MediaPlayer Plugin/STV Import: Winamp Media Player Plugin

[geogecko]

LOL, I didn't mean for it to sound that way. I think the only problem is with editing the original STV. It still works fine with SageMC!

[geogecko]

Originally Posted by flachbar

I got the same error a few hours ago (well it said "reduced from 1024x1024 to 512x512, I am running 1360x768) ... I rebooted the computer, and the error went away. I'll keep an eye on it if it happens again

Dirk

I'm getting this error message again. Not sure what is causing it, although a restart will probably fix it, it will probably crop up again.

Anyone else seeing it?

[bullgates]

Hi All,

Searched thru this thread and didn't find much mention of cover art. Is it possible in this module to use cover art?

Inside of the My Music folder

By Album

right click


Music Library Options

Display Options

Cover Only
Cover and Title and Artist
Cover and Title


When I select any of the above 3 choices I still get the same folder name without cover art. I understand what Title and Artist mean but could someone explain Cover? Should this be the cover art?

Any input is appreciated.

Thanks.

[geogecko]

bullgates.

I'm not really sure what you are talking about, but it appears that you think this plugin does something visually to the SageTV music interface.

It does not. All this plugin does is play the music that you select through SageTV, inside of Winamp (in the background). Visually, it does nothing, nor does it functionally, so to speak.

The only visual thing it allows you to do, is to use the Winamp visualization, such as Milkdrop.

I believe the options you are seeing in the options menu, refer to the built-in SageTV screen saver, when playing music, but I'm not sure.

[deria]

Originally Posted by bullgates

Hi All,

Searched thru this thread and didn't find much mention of cover art. Is it possible in this module to use cover art?

Inside of the My Music folder

By Album

right click


Music Library Options

Display Options

Cover Only
Cover and Title and Artist
Cover and Title


When I select any of the above 3 choices I still get the same folder name without cover art. I understand what Title and Artist mean but could someone explain Cover? Should this be the cover art?

Any input is appreciated.

Thanks.

As geogecko said, this plugin does not have ANY visual component except the ability to launch the Winamp visualization.

If you want cover art, a different interface to the music library, or something along those lines then you should consider using something like SageMC or the newly designed music module present in the default STV.

I personally use SageMC, myself.

[bullgates]

Originally Posted by deria

As geogecko said, this plugin does not have ANY visual component except the ability to launch the Winamp visualization.

If you want cover art, a different interface to the music library, or something along those lines then you should consider using something like SageMC or the newly designed music module present in the default STV.

I personally use SageMC, myself.

Thanks for the quick reply guys. Quick question?

What does cover stand for?

[gplasky]

Originally Posted by bullgates

Thanks for the quick reply guys. Quick question?

What does cover stand for?

Yes-Cover Art. If your music is properly tagged and the image is embedded in the MP3 you should see cover art. All of my music is tagged properly and I have cover art in the default stv and any of the optional stvs.

Gerry

[bullgates]

Originally Posted by gplasky

Yes-Cover Art. If your music is properly tagged and the image is embedded in the MP3 you should see cover art. All of my music is tagged properly and I have cover art in the default stv and any of the optional stvs.

Gerry

Hey gplasky,

What software do use for accurate tagging? Does it work with FLAC files? Thanks.

[dflachbart]

Originally Posted by bullgates

Hey gplasky,

What software do use for accurate tagging? Does it work with FLAC files? Thanks.

I am also using FLAC files. I don't have the cover art embedded, but a "folder.jpg" file in each album folder, this works too.

Dirk

[bullgates]

Originally Posted by flachbar

I am also using FLAC files. I don't have the cover art embedded, but a "folder.jpg" file in each album folder, this works too.

Dirk

I'm recording right now. I'll rearrange my folders and see what happens. Thanks.

[bullgates]

Another question.


When I select

Music Library Options (via right click)

and goto Display Options

I am given 3 choices

Cover Only
Cover and Title
Cover and Title and Artist


Regardless of which of the 3 choices that I select I still get the same output.

Ex:

Come What(Ever) May by Stone Sour

always stays that regardless of the choices.



2nd Question.

Does this module automaticaly name the folder based on what FLAC files that it finds?


I have the folder named:
Come What (Ever) May

but in the module it is named:
Come What(Ever) May by Stone Sour

See how it adds the Artist.


