xTV Wrap View Mod using FanArt Backdrops

[Kris_Toff]

I have made a modification to the Xtv "Wrap" view to make use of fanart backdrop when available as movie-fanart.jpg along a movie.avi file...

http://img241.imageshack.us/img241/6843/newwrapviewxu7.jpg

If you want it, replace the XMC/skin/xTV/PAL16x9/CommonViewTypes.xml with this New CommonViewTypes.xml (http://www.mediafire.com/?sharekey=329a0e4afd485047ab1eab3e9fa335ca0bc7b1e3 69fc9df7). (same in the PAL directory if you don't use the 16x9 screen format)

and the XMC/skin/xTV/PAL/MyVideo.xml with this New MyVideo.xml file (http://www.mediafire.com/?sharekey=329a0e4afd485047ab1eab3e9fa335ca473f6d8f 331fbaa8).

Of course make a backup of the file before.

Enjoy

[Kris_Toff]

Of course, you should have the following in the folder for this to work:

movie.avi ->any movie file (not only avi of course...)
movie.tbn ->thumbnail/poster
movie-fanart.jpg ->backdrop

[Jezz_X]

It looks nice but those posters are very small IMO

[Kris_Toff]

It looks nice but those posters are very small IMO
Like that ?

http://img240.imageshack.us/img240/8783/warpviewwidermc0.jpg

If you want to see posters bigger, the CoverFlow view is probably what you need. I tend to prefer the backdrop images than the posters themselves...

It is very easy to change the size of the "focused" cover to twice bigger (). The main problem is that it can take away quite a lot of the backdrop image.
But I guess it comes down to personal preferences.

If others prefer/request this one instead, I will put up the files for download...

[aart]

great job you did man, I like it..

[rwparris2]

Looks great!

I like them small too. The fanart is 100% more attractive than any poster. In fact, is there anyway you could get the non-focused posters to be semi-transparent so they detract even less from the Fanart?

Is there anyway you could do one for TV as well? Except line up the thumbs vertically for wide-banners?

[Kris_Toff]

Looks great!

I like them small too. The fanart is 100% more attractive than any poster. In fact, is there anyway you could get the non-focused posters to be semi-transparent so they detract even less from the Fanart?

Is there anyway you could do one for TV as well? Except line up the thumbs vertically for wide-banners?

You mean TV Shows ? I am not sure what you mean by thumbs vertically for wide-banners ? Like organize as a small stack of them on the left side except the focused one at the bottom left and larger ?

In my case, I have enabled library for TV Shows from the home page (I used the list view for the TV Shows with TV series plots, director, etc) but I use folders for movies... I just can't use library mode to organize so many (500+) movies the way I want.

I'll work on the transparency in the meantime and see how it goes...

[Jezz_X]

Kris Toff I didn't mean make the focus one 10 times bigger than the normal I just meant that if you upscaled them all buy about 20% I personally feel it would be better. But again its just personal apinion feel free to ignore it. :)

[Kris_Toff]

I'll work on the transparency in the meantime and see how it goes...

Apparently, the only way to apply a diffuse transformation (transparency) to an image is through the <texture> tag. This option is not available for the <info> tag, which is used to display the ListItem.Icon image. (I have tried it in case but it doesn't work)

Unless the developers add that option to the info tag, I am not sure if there is a way to do that. At least I don't see it in any skins out there...

[rwparris2]

Sorry I wasn't very clear. But yes, a "stack" on the left of series banners (http://www.thetvdb.com/wiki/index.php/Series_Banners) with the focused one slightly larger is exactly what I'm talking about.

[Jeroen]

Apparently, the only way to apply a diffuse transformation (transparency) to an image is through the <texture> tag. This option is not available for the <info> tag, which is used to display the ListItem.Icon image. (I have tried it in case but it doesn't work)

Unless the developers add that option to the info tag, I am not sure if there is a way to do that. At least I don't see it in any skins out there...

try <texture diffuse="diffusetexture.png">$INFO[ListItem.Icon]</texture>

although a simple fade animation would do the trick as well.

