Look like the Demo installation have some issues:
- Freebox diddent run directly after installation (should it not run the config?).
- the Config Program from start menu diddent work, its tried to search for config 3, which should a least been to config 4.
- Config 5 show a MSSTFGMT.DLL error (I use Danish Vista 64bit premium).
- Config 4 do work and created database as it should.
Freebox run very fine, but I do found some issues (I tested it with about 32 albums):
- The slider system have some issue. If I jump a letter, the slider still on same place (etc it still on L, even it show B).
- If I press a letter which dosent have a artist with that letter, the button does nothing. It should jump tp the nearest letter instead.
- All letters seen to been used as grahpics = no unicode and speciel letter support used in many country (that why I actuelly never use text on graphics in my application, hence the language support).
- The windows close button still do nothing. Please remove that button.
Please Note this is a quick test and want to share.
Thanks for the heads up i fixed the 2 install issues.
The Config shortcut now works and the launch freebox now works. If you don't have any databases/libraries created freebox offers to launch config for you hence running freebox from the setup.
The Volume issue:
Current Volume is not saved and is allways down. The same goes for random voume. But it seen if I edit it manualy in freebox.ini on these setting, there is no problem and still save the same value. it mightbeen a lanuage problem, but its minor.
Fast forward and Back issue (Vista only):
Fast forward and Back forward when moving the player slider dosen't work correctly. This is the extract same issue I found in UncleT Jukebox and this is a Vista only issue (mightbeen only in 64 bit version?). It turned you cannot send many requests at same time to the media player, but you can only sent about one or 2 per second. Elsewice the song begin to jumpy badly.
But, if you sent fewer requests to the media player, that problem would been fixed. UncleT was needed to do that and turned out to work very well in Vista too (which I use). I guess you need to do the same.
I cant also not reposition directly on the slider. You need to move that from where it is.... I guess it the issue above that do that.
The Volume issue...
The volume is saved only when you save the settings. I added the options to auto save setting settings on exit so the volume will be the same as it was when you shut down.
The Song Position Slider...
Yes you have to drag this, it is a limitation of the control i used i think. To be honest i am not a fan of the position slider and only added it as a request, I think most people have it disabled when using the jukebox properly. I will take another look at it to see if i can resolve the issues but it is not the best. I should probably use a different control.
Thanks for taking the time to do some testing, i am hoping to release an updated demo when i have more bugs ironed out. I have just released 4.0.12 to the V4 users and i managed to fix up the setupv4.exe bugs you mentioned in that. I also fixed a bug with the genres screen, if i don't get any more bug reports i will update the demo to this version.
What does UncleT use on his slider control (do he manually send request)? He actuelly got that to work, since I found extract same bug in his software too, but he actuelly got that problem fixed.
Yes I elsewice totally agree about the slider, which issent even 100% touchscreen freindly. But you could migtbeen use a fast forward and back forward buttons to replace that slider instead (like all other skin buttons)?
I remember the volume setting diddent save correctly when I tried to save setting. But checking agian soon. But it is no other to manyally set that in freebox.ini and that was easy to do that.
Since I soon release my second plugin (webinfo), do you plan to add JPS and make sure it work with webinfo? MultiFE and UncleT Queue system is not 100% same, but I have created that plugin to get work with any queue system (even winamp like playlists)?
I havent registred full version, but I guess demo version works like full version just with time limit? This propenty due I of course have my own software (but wanted to help you out when domain was down for a year ago)....
I would like to support the JPS plugins but when a standard wasn't agreed on i lost interest and carried on with working on other things. I could be tempted to go back and look at it....
The SDK wasnt updated in over half year, and we at the end did agree and have since only added few argument to some commands, but still remain backward combatible.
In MultiFE I need to have a speciel command to send game information when a user start a game (which was not covered in the SDK), but found a wound to use send a string pointer and use a number plugin event instead.... So I diddent break the SDK on that point.
The second plugin I soon is finished is nearly extract same feature you have in your application. Can I use the same graphics to add a freebox webskin (I remember you want to move that feature to a plugin)?
Feel free to use my graphics. I will probably look at the JPS system again to see if i can get your plugin working.
its not many days before I release that ;D.
I found out freebox is a bit slow to navigate, but that is of course the big album arts I use. You can not let use a background thread to loading the coverarts and show when ready?
I use coverarts about 800x800 pixels and I like big resoulutions coverats, so navigation would been much faster.
Using thumbnails would been good idea as well, as some have wrote about that.
When you used config 4 to make your library you could have specified to make thumbnails. The default size for these is 170 x 170 and that seems to work really well.
Coverarts got strected:
I have few coverarts that dosen't have a square format (because they either is in casette or dvd format), they just got strected instead of zoom in or out to fit the square format.
In MultiFE I "zoom" in, so it fit the while square and cut the top/bottom or the other way (left/right) of the image, so they dosent look strected.
ETC it seen all my covers look strected since the blue skin use a retacle format (124x108 rather than 108x108) rather a square coverart format?
Yeah that is how it is supposed to work...
But I do not really like strected artwork. It really clear.
It somethink like if you strect a 4:3 picture to fit a 16:9 picture, which is no good (only zoom should use, not strect here).
I think you need to add a feature so it "zoom" a bit in and cut the top/bottom cornor or what it need to do, so that artwork dosent being strected.
It could been a new feature added (no strect on thumbnails example).
I agree with you stretched isn't the best but i am not aware of any reason why you would want to use the cassette artwork over that of say the CD Cover or Vinyl Cover if it wasn't on CD. Both of those are square... If you really need to use something that isn't square then just crop it manually which is what i have done for a couple of images.
personly I dosent like to crop any artwork (hence I was aware about it when I created MultiJuke/MultiFE). Some music is even realsed as dvd casette (one I have), which is not a squre format. Hence I wanted freebox just to crop top/bottom itself.
Here is the picture what I mean (the upper is what I get) with a normal cd coverart I have:
(http://www.spacefractal.com/Temp/artbug.png)
If the original size was 800x800 then that is square? I don't see an issue. It can be scaled down to 170x170 for the cover view that is keeping the aspect ratio. I was talking about croping them in reference to you mentioning zooming in on the image. Or did you mean bestfit? So it is enlarged to fit the window but not stretched. I figure this is what you ment... The work around would be to add a border to the image to make it square or like i said use an alternative image like a CD cover that is square.
it shown as 124x108 pixels rather than 124x124 pixels in this skin without keeping the correct ratio from the original 800x800 image (dont think anything as speed due with big coverarts, since this is just a test).
I think we talk about throuch here. I Think I came to talk about 2 diffecent things, sorry.
First:
ALL I mean is the coverart in the skin is really shown as 124x108 rather than 124x124 (or 108x108?) as they should. Hence it shown of course strected on all coverarts (sorry edits on that posts, but it mean the same anyway). I do not even know if this is a another vista only issue with one of the components?
Second:
For the other talk about the abscure format (dvd, casettes and so on), I really meant that:
(http://spacefractal.com/Temp/cutting.png)
In MultiFE I do the first option (clearly see on screenshots if you looked on MultiFE screenshots in the BOAYC thread).
Do NOT confuse that with the first talk. I mixed them.
Ah yes, the second one is what i ment by adding a border. I dout i will be adding it to freebox but i agre with you it does look better that way.
personal I dosent care which method you use, just it dosen't strect.
But for the blue skin its still a little bug (First talk in previous post). Hope that got fixed in next version.
NB. Look what happens since the image got offline, but you got that idea. Reuploading soon.