Looking for a new skin

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Looking for a new skin

Postby WannaTheater on Mon May 17, 2010 9:14 pm

Hi All,

After using a touchscreen to control xLobby, and loving it, I am rethinking my currently-being-built theater. I have no room for a touchscreen, and am not really interested in wielding a big RF keyboard. So I am looking for a very simple skin that will be on the main viewing screen. I would like to control it completely from a single universal remote control. I do have eventGhost running.

Before I roll my own, is there a skin available for something like this (viewed on TV screen, controlled fully by remote control).

Thanks!
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Re: Looking for a new skin

Postby S Pittaway on Tue May 18, 2010 8:07 am

I guess most people are not using xlobby as a media interface, but more as a full blow automation system... I was ammased at the lack of remote controllable skins :)

I was working on one http://www.xlobby.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=49&t=6856&p=48730&hilit=xblack#p48730 but have been maxed out at work for ages so nothing really has changed (its now using xlobby3 for the reflections etc. and I stripped out quite a few plug-ins).

All of the basic media type screens where there, but its not finished (still no search etc).

I don't need to use a mouse or keyboard, and most things are controlled via up/down/left/right/menu/exit/info (similar to the apple tv remote).

You are welcome to a copy if it would be of any use (it needs xlobby3), it might save a bit of time (but then i might not :)).

Whatever you do, if you dont have it grab XRemote it a great plugin and really tidies the remote side up.

Sean,
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Re: Looking for a new skin

Postby Marbles_00 on Tue May 18, 2010 3:31 pm

Most of my media skins are all remote controlled. For widescreen I released the Mirage skin, un-released I have the Glass skin, but they were both buggy when using a remote with XMenu. I have also released an Apple TV *modified* skin that has worked rather well. It integrated with Zoom or TT for movie watching, MPC for TV recording playback, and GBPVR for TV recording. It was integrated with a Hauppauge remote, and if I recall, I included the irremote.ini file required to control the setup. I also have done a modified KISS skin, based on the same setup as the Apple TV skin.

Funny you are inquiring about this, as I've also been working on and off (more off than on) on a new skin. Based on the popular MediaStream skin types for other frontends. Been really impressed with this skin type, and when frustrated with the other options, I've been working on this skin to replace everything. Right now, I'm not sure how far I'm going to go with it. I was thinking of releasing it as multiple modules. Where I would release the main skin with the weather module, then release a movie module, music module, gaming module etc. It could even be a community type skin...maybe? It will be totally remote controlled, and rely heavily on the use of Ant/XAnt, especially for the movie stuff for sure.

But right now, I don't have a release date....just teaser pics.
Attachments
splash_1.PNG
Splash Screen
menu_1.PNG
Main Menu
menu_2.PNG
Main Menu Weather Selection
menu_3.PNG
Main Menu Movie Selection
menu_4.PNG
Main Menu Game Selection
movies_1.PNG
Possible Movies view
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Re: Looking for a new skin

Postby Grooby on Wed May 19, 2010 7:36 am

Marbs...wow...nice skinning going on there...

Andy
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Re: Looking for a new skin

Postby S Pittaway on Wed May 19, 2010 10:28 am

Yep, I recognise that skin, its a nice clean temple to follow.

I nicked a few bits of the layout and used it in my skin :)

Sean.
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Re: Looking for a new skin

Postby samsonlov on Fri May 21, 2010 12:53 am

Wow, Wow, Wow!

Another winner by Marbles_00.

Way to go - looks very, very nice.
:)

Are you using Fanart to "randomly" generate the backgrounds?
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Re: Looking for a new skin

Postby Marbles_00 on Fri May 21, 2010 10:41 am

Thanks for the positive comments guys.

Are you using Fanart to "randomly" generate the backgrounds?


The main menu backgrounds are selected per the menu selection and are set, it's pretty basic stuff. I'm thinking later of allowing the user to be able to change them, but I need to think of how to do it cleanly. Maybe by changing themes? Not sure right now.

