| A FAQ…..Or at least the questions i would be asking if i had to use this skin.
01. Nice skin, but it doesn’t work for me. Is this the best you could do?
Transparency! is only compatible with XBMC 11.0 or up.
02. I’ve been pulling my hair for 3 days, but i can’t find that Left Menu
Just use the left arrow on you remote or keyboard. If you’re using a mouse, navigate all the way to the left side of the screen.
03. I’m using Transparency! on my brand-new 4:3 CRT screen and those tiny fonts are giving me a headache!
You can choose a bigger font: Settings > Appearance > Look & Feel > Fonts (pick one of the ‘Big’ fonts)
Please keep in mind, Transparency! is a 720p skin, so it will never look perfect on a 4:3 screen.
04. You’re clearly a selfish english bastard, if i pick another language all of the buttons are way too small to hold the text!
Nope i’m not, but i do prefer my software to be in english. There are two options to make the buttons wide enough for almost any language.
Settings > Skin Settings > Home Window > Wide Home Menu Buttons
Settings > Skin Settings > General > Wide Side Menu Buttons
05. I think the graphics in Transparency! suck! I would’ve done it so much better myself.
The uncompressed sources for all the textures are available here. Please consider posting all your improvements. If i like ‘m i’ll include them in Transparancy!
06. Native Media Flagging support, Cool!, but why is it not working for me?
You will have to enable it: Settings > Videos > File Lists > Extract thumbnails and video information
Next, delete you video database and rescan all your movies to the library.
07. What the heck is ClearArt?
ClearArt will show a transparent icon in the corner of the screen when you pause a tv show or bring up the info window.
You can enable this feature in this way: Settings > Skin Settings > General > Enable ClearArt
Put a semi-transparent image of a certain TV Show in the folder of that TV Show. The filename of the image should be: clearart.png
(e.g. /home/xbmc/Media/TV Shows/House/clearart.png)
Note: the names of the ‘tv show’ subfolders on your harddrive need to exactly match the ‘tv show’ names as listed in xbmc.
- more info on ClearArt
- download tv show images, ready for use: here
08. OK, but what this cdArt you keep bragging about?
cdArt will show a spinning cd during playback in the fullscreen info window and on the Home Screen. It’s also used in the Icons view.
This feature is enabled by default (Settings > Skin Settings > General > Enable cdArt) and will use a blank cd if no custom cd images are available.
If you want to use your own images, put a semi transparent cd image of a certain album in the folder of that album. The filename should be cdart.png
(e.g. /home/xbmc/Media/Music/Blink-182/Greatest Hits/cdart.png)
Note: if the cd disappears on the fullscreen info window after a few seconds, just hit the ‘i’ button on keyboard/remote and it will reappear.
from now on it will be always visible.
- more info on cdArt
- download cd images, ready for use: here
Note: For things to work properly in the Icons view, you also have to enter the path to your music folder.
(Settings > Skin Settings > General > Music folder path)
If your images are located on a network folder, you’ll have to map (windows) / mount (linux/osx) your network share
or you can use this workaround:
1) in the cdart skin settings, enter a local path (doesn’t matter which path, just pick one)
2) exit xbmc
3) open guisettings.xml (it’s in the userdata folder)
4) search for this string:
<setting type=”string” name=”Transparency!.music_folder_path”>/home/xbmc/Media/Music/</setting>
5) change it to:
<setting type=”string” name=”Transparency!.music_folder_path”>smb://servername/Media/Music/</setting>
or (depending on your setup):
<setting type=”string” name=”Transparency!.music_folder_path”>smb://username:password@servername/Media/Music/</setting>
6) start xbmc
7) in case it didn’t work, repeat the steps above, but remove the ending / in the smb path and try again
09. So we have cdArt, why not use something like that for movies as well?
Just put a disc.png image in each movie folder and it will work.
These images are used in the Icons and Item view.
10. So we have cdArt, why not use something like that for tv shows as well?
No, but you can use TV Logos if you want.
Use the TV Show info screen to download them, using the ‘Get Logo’ button.
TV Logo images are used in the fanart view.