[Kris_Toff]

Kris Toff I didn't mean make the focus one 10 times bigger than the normal I just meant that if you upscaled them all buy about 20% I personally feel it would be better. But again its just personal apinion feel free to ignore it. :)

I have a 52" tv so I can read them all fine but I understand that it could be bigger for others ;)

I will make a few different sizes and post the files tomorrow... stay tuned...

Kris
:nod:

[Kris_Toff]

try <texture diffuse="diffusetexture.png">$INFO[ListItem.Icon]</texture>

Thanks Jeroen, that did the trick... ;)

I had to create the diffuse files as I could not find one the textures.xpr which must be rebuilt using the xTV SVN tree.

So I am not sure it falls into the "simple hack category" anymore. But here it goes...

Here is the 25% (looks too dim):
http://img359.imageshack.us/img359/4857/transparent25coversjq9.jpg

Here is the 50% (looks better):
http://img239.imageshack.us/img239/2213/transparent50coverszb2.jpg

The thing is that I still use the "flip'd" reflection of each cover which I find pretty cool (like in the original Wrap View). Maybe another version of the view might not need it so the backdrop could be extended to the whole Y screen axis.

If I get enough requests, maybe Chi3f would be ok to add this view to HIS skin... I just hacked it without shame, but he knows about it ;)

NOTE that I haven't changed the files so that this view work in library (which should be a cake walk...)

[Jezz_X]

Kris Toff if all you want to do is add a uniform transparancy (not a gradient) you can just add
<colordiffuse>BBFFFFFF</colordiffuse> to the image control
the BB is a hex value and how transperant it is and the FFFFFF is the color (Much like any color in xbmc) difussing it with white will keep its original colors

if you did somthing like <colordiffuse>FFFF0000</colordiffuse> it we be 100% visible and give everything a red tinge to it

[Kris_Toff]

Thanks Jezz_x,
That tag had escaped me in the Wiki ! I knew there was something like this but I couldn't remember it.

I have a long way to go to become a Team-XBMC Skinner ;)

[Kris_Toff]

Ok I have taken into account everyone's suggestions and have 2 versions...
The Original one (which I still prefer) and the one including a full backdrop:
Both have non-focused covers transparency.

Pick up the one you prefer but remember to copy each file as CommonViewTypes.xml (in xTV/PAL16x9) and MyVideo.xml (in xTV/PAL folder).

My favorite:
http://img441.imageshack.us/img441/6230/goodoneuo0.jpg

Files:
CommonViewTypes-best.xml (http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?pmcakccammg)
MyVideo-best.xml (http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?qqzggi25kvg)

The one with full backdrop:
http://img501.imageshack.us/img501/2964/fullbackdropbj2.jpg

Files:
CommonViewTypes-fullbackdrop.xml (http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?pcacuaagaag)
MyVideo-fullbackdrop.xml (http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?kqwkb1vikur)

Thanks to all who have clued me in this thread and
special thanks to Chi3f (and others...) for making this so awesome skin...

Enjoy !

[keeganl]

this is an awesome view. I don't know if this constitutes thread jacking, but i was wondering if it would be possible to have this view in mediastream?

[Kris_Toff]

this is an awesome view. I don't know if this constitutes thread jacking, but i was wondering if it would be possible to have this view in mediastream?

Thanks. Unfortunately, it seems that MediaStream Movie section only works with library mode (otherwise stuck with Videos).

The changes were made based on xTV which I prefer. I am trying to make this view available with the library mode for xTV as well (but adding movie information along which is available when using the video library, not in file mode, yet...)

Feel free to try it yourself tho, the files are available 2 posts earlier... it is mainly one file to modify (CommonViewTypes.xml) and I am sure it is similar in MediaStream.

Goodluck

[keeganl]

thanks for the quick response. I'll look at the files, but i really have no clue what I am doing. Maybe some trail and error will do the trick.

[rtwight]

I've been trying to get this working, but can't seem to have any luck. Do you need a certain rev of XBMC for this to work? And what exact paths do the files need to be in?

I am running the Aug 28th T3CH build (alpha3 I think). Do I need to be running alpha 4?

