stuff like fullscreen/wall views. So thanks for the suggestion, but it's unnecessary.
Next Sunday..
Please please please please make this optional. I don't used the watched flags (I can remember what I have and have not watched thanks, and its useless if you have more than 1 person using XBMC) and I hate the overlay icon as it always ruins my lovely movie posters.
It will be optional and, even if you do use it, won't be an overlay. It'll purely be applied to the episodes displayed in the Episode view - coz let's face it, if you can't remember which movies you've watched you're either a) brain damaged, or b) my wife.
Just thought I'd share some bonkers statistics with you.
Top five backdrop downloads for June 2008.
1) Army Of Darkness (20619 downloads)
2) Daredevil (19984)
3) Catwoman (1687)
4) Aeon Flux (1677)
5) 30 Days Of Night (1675)
Hypotheses:
- Bruce Campbell is God (scientific fact)
- Jennifer Garner is Mrs God (arguable, but likely)
- An Evil Dead starring the above would be the most successful movie in history
- Catwoman wasn't shit (impossible)
- Halle Berry has tits greater than Catwoman's shitness (likely)
- Anything with the name Aeon attached is great (scientific fact)
- I'm being leeched by some very specific websites
Seriously, though, WTF?
It will be optional and, even if you do use it, won't be an overlay. It'll purely be applied to the episodes displayed in the Episode view - coz let's face it, if you can't remember which movies you've watched you're either a) brain damaged, or b) my wife.
Exactly! When this was first implemented I thought the same exact things... only really useful for TV series.
djh... nice improvements lately but I have one ask = on the pop-up menus while watching a video, please make it easier to see what item is selected. Currently you have both the selected and un-selected text as white. Even though different shades/intensities, even on my 65" DLP it is difficult, or impossible, to see the difference depending on the lighting. It would be great to use a highlight or text color change.
thx!
Just thought I'd share some bonkers statistics with you.
Top five backdrop downloads for June 2008.
1) Army Of Darkness (20619 downloads)
(...)
"Aeon - Boomstick Edition"
Don't joke about it. By those stats, I'd save some serious bandwidth if I made the default backdrop a picture of Bruce Campbell's face.
BTW...In case the "no text" happens to anyone else...Once I found my way into the settings and set it to "Xbox Mode" it fixed the issue for me.
didn't work for me, but using the alternative font worked.
It will be optional and, even if you do use it, won't be an overlay. It'll purely be applied to the episodes displayed in the Episode view - coz let's face it, if you can't remember which movies you've watched you're either a) brain damaged, or b) my wife.
Fantastic, I'll never doubt you again :oo:
1) Army Of Darkness (20619 downloads)
Seriously, though, WTF?
I bet the majority of those downloads were not for use with Aeon but people just looking for a good wallpaper of AoD/Brucie for use with a computer. I'd check the refer logs if your curious as you might find its some Evil Dead website with a direct link to your image...
Kprojekt
2008-06-15, 22:10
It will be optional and, even if you do use it, won't be an overlay. It'll purely be applied to the episodes displayed in the Episode view - coz let's face it, if you can't remember which movies you've watched you're either a) brain damaged, or b) my wife.
Frak me! I laughed so hard after I read your post-so true.
The new showcase view is perfect, going in the proper direction. Minimalist and sleek.
Two questions,
When going into movie view the selection is automatically on the top bar, would it be possible to have the selection already on the first film; so inexperienced users would not get confused.
Also I cannot figure out how you've managed to get fanart for every episode in TV View. Did you just end up generating your own thumbs manually-tvdb.com only loads the backdrop for me.
Bruce Campbell
2008-06-15, 22:11
Just thought I'd share some bonkers statistics with you.
Top five backdrop downloads for June 2008.
1) Army Of Darkness (20619 downloads)
2) Daredevil (19984)
3) Catwoman (1687)
4) Aeon Flux (1677)
5) 30 Days Of Night (1675)
Hypotheses:
- Bruce Campbell is God (scientific fact)
- Jennifer Garner is Mrs God (arguable, but likely)
- An Evil Dead starring the above would be the most successful movie in history
- Catwoman wasn't shit (impossible)
- Halle Berry has tits greater than Catwoman's shitness (likely)
- Anything with the name Aeon attached is great (scientific fact)
- I'm being leeched by some very specific websites
Seriously, though, WTF?
Hail to the King, baby.
I'm having trouble since I upgraded to Alpha 11. I was using an older version of XBMC and Aeon and everything was fine. I upgraded to T3CH dated 1 June and Aeon alpha 11 and I stated having problems; no display of the background images. I can go into the settings and see them but when I go to the homescreen they are not showing up at all! I reinstalled the latest T3CH again and even tried to go back to alpha 10b and it still doesnt work! HELP!
thanks-
flik55
djh - any idea of the timescale for when we'll see the full screen visualisation for music playback with the album art and info on show working properly?
ZTOctavian
2008-06-16, 00:35
Fantastic work!
Just wondering Ive followed the readme for the links but their not working heres a portion of the sources.xml
I just get an add source line when I go into the TC Series or Movies.
(These PATHS worked fine for e.g. PMIII skin)
<!-- My Videos shares !-->
<Movies>
<default>Movies</default>
<source>
<name>Movies</name>
<path>smb://dell8300/media 320gb/Movies/</path>
</source>
</Movies>
<TV Shows>
<default>TV Shows</default>
<source>
<name>TV Shows</name>
<path>smb://dell8300/media 320gb/TV Series/</path>
</source>
</TV Shows>
<video>
</video>
Any ideas much appreciated
Thanks
Nick
Awesome work AGAIN djh_
Not to hassle, but I'd also like to add to the requests to bring back wide icons (why did you take it out btw?)
