[Mpegman]

xbmc developers,

i know this idea has been somewhat discussed already. but i thought i'd add a spin to it.

would it be that hard to made xbmc have all of the features of the high-end (and very expensive) kaleidescape server? http://www.kaleidescape.com/

if you're not familiar with this server, check it out!

so basically, here's what i'm suggesting:
 1. build in a "ripping" function for dvd movies. the ripper should be a simple, user-friendly feature. it should allow you to rip by chapter, file, or whole move (with or without special features). also, if the user selected "whole movie", they should be able to select whether to make the decrypted files into one vob file, or keep it split up.
 2. the resulting file(s) should be placed either on an smb share, or on the local drive.
 3. it would be great to have the imdb info for each movie/clip. thumbnail, title, director, actors, etc.

please let me know if you guys are interested in this feature. if you either can't or don't want to implement this feature, is it possible for me to write a module to implement this feature for xbmc myself (i have the xdk)? i have several friends who would be willing to help program this as well.

any help would be greatly appreciated.

mpegman

[Gamester17]

please let me know if you guys are interested in this feature. if you either can't or don't want to implement this feature, is it possible for me to write a module to implement this feature for xbmc myself (i have the xdk)? i have several friends who would be willing to help program this as well.

please, go right ahead, xbmc-team isn't planning on doing it themselves. are you thinking of dvd=>hdd backup, or dvd=>mpeg-4 transcoder?

[Mpegman]

i was planning on starting with a dvd to hdd/smb first, then adding an encoder option.

mpegman

[spydermandan]

any progress on this? specificly i'd love to see xbmc display its movies the way kaleidescape lists the stuff in its db - see http://www.kaleidescape.com/system/access.html

[Kain]

dear god if u could make this happen i would be more than greatful, i was just last night trying to think of a way to make enough money for a kaleidascope system. i am more than supportive of this idea, let me know if there is anything i can do to help :kickass:

[jmarshall]

yes, the viewing side of this is entirely possible. a better user interface (for everything - not just movies) is certainly something to aspire to.

something like this would force people to use the database features (suitably enhanced, ofcourse) of xbmc, which i am certainly in favour of.

there wouldn't happen to be any online demos available of the software, would there? i'd like to see it in action, particularly how they handle the navigation etc.

cheers,
jonathan

[spydermandan]

i have not seen an online demo anywhere, but here are a few (mostly marketing-speak) links that should give you a better idea of how it works. nothing earth-shattering, just a polished approach:
http://www.soundandvisionmag.com/article...._id=569
http://www.hedmag.com/product....rge.asp
http://www.kaleidescape.com/files/datash...erview.pdf - this pdf also shows a series of tabs that look like they come up from the bottom of the screen.

based on the limited amount of screen shots i've seen, it looks like all the movie thumbnails move, and the selected movie/description box is always in the same place. (see http://www.kaleidescape.com/images/zoom-...ection.jpg )

maybe one of us could wander by a local dealer and get a demo?

[jmarshall]

thanks for the links.

simplifying + enhancing the user interface of xbmc is my goal, and some of the ideas there are great.

i really like the idea of multiple ways to browse (thumbs, lists, etc.) with an initial info screen that pops up when you click an item with the options to play the film, search for other films like this one, look up imdb info, subtitles etc.etc.

i'm willing to hear any other ideas people may have.

cheers,
jonathan

[w84no1]

a way to remove the left menu would allow you to have a kaleidescape like interface.  i think that would be a good look.



i would like to display more movies and still use the large icons.

[SleepyP]

one of my projects is a "remix" of the original project mayhem iii skin. i am doing something sort of like that, but not quite as extreme:

the thumbnail panel control (which is what is used to handle the display of such things) is fairly customizable, and is supposed to get even more so after 2.0 is done.

i will try to put something like what you are requesting into my skin

[SleepyP]

this is a more recent shot of the my music i am working on.
once i get this one done, i may do something more in that style as a new project.

would you use a kaleidescape skin?

[w84no1]

i would!!! i just want a way to remove the left menu and use that space for album art/dvd covers. i use the pdm skin and the main menu auto hides if you don't use it. it would be cool if it worked on all menus.

[Freddo]

would it be possible to make those left hand buttons kind of like the slideout blades in the x360 skins, so they only slide out and take up any screen space when you highlight say a much smaller tab that appears on the left hand side.

[SleepyP]

should be. the xbmc skinning engine is very flexible. i was just thinking about this. the main thing i need is some way to see the kaleidascrape interface in action so i have something to reference

[w84no1]

here is a link to the demo video on their site.  not real useful, but all that i can find.  around 4:50 you will see a little of the interface.

mms://www.kaleidescape.com/thekaleidescapeexperience