SSPlus Screensaver - Photo Slideshow Beta

[ACTCMS]

Jaggy and I have been working on a Photo SlideShow feature for the SSPlus Screen Saver. The beta version is now available for download (see below). It requires NPVR 2.4.3.

To have a play with it...

Download from the wiki, uncompress and run the installer, then set SSPLus as your default screensaver.
First time users should look at the SSPlus wiki page to find out how to make SSPlus your default screen saver.
Edit SSPConfig.xml in your Plugins\SSPlus dir (using notepad or similar - not wordpad) and add the following...

Code:

<slideShowStatus>False|auto|0|0|0</slideShowStatus>
  <slideShowCycleMode>S|S</slideShowCycleMode>
  <PictureLibrary extensions="^.+\.(bmp|jpg|png|tiff|tif|gif)$">
    <Collection name="All">
      <Directory>N:\Video Clips And Photos\Family\</Directory>
      <Directory>\\sbs2003\Media Stuff B\Video Clips And Photos\Scans\</Directory>
    </Collection>
    <Collection name="Holidays">
      <Directory>N:\Video Clips And Photos\Family\2009-07\</Directory>
      <Directory>\\sbs2003\Media Stuff B\Video Clips And Photos\Scans\198907 - N0074\</Directory>
    </Collection>
  </PictureLibrary>

Change the paths in the <Directory></Directory> nodes to point to your own Photos and change the Collection name(s) as required.

You can have one or more Collection(s) each containing one or more Directory(s). Currently, SSPlus will look for photos in the specified directories and first level sub-directories.

Once SSPlus kicks in, pressing Home/Info twice within two seconds will display a context sensitive help screen showing the commands available - pressing Home/Info will clear the help screen. It is worth having a good look at the help screen(s) since they explain how to start the slideshow and once slideshow is running, how to navigate through your library. You can also see the help screens in the SSPlus skin folder.

For the moment, please post any problems (please attach your NPVR logs), comments or suggestions in this thread.

Jaggy & Alex

[mvallevand]

Hi Alex, thanks for keeping this going, it and MLPanel have been a favourite for a long time. I won't be using this new feature too much as a screen saver, but I am sure it could be popular for those that do.

Comments

- I really dislike any of the views with album art over the slideshow
- I prefer the full screen view with no text, but it took a lot of cycling to get there.
- I really like being able to toggle this mode on/off with the yellow, I might actually use this when playing on album.

Issues

- your example for the xml is invalid you don't close the second collection
- doesn't show the first art from MB4, I don't think it is new but now it stays on for the whole song
- related, when the MB4 random plays is started from SSPlus the Starting Playlist circle stays on for the whole first song.
- for the last too issues if I skip tracks forward and back and proper art displays.
- after stopping music, the art disappears but the "Now Playing" text lingers.

Suggestions for future.

- Use the Picture Library from config.xml if nothing is configured
- It would be nice to be able to rotate picture with the up/down key like in Pictures.

Martin

[Jaggy]

- I really dislike any of the views with album art over the slideshow

Ummm err well don't use them then That is why I always end up supplying so many different views (refer next comment)

- I prefer the full screen view with no text, but it took a lot of cycling to get there.

(refer end comment above) you can't have it both ways.... although one left move from the NoViewSelected view would have got you there straight away

- I really like being able to toggle this mode on/off with the yellow, I might actually use this when playing on album.

Yes I have actually used it myself at times (more times than I expected actually) because it is so easy to switch between slideshow & music information modes.

Issues
- doesn't show the first art from MB4, I don't think it is new but now it stays on for the whole song
- related, when the MB4 random plays is started from SSPlus the Starting Playlist circle stays on for the whole first song.
- for the last too issues if I skip tracks forward and back and proper art displays.
- after stopping music, the art disappears but the "Now Playing" text lingers.

Could I suggest logs?? As these are not problem either Alex or I see.

[ACTCMS]

Thanks for taking the time to have a look Martin...

Further to Jaggy's comments

I've edited the xml syntax problem - thanks for spotting it and I'll have a look at the other issues.

We did consider using Picture Library but decided not to include it at this stage and we'll certainly look at rotating the photos.

Alex

[bgowland]

Installed and working without problems on the PC although only tested for a minute or two). Will see how it looks on the NMT later.

Cheers,
Brian

[mvallevand]

Ummm err well don't use them then That is why I always end up supplying so many different views (refer next comment)...
(refer end comment above) you can't have it both ways.... although one left move from the NoViewSelected view would have got you there straight away

My comments were meant as feedback and not criticism, and you can choose to discard them or use them however you'd like. While there are a lot of choices for the slide show only three don't have album art and slideshow combined. The full screen slideshow being last seemed odd since that would be the one I figure most people would expect to see.

Could I suggest logs?? As these are not problem either Alex or I see.

Alex, of course I can provide logs if you'd like. I have done this a few times for the problem that is in SSPlus too and nothing stood out as "new". I still get the same thing in this version two copies of the "Now Playing" until the first move when one copy goes away. The new difference is I don't get art at all for the first song. The Starting Playlist circle does make it more annoying. The other change is that "Now Playing" stays on the screen until the first move after stopping.

As a reminder when I write "first" song, it is the very first song after NextPVR startup on the PC and NMT. If I stop the playlist and restart things are fine.

Martin

[Jaggy]

My comments were meant as feedback and not criticism, and you can choose to discard them or use them however you'd like.

I took them as feedback not criticism, I didn't disregard them & thought I answered them??

While there are a lot of choices for the slide show only three don't have album art and slideshow combined. The full screen slideshow being last seemed odd since that would be the one I figure most people would expect to see.

Or it's the very first view you see if you move to the left instead of to the right....

I did suggest that it had separate skins (or something like that) for the different modes right at the start of development (it would certainly make skinning a lot easier for me) but that never came to anything.

Once a user has looked through the views in the different modes & selected their favorites for each mode this operation is no longer required unless they change their mind, so it isn't something you are doing all the time.

Alex, of course I can provide logs if you'd like. I have done this a few times for the problem that is in SSPlus too and nothing stood out as "new". I still get the same thing in this version two copies of the "Now Playing" until the first move when one copy goes away. The new difference is I don't get art at all for the first song. The Starting Playlist circle does make it more annoying. The other change is that "Now Playing" stays on the screen until the first move after stopping.

I still say this is something Alex & I don't see, I know you have your setup different to how I have mine so wouldn't it be a good idea if we could try setting our system up with the same options as you have & see if that makes it do the same things that you are seeing & we aren't??

[mvallevand]

Here is the log that goes with these pictures. It starts of double and goes single. The one with the art happens after I skip forward and back, the stop at the end shows the Now Playing text on the screen without art but not much in the logs.

I can send logs of the circle "Starting Playlist" if you'd like.

Martin

[ACTCMS]

Thanks for that Martin - I'll see if I can re-create the problem here - you have a few settings different from mine...

Alex

[ACTCMS]

Here is the log that goes with these pictures. It starts of double and goes single. The one with the art happens after I skip forward and back, the stop at the end shows the Now Playing text on the screen without art but not much in the logs.

I can send logs of the circle "Starting Playlist" if you'd like.

Martin

Sorry for taking so long to repsond Martin - the day job has been a bit hectic this week...

The attached has some extra logging - if you get time, could you try the same tests again and attach you logs please.

Alex

PS It's probably just as well that my VB is much better than my C# or I wouldn't have a day job