Competes2win
2008-06-16, 04:12
Awesome work AGAIN djh_
Not to hassle, but I'd also like to add to the requests to bring back wide icons (why did you take it out btw?)
He has said that a revised wide icons view will be available next sunday.
Rand Al Thor
2008-06-16, 04:16
- Bruce Campbell is God (scientific fact)
- Jennifer Garner is Mrs God (arguable, but likely)
- An Evil Dead starring the above would be the most successful movie in history
My thoughts exactly ;) No one delivers a line like old Bruce. Great updates by the way. Lookin' mighty fine.
Oh yeah... Shop smart. Shop S-Mart!
STRAiGHTjACKET
2008-06-16, 08:08
I'm having trouble since I upgraded to Alpha 11. I was using an older version of XBMC and Aeon and everything was fine. I upgraded to T3CH dated 1 June and Aeon alpha 11 and I stated having problems; no display of the background images. I can go into the settings and see them but when I go to the homescreen they are not showing up at all! I reinstalled the latest T3CH again and even tried to go back to alpha 10b and it still doesnt work! HELP!
thanks-
flik55
same
Alpha11 & June 06 build works fine for me and I have been "updating" for months, nothing 'clean' about my system.
If you have problem I suggest wipe and replace... or spend a lot of time troubleshooting -- either way, it is your install, not the app/skin
Hello!
I have just started using Aeon.
I'm a bit confused when your in different setup menus. Is it really supposed to only use the bottom half of the screen? If you in Aeon setup and browsing for backdrops, the navigation is really a pain because you only have a few rows with file listings instead of using the whole screen.
Also, the menu choice in the middle is just where the green is to it's not possible to read it (white on green).
http://xyz.pp.se/~thnov/up/DSCN2121.JPG
He has said that a revised wide icons view will be available next sunday.
oh awesome I must have missed that
I have the ALPHA11 release and XBMC T3CH 2006-06-01. When I pause while watching a movie or press START the dialogs that pop out from the left are placed wrong. It also looks strange if you both pause and then bring up the start-dialog, they are on top of each other.
Paused:
http://xyz.pp.se/~thnov/up/DSCN2122.JPG
Start:
http://xyz.pp.se/~thnov/up/DSCN2123.JPG
smcnally75
2008-06-16, 16:27
I have the ALPHA11 release and XBMC T3CH 2006-06-01. When I pause while watching a movie or press START the dialogs that pop out from the left are placed wrong. It also looks strange if you both pause and then bring up the start-dialog, they are on top of each other.
Paused:
http://xyz.pp.se/~thnov/up/DSCN2122.JPG
Start:
http://xyz.pp.se/~thnov/up/DSCN2123.JPG
This is an ALPHA release. Expect bugs :;):
MikeBeecham
2008-06-16, 16:34
I was just about to say this. You have to respect the fact that Duncan is doing this by himself on his own time...there will be issues yet to be resolved, so expect that.
And as said...it's not a finished skin, it's in Alpha stage!
Indeed, though I wouldn't expect those kinds of results. At a glance, I'd say there are a number of things wrong with that setup:
- the overscan compensation (video calibration) hasn't been set so everything's going off the sides of the screen
- if that's an HDTV then it shouldn't even need overscan calibration, which makes me wonder if it's even running in HD. It might just be the angle of the photographs, but the GUI looks a little big there while the text is oversized. Those are problems I'd associated with a PAL16x9/4x3 setup, if anything
- I have no idea why the menubar in that Settings screen isn't displaying - it's not an issue I've ever seen or heard of
And are you really running a June 2006 version of XBMC, or should that read 2008? If it's the former then, mate, what did you expect?
Maybe Mike Beecham could chip in on this one. He's been running Aeon in PAL16x9 and is having a relatively trouble-free experience.
EDIT: Oh, I see that he has. Okay, maybe he could chip in again.
MikeBeecham
2008-06-16, 17:11
Hi Duncan,
Yes, I'm more than happy to confirm that Aeon running in 16x9 is quite good really. I've a fairly old 28" SD Widescreen TV. I would expect the fonts to be a little blurry, but actually all textures seem to be working very well.
There are some inherant issues that come with the fact that the skin is only in alpha stage, but I would expect those.
The only thing I could imagine causing those issues is that you're trying to run it in 16x9, whereas your screen is obviosuly HD
http://xyz.pp.se/~thnov/up/DSCN2122.JPG
Definitely looks like it hasn't been calibrated.
Here's how it looks on my HDTV -
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk146/HitcherUK/S6300035.jpg
- I have no idea why the menubar in that Settings screen isn't displaying - it's not an issue I've ever seen or heard of
Happens to me when I forget to remove all of the previous Aeon stuff from my advancedsettings.xml (or whichever file was used) when upgrading Aeon. Try deleting that stuff and trying again.
For djh... any way this could be easily avoided by just appending the version to "Aeon" for those settings? So instead of "Aeon" it would be "Aeon10b", "Aeon11", etc?
Only by changing the name of the skin, however that's determined, be it in the skin.xml or from the foldername of the skin itself. But do you really want a guisettings.xml that bloats horribly with every update?
Oh, and while you're here, how would I go about replacing some episode thumbnails on thetvdb.com? The Red Dwarf ones are all lo-res, like.
Indeed, though I wouldn't expect those kinds of results. At a glance, I'd say there are a number of things wrong with that setup:
- the overscan compensation (video calibration) hasn't been set so everything's going off the sides of the screen
- if that's an HDTV then it shouldn't even need overscan calibration, which makes me wonder if it's even running in HD. It might just be the angle of the photographs, but the GUI looks a little big there while the text is oversized. Those are problems I'd associated with a PAL16x9/4x3 setup, if anything
- I have no idea why the menubar in that Settings screen isn't displaying - it's not an issue I've ever seen or heard of
And are you really running a June 2006 version of XBMC, or should that read 2008? If it's the former then, mate, what did you expect?
