Blight
3rd August 2003, 14:56
As promised, here is Zoom Player version 3.20 beta 1.
This beta contains quite a few changes, I cleared a lot of my to-do backlog on some of these features/changes. Zoom Player also features a new DSP plugin engine which will be further refined as version 3.20 progresses. Right now it contains a 10-band EQ and a PreAmp (easily accessible through the new EQ interface). It only applies to Media Customized Mode, but I will try extending it into standard media mode and to DVD Mode if possible.
So... check everything, if you spot any new bugs or issues with the new features, make sure to let me know.
* Zoom Player now incorporates a new DSP engine filter courtesy
of Milenko Mitrovic (DCoder). Right now it's only in charge of
the Internal Equalizer and PreAmp controls ("Q" on the Keyboard
or the EQ button on the GUI). But I'm hoping to expand it to
support user controlled DSP and Visualization plugins.
Right now (in beta 1) the EQ and PreAmp only work in Customized
Media Mode (which is limited to the professional version) as it
was easier to implement. But I'm hoping that by the final
version, it would be supported in the standard version as well.
To have the EQ/PreAmp accessible, you need to enable the filter
support under "Options / Filter Control / Settings". You will
also be prompted for this when opening the EQ dialog.
* Improved the Customized Media Playback Audio/Video decoder and
splitter setup dialogs to allow forcing a decoder only to accept
specific file extensions. This allows you to create two or more
different profiles for playing back the same media types.
For example, you could use one decoder entry to use a specific
decoder for "TS/TP" MPEG2 Transport files, another decoder
for "MPG/M2V" for standard MPEG2 decoding such as SVCD and yet
a third decoder for "VOB" to be used on extracted DVD Content.
To associate forced extensions, open up the decoder entry and
click on the advanced button, from there you can easily add
extensions. Only these extensions would be played by this
entry. Duplicate the entry and use a different set of
extensions and filter profiles as you see fit.
* New Button on the Association options dialog allowing you
to load Icon Definition Files to automatically set the icons
for all the extensions that have an association.
* With the new filter support by Gabest, Zoom Player (and any
other directshow based player) can now be used to play most
Real Media files! For more information, see:
http://www.inmatrix.com/articles/mediasetup.shtml
* Added customized profiles for Real Media.
* Can now associate the Real Media file extensions.
* You can now specify the Width and Height of the virtual video
are when no video or folder image is present for a playing file
(Options / OSD / ID3).
* New Graph Information dialog under the Right-Click Filter
Properties context menu. Within this dialog you can see a lot
of useful information about the currently playing graph, such as
which filters are connected, the library in which each filter is
contained, the currently loaded file within source filters, etc...
* New Setting (Options / OSD / Navigators) that determines whether
the Source Folders for the Media Library Navigator is visible
(default on).
* New Setting (Options / OSD / Navigators) that determines whether
the "All" Category is included in the Media Library Navigator.
* New Setting (Options / Settings / Interface) allowing you to have
a media file name pop when opened.
* New Setting (Options / Settings / Playback) allowing you to use
an alternative mode of fast-forwarding for media files. The
default mode simply instructs the system to play faster, including
audio decoding. The alternative mode seeks ahead and can achieve
faster speeds although image visibility during the seeking may
not be very fluent.
* New "/SEEK" Command Line Parameter allowing you to start a media
file in a specified position. Usage:
"/SEEK:hh:mm:ss" where HH = Hours, MM = Minutes and SS = Seconds
Example:
"/SEEK:01:15:32"
In which playback would start at 1 hour, 15 minutes and 32 seconds.
* New "/AUDIO" Command Line Parameter allowing you to start a media
file with a specified Audio Track enabled. Usage:
"/AUDIO:[n]", where "n" is a number from 0 onwards (0 being the
first audio track).
Example:
"/AUDIO:2".
* New "/SUB" Command Line Parameter allowing you to start a media
file with a specified Subtitle Track enabled. Usage:
"/SUB:[n]", where "n" is a number from 0 onwards (0 being the
first subtitle track).
Example:
"/SUB:2".
* New "/KEYDVD" Command Line Parameter allowing you to set the
DVD Key file.
Example:
"/KEYDVD:C:\Program Files\Zoom Player\dvd.key"
* Several new functions added to the Mouse Middle Click toggle.
* I have added support for FLIC file playback to the customized
media mode. For decoding to work, you'll need the open-sourced
filter at: http://sourceforge.net/projects/guliverkli/
+ When saving a Play List you will now be prompted with a dialog
asking you how the file path information should be saved:
1. Full Path to files
2. Relative Path to files
3. Don't save any Path information
+ I have split the keyboard file into a DVD and Media entry.
Using two keyboard files you can have the same scan keys (or
remote buttons) mapped to two different commands dependant on
DVD or Media mode.