XTV is the skin I use as I still have a 4:3 SD TV :)

[Kris_Toff]

I've been trying to get this working, but can't seem to have any luck. Do you need a certain rev of XBMC for this to work? And what exact paths do the files need to be in?

I am running the Aug 28th T3CH build (alpha3 I think). Do I need to be running alpha 4?

XTV is the skin I use as I still have a 4:3 SD TV :)

The CommonViewTypes.xml file I put out was for the 16x9 TVs. If you are using a 4x3, then overwrite the CommonViewTypes.xml file into xbmc/skin/xTV/PAL (not PAL16x9) with this one. (make a backup !)

CommonViewFile.xml for 4x3 TVs (http://www.mediafire.com/?igv8gaigvcg)

Have fun.

[deezee69]

would it be possable to do this for a folder ect having james bond folder in movies with a james bond movies collection and one fanart pic for the folder and seperate dvd poster for each movie. also would this be possable for tv show once again a fanart for the folder and maybe instead of dvd poster like movies it load the pre grabed thumbs for each tv ep.
i ask this because from what i understand is that what you did is put fanart in file mode which i thought was only available in library mode.
thanks

[Kris_Toff]

It is unlikely without some source change. The fanart.image tag is referring to a file ListItem, not a folder. I have tried several combination quickly but had no success so far.

Maybe a suggestion to the developement team/forum ?

If you have each episode as a file in this folder, it would work like any other movie file, that is using the same format in the folder:

episode1.avi
episode1-fanart.jpg
episode1.tbn
episode2.avi
etc...

[gferrazzano]

Hi all. I am having trouble getting this to work. I know I'm missing something easy. I've replaced the two xml files and have the jpg in the correct format (-fanart appended to video name + .jpg) but the backdrops dont show up. The view is indeed altered, just no backdrop. I have enabled fanart in the Xtv settings so I'm stumped.

Thanks for working on this, you guys amaze me.

[Kris_Toff]

Hi all. I am having trouble getting this to work. I know I'm missing something easy. I've replaced the two xml files and have the jpg in the correct format (-fanart appended to video name + .jpg) but the backdrops dont show up. The view is indeed altered, just no backdrop. I have enabled fanart in the Xtv settings so I'm stumped.

Thanks for working on this, you guys amaze me.

I have "patched" 3 of my friends xbmc boxes (and the 2 I got) and it worked right away... It also works like a charm using xbmc_pc...

Can you check in debug mode if you see clues about why it wouldn't work ?
I recommend the backdrop files to be like around 200k.

Does anyone have problems making this work ?

Check the log file in debug mode and report back.

g'luck :confused2:

[teesane]

Like that ?

http://img240.imageshack.us/img240/8783/warpviewwidermc0.jpg

If you want to see posters bigger, the CoverFlow view is probably what you need. I tend to prefer the backdrop images than the posters themselves...

It is very easy to change the size of the "focused" cover to twice bigger (). The main problem is that it can take away quite a lot of the backdrop image.
But I guess it comes down to personal preferences.

If others prefer/request this one instead, I will put up the files for download...

Hi Kris
I've tried changing pretty much most of the numbers in the commonview and myvideo but I still can't seem to change the size of the focused or any of the pictures along that x cordinates. What am I not doing ?

[Kris_Toff]

Hi Kris
I've tried changing pretty much most of the numbers in the commonview and myvideo but I still can't seem to change the size of the focused or any of the pictures along that x cordinates. What am I not doing ?

Search for the Major XML section that says "VideoWrapView" in CommonViewTypes.xml...
In it, there are 2 xml sections to consider:
-One section that starts with itemlayout
-One with focusedlayout.

Each of these has 4 XML elements; (2 for normal and 2 for inversed/reflection)

Those 2 XML elements are :the DVD box and the thumbnail image (cover)

You need to change the reference point and the width/height according so that they align with precision...

I see in your snapshot that you fanart backdrop image is not aligned with the reflection line (which makes it look odd)... Make its height a little bigger... (that's in myVideo.xml).

Play with it and report back. It is not that hard with try and error... I found it easier to start with the DVD boxes only (comment the 2 sections for the thumbnail image; normal and inverted) and once it is aligned, then plug back and align the cover images pixel by pixel.