Maybe Mike Beecham could chip in on this one. He's been running Aeon in PAL16x9 and is having a relatively trouble-free experience.
EDIT: Oh, I see that he has. Okay, maybe he could chip in again.
I'm running my XBOX in NTSC mode and under Video>Screen it's set to 720p 16:9 and under System>Video Hardware Video Aspect was normal and Enable 720p checked. I changed Video Aspect to widescreen but still it looks funny.
I have done video calibration and I have the arrows aligned perfectly. Although I had to move it alot to get it like that, I have value 41,24 on top left and 38,25 on bottom right.
I have a 40" Samsung LE-40F86BD.
Edit: I found another setting under Video>Player and that was Resolution. It was set to NTSC 4:3 but I changed it to NTSC 16:9. Still same issue though. Found a lot of settings to change though :)
Oh really, is it 2008 now? Yes, I have XBMC 2008-06-01 and not 2006 :)
Oh, and while you're here, how would I go about replacing some episode thumbnails on thetvdb.com? The Red Dwarf ones are all lo-res, like.
Let me know which episodes/seasons you're doing and I'll remove the current ones for you to replace. We used to have a better system in place, but apparently Coco is fixing it or changing it, since it's not there right now. :)
Remove 'em all for Red Dwarf and I'll replace them within the hour. How's that?
ZTOctavian
2008-06-16, 21:06
Fantastic work!
Just wondering Ive followed the readme for the links but their not working heres a portion of the sources.xml
I just get an add source line when I go into the TC Series or Movies.
(These PATHS worked fine for e.g. PMIII skin)
<!-- My Videos shares !-->
<Movies>
<default>Movies</default>
<source>
<name>Movies</name>
<path>smb://dell8300/media 320gb/Movies/</path>
</source>
</Movies>
<TV Shows>
<default>TV Shows</default>
<source>
<name>TV Shows</name>
<path>smb://dell8300/media 320gb/TV Series/</path>
</source>
</TV Shows>
<video>
</video>
Any ideas much appreciated
Thanks
Nick
Anyone have any ideas? :sad: ??? I tried a bunch of stuff last night but no go??
I had sources setup for other skins and all ok then copied the sample from the readme.txt supplied with revision 11.
Please? Im dying to get this up and running!!
The link to sample source.xml seems to be down aswell.
Thank in advance!
Nick
Remove 'em all for Red Dwarf and I'll replace them within the hour. How's that?
Go ahead. All ready for you. :) No need to rush on them. As long as they get in within the next day or two it's fine.
And that's the standard poster info done. I can finally do away with that slightly rubbish info panel I've been using.
http://www.aeoncentral.com/downloads/misc/aeon_movieinfo.jpg
I absolutely love that video info panel. Is that in the new build DJH??? Haven't got to try it just yet?
Anyone have any ideas? :sad: ??? I tried a bunch of stuff last night but no go??
I had sources setup for other skins and all ok then copied the sample from the readme.txt supplied with revision 11.
Please? Im dying to get this up and running!!
The link to sample source.xml seems to be down aswell.
Thank in advance!
Nick
Send me your sources.xml file (djh@aeoncentral.com) and I'll take a look.
ZTOctavian
2008-06-16, 23:13
Wow :shocked:
Thanks a million!
I tried another 1 or two things but no go?
Popped it in an email,
Regards,
Nick.
Edit: I found another setting under Video>Player and that was Resolution. It was set to NTSC 4:3 but I changed it to NTSC 16:9. Still same issue though. Found a lot of settings to change though :)
I reinstalled XBMC to a new location and then installed Aeon. Problem gone. What I noticed on my old install was that all fonts looked huge. Also when I was using PMIII.
Edit: I found another setting under Video>Player and that was Resolution. It was set to NTSC 4:3 but I changed it to NTSC 16:9. Still same issue though. Found a lot of settings to change though :)
It needs to be the same resolution as the screen. ie 720p 16:9.
ZTOctavian
2008-06-17, 00:35
:grin: Up and running now THANKS VERY MUCH! djh
Nick
Erk. How do I upload thumbnails to thetvdb.com?
I assume it's the "episode banner upload" bit, but it gives me an "Only one episode image is allowed" error, even though there's no image. Something left over in the database?
Oh, and if you're going to recognise highest rated fanart "artists", what happens about the myriad 1080p ones that have gone up having been leeched from my site? I've spent ages on those. :angry::;):
Kprojekt
2008-06-17, 06:18
So I realized why it would not display fanart for the episodes. Basically my database was incredibly old so I ended up wiping my database clean and everything works out.
So I also have been getting the same issue as other people where the fanart disappears sometimes. Also noticed a bug that it turns to blank after you change it to a different fanart.
I'll also have to upgrade to a linux box as my xbox will halt sometimes during Showcase View.
Erk. How do I upload thumbnails to thetvdb.com?
I assume it's the "episode banner upload" bit, but it gives me an "Only one episode image is allowed" error, even though there's no image. Something left over in the database?
Oh, and if you're going to recognise highest rated fanart "artists", what happens about the myriad 1080p ones that have gone up having been leeched from my site? I've spent ages on those. :angry::;):
Sorry.. you should be able to upload them now. I didn't write that code, so it took me a bit to figure out what was going on. :)
As for recognizing the highest rated fanart artists, I'm not sure what you mean. We only return the single highest rated banner & fanart with the initial series query, since returning all of them at once would kill our bandwidth. Spiff has the scraper using the zipped "all" record, which includes ALL of the fan arts for a series. If you just need credit for the ones you created, send me the links to them and I'll do a SQL query on them to change the creator to you. For some of them people just grabbed the promotional art and uploaded them, so that would only apply to ones you actually modified in some way since people could have just as easily gotten them from the original source.
