FanArt memory issues in XBMC for Xbox

[baxtermedic]

I have a quick question about the fanart feature included in this skin and the lack of memory in the xbox.

I know that you compile this skin to be added to the t3ch builds bi-weekly, so you intend that the use of this skin is for the xbox as well as the other ported platforms.

I guess what I am trying to say is, is there any easier way to use fanart and keep it from using all of my system's memory?

when I have the fanart enabled from thetvdb and imdb, i will select a show or movie and it will not play due to the memory not being sufficient enough.

THe only workaround for this that I can find is to go online and download the pictures myself and photoshop the size and quality down so they don't take up as much memory.

Is this my only option or am I missing something here.

By the way, Mediastream is BY FAR the best skin to every have graced XBMC.

I am so glad I only spent $62 on an XBOX instead of thousands on a standalone media server.

Thank you all so much.

[jmarshall]

Fanart on xbox is only 4Mb in memory once it's been cached (check for yourself - they're cached at 1280x720 in userdata/thumbnails/video/fanart). If that's the difference between playing and not, then you're already on the edge IMO.

[skunkm0nkee]

Yep, memory on the xbox is definitely an issue we are working on and are trying to reduce things to make it all work a bit more efficiently but the major stumbling block we keep hitting is that we may need to tone down some of the design elements and crispness of the skin to achieve it.

Be assured that we are working on it

[baxtermedic]

I appreciate you looking into it, I have a killer machine I can run XBMC pc on but I don't want to put it in a HTPC case and drag it downstairs.

[skunkm0nkee]

Yep, my current thinking is that we're going to continue on reducing memory where we can, without noticeably affecting the look and design of the skin but we're going to reach a point where we can't really reduce it much more without affecting how it looks.

When we get to that stage I'm going to think about creating a separate theme which will use less memory and will have slightly different look (less gradients and fades etc) and then people can choose if they want to use it or not. I would imagine the design of the skin itself is maybe a bit too much for the xbox to handle in full alongside fanart and custom backgrounds so the lighter theme would be aimed at those who want the fanart and can handle less of the frilly design stuff.

[willers.nail]

I too am facing this issue on the xbox and hope that something will be done in the near future to benefit us xbox users. I completely understand about lack of memory on the xbox and sometimes wonder how so much is done with what little there is on xbox. I think an option to use less memory is a good idea and hope that something like this will be implemented soon.

[scovette]

Originally Posted by skunkm0nkee

..... so the lighter theme would be aimed at those who want the fanart and can handle less of the frilly design stuff.

Thanks for considering this (having a few memory issues on my xbox.)
Possibly less or no shading on top of the fanart would give it more "pop"? - not necessarily look better than it does now, but not inferior either.

Great work on the skin - it's definitely the best-looking one available.

[WaCk0.br]

Is there a way to reduce fanart resolution (like <thumbsize>300</thumbsize> on advancedsettings.xml ?
Like <fanartsize>800x600</fanartsize>

I think this solve the problem w/o sacrifice MediaStream/other skins visual
Of course we can always resize the .tbn files on fanart folder but its not the best solution.

[Hitcher]

I don't think so but it might be worth requesting it gets added to XBMC via http://xbmc.org/trac

[WaCk0.br]

Originally Posted by Hitcher

I don't think so but it might be worth requesting it gets added to XBMC via http://xbmc.org/trac

Thanks... done!
Lets hope XBMC team implement this for us, Xbox users