As usual any info is greatly appreciated.

Thanks.



I think the above naming issues leads to me not getting cover art.

[dflachbart]

Originally Posted by bullgates

Another question.


When I select

Music Library Options (via right click)

and goto Display Options

I am given 3 choices

Cover Only
Cover and Title
Cover and Title and Artist


Regardless of which of the 3 choices that I select I still get the same output.

Ex:

Come What(Ever) May by Stone Sour

always stays that regardless of the choices.



2nd Question.

Does this module automaticaly name the folder based on what FLAC files that it finds?


I have the folder named:
Come What (Ever) May

but in the module it is named:
Come What(Ever) May by Stone Sour

See how it adds the Artist.


As usual any info is greatly appreciated.

Thanks.



I think the above naming issues leads to me not getting cover art.

Again, this has nothing to do with the Winamp plugin, it is something related to the STV. Please create a new thread for this question, and mention which STV (default, SageMC, etc) you are using, then your chances of getting a reponse are much better.


Dirk

[jkohn]

So I set up the plugin on my SageTVClient (6.0b13). For the most part it's working except for one very annoying problem. Sometimes I get a long pause between tracks. I'm not talking about a second or two, but 5-10 seconds. It doesn't happen after every song, more like 1/3 of the time. Has anybody seen this? At first I thought it might be related to the visualization, but I've tested and it also happens without vis.

A little about my setup. Soundard is an M-Audio Delta 410, SPDIF connection to the pre/pro. The music files are all FLAC's that I've ripped myself with EAC. I'm running Winamp 5.3 with the ASIO plugin in gapless mode. I do get gapless playback except for when the "mega-pauses" happen.

I've also managed to get Milkdrop working (not by making STV changes as outlined in the readme, but by using Girder to talk directly to Winamp). But like I said the pauses happen even without the vis running.

If I could get this problem resolved I would be a very happy camper, as the the Music Library interface in Sage 6 is much better than using Winamp directly.

[Keith]

So, at the risk of actually talking about (gasp!) the subject of this thread, i.e. WinAmp visualization via the plug-in, has *anyone* been able to get the plug-in to work with the v6 betas using the default STV???

[deria]

Originally Posted by Keith

So, at the risk of actually talking about (gasp!) the subject of this thread, i.e. WinAmp visualization via the plug-in, has *anyone* been able to get the plug-in to work with the v6 betas using the default STV???

I'm going to update the instructions for the default STV tomorrow. The differences should be minor -- check back tomorrow.

[jkohn]

Originally Posted by Keith

So, at the risk of actually talking about (gasp!) the subject of this thread, i.e. WinAmp visualization via the plug-in, has *anyone* been able to get the plug-in to work with the v6 betas using the default STV???

I was able to do so. Using Girder/SendMessage to Start/Stop the Visualization. And it didn't require any menu/STV changes either.

[Malfunction]

I just worked out a little bug that's been annoying me for a couple months. I had an "echo" of the first second or 2 of a song, every time I started a new song.

If you get this, get rid of the "gapless" output plugin for Winamp.

This will only happen when you're playing music in Winamp via SageTV, not through Winamp's UI.

[deria]

I've been promising to update the installation instructions for use with the default STV. Well, I've finally done it.

I also changed the notes for the SageMC module to basically say that SageMC supports this plug-in natively.

If you use the default STV, give these new instructions a shot and see how they work for you. They worked well for me during testing (its actually a little easier to do the changes now than it used to be).

Installation
=======

NOTE: If you have previously installed any version of this plugin, you should remove all traces of it by following the instructions in the "uninstallation" section (below).

Installing a plugin with SageTV is not always a trivial process; it is not complicated, but it is very easy to make a mistake that can render your .STV/.XML unuseable. To avoid such a disaster, be very careful and PLEASE MAKE A BACKUP. The installation instructions guide you through the process of making a backup. This is the only warning you will receive. I accept NO responsibility for ANYTHING that might happen as a result of installing this plugin.

There are two methods you can use to install this plugin.