How long until the aeon PSD pack is replaced ?
fluidman
2008-06-17, 11:37
hmm.. i dont seem to get the fanart to work... i set the content to thetvdb.com it scanned the content shows the plot and all but no fanart/episode thumbs, etc... what do i do wrong?
???
sandman4sure
2008-06-17, 12:18
???
Try the turn off the setting for showing fanart and then on again.
I had something similar a while back after an update
RisenGryn
2008-06-17, 12:31
:grin: Up and running now THANKS VERY MUCH! djh
Nick
Do you mind sharing the solution since I have the same problem ? :)
Thank you...
Regards
RisenGryn
ZTOctavian
2008-06-17, 15:21
hey there!
No problem but ill have to send it this evening! (6hours from now) Im at work.
ill forward on the mail I got from djh if ok with him!
All good!
nick out
Just managed to get 4 other XBMC uses to change to AEON... They loving it!
cellopoly
2008-06-17, 18:51
Quick Question: Does anyone know how to add views to a different folder.
For example: Ive been trying to add the showcase episode view to the ARCADE folder because I think it would be perfect for SNES games. If anyone has any ideas or places to do some research I would really appreciate the guidance.
djh... it seems like there's only one view for the Clips section. Would list mode be possible? I also noticed there's no view toggles for Clips in the settings. I don't use those toggles, but I thought I would point it out in case it was an oversight. :)
It's not nearly as easy as you might think. You're talking a lot of control changes, a whole subset of visibility conditions affecting what views appear where, and a slightly less daunting dask involving backdrops.
That said, you're dangerously close to convincing me on this. I reckon two or three modified Showcase views (i.e. different thumbnail sizes and all of the above) would cover the vast majority of emulated titles. SNES and N64 would be one, Mega Drive and Master System would be another, poster view would cover MAME flyers, and a CD-style square would cover PS1 and PC Engine. Would I want four different versions of the same view active at once? No, but I'm sure a compromise could be reached.
Imagine the existing Library database extended to cover retro games, separating them by format with a dynamic view/info system covering the lot. Virtual Console would have a hard time even eating the nuts out of its shit. Sadly, I can't even get XBMC Linux to spawn a new window for my emulators at the moment, so the dream remains a dream.
@szsori: Clips is something I need to attend to. To be honest, I've always treated it like a trashcan for temporary files, so I never quite know what to do with it. I did think List was working, though.
joebrady
2008-06-17, 22:44
For anyone looking for additional backdrops. You can sort by resolution and save as the file type you like.
http://interfacelift.com/wallpaper/index.php?sort=date
hired goon
2008-06-18, 00:34
G'day,
The new alpha11 is way cool.
Since I use XBMC for music more than video, my one wish would be album view for music, as provided in a previous mod.
--Geoff
I got a question.... I have alot of tv shows that are dvd files so there are like 4 episodes on one dvd. I know how to make the Library recognize the 4 episodes individually (the info on each episode is different and correct.) but when it connects to tvdb.com to download the screen shots it place's the same screenshot across the 4 episodes. so dvd1 (ep's 1-4) all have episode 1's screen shot.and dvd2 (ep's 5-8) all have episode 5's screen shot. anyone else having this problem? I know there are still bugs to work out... good work djh. It looks sooo good.
dteirney
2008-06-18, 00:48
@szsori: Clips is something I need to attend to. To be honest, I've always treated it like a trashcan for temporary files, so I never quite know what to do with it. I did think List was working, though.
I'm using the Clips view to point to a myth:// protocol Source so I can watch recorded content off a backend MythTV box. I'm on holiday at the moment so can't try, but if the List view is broken then I'll need to stay on the previous release :(
In the 10b release we noticed that we have to delete content twice before it gets removed from the Clips list. I posted that as a possible problem with the myth:// protocol in that version of the XBMC release. But, is it possible that is a problem with the skin ???
For anyone looking for additional backdrops. You can sort by resolution and save as the file type you like.
http://interfacelift.com/wallpaper/index.php?sort=date
Very nice. Thanks.
In the 10b release we noticed that we have to delete content twice before it gets removed from the Clips list. I posted that as a possible problem with the myth:// protocol in that version of the XBMC release. But, is it possible that is a problem with the skin ???
No, I was able to delete content all the time in the Clips section without having to do it twice, so it was probably a myth protocol issue.
What I've been doing in the meantime is going into TV Shows in file mode and then going 1 level back to get to the clips dir. Easy enough stopgap for now.
I got a question.... I have alot of tv shows that are dvd files so there are like 4 episodes on one dvd. I know how to make the Library recognize the 4 episodes individually (the info on each episode is different and correct.) but when it connects to tvdb.com to download the screen shots it place's the same screenshot across the 4 episodes. so dvd1 (ep's 1-4) all have episode 1's screen shot.and dvd2 (ep's 5-8) all have episode 5's screen shot. anyone else having this problem? I know there are still bugs to work out... good work djh. It looks sooo good.
This is more of an XBMC scraper issue than a skin issue. Try making a new thread in the support area and I'm sure someone can help you troubleshoot. Providing more detailed info, including linking to your logfile, would help whoever is going to help you.
@szsori: Clips is something I need to attend to. To be honest, I've always treated it like a trashcan for temporary files, so I never quite know what to do with it. I did think List was working, though.
I use it for temporary downloads that I'm not planning on keeping. I would guess that most people use it in similar fashion since there are areas dedicated to the other types of media. List view is plenty for me.
jaredharley
2008-06-18, 09:39
Love the latest update, it's looking great! I've got a question about fanart, though.
