New Videos Library Plugin

[7ore]

I have now a working skin for Community with folderinfo.
I just needed to think outside the box... I realized that with the ability to show folder art anywhere, I do not need the hybridview anymore. So I now use the list view and have the info to the right.

The issue in posts #134 and #139 still applies though. But it is no longer a problem for me. Not as long as I use the list view anyway (and that a preferred view anyway).

Next on my agenda is to get the same info in the Mayhem skin...

[jasonbs10]

New version 1.60.0 uploaded.
- Modified details mode with threaded thumbnails and metadata.
- Added support for background.jpg.
- Respect thumbnail/metadata placements.
- Fixed crash when browsing configured folders.
- Updated blue skin.xml and added new blue/slick images.

@7ore: I may remove the hybrid view since its usefulness seems limited.

@tm12: There is no mode button in slick because it isn't supported.

[7ore]

Gaah, do not remove the hybridview! Still love that one.
Especially as you fixed it so folder and item info placement is separated.
It will depend on the skin, what i would like to use.

On the other hand, if hybridview is a load of trouble for you, code wise, then you have my blessing to remove it. Especially if it is only I that use it...

Thanks for your efforts btw. I am grateful for all the work you put in.
It has become i little bigger than the original video library tweak you intended, right?

I have only tested this very quick but it looks really good.

[jasonbs10]

I use most of the features I've added, so my efforts aren't entirely unselfish. It's good that others find it useful too though. As far as hybrid view is concerned, it is actually easier to keep than remove. I would only have removed it in an effort to keep the code clean.

[7ore]

It seems like have to show FolderImage for the FolderInfo to show.
I am back with the Hybridviewand thought that I have all the mages I need as folder icons, so I removed the placement and CompositeImage for the FolderImages.
But as I removed that, the FolderInfo won't show either.
I solved this temporarily by showing the folder image as a small thumbnail in the FolderInfo Popup.

I'll attach my tweaked community skin. But I would think that this behavior is the same in slick as well.

This is the version with a small thumb of FolderImage. Just remove the reference to this and there is no info either...

[jasonbs10]

New version 1.61.0 uploaded.
- Only read images from disk once; compress and cache.
- Fix to handle image/metadata placement independently.
- Small tweak for blue skin.xml.

@7ore: I've been trying to optimize for my underpowered htpc but I'd also like to know if you think the plugin speed is sufficient. Thanks.

[7ore]

Thanks. Now I can select to show just what is needed...

As for performance in hybridview, it takes about 10-15 sec to load the first 15 images (folders are local).
If i browse down at the same time, it takes about same to load the new folder images.

Is the caching used inside the videos library or in the GBpvr session in general?
If I go to the main menu and then back in to Videos library, it feels as the thumbs is loading faster, but not as they where cached.

I get the feeling that the thumbs loaded faster in an earlier version.
The speed is not great, but OK. And the cause can just as well be that my comp need a bit of TLC.
I lost the built-in network card in a lightning stroke a week ago and it HAS behaved a little bit odd afterwards...

BTW, you forgot to remove the .pdb file in the zip...

[jasonbs10]

I've more optimized for ram and disk/network speed than cpu (compared to you, my htpc has a slightly slower cpu and only 768 ram). Everything performs well on my fast dev machine but the htpc interface becomes a bit laggy when first loading thumbnails. It only takes about 1.5 seconds to load a page of images and metadata in icon mode. I primarily use blue if that makes *any* difference. I don't know if I could use my plugin if it were as slow as you're describing...

Until GB-PVR is closed, the plugin will compress and retain in memory all the images it has loaded. However, the limit for uncompressed images in memory is currently only set to ~20. In most cases, decompressing the image should be faster than re-retrieving it from the disk/network. Though now that I think about it, I'm probably purging the entire cache every time the view is changed to list. I forgot to consider that the view might be changed frequently as is the case for hybrid view.

I started including the pdb file so I can get line numbers in the logs. That information can probably be stored in the dll though. I'll check.

[7ore]

Keep the pdb file if it helps. I just thought you forgot to remove it...

I have been playing around with the extra feature gbpvr.link but have not succeeded. I can't find any info on where to put it. So I tried in to create one in the videos library folder without success. Then I copied it to the videos folder where the main part of my videos is located. Nope, no extra folders. What have I missed? I just created a file with two lines like: "e:\videos\Battlestar Galactica" (added an extra "\" at he end for test as well).

Where shall I put it and what have I been missing?

Btw, I think it would be helpful if you put the readme.txt in the plugin/videos library folder as well, so the user can go back to this even after the plugin is installed
(the readme didn't help in his case though).

[jasonbs10]

The link file belongs in a folder with your videos. As an example, you would create "c:\videos\gbpvr.link" with content "d:\videos\" (possibly followed by an empty line) to create an entry in videos library that has files from both drives.

FYI, I'm switching to XBMC since it focuses on media management - which is all I've been using GB-PVR for. I won't be checking the posts here too often, so would anyone be interested in project/repository access?