+ The DVD Play & Stop functions have changed a bit. When opening
an IFO file off the hard disk, and then pressing Stop and Play
again, the image playing from hard disk will resume, instead of
scanning the drives checked for a DVD Disc. Pressing Stop twice
and then pressing play will search the drives as before (an OSD
message "Stop & Clear" will show on the second Stop).
+ The "exDVDChapter" function has been renamed to "exChapterTrack"
and now works for both DVD and Media modes. In DVD Mode it allows
you to key-in a two digit chapter. In Media mode it allows you to
key-in a two digit play list track number. This function is only
really useful for remote control devices.
+ New safty code that prevents the options dialog from opening
off-screen. In some cases, you could have had the options
dialog moved off screen (multi-monitor display), then the next
time you'd open it, the dialog would be invisible (off-screen).
+ New safety check that prevents more than 999 chapters to exist
on a DVD Title (per-DVD Specification). May help issue with
screwed up DVXCOPY XPRESS authoring prior to version 5.2.1.
+ The Chapter/Bookmark Editor is now resizable.
+ The order Zoom Player checks for Chapter Files has been changed.
Zoom Player will first look at the specified alternative path,
then at the local path and finally at the same location as the
media file.
+ Added MainConcept MPEG Decoder profiles to the pertinent
sections on the Customized Media Playback dialog.
+ The "|..|" to go up one directory in the navigators has been
changed to "|.. Previous Directory ..|" to be more Wife Friendly.
- Possible crash when trying to use an unsupported color control.
- Possible crash with seamless playback and overlay mixer.
- Fixed a scanline error crash if DVD Image was disabled and
an Audio-Only file was played.
- The /F:[n] and /Z:[n] parameters were not always working properly.
- ID3 tags on unicode file names should now load properly.
- ID3 should now displays even if the setting to load the folder
images is disabled.
- Minimizing to System Tray only, should no longer steal focus
when playing new tracks.
- The Goto Navigator can no longer be scaled beyond the
size of the screen.
- The Source Relative Aspect Ratio Calculator button couldn't
be clicked.
- Mouse Cursor doesn't move offscreen while you're in fullscreen
and using some interface.
- Mouse Cursor will now re-hide when opening a new track in
media mode if an Overlay was in use.
- The File and Media Library Navigators no longer displays
hidden directories.
- Clips that report zero duration should no longer seek to the
start every second.
- The /AR command line now has range checking so you won't be
able to set non-existing aspect ratio modes.
Download 3.20 beta 1 here (http://www.inmatrix.com/files/zoomplayer_beta.shtml).
This beta contains quite a few changes, I cleared a lot of my to-do backlog on some of these features/changes. Zoom Player also features a new DSP plugin engine which will be further refined as version 3.20 progresses. Right now it contains a 10-band EQ and a PreAmp (easily accessible through the new EQ interface). It only applies to Media Customized Mode, but I will try extending it into standard media mode and to DVD Mode if possible.
So... check everything, if you spot any new bugs or issues with the new features, make sure to let me know.
* Zoom Player now incorporates a new DSP engine filter courtesy
of Milenko Mitrovic (DCoder). Right now it's only in charge of
the Internal Equalizer and PreAmp controls ("Q" on the Keyboard
or the EQ button on the GUI). But I'm hoping to expand it to
support user controlled DSP and Visualization plugins.
Right now (in beta 1) the EQ and PreAmp only work in Customized
Media Mode (which is limited to the professional version) as it
was easier to implement. But I'm hoping that by the final
version, it would be supported in the standard version as well.
To have the EQ/PreAmp accessible, you need to enable the filter
support under "Options / Filter Control / Settings". You will
also be prompted for this when opening the EQ dialog.
* Improved the Customized Media Playback Audio/Video decoder and
splitter setup dialogs to allow forcing a decoder only to accept
specific file extensions. This allows you to create two or more
different profiles for playing back the same media types.
For example, you could use one decoder entry to use a specific
decoder for "TS/TP" MPEG2 Transport files, another decoder
for "MPG/M2V" for standard MPEG2 decoding such as SVCD and yet
a third decoder for "VOB" to be used on extracted DVD Content.
To associate forced extensions, open up the decoder entry and
click on the advanced button, from there you can easily add
extensions. Only these extensions would be played by this
entry. Duplicate the entry and use a different set of
extensions and filter profiles as you see fit.
* New Button on the Association options dialog allowing you
to load Icon Definition Files to automatically set the icons
for all the extensions that have an association.
* With the new filter support by Gabest, Zoom Player (and any
other directshow based player) can now be used to play most
Real Media files! For more information, see:
http://www.inmatrix.com/articles/mediasetup.shtml
* Added customized profiles for Real Media.
* Can now associate the Real Media file extensions.
* You can now specify the Width and Height of the virtual video
are when no video or folder image is present for a playing file
(Options / OSD / ID3).
