Author Topic: Suggestions (Read 79779 times)

Ralesk · « **on:** 6 Sep '01 - 02:04 »

Well, I wrote a summary to myself and here it is:

- LPAC support (LPAC is a great lossless sound data compressor, http://www-ft.ee.tu-berlin.de/~liebchen/lpac.html)
- tracker screen (pweese, just for watchiiing)
- Snap to edge of screen, docking or -- for the old design -- fill up screen vertically (meaning doing it perfectly, for it does that by default but... you know how it does that

)
- How about contacting Christian Ghisler, maker of Windows Commander, who knows, he might be happy about another player plugin for Lister

(I shouldn't be this lazy and simply ask him... damn... *hits himself*)
- Display of current Speed/Tempo and currently used module/software channels
- No Interpolation (yes I think we have discussed that, you might even said you already fixed it, I don't remember and am not demanding anything)
- Seeking in modules: hmmm, multisong modules don't work properly, we've discussed that as well, I dunno how this one is going
- And of course IT filters (okay, there is NO player that does that perfectly, and XMPlay is kinda near to the truth, so *thumbs up*)

hmmm this was rough, but forgive me, it's 3 AM

Ralesk · « **Reply #1 on:** 2 Oct '01 - 20:48 »

Quote

- How about contacting Christian Ghisler, maker of Windows Commander, who knows, he might be happy about another player plugin for Lister (I shouldn't be this lazy and simply ask him... damn... *hits himself*)

Meanwhile, I did write an e-mail to him, he has never heard of this player and our community. O_o
He uses WinAmp

*snickers*

*bursts out laughing*

*looks around and returns to normal*

On the other hand, I wanted to ask, how many of the beforementioned features are/can be/cannot be/won't ever be/etc. done. I can also send some modules for testing, if you need it.

Ian @ un4seen · « **Reply #2 on:** 3 Oct '01 - 14:17 »

What's Windows Commander, and who's Lister?

Ralesk · « **Reply #3 on:** 3 Oct '01 - 15:03 »

You use smileys so frequently I can't decide this was a joke or a real question, Ian ^_^

anyway it can be downloaded at http://www.ghisler.com

Crenton · « **Reply #4 on:** 4 Nov '01 - 11:35 »

I really like this player, but there is some small things that i would like to see added

A shuffle/random option
and a "search in playlist" option.

good work.

[JAZ] · « **Reply #5 on:** 4 Nov '01 - 15:01 »

Ummm A new version of XMPlay... Nice one.

BUT (yep.. you know.. there's always a "but")

I have two fundamental problems with it:

1. I CAN NOT live with that playlist editor! I have even seen a suggestion of adding a search feature for the playlist! This definitely shows that the playlist is obstrusive.
Please, either make it a separated window (like the Info one), or allow the posibility to resize it ALOT more!

2. I have about 2Gb of Live Mixes in MP3, which, the smallest is 50Mb, and the biggest, 220Mb. Did you ever thought that files this big could exist? If you did, I cannot understand how did you decide to load the whole .mp3 file into memory.

Thanks for your time.

Olego · « **Reply #6 on:** 4 Nov '01 - 21:30 »

Interesting question for Playlist... I think lots of people have different sugggestions about it; why not have a vote/discussion? Resizability is necessary; because while scrolling files names are cool, the fact is that people like large playlists with 100s of items, and scrolling through them is a pain in the eye (for those of us who are slightly nearsighted) with such small window...

But on the other hand, where will the symmetry go?

Maybe it can made that the scrolling to the right thingy would scroll a LOT more if pulled, so at least the whole file name could be seen... And then there the option of a separate playlist... Personally, I prefer the cool-scrolling resizable thingy, but it's seems a lot harder to implement... (Search and destroy... I mean just searching seems a lot simpler.)

More playlist suggestions: have add to playlist, play now, or BOTH!

I think some people would like that, too. (Me!)

Now, the problem of memory... I suggested an option, but that would mean rewriting the loading engine... On the other hand, streaming is just that; so streaming from your own hard drive is the compromise of both quick initial loading and quick searching (I tried that yesterday for open URL... The only problem with that is that the scrolly thingy just isn't the same...) So... Streaming from hard drive ... Interesting idea?

I don't think it would work for MODs though... But doesn't streaming already take care of it anyway?

That's been my $0.02 of suggestions...

~Olego~

Olego · « **Reply #7 on:** 4 Nov '01 - 21:40 »

I just realized that there is no MOD streaming... It could be as little as waiting for the file to download completely... And I do want the slider for streamed files: quicktime plugin does it really well... And since XMPlay does load everything to memory... Scroll!

Please? Pretty please?

~Olego~

Ian @ un4seen · « **Reply #8 on:** 4 Nov '01 - 23:29 »

Quote

A shuffle/random option
and a "search in playlist" option.

There is a shuffle option, it's the left-most button on the playlist panel.

