[eilz]

When studying for various exams, I prefer to select FAST speed on many study videos (e.g. CBT's Training Vids). Windows Media Player allows,FAST/NORMAL/SLOW options and would love to be able to have the same functionality on XBMC, so if plays the vids and the sound at a faster speed to get through a little faster

Eilz

[john.doe]

i would like to have the option to set the playback speed. this feature is available in vlc. you can go from slow-motion to high speed with audio. this is not fast forward / rewind.
as this feature is available in vlc i though it would already be in xbmc, but i didn't find the way to do it.
in vlc you can have the playback at speeds from X0.25 to X4.0, when X1.0 is normal playback.
this feature was already requested a long time ago http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?tid=13780 but i can't access the answer for some kind of reason, and as i mentioned i couldn't find a way to do this.
in any case i love xbmc.

[darkscout]

I second this. Some of my classes for my masters are 'remote learning', so I download the MP4 and play them back at 1.1-1.5 speed (depending on how many notes are generated.)

Also a great way to watch documentaries, or even catch up on your favorite TV shows. A 40 min tv show at 1.25 speed is 32 minutes.

I know it's built into mplayer using the [] keys.

Slow motion would be great for those hard hits in sports or random parts in movies.

[john.doe]

This is how I like to watch some videos too. And that is why sometimes I switch to VLC, because otherwise I would much rather use the XBMC UI.

[davilla]

and audio sounds like Mickey Mouse

[darkscout]

and audio sounds like Mickey Mouse

mplayer -af scaletempo

Then they don't... I'm up to 2.14 speed and voices are in the correct pitch, but 1.77 is about the limit of being able to actually understand people.

Goes the other way too. 0.56 only problem is you get some jitter from the sample & hold none of the ultra slow motion audio.

[john.doe]

and audio sounds like Mickey Mouse

Still, XBMC is not used solely for extra high quality media. I would like, and I think other will too, the speed up or slow down playback for certain content.
I think XBMC is going to be better with this feature in it.

[davilla]

I'm sorry. I prefer to savor my video content rather than just consume it.

[paul]

I'm sorry. I prefer to savor my video content rather than just consume it.

Thank god sanity prevails in the xbmc team as this has to be the dumbiest idea ever.

[dan1son]

Thank god sanity prevails in the xbmc team as this has to be the dumbiest idea ever.

Just because you don't want it doesn't mean it's the dumbest idea ever... although I'm still scratching my head wondering why in the world I'd want to go faster. Slow-Mo can be cool for obvious reasons, but if the flow of a movie/documentary/tvshow is too slow I just won't watch it.

[isamu.dragon]

I'm sorry. I prefer to savor my video content rather than just consume it.

I agree with you only thing this would work for is sports.
Baseball in particular (VERY SLOW SPORT)
If you watch your shows always at an enhanced speed you loose the sustenance of the show. You miss little details, things that bite you in the ass in future episodes/movies.

slow-mo may help in sports but really no practical use in normal videos. They are created at a certain speed so that they can be consumed at that speed.

whoa, too many food analogies.

[AnalogKid]

Thank god sanity prevails in the xbmc team as this has to be the dumbiest idea ever.

It's not THAT dumb... I mean people do use this capability. But I think the use cases are relatively rare, and those that truly depend on it, already have alternative solutions.

It's probably falling into the 'let's add a feature, just because it's possible'... like putting bloody reverb on Home Theater amps 'cos we all love that 'watching movies in a cavern / church' feel.

[john.doe]

I do use this mode. I watch podcast's program that deliver information which I can understand at a bit faster rate.

In these programs I don't mind the Mickey Mouse voice, I just want the info.

I'm not talking about seeing Inigo Montoya dueling in double speed.

I know most people just want to sit back and watch a nice movie in XBMC, but what's wrong with sitting back and watching other content?

I hope you can see my point.

[darkscout]

To reiterate my example.

I'm going back to grad school. Most graduate courses have both an "in class room" and "remote learning" options. I thought that I'd learn more by doing the "in class room" method, so I moved my whole life 3 hours away to campus.

The FIRST day of my math course (at 8:30 AM) the teacher said: "I know the recordings are mainly remote learners, but if they had this technology when I was in school. I would have never come to class." I went to the first 2 classes, and then after that just started downloading the MP4s. They're all up on a public, anonymous FTP server. I would love to be able to do:

Code:

<source>
    <path>ftp://ftp.ecn.purdue.edu/proed/courses/</path>
</source>

And watch my class.

Right now I use mplayer on my MacBook, set the audio filter and watch at as fast of a speed as I can take notes. I usually finish a 50 minute class in 30.

With something like the http://www.khanacademy.org/ online.

Plus there are my shows that I watch to keep up with current events. Daily Show, etc.
Or the shows I watch so I can keep up with water cooler talk. Jersey shore, etc.

Not every movie is Momento or every TV show Stargate Universe. Not all media needs to be savored. Even watching some shows at 1.1 speed, you really don't notice the difference after a while. (Until you go back to 1.0) and you've just saved your self 6 minutes per every hour of TV you watch.

[blastyblast]

Thank god sanity prevails in the xbmc team as this has to be the dumbiest idea ever.

Why insult people for having a feature request that you don't agree with? And why did you care enough to read over the feature, AND the comments, then add your own 2 cents?

Anyway, I really, really want this feature too. I've thought this was an obviously needed feature for a long time. I've been using XBMC since the early days, and correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't XBMC used to have playback speed settings a long time ago?