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View Full Version : ZoomPlayer vs BSPlayer


BRAiNCrusher
3rd June 2002, 19:04
I wanted to know what do you think about that both players. BSPlayer was a long time my fav. . But with the new version of BSPlayer I could not view my movies with TV-Out. In that moment when I switch in TV-Mode the Screen with the BSPlayer is black on my TV and the PC is freezed. So I tried to test the ZoomPlayer. I love it. There a many functions and they are very usefull. But the skins are not the best :p . So I wanted to know that, because I started a little project and I will see if there are enough users so my project could go on. It's a SkinEditor for the ZoomPlayer so you could visual edit your skin. In the moment you could only view the skins (I wrote it in the last 2 days) and he organized a little bit the buttons. In the next days I will build the menu of the editor. I hope it will work :D

Blight
4th June 2002, 05:38
You should have probably posted this on the Zoom Player forum.

As for skins, there are a few other ZP skins out there at www.skinbase.org and www.deskmod.com

You do realise it's practically a full job just to maintain such a project as ZP adds new button functions all the time. Heck, v2.7 will be adding a few additional skinning functions.

In what language are you writing this editor in? If it's in delphi, I may be able to help you with some of the code.

BRAiNCrusher
4th June 2002, 14:28
Yes...I wrote the 1st step of the programm in delphi...if you want I can sent you the alpha per mail. You could only load the skin to view them. And If you move with your mouse about the buttons he shows you the names and hinds of the button in the preview (it's a test).
I tested some of the skins from the sides you gave me. I have some probelms with the new skins and will first fix it :D

BRAiNCrusher
4th June 2002, 14:56
k...I fixed the problems in my code and it worked with the new/other skins. Now I want to optimize the source code.

Blight
4th June 2002, 18:22
Heh, if you optimize it to be faster than mine, than I wouldn't object to implementing it ;)

But really, I do have some decently optimized functions for stuff like gradients (not really in use in any skin at the moment).

You'll also need to use code for the new 2.7 functions...

BRAiNCrusher
4th June 2002, 20:50
At the moment the func. is not faster than yours :p . The Editor must only show a preview. But I'm not proud of my source. Some parts are "quick and dirty". Time by time I could make the code smaller.

Here you/other could have a first look of it. Think about it. Its programmed in 3 days and ist only for open them.

http://free.pages.at/braincrushershome/dl/zpSkinEdit.exe

Blight
4th June 2002, 21:54
Ok, here's a few comments:

1. You need to support the control bar, the timeline, the play rate bar and the volume bar. I suggest using a 40% value on the timeline, use some fake numbers, but using the specified font styles so that people can see how this works.

2. While the main app looks like an MDI app, the actual editing windows pop outside.

3. The preview window should be resizable.

4. You should have a drop-down menu selecting which control bar buttons are visible. Don't bother naming them, just the "fn" function and the hint if there is one (remember, hints are optional).

5. I'm wondering what component you used for the buttons. I really had to write my own as I couldn't locate one that worked well for me.

6. The actual skin drawing looks ok. I'm not sure if you implemented all the functions as some of them aren't really in use in any skin today (like the gradient fills, text draws and some of the tiling methods).

7. Instead of the text editor, there should probably be something more on the line of a property editor with an "update" button.

You should try catching up with me on IRC (efnet/#pcdvd) and I can send you some of the code. No use re-inventing the wheel.

BRAiNCrusher
5th June 2002, 15:08
Yes...you're right with your points ;). Fpr the buttons I used no commponent. It's an easy procedure. All Buttons which will be find by "CreateButton(..." come in an array (e.g. skn_ButtonList[0..256]). This is an array of skn_Tbutton. This is an var. that I specified. In this var. you could set the buttonname (fnExit), the Hint, Source_X, Source_Y, Dest_X, Dest_Y, Width and Height. If you move with the mouse over the preview the program goes into the list and check if your mouseposition is over an button. When YES skn_OnButton will be set TRUE. ANd so on it function, that you could oush the buttons in the preview. The preview is not an MDI. It's an form with fromstyle "StayOnTop". But it's not the best method. But I don't know to do it better or confortable.

with the IRC... efnet. I looked there but the Chan is empty. Have I use the wrong server ? (irc.efnet.de)

Excuse my bad english :D I come from germany

Blight
5th June 2002, 21:18
Ah, well, I can't an images as the buttons have focus and such.

