MPC-HC GUI Discussion Thread

[STaRGaZeR]

DO NOT BLUR THE GUI PLEASE!!! Those screenshots have blur up the ass. We already have enough with the cleartype-can't-be-disabled-in-some-OS-fonts-without-ugly-hacks bullcrap in Vista/7.

And whatever you do with the open button, do not replace the step button, as it's quite useful. Lastly, do not remove the pause button.

[sidi0us]

1. The blur is from resizing.
2. The step button is right after the play/pause, which is only one button now.

[STaRGaZeR]

Originally Posted by sidi0us

play/pause, which is only one button now.

Exactly, and that sucks IMO.

[73ChargerFan]

Originally Posted by STaRGaZeR

DO NOT BLUR THE GUI PLEASE!!! Those screenshots have blur up the ass.

They're mostly jpegs. Chill.

[Keiyakusha]

Originally Posted by STaRGaZeR

Exactly, and that sucks IMO.

Why? Step works like pause when you pressing it 1st time. You also have combined play/pause button. Why keep one more way to make pause?

[sidi0us]

Exactly.

[bobdynlan]

Did not have much time lately, but here's another nude build to try out and play with the limited scaling of the controls. I will clean up the Swiss cheese I've added in the already spaghetti source code and try to compile it in the latest builds, then post a proper package. Any suggestions are welcomed.

[Ger]

Play/pause looks much better now with the button frame removed.

Different button sizes (tweaks page) seems to work fine. Size 28 is fine for my TV. But size 1 and 16 seem to be the same. I assume size 1 shouldn't really be listed?

Any chance the menu colors can be changed to match the new interface (dark background etc.)?

I assume the logic behind the new time display is to get rid of the status bar. I agree with that idea, but there are a couple of features still missing when the status bar is disabled.
Suggestions:
1. The status bar shows [DXVA] after "Playing" if DXVA is used. Since we're already at a point where the custom toolbars need to be redone, why not add a DXVA indicator to the toolbar (an icon that lights up when DXVA is active).
2. The speaker icon on the status bar also indicates when there are no audio tracks. Perhaps the mute button can have a third state (maybe greyed out like the play button is when no file is loaded) to indicate that there is no audio track.

[Hypernova]

@bobdynlan Thank you for another build. I've been silently using your build for a while now. I do like the time/total next to the volume bar, but is it possible to change the font there?

[bobdynlan]

Ger
Size 1 means auto-select based upon dpi settings, so for 96dpi = 16, 120dpi = 20, 144dpi = 24, higher = 28.
You must be running on default dpi, so 16 is used.

The status bar has its purpose, and will not be removed.
But the GUI looks better with it hidden, and now keeps most of it's functionality (minus the DXVA indicator).

The open icon replaces the existing but not used third state of the volume icon for no audio.
Should not be hard to implement this third state, but will require dropping the open icon or increasing the button count.

Since you've mentioned it, where should that DXVA indicator go in the proposed layout? How about media status = Playing, Paused...?

Colouring the menu is a different thing, as it can hurt usability and I thought it's better left alone. I will make an attempt in the future.

Hypernova
The timer scales with the toolbar size, same as the progress channel and the volume control. From my limited testing, the text should be more readable than the status bar one, cleartype or not.
If you are talking about the font face, now it does not nominate an exact one, Windows chooses it based on parameters (like FF_SWISS = MS Sans Serif compatible font).
Using custom font face will complicate the now few calculations to scale the output, but it can be done.

[phoenix_fr]

please

possibility of a build 64bit as mid September,

as home build 32bit bug when I want to navigate using the seek bar

the image in mpc "freeze", while the sound has no problem

[Ger]

Originally Posted by bobdynlan

Size 1 means auto-select based upon dpi settings, so for 96dpi = 16, 120dpi = 20, 144dpi = 24, higher = 28.
You must be running on default dpi, so 16 is used.

I see. Yes, I'm on Windows default dpi. I suggest changing the "1" to "Auto" or "Auto dpi" or something more intuitive then.

The status bar has its purpose, and will not be removed.
But the GUI looks better with it hidden, and now keeps most of it's functionality (minus the DXVA indicator).

Yes, there is no point in removing it completely, I never meant to insinuate that. But like you say, it can be disabled easily, and the GUI looks better that way. At least when there is no information (title/EPG) etc.

The open icon replaces the existing but not used third state of the volume icon for no audio.
Should not be hard to implement this third state, but will require dropping the open icon or increasing the button count.

OK. Then my vote is for increasing the button count. Third party toolbars have to be redone anyway since the open icon is a greyed out speaker now.

Since you've mentioned it, where should that DXVA indicator go in the proposed layout?