How about a sort of quick search option, something like press shift+letter to make it jump to the next track beginning with that letter?

Quote

link=board=xmplay&num=999738267&start=0#5 date=11/04/01 at 16:01:49] 1. I CAN NOT live with that playlist editor! I have even seen a suggestion of adding a search feature for the playlist! This definitely shows that the playlist is obstrusive.
Please, either make it a separated window (like the Info one), or allow the posibility to resize it ALOT more!

The problem is that changes to the playlist layout would put the whole GUI out of whack.

Quote

link=board=xmplay&num=999738267&start=0#5 date=11/04/01 at 16:01:49] 2. I have about 2Gb of Live Mixes in MP3, which, the smallest is 50Mb, and the biggest, 220Mb. Did you ever thought that files this big could exist? If you did, I cannot understand how did you decide to load the whole .mp3 file into memory.

It's mainly due to the pre-scanning for accurate length and seek-point calculations. Anyway a few seconds delay at the start of an hour long track isn't really that bad

Quote

I just realized that there is no MOD streaming...

Not much point, MODs aren't streamable, so you may as well just download the file and then play it

Quote

And I do want the slider for streamed files: quicktime plugin does it really well... And since XMPlay does load everything to memory... Scroll!

I'll look into adding support for seeking within the part that's already been downloaded.

KelticDanor (Guest) · « **Reply #9 on:** 4 Nov '01 - 23:57 »

I have a good idea for the playlist problem.

For one thing I don't always want to have the playlist in a separate window, but sometimes a resizable window is nice.

So..

Since we always have a nice rezisable window for information and visuals. Why not add a button for the playlist there as well. This means people who like the one on the player itself will be happy, and the people who like a big separate window will be happy as well.

The playlist in the separate window could also do things a little differently. For example.

- It could be like a table with definable headings, which you could then click on to sort by artist name, song name, and so on. Maybe with the possibility of filters to only show certain things. And maybe a search option.

- This list could also be divided with two more button. as in one button, will switch the playlist to you entire music library. This list would of course be user definable, to only show certain folders and things.

And the other button could switch back to the playlist. This could allow people to simply double click on a song in the music library and add it to the playlist, while still being able to double click a file in explorer and still opening it by itself(not added), eg. maybe separate options. The music library would probably need a preview button, so you can see what a song it before you add it to the playlist.

I think that should do just about everyone, then again looking back, it sound like it would be a pain in the proverbial to do.

I you like I can send you a mockup image of what I'm on about.

Keltic

Keltic Danor · « **Reply #10 on:** 5 Nov '01 - 00:54 »

Since the above is probably a bit out there here is an easier way to show it:

Keltic

Olego · « **Reply #11 on:** 5 Nov '01 - 01:26 »

<---- That's a funny Icon.

That playlist version is... Confusing.

XMPlay should be (in my opinion) a program easy to use... And all that customization sounds scary. I like the idea of searching a list, but Ctrl sounds better... But we still need more ideas.. The separate playlist window is an alternative, because it's not too hard to make. But make it resize bigger!

Or super-duper scrollable one would be cool, but a bit too hard... Hmm. Other suggestions, anyone?

~Olego~

Olego · « **Reply #12 on:** 5 Nov '01 - 01:28 »

How did you make that? Do you have the code for that?

Yes, that is a really good idea in my opinion, too!

[JAZ] · « **Reply #13 on:** 5 Nov '01 - 09:52 »

"It's mainly due to the pre-scanning for accurate length and seek-point calculations. Anyway a few seconds delay at the start of an hour long track isn't really that bad"

I don't care (much) about the delay, but about the RAM usage! The file stays completely into memory, which as I said it is as much as 220MB for one of my files (average is 120).
I am really sure you can pre-scan over HD, at least non-MOD files.
Winamp has an option to load the whole file into memory if it is LESS than an user defined size. If you preffer, you can do it this way, but don't forget it, 'cos it is a problem.

About that graphic of a possible playlist, I like it. If it is possible to implement, it would be nice.

Ian @ un4seen · « **Reply #14 on:** 5 Nov '01 - 10:31 »

Nice looking idea, I'll check it out

I'm not sure about the "music library" idea though. Do you mean like a file selector (a la Windows Explorer) but which only shows the playable files?

Keltic Danor · « **Reply #15 on:** 5 Nov '01 - 23:47 »

Here another mockup showing the music library/playlist in two different states, I threw some other stuff in which might be handy too.

The Image on the left represents the music library.

The buttons from left to right are:
- save music library
- add to music library
- delete from music library
- search (probably should use a popup window to take input)
- filter shown files (probably use a popup window for input as well)
- preview selected song.

The music library is not a playlist, when you press play on the player it does not play straight out of here. This contains anything you like as storage so you don't need to go to explorer to add files, and everything is integrated.

If you double click on a file it is then ADDED to the playlist, and the preview button so you can here the song without adding it to the playlist first.

