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Author Topic: Media Center Edition 2006 V.6 Released  (Read 1355 times)

Hades_666

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Media Center Edition 2006 V.6 Released
« on: July 30, 2006, 11:15:00 PM »

Media Center Edition 2006 v.6 (XBMC 2.0) has been released.

Thanks for your patience and to ALL that help.
A lot of work has been done to this skin. Palmtree got it going and i finished it, without his supurb graphics and assistance... this would have taken alot longer. This time we went for a TRUE® MCE look and feel. PLEASE, any suggestions to make it better, feel free to tell.

Anyways, enjoy and any issues you come across, give me a shout here in the forums.

Skin Resolutions:

16x9
4x3

I have tested both on my NEW 42' and it looks great.

There is still some little things to implement but time is to busy now... So it will be released with the next version when XBMC 2.0 is released. Any major issues, ill patch and update at xbox-skins...


Here are some screenies.

Hades_666 (out)

-----------------------------------
Homepage
(IMG:http://www.maj.com/gallery/Hades666/MCE2006/screenshot042.jpg)


Stand My window
(IMG:http://www.maj.com/gallery/Hades666/MCE2006/screenshot001.jpg)

Profile Login
(IMG:http://www.maj.com/gallery/Hades666/MCE2006/screenshot005.jpg)

File Mananger
(IMG:http://www.maj.com/gallery/Hades666/MCE2006/screenshot007.jpg)

Profile Settings
(IMG:http://www.maj.com/gallery/Hades666/MCE2006/screenshot023.jpg)

My My Windows
(IMG:http://www.maj.com/gallery/Hades666/MCE2006/screenshot028.jpg)

Music OSD
(IMG:http://www.maj.com/gallery/Hades666/MCE2006/screenshot020.jpg)

Dialog
(IMG:http://www.maj.com/gallery/Hades666/MCE2006/screenshot030.jpg)


Want to see more, Download it at
http://www.xbox-skins.net/forums/index.php?download=5726

Hades_666

This post has been edited by Hades_666: Jul 31 2006, 06:22 AM
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phistyle

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Media Center Edition 2006 V.6 Released
« Reply #1 on: July 31, 2006, 01:15:00 AM »

looks good...great job...ill try it out later today
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The Zep Man

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Media Center Edition 2006 V.6 Released
« Reply #2 on: July 31, 2006, 01:34:00 AM »

Sweet! Will try it immediatly.

[edit]
Looks very nice at first sight! But why didn't you include all the original sounds from MCE? License problems? Early version?

Keep up the good work!

[edit2]
The background seems to 'jump' each time a menu option is selected from the main menu. This happens in both 4:3 and 16:9, PAL and NTSC.

This post has been edited by The Zep Man: Jul 31 2006, 08:52 AM
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Knightmare69

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Media Center Edition 2006 V.6 Released
« Reply #3 on: July 31, 2006, 02:14:00 AM »

Great work.  Thank you very much for all your hard work.  I will definitley be putting this on the Xbox and trying it out tomorrow!  Again, great work Hades_666 & Palmtree
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The Zep Man

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Media Center Edition 2006 V.6 Released
« Reply #4 on: July 31, 2006, 03:05:00 AM »

OK, instructions for adding the MCE navigation sound effects yourself. Note that you must own a copy of Windows Media Center Edition 2005.

1.
Download and install a  DLL resource extractor. The shareware version of Resource Tuner will do. You can uninstall Resource Tuner when you are done.

2.
Put the second CD of Windows MCE into a CD/DVD drive.

3.
Open the file MEDIACTR.CAB inside the [/b]CMPNENTS\MEDIACTR\I386[/b] directory using 7-Zip, Winzip, Winrar or Windows' built-in .CAB support.

4.
Extract the file called EHRES.DLL to a temporary directory on your harddisk.

5.
Open this file with Resource Tuner.

6.
Within Resource Tuner, open the folder called WAVE. You will see four ('the' four) sound effects from Media Center Edition here. You will only need FOCUS_A.WAV and SELECT_A.WAV (right mouse button on the file -> Save Resource As). The other files are not needed. INTRO_A.WAV is already included with the skin (it is the exact same file, bit for bit) and ERROR_A.WAV is not needed since it sounds so annoying and hasn't got anything to do with navigation.

