Beta Version 1.2.4 Available

[dkardatzke]

Beta Version 1.2.4 for SageTV is now available. It is accessible via the same public FTP site as the other versions. Please take a look at the release notes to see what the changes are before you install this version.

With this version you can now totally customize the background images and the color scheme for SageTV. Any changes need to be made through the properties file. We will be implementing an interface with a color pallette for a future release to make it easier but for now you need to enter the RGB colors by number.

If you come up with a combination that you like, post it so we can take a look. If you have questions on what to change, let us know.

Please remember that this is a beta version so we need your feedback on any problems that arise. You can post your comments/questions here or email them to us at support@freytechnologies.com

Thanks,
Dan

[dkardatzke]

Here's the release notes. I didn't realize you lose the attachments when you preview the post.

Dan

[SHS]

For MPEG1 or VCD to work you need do like this below there one thing jeff forgot to add how to do the with rigth output stream type which are 2 = MPEG1 or 11 = VCD

seeker/recording_qualities/VCD=VCD,224,44100,15200000
mmc/python2_encoding/VCD=videobitrate\=1520000|width\=352|height\=240|audiobitrate\=224|outputstreamtype\=11|audiosampling\=44100

[justlearnin]

Jeff:

Can you email me how to get the beta? I am getting closer to getting this work. I now have the EPG data populated in the Guide. Now I have to get the guide to see the Actisys and chnage channels in synch.

Thanks

[freat]

Well, I've been asking about customizeable menus. Here's what I came up with with some tinkering. I must say that I don't really like how the border around button images thing works. The problem is that you can't make nice gradient buttons, everything is real square.

Here's a proposed alternative. Rather than having a border get generated around the buttons, just use two images. One for on, one for off. The text would still get put over top of them, the images underneath would just get switched.

Either way, I'm excited about this. I think it is definitely a step in the right direction!

So you can see what I came up with, take a look at the attachment. It ain't that great... I'm going to work on a silver color scheme next. Make everything look metallic. Well, it's late. Go to sleeeeep....

OH - BTW, that button image is used in other places than on the main menus. It's in some of the pop-up dialogs and so looks kinda funny as the image gets tiled, etc.

[freat]

here's another quick one I threw together.

[ruel]

Freat, are those simply something you did in a graphics program? Or did you change the uc/colors settings? I have to find something to figure out the RGB color numbers. I would like to make at least the colors look like what I have in the Creative VBDVCR software. Since I can't graft a VBDVCR-lookalike interface onto SageTV (which is what I would really like to do), I would settle for a color change.

[freat]

I used Photoshop to make the necessary images. I modified the following values in the Sage.properties file:
ui/background_image
ui/colors/default_text_color_selected
ui/colors/option_selected_border
ui/colors/option_unselected_border
ui/main_menu_button_image

You should be able to do quite a bit with Paint Shop Pro (free). If you want to make a color scheme similar to another program, take a screenshot, then paste it into your editing software and you should be able to figure out the RGB values for anything in that screenshot. I'm not sure what tool to use in Paint Shop Pro. In Photoshop it's the eyedropper.

[ftlee]

freat,

I REALLY like the first image that you posted. Is it possible to make my interface look like that today?

Thanks,

Frank T. Lee

[freat]

ftlee,
If you want to, PM me and I'll get you the files and the .properties parameters. I just don't want to post it all here in the forum at this point. The reason for this is that it does mess up the UI a bit in some other areas.

[ruel]

Originally posted by freat
I used Photoshop to make the necessary images. I modified the following values in the Sage.properties file:

Oh, a combination of the two. I understand how you did it now. I'll stick with my favorite wallpaper as the background which is what I've been using since I discovered the background setting in the Sage.properties file several versions ago. I'll probably just tweak the colors since I'm happy with my background. (If you want to take a peek, take a look at the PVR page at my website and on the PVR page look for the SageTV link.)

I don't use Paint Shop or Photo Shop, but I use an old Ulead Image Editor program that I've never had a good reason to update -- I got that program with my old MiroVideo 20TD TV tuner card. I still have that TV card but it's one of those rare VLB cards that don't fit into any of the modern motherboards anymore.

[Mark Lamutt]

Both of those images look really nice, freat! Great work!

[laurenglenn]

I love all your images, and this thread. It's great to be able to change the background and personalize it.

Here's my contribution. You'll probably try to click around the buttons at one point....

Lauren

[ruel]

Originally posted by laurenglenn
Here's my contribution. You'll probably try to click around the buttons at one point....

Is that a background image with the desktop and the start bar? Or is there a way to do a transparent background to show the actual desktop (or whatever else is on the screen)? Maybe I should try a transparent gif file to see what happens. I would personally like to see SageTV do something like a transparent overlay like with how the Creative software overlays its menus on top of the TV picture.

[laurenglenn]

Originally posted by ruel
Is that a background image with the desktop and the start bar? Or is there a way to do a transparent background to show the actual desktop (or whatever else is on the screen)? Maybe I should try a transparent gif file to see what happens. I would personally like to see SageTV do something like a transparent overlay like with how the Creative software overlays its menus on top of the TV picture.

It would be good to see if you can do a transparent image, but I imagine that it would not show the desktop. I think there's some Property of the SageTV window you'd have to set to make the window transparent (I'm guessing here) -- kind of like those programs without square windows (like the ATI DVD player).

Actually, what I did was to hit Control-PrintScreen with SageTV minimized, copied it into MS Paint, and saved it as a JPEG. The buttons were actually the titlebar of the windows enlarged.

It's nice to have because when you hit the Windows key to open up the Start Menu, it keeps the illusion going...

Maybe in a later version we can use different pics for the buttons, like another poster said a while back. Maybe even be able to customize the positions and size of the buttons and toolbars. It would be nice to have skins that we can switch to. To me, it doesn't matter as long as the program works like it's been doing, but this would be a plus...

Lauren