I installed yesterday's T3CH and alpha11 fresh this evening, and completely remade the whole videodb, and I'm still not getting fanart. I do have it enabled, and I am using tvdb.com. The show I was watching tonight was Stargate Atlantis, and I was looking at both the seasons and episodes view in showcase mode (the one where the images are all along the bottom). The background went to a nice frosted-white, which I am assuming is underneath the fanart when it is displayed. Is there anything else I'm missing that I need to get it to show?
ewequeone
2008-06-18, 10:02
jared, I had accidentally deleted the cached thumbnails directories (Q:\UserData\Thumbnails or something, can't remember specifically) and none of the farnart (or any art for that matter) was showing up. I tried to update the library, clean it etc, to no avail.
In the end, I deleted the Library .db file and started a fresh and it all worked fine.
Hope this helps.
Is is the same for all series? Or is there just no fanart for Stargate Atlantis?
Competes2win
2008-06-18, 15:10
Love the latest update, it's looking great! I've got a question about fanart, though.
I installed yesterday's T3CH and alpha11 fresh this evening, and completely remade the whole videodb, and I'm still not getting fanart. I do have it enabled, and I am using tvdb.com. The show I was watching tonight was Stargate Atlantis, and I was looking at both the seasons and episodes view in showcase mode (the one where the images are all along the bottom). The background went to a nice frosted-white, which I am assuming is underneath the fanart when it is displayed. Is there anything else I'm missing that I need to get it to show?
have you tried going to tv show information/get fanart?
I apologise for the really stupid question but how do i get to showcase view?
I apologise for the really stupid question but how do i get to showcase view?
Download the new Aeon Build 11. Over-write your old copy of Aeon with it. Go to either TV Shows or Movies. Go to views (Top Right corner). It should be default to "Episode" or "List" views. And keep clicking on it until it changes to "Showcase". Vellar!
rudeboyx
2008-06-18, 18:30
Love the latest update, it's looking great! I've got a question about fanart, though.
I installed yesterday's T3CH and alpha11 fresh this evening, and completely remade the whole videodb, and I'm still not getting fanart. I do have it enabled, and I am using tvdb.com. The show I was watching tonight was Stargate Atlantis, and I was looking at both the seasons and episodes view in showcase mode (the one where the images are all along the bottom). The background went to a nice frosted-white, which I am assuming is underneath the fanart when it is displayed. Is there anything else I'm missing that I need to get it to show?
Try reset all settings from the aeon settings menu. I had the same problem but this solved it. and yes you will need to set up backdrop folders etc again. dont worry all XBMC Settings Will stay the same its just the aeon settings that get cleared
my4keys82
2008-06-18, 22:40
This is a fantastic skin, thank you!
Good news, I've just built the head revision of xbmc for windows and now all my backgrounds show every time! Previously every now and then I would get a black background so this is great news for us "vista cancer" guys.
Unfortunately the project isn't building right now without a small hack, but I'm sure it'll be sorted very soon.
Mike.
Is there a cream for that?
my4keys82
2008-06-19, 01:24
Yes but it's prescription only!
"Head Revision" being the lastest source files avilable as of the time checked out from SVN.
I'm really looking forward to those wide icon views being available on sunday :)
Does anyone have a vid (youtube?) of this skin in action?? It looks beautiful I'd love to see it!!
a side thought: it's crazy how few vids there are on youtube of xbmc in action with a skin other than project mayham.
Does anyone have a vid (youtube?) of this skin in action?? It looks beautiful I'd love to see it!!
a side thought: it's crazy how few vids there are on youtube of xbmc in action with a skin other than project mayham.
Videos are for kiddies or bored people... people here are busy with creating skins or using them. especially if they want to SEE what the skin can do... they don't watch a video about it. Lame/lazy people do that.
I can see all the GenYouTube'rs saying to themselves "people actually USE something to see if they will like it"??? novel thought huh!
kids these days!:no:
Videos are for kiddies or bored people... people here are busy with creating skins or using them. especially if they want to SEE what the skin can do... they don't watch a video about it. Lame/lazy people do that.
I can see all the GenYouTube'rs saying to themselves "people actually USE something to see if they will like it"??? novel thought huh!
kids these days!:no:
I'm just too lazy to get my HTPC out and hook it up to try this. I'll definitely be installing it tomorrow, I just wanted to see it in action tonight - So I'd say I'm more impatient than lazy lol
pobhockle
2008-06-19, 06:14
Videos are for kiddies or bored people... people here are busy with creating skins or using them. especially if they want to SEE what the skin can do... they don't watch a video about it. Lame/lazy people do that.
I can see all the GenYouTube'rs saying to themselves "people actually USE something to see if they will like it"??? novel thought huh!
kids these days!:no:
Tut.
DJ did have some videos on his site.
get my HTPC out and hook it up to try this
huh?
What's with all the outrage over a simple request for a video? Makes enough sense to me. In fact, I've been thinking about doing one recently.
djh,
Your screen shots speak volumes, videos are not necessary.
My opinion... it would help community a lot to spend that time posting the skin to SVN so we could auto-update when new releases are out (like all the other popular skins) then to create a video for people to lazy to try the skin.
It'd be even better if you used git instead and put it on github (http://www.github.com) :)
shanedoyle
2008-06-19, 14:24
DJH,
First i know its been said a million times but thanks for your work on this skin - it really does life XBMC into a whole new level.. Just one small niggle and please dont flame me ive read most of this 200page thread as i check in often for updates.. Ive rebuilt my xbox recently and have rescanned my music - pressing info on music looks like its doing something but the info screen which has the download thumb option doesnt appear it does work on the other skins..