1) Close SageTV completely (do not use 'sleep'/'standby').
2) Make a backup copy of your .STV/.XML file (typically found in "c:\program files\sage tv\sage tv\stvs\sagetv3" (as sagetv3.stv or sagetv3.xml if you are using the default .STV/.XML file).
3) Make a copy of your sage.properties and/or sageclient.properties files (typically found in "c:\program files\sage tv\sage tv\stvs\sagetv3\ "folder).
4) Unpack the archive attached to this post into your SageTV installation folder (typically "c:\program files\sage tv\sage tv" folder). Please note that the files need to be in the same directory as SageTV.exe / SageTVClient.exe -- they cannot be in a sub-folder.
5) Open your sage.properties file ( *AND* sageclient.properties file) and make the following changes:

a) and add the following lines:

media_player_plugin_class/cda=WinampPlugin
media_player_plugin_class/mid=WinampPlugin
media_player_plugin_class/midi=WinampPlugin
media_player_plugin_class/rmi=WinampPlugin
media_player_plugin_class/kar=WinampPlugin
media_player_plugin_class/miz=WinampPlugin
media_player_plugin_class/mod=WinampPlugin
media_player_plugin_class/mdz=WinampPlugin
media_player_plugin_class/nst=WinampPlugin
media_player_plugin_class/stm=WinampPlugin
media_player_plugin_class/stz=WinampPlugin
media_player_plugin_class/s3m=WinampPlugin
media_player_plugin_class/s3z=WinampPlugin
media_player_plugin_class/it=WinampPlugin
media_player_plugin_class/itz=WinampPlugin
media_player_plugin_class/xm=WinampPlugin
media_player_plugin_class/xmz=WinampPlugin
media_player_plugin_class/mtm=WinampPlugin
media_player_plugin_class/ult=WinampPlugin
media_player_plugin_class/669=WinampPlugin
media_player_plugin_class/far=WinampPlugin
media_player_plugin_class/amf=WinampPlugin
media_player_plugin_class/okt=WinampPlugin
media_player_plugin_class/ptm=WinampPlugin
media_player_plugin_class/mp3=WinampPlugin
media_player_plugin_class/mp2=WinampPlugin
media_player_plugin_class/mp1=WinampPlugin
media_player_plugin_class/aac=WinampPlugin
media_player_plugin_class/apl=WinampPlugin
media_player_plugin_class/vlb=WinampPlugin
media_player_plugin_class/m4a=WinampPlugin
media_player_plugin_class/nsa=WinampPlugin
media_player_plugin_class/ogg=WinampPlugin
media_player_plugin_class/wav=WinampPlugin
media_player_plugin_class/voc=WinampPlugin
media_player_plugin_class/au=WinampPlugin
media_player_plugin_class/snd=WinampPlugin
media_player_plugin_class/aif=WinampPlugin
media_player_plugin_class/aiff=WinampPlugin
media_player_plugin_class/wma=WinampPlugin

* make sure that these lines are placed after any existing media_player_plugin_class lines

b) find the existing line named "seeker/music_library_import_filename_extensions=" and change it to:

seeker/music_library_import_filename_extensions=.cda,.mid,.midi,.rmi,.kar,.miz,.mod,.mdz,.nst,.stm,.stz,.s3m,.s3z,.it,.itz,.xm,.xmz,.mtm,.ult,.669,.far,.amf,.okt,.ptm,.mp3,.mp2,.mp1,.aac,.apl,.vlb,.m4a,.nsa,.ogg,.wav,.voc,.au,.snd,.aif,.aiff,.wma

6) Ensure that Winamp is in your startup folder. If Winamp is not running, audio playback will not work!

7) Ensure that Winamp is configured for use with SageTV. To do this, all you need to do is:

.....a) click "Options --> Preferences --> General Preferences"
.....b) remove the checkmark for the "Taskbar" toggle of the "show Winamp in" section
.....c) ensure that there is a checkmark in the "System Tray" toggle of the "show Winamp in" section
.....d) ensure that there is a checkmark in the "disable always on top while fullscreen applications are focused" toggle
.....e) click on the "Plug-ins" section and REMOVE the checkmark (if there is one) from the "auto execute visualization plugin on playback" toggle
.....f) click on the "Visualization" section of the "Plug-ins" section, and (if you are using Milkdrop or Geiss2) click "Configure" and ensure that:
..........i) in the "fullscreen" section it is set to use "fake fullscreen"
..........ii) in the bottom section it is set to use "start fullscreen"
..........iii) in the bottom section it is NOT set to "minimize winamp when going fullscreen"
.....g) right click the Winamp (lightning bolt) icon in your system tray and ensure that there is a checkmark beside "main window" and "playlist window" (and nothing else)

8) Ensure that Winamp is running. If you made changes to your configuration in step #7, you should exit and restart Winamp.