I consider this a very handy feature indeed, since explaining an image is kind of hard. Musicmatch does this if you want to see what I mean (but be warned musicmatch is around 10 MB and a resource pig to boot, exactly why I only used it once, the music library was its only redeeming feature).

The right image represents the Playlist which features pretty much exactly what the other one in the player does, except for tha table layout and the use of the headings (possibly user definable) for sorting.

Note: The playlist and the music library would be in the same window, using the two button (music library and play list) to switch between them.

To be honest I don't think I can explain it any better than this, though I could possibly write up a demonstration if necessary.

Keltic

Ralesk · « **Reply #16 on:** 6 Nov '01 - 00:20 »

Nice idea... I see the point in it i think... maybe the whole thing could be en- and disabled with an option in the setup, whether you do or don't want the "advanced mode"
in simple mode (default) there would be no library button and only normal playlist would present (the whole thing would look just as it looks at the moment). In Advanced mode, things would work like how Keltic described.

Ralesk · « **Reply #17 on:** 9 Nov '01 - 23:46 »

Yea, I now encountered the pain-in-the-arse effect of this small-but-nice-looking playlist.

And I still miss the Fade

On the other hand, I think I have an idea. How about support of dragon droppings, but backwards? Yea, put the shBEEPt back into the dragon... I mean, could we drag a song in the playlist and for example drop it on ICQ or other program that supports drag-and-dropping files?

Current Speed/Tempo display? somehow? Idea: to the left from the Time display.

ANYONE PROGRAMMER: Checked out ghisler.com yet? I think there is a tutorial of making plugins there. Would be nice to replace Windows Commander's internal player

I think that's all for today

Oh, I found something. Could XMPlay remember the last used vis plugin?

Ian @ un4seen · « **Reply #18 on:** 10 Nov '01 - 13:19 »

I like the dragging out of XMPlay idea, might have to give that a go

Ralesk · « **Reply #19 on:** 10 Nov '01 - 14:33 »

hehehe, Ian, you just reached 100h posts

Btw, I looked how XMPlay adds the files to the playlist when I drag'n'drop directories. New file is inserted BEFORE the last added file, therefore it gives a reversed list.

Other thing that just popped into my mind: How about XM files to default to XM panning separation? (unless they have their own settings saved)
And is there a way to determine whether a MOD was made in FT][ or in another tracker? Or XM-Mod-ness could also be stored with the other output settings of the particular mod...

Rah'Dick · « **Reply #20 on:** 11 Nov '01 - 19:46 »

Hey...

I had to reinstall my Windows very often in the last time without being able to keep my registry settings...
You never know when Windoze doesn't like to do it's job anymore

So I think it would be cooler to shift from "XMPlay-settings-savin'-in-the-registry" to an INI-file that keeps all settings through any reinstallation and even allows copying your settings to another PC without jerking around with yer registry. (I know how to do it, tho', but I'm too lazy to export my reg anyway

)

Give it a try

Keltic Danor · « **Reply #21 on:** 12 Nov '01 - 22:24 »

Well I know I'd be the first to try and dodge any possibility of physical exertion.

But isn't exporting the xmplay config out of the registry and keeping somewhere easy enough. (You only need to do it once).

Keltic

Rah'Dick · « **Reply #22 on:** 13 Nov '01 - 11:59 »

Yeah, but take this case:
You tweaked long and hard (

) to get your XMP-settings as you like them - now you have them, want to go to yer registry and export them... Suddenly your screen flicks blue and some light grey message is telling you about something "0E"... You reboot - "Cannot load KERNEL32.DLL - please reinstall Windows."
...You fail to reinstall it, the error stays there, whatever you do... So you delete your Windows-folder unter DOS and install it freshly...
The registry is gone and so are all your settings and tweaks.

This is just an example, but something like this has happened to me more than ten times this year.

That's why I like to have all my settings in an INI-file - that has even more advantages!
If you changed any setting you had to re-export it from the registry - with an INI-file you would just close XMP2 and that would be it - settings saved.

Btw, @Ian: I noticed that the XMP-Icon is 64x64 pixels - may I tell you that the biggest "legal" icon format is 48x48 (24bit)? (I know, C++ Ressource Workshop supports them, but Windows doesn't! Even the Plus!-Pack icons are not bigger than 48x48.)

Ian @ un4seen · « **Reply #23 on:** 13 Nov '01 - 13:40 »

hmmm... I didn't know about a 48x48 limit, which Windows versions have that limit? There have not been any problems displaying the XMPlay icon on any systems that I've tried.

Btw, RegEdit can be run from DOS as well as Windows. So...

regedit /e xmplay.reg "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Unforeseen Developments\XMPlay2"

...will export the XMPlay stuff

Pike84 · « **Reply #24 on:** 13 Nov '01 - 18:19 »

I give that separate playlist -idea full support

Would be cool

Author Topic: Suggestions (Read 79779 times)

Crenton

[JAZ]

KelticDanor (Guest)

[JAZ]