ways to make gbpvr prettier

[venger]

I do agree that a bit more 'useful' info on the main menu would be nice.
We just need to be careful that the panels don't end up chewing a lot of CPU% and HDD use. eg, 'polling' for updates should be configurable and restricted to every 10mins (for instance).

As I've said previous, 'prettiness' would not be the main reason why i would use GBPVR. And you've got it exactly right - graphical artists makes 'pretty' skins .. with or without animation.. with or without string scrolling...

i think the main menu is kind of wasted, a lot of empty space not doing anything, we dont have to full the entire thing (only about 60% of the screen max) but display some helpful information clearly and neatly, but no rubbish info (just pratical things like how much recording space you have left etc).

why the skins in gbpvr dont look as good, well that pretty much just because we dont have any really good skinners here, well graphical artists, mediaportal obiviously does. but hey i suck at the graphical part aswell. cause gbpvr with the right skin could look just as good as mediaportal (minus all the little animations etc), and be more stable.

[reven]

exactly

[sub]

...what those guys said.

BUT the MP skin does look better.. higher resolution(?).. nicer gradients.. use of borders and shadowing combine to make the buttons look solid...

All of that is pretty much already possible in GB-PVR, but we've proven ourselves to be not a very artistic bunch. I think I'm doing reasonable job at making a usable PVR, but I'm the first to admit I'm artistically challenged.

[reven]

yeah sub gbpvr can fully support these things (well minus the animations, which arent that important/great anyways) we need some good designers and more collaboration between plugin developers (hence my wish for the uber panel) and well a good design plan

its not gbpvr, its our lack of graphical talent.

[reboot]

its not gbpvr, its our lack of graphical talent

Agreed! Even my pathetic attempts at custom skins, although functional, lack that panache that MP skins seem to have.

[venger]

Hey Sub

i think the default 'Blue' skin is just fine.. simple, clear and works with all the standard plugins.. i quite like it actually...


BTW, (reven and sub).. are you hanging out around any irc channels?
i saw a post in the forums about an irc chat channel for gbpvr.. but when i
connect to it, no one is on the channel.. and the server tells me i don't have channel operator access...

if there is an irc channel.. please let me know - so i can discuss all things GBPVR

[reven]

theres a channel, i pop in there every once in a while, its usually really dead thou, never caught on....

[sub]

BTW, (reven and sub).. are you hanging out around any irc channels?

No, I dont. Its just another thing to waste the little time I have, so I've decided its not for me.

[kevin_c]

Hey,

Interesting thread. I have to admit, when I tried GBPVR I was a bit put off by the interface at first. It just doesn't do the software justice.

Also, I'd just like to take one small point up. Saying you want to make it pretty kind of triviliases the issue. You want it to be well designed, tight, legible and an effective UI. Good design is about more than just a lick of paint.

The BlueMCE2 skin for GBPVR is fantastic for example. Can you make that the default skin?

Also, I'll put my money where my mouth is, and volunteer to tweak the default skin, and tidy it up a little if you want.

[daphatty]

I've always felt that the single column selection menu was always a bit, well, bland... It reminds me too much of Media Center regardless of the skin. After all, we have an entire screen to use, why not be a little more ingeneous? (sp?) I also think the use of genre categories could liven up the guide quite a bit. I just wish I knew how to do all of this...