As for IRC, try:
efnet.vuurwerk.nl or
irc.daxnet.no or
irc.secsup.uu.net

Channel #pcdvd

I'm usually there when I'm on IRC. Nick is "|Blight|".

BRAiNCrusher
7th June 2002, 14:51
The SkinEditor-Project have to wait. My other tool (MediaLister) is more important. The new version is allready tested and ready for upload. Next I must do my media-data-info-base for that tool. Time by time I will go on with the skineditor.

Blight
7th June 2002, 20:34
What does media lister do?

BRAiNCrusher
7th June 2002, 20:58
MediaLister is a german tool. You can list movies,music and games with it. You can specify what format the movie is (DivX/MPeg II and so on). You can download it from www.braincrusher.de.vu . I have an database with 272 movies, 56 music cds and 31 games and the databse is only 12 kb big. In this db are information about the artist, format, genre, medium, language and so on. With this information you can especialy list your media data. And you could easily set an entry as lend to a friend. So you never forget that there are things, that you have lend to some one.
But time by time I go on with the skineditor like today. Today I have rewritten a little part of the source and I'm very proud of it. It's smaller and a little bit faster than before.

BRAiNCrusher
8th June 2002, 15:47
I have made some changes... the buttons are out for a little time. But I included the Timeline and the Volume (but not the Rate). But I have some Probelms to show the Text (e.g. in the Timeline). I can't format the fontstyle (e.g. bold). I could convert the value "bold" to a fontstyle =(.

http://free.pages.at/braincrushershome/dl/sk4zp.exe

Blight
9th June 2002, 04:13
var
FS : TFontStyle;
begin
FS := [];
If s = 'bold' then FS := [fsBold];
If s1 = 'italic' then FS := FS+[fsItalic];
end;

BRAiNCrusher
9th June 2002, 17:47
thx a lot :) . I have some problems with the tLineFontSize. In ZoomPlayer it seems, that you correct the size from the skn-file. But I don't know how. Some skins there a fontsize of 10. But if I set 10 in my preview it seems that the fontsize is 2pixels too big. In other skins there it's right. I hope you understand, what I mean. In some skins there is set 10 but 8 seems to be right, because ZoomPlayer show it.

If you want you could mail me: braincrushed@gmx.de

Blight
10th June 2002, 18:05
Size is actually a negative value.

So, if you do "tLineFontSize = (6)" you do Font.Size = -6 ... It's a windows thing.

BRAiNCrusher
10th June 2002, 20:05
Oh yeah ...big thx... it worked. For the preview the editor supported:

CopyBitmap,TileBitmapV,TileBitmapH,FillRect,GradientRectH,GradientRectV,TimeLineBG,TimeLineFG,VolumeData,RateData,DrawText;

CreateButton and TileBitmapA are now in progress.

I build in a zoom-window (8x). So you can better see (pixel per pixel) if you are correct with your position. And you can select in the skin-window (x,y,width,height). This values will be saved and then you can easily create (with this values) a button or something else by the menu edit -> CreateButton. But this later (I worked on it).

http://free.pages.at/braincrushershome/dl/sk4zp.exe

Blight
11th June 2002, 08:01
In 2 days I'll be releasing 2.7 beta 1 which will have a additional skinning code, including transparent windows.

Looking at this new version, it's odd, didn't you have the button display working in the original version, now they don't show...

Also, you should probably make the skin resizable so people could check resizing effects.

I would also make the rate/volume bars active so you can test how they slide.

BRAiNCrusher
11th June 2002, 18:37
What a long day :o . I added the CreateButton-Function (so you can see the buttons :) ). I changed the selection in the skinwindow. YOu have to go with your mouse to a position => right-click and say "Set SourceX/SourceY". Then you can move your mouse to the position for bottom right. There you click right => "Set SourceWidth/SourceHeight". With this functions the editor will calculate in fact of the X and Y the right Width and Height. To choose the destination position you do the same in the preview-window like in the skin-window. The function under EDIT => FillRect and so on take all ready effect. Test it out.

http://free.pages.at/braincrushershome/dl/sk4zp.exe