Is anyone else having this problem - the info views for music and TV are totally superb, i use mine mostly for music i now have three in the house all running your skin
Thanks again
Shane
MikeBeecham
2008-06-19, 15:41
yes, I have this problem also Shane Doyle. it's something that I've mentioned to DJH on MSN, so he is aware of it.
Regards
smcnally75
2008-06-19, 15:58
djh,
Your screen shots speak volumes, videos are not necessary.
My opinion... it would help community a lot to spend that time posting the skin to SVN so we could auto-update when new releases are out (like all the other popular skins) then to create a video for people to lazy to try the skin.
People wanting to see a video of it in action has nothing to do with being lazy.
I guess one could argue that you are lazy for not wanting to make one. :;):
@ bdanger I'll try to get one made and uploaded tonight if I have the time. I'll post the link when it is done.
Don't waste your time, guys. I'm doing one tonight.
shanedoyle
2008-06-19, 17:16
Mike,
Thanks for that - thought i was going slowly bonkers- Do you know what that screen is called perhaps its missing from the latest build but ive quite a collection of XBMC related stuff on an old hard drive and might be able to forage it from there.. If not ill sit and wait being in the IT game myself i appreciate the sheer level of effort and time that goes into producing something of this quality
Again kudos djh - Superb skin if ever ur in Dublin the pints are on me
Shane
ibejaminben
2008-06-19, 17:23
Hey I downliaded the aeon alpha 11 and tried to run it on my xbox but it says i only have part one of two and at the botton it says The Aeon PSD pack for modders should be back up soon - it's being replaced is this what i need to run it on my xbox? what am i doing wrong. please help
joebrady
2008-06-19, 17:51
Download the new Aeon Build 11. Over-write your old copy of Aeon with it. Go to either TV Shows or Movies. Go to views (Top Right corner). It should be default to "Episode" or "List" views. And keep clicking on it until it changes to "Showcase". Vellar!
I'll admit I had this problem at first. The showcase view does not work unless you are in Library mode. I'm a big fan of the files view and would like to see the showcase view incorporated into it. Also, can't wait to see the wide icon view too, especially for the TV section.
davewozere05
2008-06-19, 18:14
sorry if this sounds rude or somat
can we have wide views
shwocase views in file mode
quad/thumbnail views in videos
i use file mode not library mode because i dont know how to add offline library content - the epsidoes dont add to tv shows. i tried editing videodb.xml
can we have wide views
shwocase views in file mode
quad/thumbnail views in videos
Yes.
Yes.
I suppose.
joebrady
2008-06-19, 19:40
When you get around to working on the "now playing" section, I'd like to see a large view similar to this (from the clearity skin)
http://pictures.xbox-scene.com/4/xbmc-clearity/screenshot003_t.jpg
This would look great in my truck with visualizations running in the background. I set the xbox to turn on and play all music and go to the "now playing" screen automatically:cool:
Just my two cents. Keep up the great work! My most favoritest skin ever!
MikeBeecham
2008-06-19, 20:08
There you go Duncan...a nice shiny list of "I wants" for you to play with.
Fill yer boots mate
ibejaminben
2008-06-19, 21:01
I loaded the alpha 11 into my skins file where it says to put skins here but when I go to the skins option in the appearence menu it says that I only have one of two aeons and the font is gray so I can't select it. I haven't been able to get it to run yet. Any answers.
Ps I have nver used Aeon before my default skin is project mayham.
I think you're getting confused with the number of the selected against the number of available skins.
In your case - (1/2) for AEON
Or - (2/2) for PMII
If it's greyed then you need to update your XBMC.
People wanting to see a video of it in action has nothing to do with being lazy.
I guess one could argue that you are lazy for not wanting to make one. :;):
@ bdanger I'll try to get one made and uploaded tonight if I have the time. I'll post the link when it is done.
Thanks!! I'm sure I'm not the only one who would be interested in seeing a vid of this skin in action. I didn't even know about AEON until I read the wikipedia page on xbmc...
I'd like to explain, first of all, that I'm not a fan of wide icons. I don't use them, won't use them, and don't bear them in mind when designing. But I accept that tastes differ, and if people will have banners for TV shows and seasons then I may as well cater for them.
So here are wide icons in Aeon, albeit with the odd sizing and label issue left to iron out. I tried a number of alternative styles, including a vertical wraplist running down the left hand side. None worked. Currently, wide icons are only available in Showcase modes for TV files and the TV library; I don't plan to have them anywhere else. I may decide to extend them to the standard media panels but don't count on it. If someone feels they should be elsewhere and has a compelling reason, I'll consider it. That doesn't, let me stress, include "but I felt the need to make my emulator icons in a 7:1 ratio".
Also, there is no scraper info for wide icons. Again, I tried several options and none looked any better than a fudge, which isn't something I'm willing to accept. Given that scraper info is of little genuine use outside of episode views, I decided to drop it. It's still there, of course, for the standard Showcase views.
http://www.aeoncentral.com/downloads/misc/aeon_wideicons.jpg
Kprojekt
2008-06-20, 05:42
I'm not a huge fan of wide icon view... I believe PMSkin used it and everyone else tailored their skins for wide icon view. Though, kudos to pleasing the people!
What is the alternative? Creating your own icons for TVshows?
Yup. I didn't hesitate in making my own one-sheet (Poster) icons, what with practically all official TV show art being in that format, either as promotional posters or DVD covers. It's why, imo, wide icons/banners look so shit: you've got this slither of artwork on one side, a gulf of blank space in the middle and a logo crammed into the other. Ugh. Okay, so there are good banners and bad ones, but the format just doesn't sit right with me.
djh_
hmmm... I appreciate the time taken to design something for us that you don't personally use. However, I guess it makes sense to design it to be as useable and desirable for those people as possible. And I have to say (as politely as possible) I just don't like this screen myself.
