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igotdvds · 2011-02-23, 22:21

I know there has been talk about adding support for List.item.Banner, ListItem.Clearart, etc. What I am wondering is if we can have the users that dont know about addons have banner.jpg and other images pulled on their first run of a skin.

Maybe something like, "This skin uses Banners and Logos, would you like to download them now".

It would only run automatically the first time they use the skin, any new shows would have to have images loaded using the built in buttons within the skin.

I just know there could be so many more options for views, if we could assume that all users would, by default, have all those image types.

Thoughts?

mcborzu · 2011-02-23, 23:02

What would be better and require no user interaction is if we have access to that setting used in the scrapper section when a user chooses Poster/Banner. Then we use that setting, and Landscape if they add that add that, so it appears things work automatically. I have read posts where the Devs would like to have the ability to have multiple formats - banner/poster/landscape.

I've been convinced, not that the Devs pestered me, but a skin should just work. A user should not need to do anything manually or really even need to dig into settings to get things to display correctly. As the Devs have stated only 10% or so of users are forum users the vast majority just dont really tinker...

As for logos in XBMC proper thats another discussion, we have kept to quality supberb and pretty much have the same collection of show with logos as tvdb does with banners...

Advocate · 2011-02-23, 23:09

Can I just chime in by saying we need a standard size for logos first. I use Simplicity almost exlusively on my ATV2 and excitedly downloaded all the logos for my TV Shows but the logo view just sucks because they're all different shapes and sizes.

Ie the logo for 24 is kinda square while others aren't, some logos are much bigger than others etc.

So as I say we need some kind of standard like the banners or posters are a standard(ish) aspect ratio and size.

Sorry to butt in but it needed to be said Smile

ppic · 2011-02-23, 23:13

they're all sized and keep good ratio, they're all verified before being available to end user.

if you can do better, please tell us how will do to get the same on vertical logo and horizontal logo ?

Advocate · 2011-02-23, 23:16

I'm not exactly sure what you mean ppic but I'll put up a screenshot as soon as I get home from work to demonstrate what I mean.

I actually did think about doing my own logos for the TV shows that I have to make them more uniform, when I do I'll post em here for your opinion.

mcborzu · 2011-02-23, 23:16

400x155
Try to fill as much width/hieght as possible
Bottom aligned and center
Use lighter version of logo as most skins are dark.

Those have always been the rules. Not every logo will look the same as every logo is different, which I like and is to be assumed they'll be different. Some like "White Collar" are small in height long in length. "24" is nearly perfectly square.

igotdvds · 2011-02-24, 02:15

mcborzu Wrote:What would be better and require no user interaction is if we have access to that setting used in the scrapper section when a user chooses Poster/Banner. Then we use that setting, and Landscape if they add that add that, so it appears things work automatically. I have read posts where the Devs would like to have the ability to have multiple formats - banner/poster/landscape.

I've been convinced, not that the Devs pestered me, but a skin should just work. A user should not need to do anything manually or really even need to dig into settings to get things to display correctly. As the Devs have stated only 10% or so of users are forum users the vast majority just dont really tinker...

As for logos in XBMC proper thats another discussion, we have kept to quality supberb and pretty much have the same collection of show with logos as tvdb does with banners...

Speaking to the "a skin should just work". Why cant we just make having all those images available be how a "skin works". If they are out there, why not incorporate them?

I just know it would remove a lot of restrictions on skinning if we could make the assumption that the images were always available.

blacklist · 2011-02-24, 02:50

igotdvds Wrote:Speaking to the "a skin should just work". Why cant we just make having all those images available be how a "skin works". If they are out there, why not incorporate them?

I just know it would remove a lot of restrictions on skinning if we could make the assumption that the images were always available.

Agreed, but in order to do so, we need to incorporate them int the scrapers to pull them on first adding a show, rather than on a "when a skin needs them" basis. If we can get the containers defined now, then imo it would be an easi(er) thing to add them to existing scrapers. For instance the "Prefer Posters" option when you're setting up thetvdb scraper could be replaced with "Get These Files Types:"

Banner
Poster
ClearArt
ClearLogo
etc...

Although, as I list them, I have to ask myself at what point it becomes excessive.

jmarshall · 2011-02-24, 03:24

IMO it's pretty simple - we retrieve only what the scraped sites provide (thetvdb, themoviedb in general). I see zero point whatsoever in having check boxes for them - otherwise it doesn't "just work" - you're forcing a rescrape to get the other ones.

I'd stop at poster, banner and fanart as these are what are widely available for shows. Obviously poster + fanart are really all that is available for movies.

Studio logos are a different level from this and could be included with XBMC - ofcourse, if thetvdb et. al. have them then they could conceivably be pulled from there instead.

Clearart/clear logo or whatever are IMO were diminishing returns kick in. With that said, there's no reason that a skin art pack couldn't be made for that sort of thing.

Note that I have no idea if/when I, or someone else, will be able to get to cleaning up the video thumb mess. Hopefully in time for Eden, but I cannot guarantee that.

Cheers,
Jonathan

blacklist · 2011-02-24, 03:41

jmarshall Wrote:Clearart/clear logo or whatever are IMO were diminishing returns kick in. With that said, there's no reason that a skin art pack couldn't be made for that sort of thing.

I think you'll find most (if not all) of skins being developed right now are using clearlogos at the least. The problem is that thetvdb doesn't support them, so now we are scraping a different site to get them. Movies aren't really involved at all, you're right. What we currently do (fanart and poster) are about all you can do with them.

But you're right, there is a diminished return, which is where something like the logo-downloader addon fits in, I suppose.

Not sure a skin art pack would be appropriate, since there are a crazy number of shows out there.

Advocate · 2011-02-24, 08:37

I thought the TVDB was open to suggestions for new kinds of artwork. Don't they now host the landscape type pictures where before they didn't?

As regards the logos, whenevr I see them used with just the one logo onscreen (ie in the OSD/pause popup) I think they look great, it's just when they're used in a view like in Simplicity (my favourite skin by far atm btw) that they just don't seem to work because of the different aspect ratios etc.

Does anyone have any objection to me having a go at standardising the logo artwork and putting some examples up here?

Alistair

PS I may well fail miserably but I'm more than willing to give it a go, and if you like what you see I will also be more than willing to work on more should you want me to.

PPS I also think that logos could be used for movies as well, I have no idea why they haven't been used actually