7.
Note that the files by default get renamed to WAVE_FOCUS_A_WAV.wav and WAVE_SELECT_A_WAV.wav once you extract them. Copy these files to the Sounds-directory of the skin.

8.
Rename back.wav, click.wav and cursor.wav to something else.

9.
Rename WAVE_SELECT_A_WAV.wav to click.wav .
Make a copy of WAVE_FOCUS_A_WAV.wav. Rename the copy to back.wav .
Rename WAVE_FOCUS_A_WAV.wav to cursor.wav .

10.
Upload the skin to your Xbox.

This method is not too efficient (two copies of the same file), but it avoids editing the .XML file.

[edit]
I tested the skin for some time and I must say that it is very, VERY good. Hades, you have done a very fine job.

The 'nitpicks' I still have (nothing major):
-Not all sound effects are included (need help? PM me and we'll work something out (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif) )
-The background which 'shifts' slightly when an option is selected from the main menu or when one returns to the main menu.
-(warning, VERY EXTREME nitpicking!): When XBMC starts, the 'Media Center' logo is shown, coming to the foreground. Once the logo has focused for half a second, it fades away. Can you add the effect that the logo gets even bigger just when it fades away, just like in the real Media Center? It gives a more 'depth' feeling in combination with the main menu.

This post has been edited by The Zep Man: Jul 31 2006, 10:19 AM
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Hades_666

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Media Center Edition 2006 V.6 Released
« Reply #5 on: July 31, 2006, 06:43:00 AM »

Thanks for the Feedback ZepMan.

1. The background on the home screen, was fixed but i must have forgotten to fix it. All it was is a miss-sized tag. The height on the background should be 576 and not 480. All the backgrounds should be 576. However, good eye.

2. As for sounds, Have got them fully yet... I am still a bit reserved about using the logo in the top right which i will most likely change once i create a new one.  The same thing happened with BB.

3. The Logo on the Home screen. That is a can do... I take a look at it tonight...

This is what i was reading last night... Now i have seen many other open source projects you them as a template. But again, i really do not know.

"No logo, graphic, sound or image from any MS Web site may be copied or retransmitted unless expressly permitted by MS."

Hades_666
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kimgitz

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Media Center Edition 2006 V.6 Released
« Reply #6 on: July 31, 2006, 07:07:00 AM »

Hey great job guys I am really feeling this skin...very nice.

On the downlow I also like the linksboks icon I have been keeping my eye on that project from day one.
What about guys who dont have MCE installed we too would love to have the sound stuff! lol

Will report back if I find any bugs

Thanks
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The Zep Man

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Media Center Edition 2006 V.6 Released
« Reply #7 on: July 31, 2006, 06:37:00 AM »

QUOTE(Hades_666 @ Jul 31 2006, 02:14 PM) View Post

Thanks for the Feedback ZepMan.

1. The background on the home screen, was fixed but i must have forgotten to fix it. All it was is a miss-sized tag. The height on the background should be 576 and not 480. All the backgrounds should be 576. However, good eye.
When it is changed to '576', the "scroll fader" for the main menu looks kinda weird. Like it doesn't fit right. huh.gif

QUOTE
2. As for sounds, Have got them fully yet... I am still a bit reserved about using the logo in the top right which i will most likely change once i create a new one.  The same thing happened with BB.

3. The Logo on the Home screen. That is a can do... I take a look at it tonight...

This is what i was reading last night... Now i have seen many other open source projects you them as a template. But again, i really do not know.

"No logo, graphic, sound or image from any MS Web site may be copied or retransmitted unless expressly permitted by MS."

Hades_666
I already wondered about the moment this issue would come up. The good point about your skin is that it looks & feels like the 'real' Windows Media Center Edition-interface. The bad point is that there are graphics and sound effects used which are copyrighted by Мicrosoft. I don't think Мicrosoft will sue you (because you do not gain any profit from it...), but I do think that a lot of people will see this as 'bad practice'. The people who will see this as copyright infringement are also the people who use software compiled with the leaked XDK, so they are not any less innocent.