IMHO, wide icons work best in a vertical mode, and with a relatively large number of icons showing. With your proposed design, with only three icons visible at any one time and with horizontal scrolling, I just don't think it will work.
Is there anything that can be done around two columns of wide icons stacked vertically? As a big user of this feature myself, my preference is to sacrifice a little aesthetically for improved usability.
My 2 cents worth.
To be honest, I'd sooner bin wide icons altogether than accommodate one vertical view in a specifically horizontal design. As I've said before, Aeon isn't a Swiss Army knife, and its integrity from view to view is far more important to me than its ability to please everyone. Fluid's on its way, remember, which I'm sure will be a more view- and feature-rich environment.
And as I've said countless times before, I have absolutely no problem with people cramming that design ethic up their arse if they want vertical views, coverflow views (yuck), Top Of The Pops-style exploding 3D Christmas cracker views - whatever. All I ask is that they take the time to suss out the XML and build them themselves, to be hosted alongside Aeon rather than within it.
Thanks, though, for putting in your two cents. If a few more ppl could do the same, I'll at least know whether to pursue this wide icon thing. If it comes down to it, I'll see about getting one-sheet support into thetvdb.com (if it isn't there already) for the benefit of those willing to make the switch.
Although I use wide icons (mainly because there's no alternative unless I make them myself - which I may do now anyway) I can clearly see that they don't work unless they're stacked vertically which destroys any point of having a fanart view because it would be mostly covered up.
Sod it, this skin is worth building my own poster size TV icons.
Kprojekt
2008-06-20, 08:46
Frak it-standard one sheet view is the way. Wide Icons are a waste of space even with vertical scroll. There is no proper transition from vertical scrolled wide view icons to horizontal scrolling episode view, please someone don't suggest a vertical scrolling option for Aeon...because that destroys the whole idea of having backdrops visible.
We've had previous requests for DVD format for series banners, which is our terminology for the one-sheet support. It won't be added for simplicity purposes. If it were up to me (it is, but I want to make people happy too), I'd force a single banner format for series, season, and episodes to simplify things a bit.
I had much more written about this, but it is mostly irrelevant. Lots about usage vs bandwidth/storage/complexity/etc. :)
That said, I don't mind your wide format view that much. Sure, stacking the wide banners generally looks better, but anything is better than having them crammed into a square box. :) Thanks for the effort on this. Have you tried 3 centered banners with the top and bottom ones smaller and fading out?
As for the artistic quality of the wide format, it's not any different than any other format. A good designer will make proper use of the area while a poor designer won't. The only reason the season banners tend to look better across the board is because people just copy in DVD art.
please someone don't suggest a vertical scrolling option for Aeon...because that destroys the whole idea of having backdrops visible.
Oops. ;) I have to disagree with all of you on this, though. There are plenty of skins in other systems that make excellent use of the wide format and look great. Wide banners do make poor use of space in a horizontal format, but Aeon is one of the few skins that does a more horizontal format.
Kprojekt
2008-06-20, 08:47
Although I use wide icons (mainly because there's no alternative unless I make them myself - which I may do now anyway) I can clearly see that they don't work unless they're stacked vertically which destroys any point of having a fanart view because it would be mostly covered up.
Sod it, this skin is worth building my own poster size TV icons.
Cheers, beat me to the punch. :P
What about something along these lines. Basically a list mode that displays the wide banners. Could even have the top of the list fade with the background gradient... not sure if that would look weird or not.
http://zsori.com/Domains/zsori/userimages/test.jpg
Does the series selection screen display fanart as the backdrop? I didn't think it did, because then it would have to change the backdrop as you scroll through the list. Maybe I'm wrong, but if I'm right then in my opinion having them stacked vertically doesn't destroy the point of having a fanart view.
And I also disagree that it is difficult to switch from wide icons vertically to the awesome Showcase views for episode and season. To me, the wide icons are just a variation on the list view (not under the hood, just in appearence). The list items are these wide icons containing both the picture and the series name in a custom background and text. Kind of "mini fan-art list items" if you get my meaning.
I prefer szsori's suggestion if it came down to a choice, as at least it allows me to see more series at once.
DJH, I take you points, and ultimately I like your skin so much that I or someone else if bound to actually learn the XML and make the view that us wide-icon supporters would ideally want.
BTW, am I really in the minority as a wide icon supporter? I think they look fantastic, and complement the fanart views extremely well. Aren't there any others out there that agree with me?? :rolleyes:
Frak it-standard one sheet view is the way. Wide Icons are a waste of space even with vertical scroll. There is no proper transition from vertical scrolled wide view icons to horizontal scrolling episode view, please someone don't suggest a vertical scrolling option for Aeon...because that destroys the whole idea of having backdrops visible.
I personally wouldn't mind not having backdrop visible for the series selection screen. It's the same thing that already happens for movies if you use the Wall view.
ewaterke
2008-06-20, 12:15
Hi,
I'm also a fan of wide icons and would like to support AaronD request.
Thanks,
Eric
Just because you have wide icons dosn't mean you have to display them all in 1 go like szori posted it can simply be a list (like the rest of AEON) that shows a Icon and some text in the black part on the right side
Like these examples Its a list but makes use of the wide icon
http://img84.imageshack.us/img84/5000/screenshot003rj2.jpg
http://img142.imageshack.us/img142/6426/screenshot000ra4.jpg
rudeboyx
2008-06-20, 14:35
As I Wide Icon User Im Begging, Dont Stop Work On The Wide Icons
One Of The Main Reasons Iv Not Been Using This Skin Perminantly Is Because
I Have Wide Icons For TV SHows, Apps And Scripts And Iv Been Following This Skin From The Start And Slowly Watched You Remove All The Best Bits And Iv Been Waiting Patiently For You To Bring It All Back Togeather,
Dont Get Me Wrong, I Think Your Awsome DJH And This Skin Is The Best Iv Seen So Far
But Wide Icons Is A Feature Of XBMC And If You Dont Incoperate Them Then You Are Contridicting The Reason For Not Putting The Skin Into The SVN As It Will Never Be Fully !00% Feature Suporting So It Will Never End Up In The SVN.
