[manekineko]

i've had this request on sourceforge forever, with no response, i was wondering if i could get a little insight into the reason behind this?
http://sourceforge.net/tracker....=581841

"could you please add the ability to scale ttf font
sizes? on small hdtvs, the fonts are by default so
small as to be illegible. the only way to correct this
appears to be by manually editing the fonts.xml file
for the appropriate resolution. it would be extremely
convenient to be able to modify this directly from the
gui in the same place where font style (default v.
arial ttf) is selected."

this seems like a relatively easy and very important usability fix for a fairly sizeable percentage of the userbase, that'll only get more significant as time goes on. can't something please be done about thsi?

[los93sol]

yep, or even allowing seperate resolutions for the player and the gui

[jimk72]

i like the xpr fonts alot better but i have a widescreenhd tv and you can tell. if it went just to ttf only, i am sure we would be used to it after a week or so and we wouldn't know the difference. as far as i am concerned the font.xml seemed kind of useless when skinning. you should be able to size the fonts in real time like your example. fontxx18bold or include it in the control with the other settings:
<posx>23</posx>
<posy>23</posy>
<font>arial.ttf</font>
<fontsize>12</fontsize>
<fonttype>bold</fonttype>

whatever you decide to do as long as ttf fonts are still used i am sure i can set up my skin app to use your method

[Gamester17]

Throught I bump this discussion now that the FreeType library been added to XBMC.

@jmarshall, what features/functions or options have already been added and what new ones can be added with this library, ex:
- Anta-aliasing (if already implemented is it done by the FreeType library in software or it done on the GPU-hardware via the XDK?)
- Softning/Bluring (sub-pixel rendering) similar to ClearType.
- Blur edges
- Colored text rendering.
- Semi-transparent.
- Outlines (like xpr fonts has)
- Shadows (like xpr fonts has)
- Boarders (black edges)
- Hollowing.
- Bold, italic and underlined fonts/text in the skin.
- Bold, italic and underlined subtitles in so called "Advanced Subtitles" text-based subs (see libass in the MPlayer CVS on www.mplayerhq.hu).
- Giving skinners the option to render text 90-degrees left/right.


By the way, how much RAM-memory does FreeType take up compared to the XDK TTF-renderer? and has the XDK TTF-renderer library now been completly removed from XBMC code?

May I also once again suggest that we maybe start to collect free 'legal' TTF fonts and include when with XBMC so end-users don't have to copy unicode-fonts, etc. from their PC(?)

[Chandler]

...May I also once again suggest that we maybe start to collect free 'legal' TTF fonts and include when with XBMC so end-users don't have to copy unicode-fonts, etc. from their PC(?)

Here 6500 free fonts to begin, thks Google

[jmarshall]

Anti-aliasing is done by FreeType2 to produce a greyscale transparency map. (Full white == opaque, full black == fully transparent). The letters are then cached to a texture which we render from for speed purposes (the GPU alpha blending then handles the antialiasing to the backgrounds).

Coloured text (other than a single colour, ofcourse) is not an option with libfreetype. Semitransprent is ofcourse possible.

Outlines are probably simple enough to do, but don't look any good on most TVs.

Shadows are already possible with both XPR and TTF fonts.

Boarders and Hollowing are basically just outlining. IMO a waste of time.

Bold and italic subs are already doable. Underlining is not (and looks stupid)

Subtitles have nothing to do with this - it needs to be done in the sub parser.

And yes, skinners can render text at whatever angle they please in label + button controls.

FreeType takes up 16k more in the XBE than the TTF renderer. Yes, the XDK code has been completely removed.

TTF fonts take up less memory than XPR.

Cheers,
Jonathan

[TheBoxMan]

is this the reason that, after upgrading from an XBMC 2 release from last november time to the most recent version my MC 360 skin nolonger displays any text? (as in the skin looks ok except for the fact there is no writing anywhere?)

If so how do I go about fixing this?

[MajorTom]

is this the reason that, after upgrading from an XBMC 2 release from last november time to the most recent version my MC 360 skin nolonger displays any text? (as in the skin looks ok except for the fact there is no writing anywhere?)

If so how do I go about fixing this?

Have you updated to the latest build of MC360 (released last week I think).... Probably solve your problem.

[Gamester17]

Have you updated to the latest build of MC360 (released last week I think).... Probably solve your problem.

Yes it probably will. Previous versions of the MC360 skin uses XPR fonts (read this whole thread)

[TheBoxMan]

cool. I'll sort it out as soon as I get back home this evening.

*feels pleased to have figured out what the problem was*