[TheKrimzonGhost]

Im sure your probably on the same boat as everyone else when it comes to your Apps Customization. Now here is a very simple way to get the easy file access of XBMC and yet maintain the other features of Meedio that XBMC just doesnt have. I am going to assume that you are running your PC as an HTPC and therefore HD space isnt a huge issue. First we need to download a few programs.

XBMC (for ease of access)
[url]http://xbmc.org/download/

XBMC Skin Editor (to remove junk from xbmc)
[/url]http://xbmcskineditor.xbox-scene.com/downloads.php

Meedio/os (for media center base)
[url]http://www.meedios.com

Ok now we have all the tools necessary to start customizing a bastard child of both apps.

Step1.) Make a new folder at the root of your C:\

C:\TKGDIO-MC

Step2.) Create 3 Sub folders in your folder

C:\TKGDIO-MC\Button Icons
C:\TKGDIO-MC\X
C:\TKGDIO-MC\Mee

Step3.) Create 3 Sub folders in the XBMC folder

C:\TKGDIO-MC\X\Movies
C:\TKGDIO-MC\X\Music
C:\TKGDIO-MC\X\Pictures

Step4.) Install XBMC into C:\TKGDIO-MC\X\Movies

Step5.) Copy all of the files within C:\TKGDIO-MC\X\Movies to

C:\TKGDIO-MC\X\Music
C:\TKGDIO-MC\X\Pictures

Step6.) Open XBMC Skin Editor go to File Open Skin browse to C:\TKGDIO-MC\X\Movies\XBMC\Skin\Mediastream\Skin now on the left hand side click the + sign to expand mediastream then expand 720p scroll down until you see Home.xml double click this file.

Step7.) Select the binoculars or search button and type "system button"...This wlll bring you to a line in the xml that looks like this.
"
<item id="6">
<description>My System Button</description>
<label> $LOCALIZE[31006] </label>
<label2> $LOCALIZE[31016] </label2>
<onclick>SetFocus(506)</onclick>
<visible>!Skin.HasSetting(HideSystem)</visible>
</item>"


Step8.) Now replace
<visible>!Skin.HasSetting(HideSystem)</visible>
With
<visible>off</visible>

Repeat this for every button that you don't want until only the power and video button remain.

Step9.) Repeat this process for the other 2 folders you created under X leaving the Pictures button for the pictures folder and the Music button for the music folder.

(Now the hard part is done I could prepackage the file system so that only the apps would need to be installed using the concept of folder/file merging)

Step10.) Install meedio or meedios (again it doesn't matter which on because they are both fundamentally the same) into the Mee directory that you made.

C:\TKGDIO-MC\Mee

Step11.) Enter the Meedio configuration.exe and delete all of the modules listed for Pictures, Movies, and Music. Replace them with Program modules Using the same names this way your fan art and other options will stay congruent. point them each to their according install of xbmc.

example
Movies
C:\TKGDIO-MC\X\Movies\XBMC\xbmc.exe
then for Parameters type
-fs -p

repeat for all modules.

Setp12.) enjoy

Now this is an easy way out and I could config every aspect of it so that the end user only has to download and dump the apps into their specified areas but what I was really trying to do here was to get the devs to research the code and realize that it has very promising features.

In any case the way Ive done things waists space yes but it does prove a point that it is possible to junction both apps together.Im not recommending the devs to go about it in this manner because thats just plain stupid. Instead Im imploring them to make a more direct media viewing solution..and this is the way I have had to do it to get things to work the way I want them to...and if you think about it, its a round about way to make this app work in an easy manor and that sucks.

XBMC+Meedios= MediaCenter Ascension

[hikaricore]

By PC the OP means Windows.
Obviously unaware that Windows, Linux, and Mac OSX all run on "PC" hardware.

[jmarshall]

What promising features? You're launching XBMC three different copies of XBMC from 3 separate paths to accomplish what exactly?