I don't really know. I'm not a graphics design person by any means. Perhaps to the right of the progress slider, similar to where phoenix_fr put the time in his Photoshopped GUI a few posts above this? Maybe it can look as it does now with software decoding, and then a DXVA indicator appears there when it's active.

How about media status = Playing, Paused...?

Is this text really needed? The state of the play/pause button indicates playing or paused. That leaves the stopped state. I suppose greying out the stop button when it's already in stopped state would be a good indicator?

If people really want the Playing/Paused/Stopped text, then I would suggest the same position I suggested above for DXVA, right of the progress slider.

Colouring the menu is a different thing, as it can hurt usability and I thought it's better left alone. I will make an attempt in the future.

OK. I use the "favorites" feature a lot, so I use the menu quite often. I would actually rather have the open button bring up the favorites menu, since I never use the traditional File->Open anyway, but I'm guessing quite a few people would disagree with that. Again, an optional behavior for the open button would be perfect.

EDIT: Actually, after thinking about it, I think I would prefer the open button to bring up a custom menu with open/close related features, like when you right-click the open button in Winamp:
Reopen file (now CTRL-E, rebuilds graph)
Open File...
Open DVD...
Open Device...
Open Directory...
Open Disc >
Recent Files >
Favorites >
Close

I feeel like I'm asking for a lot now, but you asked for suggestions so...

[Hypernova]

Originally Posted by bobdynlan

Ger
The timer scales with the toolbar size, same as the progress channel and the volume control. From my limited testing, the text should be more readable than the status bar one, cleartype or not.
If you are talking about the font face, now it does not nominate an exact one, Windows chooses it based on parameters (like FF_SWISS = MS Sans Serif compatible font).
Using custom font face will complicate the now few calculations to scale the output, but it can be done.

I did mean the font face. I would be great if you could make it another option. If not, I would vote for whatever windows' default UI font. I think it's Segoe UI?

[FoLLgoTT]

Is it possible to make the position of the seek bar configurable?

I do vertical blanking with my projector and I don't see the bar anymore when playing movies in cinemascope format (2,35:1).

[Ivoz]

@ bobdynlan:

2 bugs:



You can see the mute button highlight is being hidden on the left side a little.



With a different skin, not only does the 'Open' button show as the mute button (which I imagine is because the skin needs to be changed) but there is space between the volume control and the side of the player that should not be there (i.e the volume control should be right up against the side of the player [with a bit of padding of course] but its spaced out too much).

The step button also doesn't highlight when I mouse over it.

The navigation bar:
The white bar doesn't seem quite vertically centered inside its black box to me; either it needs to be moved up 1 or 2 pixels or its shadow gives that impression. Also maybe you could give the black box that contains the white bar, rounded corners as well?

I wouldn't mind having the nav bar a few pixels vertically wider, or have this configurable. So its nice and easy to click on and see.

I don't think you need to show a DXVA status anywhere. If people are really fussed about knowing their video is playing DXVA (which shouldn't be an issue for most newish computers anyway? because their cpu can play it fine with/without DXVA?) then they can either enable the status bar or check with media info in the context menu that it is. Whether the video is playing in DXVA is not something you need to know during the entire duration of the video (like it's duration might be), but just once.

I think that at its heart MPC-HC is a media player, not media organiser. So I think features like favourites are extraneous to it and needn't be worried about too much such as needing a button in the GUI. Opening a file is an extremely common thing though so it's possible to consider. In my usage pattern I hardly ever use open though, because normally I will navigate to the file I want in explorer and either open it or drag it into an existing MPC-HC window. With a dedicated open button, I might start to use it, I'm not sure.

Anyway great work so far bobdynlan! <3

[burfadel]

The bottom pic is much nicer than the top pic, it looks like good and that its meant to be like that. The top one, where the buttons are white and background (frame?) is black just looks a bit plain an uninteresting.

The worst thing that could happen is having a new gui which is too plain, and too hard to use due to small buttons.

[Ivoz]

Originally Posted by burfadel

The bottom pic is much nicer than the top pic, it looks like good and that its meant to be like that. The top one, where the buttons are white and background (frame?) is black just looks a bit plain an uninteresting.

The worst thing that could happen is having a new gui which is too plain, and too hard to use due to small buttons.

The look of the buttons can be easily skinned dude, so don't worry about that. If bobdynlan's changes get accepted into mpc-hc's main code then people will just have to update their toolbar skins slightly and all will be well. I'm pointing out problems with the layout of the default and modded skins.

[bobdynlan]

I acknowledge these are strong issues. I'm on a holiday so I had no time to iron them out. Starting this weekend I will get involved more and hopefully end up with an usable result. Thank you for all your suggestions.