My personal opinion is that you kickass by making Мicrosoft's great looking MCE-skin fully work with XBMC.

If you are doing this for a contest or upload it to a site, the skin should indeed be created without any copyrighted parts (if the policies say so). If you fear the darkness from Redmond, you should create a version without copyrighted parts. If some people in the community are starting to bitch against you ("Hey, you stole that!"), ignore them. It's better to steal and re-use something good than it is to create something crappy (think of Xbox Media Center, which (in compiled form) still uses code from Мicrosoft and which is the best application for the Xbox ever created). Мicrosoft has grown so big by using that tactic, so I wouldn't have any moral burden with that.

By the way, anyone who wants to write "Мicrosoft" and not "MS", copy the word from this post or from my signature.
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nuka1195

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Media Center Edition 2006 V.6 Released
« Reply #8 on: July 31, 2006, 07:41:00 AM »

If you designed this for ntsc (720x480), why do you set the BG images to PAL (720x576)?
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theboxhead

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Media Center Edition 2006 V.6 Released
« Reply #9 on: July 31, 2006, 07:45:00 AM »

Great stuff ! Gonna check it out smile.gif
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The Zep Man

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Media Center Edition 2006 V.6 Released
« Reply #10 on: July 31, 2006, 08:22:00 AM »

QUOTE(nuka1195 @ Jul 31 2006, 03:12 PM) View Post

If you designed this for ntsc (720x480), why do you set the BG images to PAL (720x576)?
By making the images 720x576 and not 720x480, one can later more easily convert the skin to PAL (don't need to resize all the textures from their original source) while it does nothing negative for NTSC-users.
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Whitewolf617

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Media Center Edition 2006 V.6 Released
« Reply #11 on: July 31, 2006, 09:02:00 AM »

Downloaded it, and it looks great (even set it as the current skin).  (IMG:style_emoticons/default/happy.gif)

I love having the icons to choose from by the main items (like Shoutcast and Extentions for scripts)  (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wub.gif)

As far as suggestions, I think having the words "My Programs" to select from and then having an icon for My Programs is a little redundent. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/huh.gif) I would suggest having the Program Settings icon replace the Credits Icon under settings. Then under My Programs, since My Programs goes to Games by default, add icons for Emulators and Applications and keep the Extentions one under My Programs.

Then again, I guess that you could have made it redundent as a filler for something else that you intend to impliment later.  (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sleep.gif)

Either way, can't wait to see what little things you intend to change with the new version after XBMC 2.0  (IMG:style_emoticons/default/pop.gif)
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Hades_666

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Media Center Edition 2006 V.6 Released
« Reply #12 on: July 31, 2006, 08:32:00 AM »

QUOTE(The Zep Man @ Jul 31 2006, 10:29 AM) View Post

By making the images 720x576 and not 720x480, one can later more easily convert the skin to PAL (don't need to resize all the textures from their original source) while it does nothing negative for NTSC-users.



Exactly..


Things i am working on...

- New Playstate images...
- More Skin Settings. (Buttons for the home page.)
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edwinmcdunlap

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Media Center Edition 2006 V.6 Released
« Reply #13 on: July 31, 2006, 09:05:00 AM »

QUOTE(The Zep Man @ Jul 31 2006, 07:44 AM) View Post

When it is changed to '576', the "scroll fader" for the main menu looks kinda weird. Like it doesn't fit right. huh.gif

Yep, the way the scroll fader works is not the best way to do it, but there really is no other way to do it with XBMC's skin engine.
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The Zep Man

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Media Center Edition 2006 V.6 Released
« Reply #14 on: July 31, 2006, 09:20:00 AM »

QUOTE(edwinmcdunlap @ Jul 31 2006, 05:12 PM) View Post

Yep, the way the scroll fader works is not the best way to do it, but there really is no other way to do it with XBMC's skin engine.
Then I guess that there are two options:

1. Use a PNG-file with transparency instead of the background. [edit]: Nevermind. This seems 'practically' impossible to me and will probably not be of any use.

2. Create seperate versions for seperate resolutions.

The effect (when used with the right resolution) looks good enough for me. smile.gif
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