ALSO, remember that you have to do it for the CommonViewTypes.xml file in the PAL folder as well so that it works for people with 4/3 TVs.

[teesane]

Hey Kris, thanks for the quick reply. I'm gonna test it out tonight, and post back

[batrad]

Hi Kris,

Love the view with the Fanart..I use Titled Icons for the DVD covers and your mod puts a black background around the DVD Icons.
Is it possible to make the background around the DVD icons transparent ? So the fanart bleeds through ?

Thanks

[Kris_Toff]

Hi Kris,

Love the view with the Fanart..I use Titled Icons for the DVD covers and your mod puts a black background around the DVD Icons.
Is it possible to make the background around the DVD icons transparent ? So the fanart bleeds through ?

Thanks

I think what you are talking about is the DVD jacket (box) image, not a black background...

You can always edit that part out following the information edited 2 posts below..

[NEUR0M4NCER]

It is unlikely without some source change. The fanart.image tag is referring to a file ListItem, not a folder. I have tried several combination quickly but had no success so far.

Maybe a suggestion to the developement team/forum ?

If you have each episode as a file in this folder, it would work like any other movie file, that is using the same format in the folder:

episode1.avi
episode1-fanart.jpg
episode1.tbn
episode2.avi
etc...

Hiya. Further to the above, my movies are kept in separate folders eg.:


Movies ---->Film 1 ---->Film 1.avi
Film 1.tbn
Film 1-fanart.jpg
Film 2 ---->Film 2.avi
Film 2.tbn
Film 2-fanart.jpg

... so that when I go into Movies folder, I see folders, not files. I had a quick go, and it seems this format falls into the same category as the James Bond example. When I go into the folders, then I get the fanart, but with the single video file repeated over and over as wrap - not a good look. So...

1. What do you think would be the best solution; re-sorting all of the video files into a more easily read format for XBMC (so the fanart works as it should), or is there a way I can keep the file structure I have ATM?

2. I expected a little slowdown, but while I was experimenting with folders and such, I found that having fanart really slowed things down to a crawl. I use a DVD remote, and normally, holding down the right arrow will scroll quickly through the films. It simply doesn't work when fanart is enabled. Should I try to lower the quality of the images i'm using (250kb ish), or is it something i'll have to learn to live with for fanart on xbox xTV?

Thanks in advance!

[Kris_Toff]

Hiya. Further to the above, my movies are kept in separate folders eg.:


Movies ---->Film 1 ---->Film 1.avi
Film 1.tbn
Film 1-fanart.jpg
Film 2 ---->Film 2.avi
Film 2.tbn
Film 2-fanart.jpg

... so that when I go into Movies folder, I see folders, not files. I had a quick go, and it seems this format falls into the same category as the James Bond example. When I go into the folders, then I get the fanart, but with the single video file repeated over and over as wrap - not a good look. So...

1. What do you think would be the best solution; re-sorting all of the video files into a more easily read format for XBMC (so the fanart works as it should), or is there a way I can keep the file structure I have ATM?


I use Genre Folders that I "mount" from my NAS as independent sources since it allows me to put access passwords for folders I don't want my younger one to go to:

Movies --> Adult Movies (independent "mounted" source)
-->Action Movies
fanart.jpg <-this is the fanart for this folder
folder.jpg <-this is the thumbnail for this folder
Film1.avi
Film1.tbn
Film1-fanart.jpg
Film2.avi
Film2.tbn
Film2-fanart.jpg
-->James Bond Movies
fanart.jpg <-this is the fanart for this folder
folder.jpg <-this is the thumbnail for this folder
Film3.avi
Film3.tbn
Film3-fanart.jpg

--> Kids Movies --> (independent "mounted" source)
-->Cartoons
fanart.jpg <-this is the fanart for this folder
folder.jpg <-this is the thumbnail for this folder
Film4.avi
Film4.tbn
Film4-fanart.jpg
--> etc...


Here is what I mean:
http://img396.imageshack.us/img396/8784/folderbackdropexamplezc8.jpg

Once you get in the folder, you see the regular list of movies...