11. You know, i’m really busy and don’t have time to watch a full movie, can’t i just watch the trailer instead?
Yup, if there’s a trailer available, you notice a special trailer icon in fanart and slide view. Just click it and you’ll be able
to watch the trailer in a preview window.
If you like to see it in fullscreen instead:
Settings > Skin Settings > General > Always play trailers fullscreen.
12. Hi i’m a gamer and i want a Game Menu button to take me straight to all my favourite games.
Just add your Games folder to favourites and use the one of the Custom home menu buttons for this.
Note: you can use the same trick for Emulators
Note: since Programs, Games and Emulators is basically the same section in xbmc, enabling the above has one side-effect.
XBMC always remembers your last position in a certain section, so if you exit Games and next navigate to Programs, it’ll take you
back to Games instead. To workaround this, also create a ‘Programs’ folder under Programs and modify these entries in Includes_Home.xml:
ActivateWindow(Programs)
to: ActivateWindow(Programs,Programs)
13. Hi i don’t like games and i don’t understand why the guy above me does. I enjoy reading comics though.
You can add a Comics button to the home menu as well. Just add your Comics folder to favourites and use the one of the Custom home menu buttons for this.
Note: since Pictues and Comics is basically the same section in xbmc, enabling the above has one side-effect.
XBMC always remembers your last position in a certain section, so if you exit Comics and next navigate to Pictures, it’ll take you
back to Comics instead. To workaround this, also create a ‘Pictures’ folder under Pictures and modify these entries in Includes_Home.xml:
ActivateWindow(Pictures)
to: ActivateWindow(Pictures,Pictures)
14. Hmmmm…all my images are stored on a network drive, and i can’t set the path in Skin Settings
It’s a little shortcoming of xbmc. It won’t let you browse the network.
To get around it, you can map your network share and assign a drive letter (windows),
linux users can use mount to accomplish the same:
sudo mount -t cifs //192.168.1.5/Music /home/xbmc/Music -o username=xbmc,password=xbmc,rw
another workaround is available above, at the cdArt entry of this faq.
15. I’ve heard those Ken Burns can make you really feel seasick, so i’m eager to try those.
Go to Settings > Skin Settings > Backgrounds > Animated backgrounds
it will enable the effects for all the backgrounds on the Home Screen and all the multiple backgrounds (not single backgrounds) in all of the other xbmc sections.
16. Transparency!…nice name, but those transparent panels make everything really hard to read.
Select Settings > Skin Settings > General > I Hate Transparency!
next, use the slider to select the desired value (10%….100%). 20% will increase the ‘opaqueness’ of the skin by 20% and so on…
17. My wife always wants to take me to theaters, but i’d rather stay at home…can the Home Theater script save our marriage?
You can install the Cinema Experience script.
Next, check Settings > Skin Settings > Scripts > Enable Cinema Experience script
Enabling this script will add a “movie projector” icon to the movie info screen, you can use this icon to launch the script.
Note: you will need to setup the script first!
18. It’s been raining outside for almost forever, not that i blame you, but will the weather clear up next week?
For long and short-term weather forecasts, use the the weatherplus addon.
After installation, select
Settings > Weather > Weather Plugin (select weather.com plus)
Settings > Weather > Settings
and choose maps for “MAP #X categories”, these are used for the radar image on the weather page.
19. I not speaking the english verry good….i need subtitles in my own language please!
Download the Opensubtitle_OSD script addon.
After installation, check Settings > Skin Settings > Scripts > Show subtitle script button in OSD
and also select the addon. Now you’ll have a ‘download subtitle’ button in the onscreen video menu.
20. XBOX rulezzz!!!
Transparency! is being developed and tested on a pc only, i don’t even own a xbox.
The last (and final) xbox compatible version of Transparency! is v2.11.
21. How about a fanart slideshow on the home screen?
Settings > Skin Settings > Backgrounds > Movies/TV Shows/Music > Fanart
by default the skin will use xbmc’s fanart cache folders for this, so it will work right out of the box.
Note: xbmc uses the same folder for Movies and TV Shows fanart.