I Think It May Have Been The Xephyr Mod V7 That Had Them Where There Where 3 Vertical Scrolling With Info Displayed Which Worked Quite Well.
So You Could Have Maybe 4 Wide Icons Listed Down The Left Hand Side With Info Down The Right With The Number Of Episodes Watched/Unwatch Etc
Ill Make A Mock Up After Work To Nigh And Post Later
PS I Dont Mean To Be Anoying But The Potential For This Skin Is Astronomical, It Would Be A Pitty To Leave Out Something As Basic As A Wide Icon View
I have a suggestion for the showcase view which I love btw...
How do you feel about scaling the size of the poster icon when it slides to the left to show the full details? I think with the space available and the fact that as the poster icon ends up on the left of the screen it could easily be upto double the size without detracting from the backgound image or ruining the look/feel of the skin. I have some great posters for my movies / tv shows and I'd love to see them bigger!
Personally I'm quite happy to switch over to using poster icons for tv shows as I can see where your coming from about banners which I've never really liked that much. They were a good solution when fanart was not available for shows but now I think I'd rather use poster icons and the showcase view.
Would you perhaps be able to bundle up any TV poster icons that you have created so far on your website to start the ball rolling?
NineT9mustang
2008-06-20, 14:48
Theres always Wide Icon Logo's :D
http://pics.apartment808.com/users/Vision/TVLogos.jpg
MikeBeecham
2008-06-20, 14:59
But Wide Icons Is A Feature Of XBMC And If You Dont Incoperate Them Then You Are Contridicting The Reason For Not Putting The Skin Into The SVN As It Will Never Be Fully !00% Feature Suporting So It Will Never End Up In The SVN.
I think if this is your true perspective, then you failed to understand how complex skinning is. It's easy to stand to one side and say "I want this" or "it really should have that"
For one, few people realise how difficult it is to come up with a design concept that integrates everything that people want out of the media center...some want banners, others dont...some people want Myth TV, other people would never use it. If you were to create a skin based on what people want, then you would never finish it, in my opinion.
You also have to understand that the nature of the media center is a very transient thing. What is hot and a 'must have' now, may not be so nice in the future...I agree with the comment about wide icons not be SO necessary now that we have fanart. Dont get me wrong, what Mustang bought to the table with wide icons changed the face of the media center completely...but as with everything the media center moves forward (as it must do).
I would just be a little gentler with the skinners...it's easy to come with a shopping list of this or that...it's a tad more difficult to implement them!
I think if this is your true perspective, then you failed to understand how complex skinning is. It's easy to stand to one side and say "I want this" or "it really should have that"
For one, few people realise how difficult it is to come up with a design concept that integrates everything that people want out of the media center...some want banners, others dont...some people want Myth TV, other people would never use it. If you were to create a skin based on what people want, then you would never finish it, in my opinion.
You also have to understand that the nature of the media center is a very transient thing. What is hot and a 'must have' now, may not be so nice in the future...I agree with the comment about wide icons not be SO necessary now that we have fanart. Dont get me wrong, what Mustang bought to the table with wide icons changed the face of the media center completely...but as with everything the media center moves forward (as it must do).
I would just be a little gentler with the skinners...it's easy to come with a shopping list of this or that...it's a tad more difficult to implement them!
Agreed:grin:
smcnally75
2008-06-20, 15:42
The bottom line is that if you want a skin that is "Perfect" then you need to learn to skin yourself. My 3 favorite skins are Aeon, xTV, and Vinci...each one is missing at least one thing that I love about another. I've learned to accept that everyone has their own opinions and I respect all the time these guys put into each skin. One of these days I'll learn how to skin and will tweak my system so it is perfect for me :D
ChoccyHobNob
2008-06-20, 15:46
I use wide icons for TV shows for one reason only. If I scrape a TV show from thetvdb I get a wide icon. If I got back a poster format icon as well and could choose which one to use (or better yet, have the skin decide which one to use), I'd happily swap over to poster view. Everything else about library creation is now automatic with the scrapers, it's seems a bit retrograde to have to then create a bunch of icons manually so they fit the skin.
If szsori were to add support for poster sized icons for shows, I'd happily spend the time creating them for the shows I watch and upload them, but as things are, the wide icons are 'standard'.
Maybe you could do something like your music roller thing for the wide icons and then when a user pauses on a show the icon could slide up to the top of the screen and have the showcase view extend down below it instead of sliding the the left and having the showcase to the right of it? I know that puts a vertical display into a horizontal skin but it would still look fantastic!
Binned, then.
Cheers for all your replies. The deciding factor is that, while I've read some passionate posts in favour of wide icons, none has convinced me that they're an essential part of Aeon. The only sticking point is that thetvdb.com won't support one-sheet images for the shows themselves, but I'm not going to let that dictate things. (Shame, though)
So, for this week's Summer of Aeon thing, first will come a big bundle of TV Show one-sheet icons. Just the shows, mind, the seasons already having one-sheet support on thetvdb.com. Just pop them in the folder each TV show and you can manually switch to them via the TV Info screen.
It'll be interesting to see whose passion for wide icons translates first into a mod. :;): Get it to a point where the basics work (layout, animation etc) and I don't mind helping you integrate it into the skin. It'll still be classed a mod, though.