* New Graph Information dialog under the Right-Click Filter
Properties context menu. Within this dialog you can see a lot
of useful information about the currently playing graph, such as
which filters are connected, the library in which each filter is
contained, the currently loaded file within source filters, etc...
* New Setting (Options / OSD / Navigators) that determines whether
the Source Folders for the Media Library Navigator is visible
(default on).
* New Setting (Options / OSD / Navigators) that determines whether
the "All" Category is included in the Media Library Navigator.
* New Setting (Options / Settings / Interface) allowing you to have
a media file name pop when opened.
* New Setting (Options / Settings / Playback) allowing you to use
an alternative mode of fast-forwarding for media files. The
default mode simply instructs the system to play faster, including
audio decoding. The alternative mode seeks ahead and can achieve
faster speeds although image visibility during the seeking may
not be very fluent.
* New "/SEEK" Command Line Parameter allowing you to start a media
file in a specified position. Usage:
"/SEEK:hh:mm:ss" where HH = Hours, MM = Minutes and SS = Seconds
Example:
"/SEEK:01:15:32"
In which playback would start at 1 hour, 15 minutes and 32 seconds.
* New "/AUDIO" Command Line Parameter allowing you to start a media
file with a specified Audio Track enabled. Usage:
"/AUDIO:[n]", where "n" is a number from 0 onwards (0 being the
first audio track).
Example:
"/AUDIO:2".
* New "/SUB" Command Line Parameter allowing you to start a media
file with a specified Subtitle Track enabled. Usage:
"/SUB:[n]", where "n" is a number from 0 onwards (0 being the
first subtitle track).
Example:
"/SUB:2".
* New "/KEYDVD" Command Line Parameter allowing you to set the
DVD Key file.
Example:
"/KEYDVD:C:\Program Files\Zoom Player\dvd.key"
* Several new functions added to the Mouse Middle Click toggle.
* I have added support for FLIC file playback to the customized
media mode. For decoding to work, you'll need the open-sourced
filter at: http://sourceforge.net/projects/guliverkli/
+ When saving a Play List you will now be prompted with a dialog
asking you how the file path information should be saved:
1. Full Path to files
2. Relative Path to files
3. Don't save any Path information
+ I have split the keyboard file into a DVD and Media entry.
Using two keyboard files you can have the same scan keys (or
remote buttons) mapped to two different commands dependant on
DVD or Media mode.
+ The DVD Play & Stop functions have changed a bit. When opening
an IFO file off the hard disk, and then pressing Stop and Play
again, the image playing from hard disk will resume, instead of
scanning the drives checked for a DVD Disc. Pressing Stop twice
and then pressing play will search the drives as before (an OSD
message "Stop & Clear" will show on the second Stop).
+ The "exDVDChapter" function has been renamed to "exChapterTrack"
and now works for both DVD and Media modes. In DVD Mode it allows
you to key-in a two digit chapter. In Media mode it allows you to
key-in a two digit play list track number. This function is only
really useful for remote control devices.
+ New safty code that prevents the options dialog from opening
off-screen. In some cases, you could have had the options
dialog moved off screen (multi-monitor display), then the next
time you'd open it, the dialog would be invisible (off-screen).
+ New safety check that prevents more than 999 chapters to exist
on a DVD Title (per-DVD Specification). May help issue with
screwed up DVXCOPY XPRESS authoring prior to version 5.2.1.
+ The Chapter/Bookmark Editor is now resizable.
+ The order Zoom Player checks for Chapter Files has been changed.
Zoom Player will first look at the specified alternative path,
then at the local path and finally at the same location as the
media file.
+ Added MainConcept MPEG Decoder profiles to the pertinent
sections on the Customized Media Playback dialog.
+ The "|..|" to go up one directory in the navigators has been
changed to "|.. Previous Directory ..|" to be more Wife Friendly.
- Possible crash when trying to use an unsupported color control.
- Possible crash with seamless playback and overlay mixer.
- Fixed a scanline error crash if DVD Image was disabled and
an Audio-Only file was played.
- The /F:[n] and /Z:[n] parameters were not always working properly.
- ID3 tags on unicode file names should now load properly.
- ID3 should now displays even if the setting to load the folder
images is disabled.
- Minimizing to System Tray only, should no longer steal focus
when playing new tracks.
- The Goto Navigator can no longer be scaled beyond the
size of the screen.
- The Source Relative Aspect Ratio Calculator button couldn't
be clicked.
- Mouse Cursor doesn't move offscreen while you're in fullscreen
and using some interface.
- Mouse Cursor will now re-hide when opening a new track in
media mode if an Overlay was in use.
- The File and Media Library Navigators no longer displays
hidden directories.
- Clips that report zero duration should no longer seek to the
start every second.
- The /AR command line now has range checking so you won't be
able to set non-existing aspect ratio modes.
Download 3.20 beta 1 here (http://www.inmatrix.com/files/zoomplayer_beta.shtml).