To get around this, use the script ‘Video Fan Art Splitter’ found in the XBMC Forums. Run the script, go back to Settings > Skin Settings > Backgrounds > Movies/TV Shows/Music > Fanart and click the ‘options’ button. From there you must select the path for both movies and tv-shows where the script deposited the fanart.
22. I have a dozen of fanart images for each movie/tv show/artist and you have to tell me how i can see them all!.
Settings > Skin Settings > General > Movies/TV Shows/Music – Use extra fanart
to make use of this feature, you’ll have to create an ‘extrafanart’ folder in each Movie/TV Show/Artist directory.
(e.g. /Music/Artist/extrafanart/several-images.jpg)
the extrafanart for artist can also be used on the visualisation screen, during music playback.
to enable this feature, use the visualisation options button on the MusicOSD.
23. I have a dozen of fanart images for each season and you have to tell me how i can see them all!.
Settings > Skin Settings > General > TV Shows – Use season fanart
you need to store your episodes in separate season folders for this to work. in each season folder, put a fanart.jpg image.
if you enable this feature in Skin Settings,these images will be used when browsing seasons/episodes instead of the default tv show fanart image.
24. I’m getting bored very quickly by these fanart images in the visualisation screen, can’t we have something else?
Settings > Skin Settings > General > Show CD Wall instead of visualisation
to use option, you need to create a directory containing your album thumbs.
there’s currently no way to automate this, but copying the cached thumbs (from the userdata/Thumbnails/Music/0-f) might be the quickest way to set this up.
next, select your custom folder in:
Settings > Skin Settings > General > CD Wall folder path
Note: in the Music OSD there’s a button available to toggle between Visualisation / Fanart / Fanart Slideshow / CD Wall
25. I still want more artwork in my skin, how about those extra-thumbs i’ve seen in other skins?
Settings > Skin Settings > General > Movies – Use extra thumbs
create a extrathumbs folder in every movie folder, put two images in there: thumb1.jpg and thumb2.jpg
if you enable this feature in Skin Settings, these images are used in the fanart/item/icons views.
26. I’m getting bored very quickly by these CD Wall images in the visualisation screen, can’t we have something else?
if you like to do some reading while the visualisation screen is active, you can hit the ‘i’ button on the Music OSD.
this will show the artist biography and album review, scrolling across the screen.
Note: due to limitations in xbmc, this feature may not work in all cases!
27. I can press that TV Settings button ’till my fingers bleed, but nothing happens…
TV settings is only accessible is you use the pvr test branch of xbmc.
28. I have a request for something that HAS to be in Transperancy!!
Please post all requests in the Transperancy! subforum. I cannot promise to implement your idea, but I can promise to at least read it. Transperancy! has evolved due to the community of people who use skin and want to improve upon it. While I do the coding, it is the users who give constant feedback on what works well, what can be improved, and what sucks.
29. I’m very impatient, so when will the next version of Transparency! be released?
I don’t know, and please….don’t bother to ask. ;-)
30. WTF is this SVN people are mumbling about?
SVN stands for subversion. Basically, it is a system allowing for code distribution. In other words, when I make daily changes to the skin, people can download those incremental updates and have the most up-to-date skin possible. It’s up to you whether you want to use it or not, but be aware that you MUST have an up-to-date GIT version of XBMC. Transperancy! svn *may* not run on the latest stable xbmc release.
You can uses xbmc’s nightly builds or consult the XBMC wiki for more details on compiling your own xbmc.
SVN Transparency! should be for users who want to live on the bleeding edge. While the Transparency! code is pretty stable, there ARE bugs present. It is a necessary evil of development. I fix those as quickly as they are reported, so do not shy away over concerns of bugs being unattended to for days.
31. Is that all?? My problem isn’t even listed here….
If you have problems, the first thing you should do is restart xbmc!
Other options to try before reporting bugs: upgrade to the latest svn version and also test if the bug is present in other skins.
If this doesn’t fix your problem, feel free to post your questions in a new thread and not in the main one, or they’ll get lost.
When posting a question, please give as much details as possible.
This includes (among others) your platform and xbmc version. A debuglog wouldn’t hurt either.
Just telling me ‘it doesn’t work’ is not enough ;-) |