[Ger]

Originally Posted by Ivoz

I don't think you need to show a DXVA status anywhere.

Need, no. But it's clearly something a lot of people want. There is a reason it's there in the current/default MPC-HC GUI/status bar. It's also easy to refer to when helping people troubleshoot.

If people are really fussed about knowing their video is playing DXVA (which shouldn't be an issue for most newish computers anyway? because their cpu can play it fine with/without DXVA?)

DXVA is a key feature of MPC-HC. Perhaps the main reason why Casimir started the -HC project in the first place. My Core 2 Duo (not state-of-the-art by any means, but hardly an antique either) can't handle most of my 1080i files, not to mention the really demanding high bitrate stuff people have been posting here. That's not even considering a CPU intensive deinterlacing algo like yadif. And even if it did cope, I would obviously prefer minimal CPU usage over ~100%.

then they can either enable the status bar or check with media info in the context menu that it is. Whether the video is playing in DXVA is not something you need to know during the entire duration of the video (like it's duration might be), but just once.

The point is not to lose a significant (I know that is open to interpretation) part of the functionality of the status bar when it's disabled (because it doesn't look very good with the new GUI). This isn't a new feature after all. It's just a matter of keeping the old features easily accessible with a good looking GUI.

Also, the DXVA status is not shown in the file properties (if that's what you meant by media info), only in filters/decoder properties. And with some decoders, like the Microsoft decoder, that's not even an option, so the status bar may be the only way to tell, and we're hoping to keep that hidden after all.

I think that at its heart MPC-HC is a media player, not media organiser. So I think features like favourites are extraneous to it and needn't be worried about too much such as needing a button in the GUI.

Favorites are mostly a way to help you continue playback at a certain point, helping you remember where (file/position) you left-off. Should really be called bookmarks. And it sticks until manually removed, unlike the automatic remember position thing which is forgotten after opening a limited number of files. It is IMHO a key part of a media player, and I don't see how an external media organizer could replicate its functionality.

Opening a file is an extremely common thing though so it's possible to consider. In my usage pattern I hardly ever use open though, because normally I will navigate to the file I want in explorer and either open it or drag it into an existing MPC-HC window.

That's what I said earlier. I don't use the traditional file -> open at all since I start pretty much all files from either Total Commander/Shell Extension/Favorites/Skip forward. That is why I suggested expanding the features of the open button, similar to the one in WinAmp, where right-clicking brings up additional options that are way more useful to me than the plain open functionality. Again, the point is to be able to disable an ugly GUI element, the menu, and keep the most-used features easily accessible withiout wading through several levels of context menus.

With a dedicated open button, I might start to use it, I'm not sure.

Well, I know I won't, as long as it only does the regular open. Hence my request for an optional button behavior with the choices I listed earlier (through a WinAmp-esque button right-click if possible). I don't even know if it can be done in MFC, but bobdynlan has proven that a lot of things can be done that many didn't think was possible within the current framework. So if it is possible, and he's willing to consider it, then I fail to see how it could be a bad thing to have the extra options.

The white bar doesn't seem quite vertically centered inside its black box to me; either it needs to be moved up 1 or 2 pixels or its shadow gives that impression. Also maybe you could give the black box that contains the white bar, rounded corners as well?

This is infinitely less important to me than expanding the open button's features (including favorites) or keeping the DXVA indicator in the new GUI. Still, since your request won't hurt my usage in any way, I won't campaign against it. I hope you will consider the same in the future, since I don't think my requests will hurt your usage either.

As we all know, the decision on any request is ultimately up to bobdynlan anyway (and the MPC-HC team when/if the code is merged).

I wouldn't mind having the nav bar a few pixels vertically wider, or have this configurable. So its nice and easy to click on and see.

I wouldn't mind that either. That said, it's already way better than the old one, since it can now actually be seen from a distance.

The step button also doesn't highlight when I mouse over it.

I don't have that issue (default toolbar). I also don't have the left edge mute button issue from your screenshot. Perhaps font or OS related? Win7 x64 with default DPI here.


On a separate note, not directed at anyone in particular:
When/if most of us agree that the open button is here to stay, and that no further buttons are wanted, then the toolbar makers can be encouraged to do their thing. It's no point in asking them to follow every little change in the code until it's a settled toolbar. That way they don't have to make changes more than once.

My vote on the open button is a definite yes if it can be more flexible, and a "don't care" if it stays like it is now.

[jaagil]

Hi!
I really like this GUI and makes MPC lot cooler to use, but there is one big "bug" that makes me kind of sad.
When you close the program with playlist open, next time you open the program the playlist has closed itself.
Please make it remember if it was open or closed, like in the newest MPC.
Thanks and keep up the great work