[kricker]

There had been talks in the past of MeediOS and MediaPortal joining forces somewhat. It dissolved over too many different ideas of where to take things (to put it gently). I would not expect anything with XBMC and another app going any differently. For right now pick one and use it or do what you've done and cobble something together. I just wouldn't be expecting any merger talk for a long time if ever again on the MeediOS front.

[TheKrimzonGhost]

Ok this is just a dumbed down version of things to come but this is what I had to do to get a 100% functional media center app that has all the features that we want...full customization and ease of use. XBMCs Media launching and playing capabilities far out shine their competition yet their ease of customization is something else all together. I was hoping by showing my Frankensteined combination app that it would get things moving into a different direction. I think both teams hold crucial keys in creating a perfect system. You see Meedios has file importing I do not agree with this method it uses up to many resources and takes to long to startup. There for coupling the abilities of both apps is the most logical approach to media center enlightenment.

[TheKrimzonGhost]

What promising features? You're launching XBMC three different copies of XBMC from 3 separate paths to accomplish what exactly?

Im glad you asked...Each path has a custom stripped down build of xbmc. This way I can utilize XBMCs easy file access and media players. This is not the way I would expect to do this in the future but it proves a point that it is possible to execute features from xbmc inside of meedio/meedios therefore gaining the attributes of both pieces of software in one single app. I dont have to worry about HD space, 2Gigs these days is not much so this works rather well for me.

[TheKrimzonGhost]

By PC the OP means Windows.
Obviously unaware that Windows, Linux, and Mac OSX all run on "PC" hardware.

Oh well pardon me I thought that the C:\ really specified that I was referring to a Windows install. Next time I will list my stats.

[midgetspy]

But you haven't explained WHY you are launching 3 copies of XBMC. Why not just launch one? What is the point?

[rwparris2]

you also haven't said what features are to be gained by this.

[natethomas]

There's a reason I stopped using Meedios after 2 hours of fiddling. That reason: I had accomplished and understood nothing.

The whole point of XBMC is the low level of tech knowledge necessary to get started. You install it; you point to where your files are; you can be done. If you want it to be pretty, you tell it to scan your files into its library. Then, once again, you are done.

Maybe Meedios has gotten easier to use since last I tried, but I'm guessing it is still nearly impossible to figure out without a full day or two to fiddle, plus a degree in programming.

[natethomas]

Of course, with that said, I guess this is a solution if you happen to like Meedios but don't like the way it doesn't work very well.

[kricker]

Maybe Meedios has gotten easier to use since last I tried, but I'm guessing it is still nearly impossible to figure out without a full day or two to fiddle, plus a degree in programming.

Indeed it has. Your opinion on it may change a bit if you saw it in action lately. Also the importing portion has improved quite a bit (at least the non-released code I got to play with a while back).

[MaxNL]

Sorry I did't get what is possible to gain using meedio as a overall interface.
I've been looking at the web page but I didn't get what are the differences with xbmc.
Bye
Max

[TheKrimzonGhost]

There's a reason I stopped using Meedios after 2 hours of fiddling. That reason: I had accomplished and understood nothing.

The whole point of XBMC is the low level of tech knowledge necessary to get started. You install it; you point to where your files are; you can be done. If you want it to be pretty, you tell it to scan your files into its library. Then, once again, you are done.

Maybe Meedios has gotten easier to use since last I tried, but I'm guessing it is still nearly impossible to figure out without a full day or two to fiddle, plus a degree in programming.

Ok you are absolutely 100% right in regards to Meedios being a bitch to set up but XBMC is missing certain customization features that are found in Meedios. So therefore I made a easier to use yet still customizable instance of meedios by haveing the abiltity to launch 3 differently configured instances of xbmc. A music instance, A movie instance, and photos instance. Letting Xbmc take over these aspects of meedios seems reasonable to me. To make meedios more user friendly this is what ive had to do. It works really well for me and Im just passing on the knowledge of what ive done. take it or leave it.

[MaxNL]

.... but XBMC is missing certain customization features that are found in Meedios. ...

Which are?