9) Open SageTV. You are done! When you play a music file, Winamp will play the file instead of SageTV.

Visualization Support
==============

NOTE: Visualization support is not compatible with the SageTV FSE (full-screen exclusive) mode.

If you want visualizations (at all) you will need to make a minor (easy) change to your .STV/.XML file (detailed below). If you do not intend to use visualizations, you can skip this section. The normal "now playing" screen will continue to work (with the sole exception that there will be no visualization shown -- it will just be a black screen).

SageTV 6.x (or higher):

1) Press Control+Shift+F12 to open SageTV Studio.
2) Click "File --> Import".
3) Import the "WinampHelperMenu.xml" file, which (in a default installation) is located in "c:\program files\sagetv\sagetv\stvs\sagetv3").
4) Click "Edit --> Find All".
5) In the search field, type "View Visualizations" and press <enter>.
4) Scroll down to the first match (which will be highlighted in the "Browser - Music, Playlist Details" menu). Right click the "View Visualizations" menu entry, and click "Expand Children".
5) Scroll down to the "WinampHelper Menu" menu and click on it.
6) Drag the "WinampHelper Menu" to the "AddGlobalContext()" command (the screen will scroll as you drag).
7) Highlight the "MediaPlayer OSD" option under the "AddGlobalContext()" menu entry, and then press DELETE to remove it.

Repeat steps 4-7 for the "Detailed Info - Music File" menu.

Default STV (SageTV 5.x or lower):

1) Press Control+Shift+F12 to open SageTV Studio.
2) Click "File --> Import".
3) Import the "WinampHelperMenu.xml" file, which (in a default installation) is located in "c:\program files\sagetv\sagetv\stvs\sagetv3").
4) Scroll down to the "SongsbyArtist" menu and expand it.
5) Expand the "MenuContainer" panel.
6) Expand the "Buttons" panel.
7) Expand the "If" statement (the one that reads "IsMusicFile(GetCurrentMediaFile())").
8) Expand the "Visualizations" menu item.
9) Scroll down to the "WinampHelper Menu" menu and click on it.
10) Drag the "WinampHelper Menu" to the "Visualize" menu item (the screen will scroll as you drag).
11) Highlight the "MediaPlayer OSD" option under the "Visualize" menu entry, and then press DELETE to remove it.

Repeat steps 4-11 for the following menus:

"AlbumDetailPage"
"Music by Artist"
"MusicSongTitle"

SageMC:

The SageMC 16x9 STV has built-in support for this module. You should refer to the SageMC thread for instructions on how to use this plugin with that (excellent) STV.

[deria]

Originally Posted by Malfunction

I just worked out a little bug that's been annoying me for a couple months. I had an "echo" of the first second or 2 of a song, every time I started a new song.

If you get this, get rid of the "gapless" output plugin for Winamp.

This will only happen when you're playing music in Winamp via SageTV, not through Winamp's UI.

Yes, the gapless plugin assumes that there will be more than one song at a time to play, but when using SageTV that never (ever) happens because SageTV manages the playlist itself. It basically notified my plugin that a new song needs to be played, and my plugin notifies Winamp. If you're using the gapless playback plugin, you'll definitely get some wierdness.

[deria]

Originally Posted by jkohn

Sometimes I get a long pause between tracks. I'm not talking about a second or two, but 5-10 seconds. It doesn't happen after every song, more like 1/3 of the time.

I have seen this, yes. Its some sort of timing issue -- basically what happens is that the plugin tells Winamp to load the song, then tells it to play the song (its two different actions in the Winamp API). If the command to play occurs before the load finishes, Winamp ignores it -- and it takes a second for the plugin to realizse this (because it has to poll Winamp to see what state the song is in).

The Winamp API is a mess, to be honest. I dislike pretty much everything about it. Its all based on 1986 style Window Messaging and polling. It is, in a word, evil. Can't beat Milkdrop, though, so we live with it.