2. I expected a little slowdown, but while I was experimenting with folders and such, I found that having fanart really slowed things down to a crawl. I use a DVD remote, and normally, holding down the right arrow will scroll quickly through the films. It simply doesn't work when fanart is enabled. Should I try to lower the quality of the images i'm using (250kb ish), or is it something i'll have to learn to live with for fanart on xbox xTV?

Thanks in advance!

All my fanart images are about 150k (some even less) whilekeeping a very good resolution. Once everything is loaded in cache, it just scrolls smoothlessly, and fast...

Would that work for you ?

PS: If you change backdrops, you need to clear the cache (delete everything in E:\apps\XBMC\UserData\Thumbnails\Video)

[batrad]

I have some multipart movies, and unless I have a matching folder icon with the .tbn extension, i don't see an icon for it in any view

In the root folder create an Action Movies.tbn (file that matches the folder name), clear the cache, and try ..should get an icon image for each folder

[Kris_Toff]

I have some multipart movies, and unless I have a matching folder icon with the .tbn extension, i don't see an icon for it in any view


There is a "Stack" setting that is just used for that... Typically I use
Film1-part1.avi
Film1-part2.avi
Film1-part1.tbn
and that should be enough...
I don't remember but I think with the Stack option, Film1.tbn should be enough.


In the root folder create an Action Movies.tbn (file that matches the folder name), clear the cache, and try ..should get an icon image for each folder

I guess it is the same as having a folder.jpg file in the folder.

[NEUR0M4NCER]

I use Genre Folders that I "mount" from my NAS as independent sources since it allows me to put access passwords for folders I don't want my younger one to go to:

Once you get in the folder, you see the regular list of movies...

Hm. Looks like i'll have to do some file re-jigging then. TBH, my growing collection is getting a bit much to scroll through anyways... but it still looks mighty impressive scrolling through them all :cool:

All my fanart images are about 150k (some even less) whilekeeping a very good resolution. Once everything is loaded in cache, it just scrolls smoothlessly, and fast...

PS: If you change backdrops, you need to clear the cache (delete everything in E:\apps\XBMC\UserData\Thumbnails\Video)

Thanks for the tip - this is actually the answer to another question I was going to look into; I changed the icon for the movies and tv folders, then decided they looked rubbish, but couldn't figure out how to refresh them back to the default network icon.

On the subject of fanart - I manually went through my films and d/l'd fanart from TMDb - if I remove these and refresh the cache, will XBMC go get fresh ones, or should I keep the files locally? If XBMC will go get the images, will it be faster than keeping them on my SMB share? And on the other hand, if I do keep the files locally, am I best to simply lower the file size in Gimp?

Thanks for all of your help, it's a joy to tinker when people are as friendly as you guys :laugh:

[sicon99]

Does it have to be in folders? Right now They are just in one big movie folder..

movies ->
film1.avi
film2.iso
film3.avi ect

I have the tbn and nfo files created by media companion...
if i just put in film1-fanart will it work or does it actually need to be a separate folder for every movie?

also do spaces matter for folder/movie name?

[NEUR0M4NCER]

I just spent the best part of a night re-arranging my Movies into one big folder like yours sicon99 - yes, all you need to do is chuck your film1-fanart.jpg in with the rest of the stuff and it'll work.

**edit**
... and no, spaces don't seem to matter, eg.:

Garbage Pail Kids The Movie.avi
Garbage Pail Kids The Movie.tbn
Garbage Pail Kids The Movie-fanart.jpg

all work just fine with spaces in the file names.

All my fanart images are about 150k (some even less) whilekeeping a very good resolution. Once everything is loaded in cache, it just scrolls smoothlessly, and fast...

... so I went all out and one-by-one squished every *-fanart.jpg down to 75kb-ish with Gimp - still getting slow-down :sad:. I cleared the cache, and then let it do its business for a good hour, and it's no faster. Admittedly, there are 70-something films in there, but should that really make such a noticeable difference?

[sicon99]

What resolution are you guys using for fanart images?

Is there a site to grab them from or are you just making your own?