The movie fanart is primarily selected per the movie viewed. As shown in the last image, if you select Shrek from the movie database, then Shrek fanart is shown. The images are static, but if you had more than one image, there may be a way of cycling the images (Buddabing's "nowplaying" technique), but I haven't explored that.

Where things get a little "random" is when selecting how to initially sort your movies list, I figured out how to sequentially cycle through movie fanart per the sort selection your highlighting on. Not quite random as how they do it in the actual "Moving Pictures" plugin offered by the other software, but it mixes things up in the very least.
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Re: Looking for a new skin

Postby P3rv3rt B3ar on Fri May 21, 2010 6:23 pm

Marbles, allthough i find your new skin great looking, what really excites me is the statement u made about the possibility of its modularity (and communality). I been trying to speak for modularity for ages, if i remember right i originally took the core concept from GB-PVR and ever since wanted to make something similar to happen with Lobby. If we happen to be about on the same page what should the modularity to be like on freelobby, im more than willing, as soon as i get my current project PMSd out of me paws, implement some new code to support the modularity of the skins.
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Re: Looking for a new skin

Postby Marbles_00 on Fri May 21, 2010 10:14 pm

I think we are thinking similar, but on two different levels. What I'm talking about modular, is to supply a base skin which doesn't do much more than show the main menu. I'm including weather screens so at least it has some functionality. Each menu item will then be provided by a different module download. If you want to use the skin for movies, then you would download the movie module package. If you want to use the skin for music, then you would download the music module pack...TV, then the TV module pack, etc. Each module would include the events, screens, plugins to use that module in the skin, and the main screen events would get modded to accommodate the new module pack.

I thought of doing this because from my own experience, I find when working on a skin, I jump around alot, and the finer details of specific things get lost and forgotten. Doing things in steps like this, I can concentrate on one thing, get it working just right, and then release it. I also find, that I'm primarily using my skins for the playback of movies and video, and not so much in the playback of music, or viewing pictures. So I'm getting a keen sense of how to display a video library, and how I want that aspect of the skin to behave. This is where the community could contribute, as if someone has a keen sense of how to display and run music, then they could design a music module for the skin. Or in the case of TV, someone like lar282 has a keen sense of how to run and display TV, since he has dealt with the MP TVEngine plugin, so he could contribute to the skin with a TV module pack.

The most difficult thing here would be to try and keep the modules to within the behavioral parameters and look of the primary skin. So individuals wishing to contribute would have to understand that in order for it to all work, we would have to keep a strict pattern in the overall structure of the skin, its screens and events.

Ultimately my goal, down the road, is to release this skin for freelobby, and be able to easily port it over to V3...which is another reason for doing things in modules...so I can port a section over at a time.

I don't know...how does all that grab people?
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Re: Looking for a new skin

Postby WannaTheater on Wed Jun 02, 2010 1:04 am

Marbles,

Great work! Do you have an "Unreleased, Use as a starting point at your Own Risk version?" Also, was this done with the freelobby version? or V3?


Thanks,
WannaTheater
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Re: Looking for a new skin

Postby Marbles_00 on Wed Jun 02, 2010 8:14 pm

Great work! Do you have an "Unreleased, Use as a starting point at your Own Risk version?" Also, was this done with the freelobby version? or V3?


The main module is almost ready, so is the movie module. I just have to add xRemote features into the main, and MPC/xRemote stuff into the movie module. I had a bit of a set back though which has put a dent in doing any of my DIY/skin stuff. My HTPC motherboard seemed to have died for some reason, so I've been scrambling in getting the system back up and running :( ...anything right now. I had to take the CPU/motherboard combo from a future build and use it. Got the basics back up, but it will still be another day or two before all the nit-picky things are ironed out. Who knows, you may receive an email ;) . Or if I can get my HTPC working, then I may release it within a couple of weeks.

The skin will start on the freeversion, but eventually I would like to port it over to V3.
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