[NEUR0M4NCER]

TheMovieDatabase (TMDb) (http://themoviedb.org/) for films
TheTVDatabase (TVDb) (http://www.thetvdb.com/) for TV

[sicon99]

Awesome thanks NEUR0M4NCER! its going to be along night of getting fanart haha do do do.. 260 plus movies :|

Is there a specific resolution you guys crop it to or just use it as it is on those sites?

so for movie title-fanart.jpg and for tv shows...? just foldername-fanart???

[NEUR0M4NCER]

... dude. You should give XBMC a chance, it might do all the hard work for you. Apparently, as long as your XBMC's up to date, it'll automatically go get the fanart for you. I didn't know this, and spent hours doing it myself (http://xbmc.org/forum/showpost.php?p=243599&postcount=35). It was quite fun, tbh.

Not too sure about TV fanart, haven't used it myself yet.

[sicon99]

I did not know that! is that the stock xbmc or with this mod????

I actually only have the older version of xbmc on my xbox but plan on building a pc version this weekend. was suppose get the rest of my parts yesterday but ups "couldnt find my house" so now i have to wait til Monday :(

[NEUR0M4NCER]

Well i'm just using the latest T3CH build, so yeah - stock, I guess.

Not meaning to jack the thread, but what're the specs you're gonna use for your PC?

[FourTwentySmilz]

Using an up to date version of XBMC.....Fanart can be got with IMDb scraper as long as it has been set to do so in the scrapers options. Same thing with TV Shows, using theTVDb scraper.

[sicon99]

Very good to know, im using a very old version on the xbox.
My new one (once my case/ps gets here.. monday.. )

athlon xp 2.4ghz dual core processor 2gig ram asus m2n e sli mother board and gigabyte 7600gs video card, ordered 2 remotes one driverless that acts like a keyboard and a second xbox remote to try soldering it to usb. so one of the two should work!

[19emadness]

I have also some probs with the fanart thing it just doesn't show up,named everything right. movie.avi movie.tbn movie-fanart.jpg.
But still nothing,and there is another Prob I have with this.

for example: movie.avi movie.tbn movie-fanart.jpg

I already had the movie and the .tbn for the movie on the xbox hdd,if I try now to put the fanart on it's renaming it by itself and it will show up on the xbox as movie-fana.jpg if I change to fanart.jpg again,it just does not the change,if I copy it new the same,it always renames it fana.jpg???

I also had this Prob before when I edited the .tbn Files for the movies,so I just gave the movie "a complete new name" f.e. it was -movie.DVD.2008.english- I renamed it to -movie (2008) ENG- then it worked and doesn't rename it by itself and I could give the .tbn the same name. It was not with all,just some of them I had this Prob,aswell with the Fanart its just some Movies I have this rename Prob,but generally the Fanart is not working at all for any movie!?

[19emadness]

I have also some probs with the fanart thing it just doesn't show up,named everything right. movie.avi movie.tbn movie-fanart.jpg.
But still nothing,and there is another Prob I have with this.

for example: movie.avi movie.tbn movie-fanart.jpg

I already had the movie and the .tbn for the movie on the xbox hdd,if I try now to put the fanart on it's renaming it by itself and it will show up on the xbox as movie-fana.jpg if I change to fanart.jpg again,it just does not the change,if I copy it new the same,it always renames it fana.jpg???

I also had this Prob before when I edited the .tbn Files for the movies,so I just gave the movie "a complete new name" f.e. it was -movie.DVD.2008.english- I renamed it to -movie (2008) ENG- then it worked and doesn't rename it by itself and I could give the .tbn the same name. It was not with all,just some of them I had this Prob,aswell with the Fanart its just some Movies I have this rename Prob,but generally the Fanart is not working at all for any movie!?

quote: and I tried to get Covers bigger,I edited in CommonViewTypes the "focusedlayout" height and width under "VideoWrapView" but it was not working:confused2:

WTF!? got a wrong cover for one movie so I dwnld the right one put it on xbox gave the right name,but it always shows me the wrong picture (I even already deleted and only puted the new one on) but it just shows me the DELETED one? So I just deleted all the others I already got and they're also still there! After a Restart it's the same,the Pictures are not anymore in the folder or on the xbox but they still show up!? This thing is getting f******* anoying! It renames files it self and there is no way to name it right except give a complete new name,it doesn't take a new cover if u already got one on it,there is no f****** way to get the new one show up!:mad:

[Jeroen]

Try to do a library cleanup.

And chill.

[19emadness]

yeah I should chill!:nod: But I'm trying since yesterday to get this things working,make the covers bigger in the "WrapView" and the Fanart! But both is not working:confused2: and then this Probs plus that other stuff wich is not going right makes me just crazy. I don't know what I'm doing wrong?

greetz.

[MrBryson]

First off, awesome little mod to an already great skin. Is there any way to get this wrap view into library mode (I'm using the latest PC version of XBMC)? I've tried editing the XML file, but I can't seem to get the fanart to show up, even though it clearly shows up when it's not in library mode. Any help would be appreciated.

[Scott R]

I've tried several skins, but keep going back to the xTV skin. I'd love to have fanart, but I really like the list view, since I can quickly scan my eyes down a long list and see the movies that appeal to me and quickly scroll to the one I want. Would you be willing to create a list view with fanart?

I'm thinking that the list text would be superimposed on the fanart, and would probably require that you use a white font with black shadow (or black font with white edging) so as to allow for the text to be legible when the fanart has a lot of white (or black) in the section where the list text would be.

I'm not sure that coverart would even be necessary, but one idea would be to have a small coverart thumb in the lower left, with movie description information to the right of it, all superimposed over the full-screen fanart.

If you would be willing to give this a shot, I would be very appreciative. :)

[Scott R]

OK, it's been about a week so I'm going to bump this in regards to my request. Can someone perhaps tell me if what I am requesting would be fairly easy for me to do myself? It seems like all it would require is to mod the List view to remove the DVD coverart, and add in a background fanart image (though I suspect that replacing the white font with a white w/black shadow font or black with white outline font could be the trickiest part).

[Kris_Toff]

OK, it's been about a week so I'm going to bump this in regards to my request. Can someone perhaps tell me if what I am requesting would be fairly easy for me to do myself? It seems like all it would require is to mod the List view to remove the DVD coverart, and add in a background fanart image (though I suspect that replacing the white font with a white w/black shadow font or black with white outline font could be the trickiest part).

If you check my mod files and read my posts in this thread, you should be able to easily figure out what to do... Basically, find the ListView section in the file, comment out the dvd coverart section, and add a line for the fanart... (Use PC_XBMC to test it, it is simpler than transferring files for every change...)

It is so obvious, I'll let you do it...

:grin:

If you are having trouble, post help request and I will help you.
good luck

[Scott R]

Thanks for the suggestions/encouragement Kris. I'll give that a shot. One question about your mod: Is this only supposed to work in Files mode? I switched to Library mode and the Wrap view looks like the old Wrap view, whereas in Files mode, the Wrap view looks like the screenshots you've provided in this thread.

[Scott R]

I don't mean to hijack this thread (if anyone else is interested in my adventure, I'm wondering if perhaps I should start a new thread?), but I did want to report back that I made some progress. First, I discovered the "missing link" that I bemoaned in my last post. In MyVideo.xml the references in the "fanart" block which state "Control.HasFocus(54)" the "54" is referencing the id assigned to the Wrap view in the CommonViewTypes.xml file. So I added an "OR" for id "50" (List view) and that seemed to work. I was a bit confused by the use of brackets as parentheses (assuming I got that right), but I think that's working.

Now I just need to figure out how to:
1) Remove the DVD coverart (not sure where that's referenced).
2) Do something about the list text font so that it shows up well when the white text is overlayed over white sections of fanart (my previous suggestions about black shadows is one idea I probably won't be able to do, but I expect that I can add a dark rectangular block behind the list text column that will somewhat darken the fanart image behind it).

[Scott R]

Just one final note to say that I created a new thread about my quest to create a List view w/fanart here:
http://xbmc.org/forum/showthread.php?t=45020

If anyone is interested in that, we can continue the conversation there. Kris_Toff, or anyone else with skinning experience, I still have some questions about how to do some things, so I would certainly appreciate any help you're willing to provide. Thanks!

[Scott R]

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