QT4 Consolidation Thread - VLC's New Interface

[CloudStalker]

I have another suggestion, well a few actually, because I've noticed that video window + open playlist = Grrrr.

[32] Alternate Playlist Display
+ disable interface window decorations

Why not allow for a alternate playlist display when the video window is active? This time around CloudStalker reconstructed the interface from the ground up using Paint.NET and I tried to build it more around the video window. So basically when a video is playing, or even a visualization, the playlist, if the option is enabled in the preferences, will move to the upper-right corner of the interface while the video take form within the interface.



If it's possible then it
would also be good
to enable/disable the
album art so that there's
more vertical space
for the playlist.



Since there's less space
to see some of the other
media info
(for many this won't matter)
it would be quite useful
to display it with a
mouse over.



With the playlist
displayed the video
window will retain
a 4:3 aspect ratio,
with an option to
hide the playlist and
album art the video
window can take an
exact 16x9 aspect
ratio display without
even changing so
much as 1 pixel to the
interface to accommodate
for this.



Two commonly used aspect ratios and no fuss.

________________________________________

One other thing that
CloudStalker is curios
to know: is it possible
to make an option to
disable the window
decorations around
the interface. IT seem
to look more like a skin
if you do it this way.
Just a blending gray
border instead?



Thanks for reading. I know it's probably difficult to try to put all of these things together. It's much easier to think up something then it is to implement it.

[theone256]

It would be great if vlc could display fullscreen video with user chosen zoom (or width/height).
This is useful when you have such a big screen that video becomes horribly pixelated in fullscreen mode .

[DGMurdockIII]

bump

[CloudStalker]

I have other ideas for this but I'm not sure I should post them, they wouldn't make them into VLC 0.9.0 anyway so they would have to be considered for a later version anyway. Maybe in like a week or two I'll start this up again.

[Stylus]

Whoops, wrong section.

[MetalheadGautham]

@CloudStalker:

I have been going through some of your ideas regarding button effects, seek bar slider glow, and similar eyecandy within the QT4 interface. For this, have you tried testing VLC under non windows platforms, or atleast different themes for windows ? I noticed that several visual aspects look greately enhanced when I use the "old fashioned" wxvlc in ubuntu with the linsta theme pack, or under KDE 3.5 with the kubuntu theme. When I used the final fantasy theme for Windows XP from MS website, I could again notice lots of visual differences. So explore the themes a bit more and see if you can find something good to be used with vlc.




@developers:

would VLC 0.9 be available in a way similar to Opera web browser, that is, using QT4 static with a custom theme so that it looks good and looks the same on all systems ?

Is there any plan to isolate the playlist from the rest of the media player in 0.9 developement, because media management itself is a huge area while there are better things to cover, like getting better control buttons and Improving the tool for streaming/transcoding ?

Can't a pages(or tab) widget be used for alloting space for the Main Player, Equilizer and extended interface as well as the playlist ? Simple and easy to understand tabs for the three sections will go a long way into making the interface simple and un-cluttered.

Question: Is qt4-vlc going to be a jukebox based interface media player or a minimalistic size based media player ?

can we have neon-ish glow for the inside of the buttons ? The embossed characters in the buttons can be made to glow when the mouse is passed over them...


PS: long time no post

[Jean-Baptiste Kempf]

There is no plan for a custom theme yet. We prefer fast applications. For themes, use skins2.

Yes, we are working on that.

I don't understand the concept. Show it to me.

We try to stay minimalist but to allow power users to have a complete playlist/medialibrary

Yes.

[MetalheadGautham]

There is no plan for a custom theme yet. We prefer fast applications. For themes, use skins2.

Yes, we are working on that.

I don't understand the concept. Show it to me.

We try to stay minimalist but to allow power users to have a complete playlist/medialibrary

Yes.

for the third thing, here is a basic(and clumsy) program:
http://www.mediafire.com/?9oemlfv1ud5
size: 135 kb, format: .tar.gz


PS: I would like to see cloudstalker mess with cygwin

[CloudStalker]

PS: I would like to see cloudstalker mess with cygwin

Maybe, CloudStalker hardly gets time on a computer now or days anyway so....
Hey hey, why the evil?

[MetalheadGautham]

PS: I would like to see cloudstalker mess with cygwin

Maybe, CloudStalker hardly gets time on a computer now or days anyway so....
Hey hey, why the evil?

CloudStalker hardly gets the time ? Here I am, trying to do 6 different things each requiring perfect concentration per day
That includes music, programming, studies, competitive examinations, linux and road to multimedia geekery

anyway, have you installed a program called glade ? Just try that along with QT4 designer. They can really help you think up new ideas for the interface.

[templar]

The playlist window in the nightlies is not currently a drop target -- that is, I cannot drag and drop files onto the playlist window, adding them to the playlist as is the case with the 0.8 builds. I can drag and drop files on to the main window, which adds them to the playlist but also starts playing the file, which is not what I want.

I'm not sure if this is a planned feature that is just not currently implemented in the nightlies, so I apologise if this request is unnecessary.

[Jean-Baptiste Kempf]

I am working on it. Please fill a trac request for me to not forget it.

[MetalheadGautham]

I am working on it. Please fill a trac request for me to not forget it.

hey j-b, did you see my example of a tabbed interface for VLC ?
just compile that piece of code while ensuring you are using gnome.

[Jean-Baptiste Kempf]

I am working on it. Please fill a trac request for me to not forget it.

hey j-b, did you see my example of a tabbed interface for VLC ?
just compile that piece of code while ensuring you are using gnome.

No, I haven't.... where is it ?

[MetalheadGautham]

@j-b:

I had already sent you the link. Anyway, here it is once again:

http://www.mediafire.com/?9oemlfv1ud5

[size enlarged to help you see better]

[MetalheadGautham]

any updates ?

[Jean-Baptiste Kempf]

OK. Interesting. I don't know how I can integrate that. Can you give me screenshots ?

[MetalheadGautham]

j-b,

as far as I know, GTK supports it natively, via the notebook widget or something. So wxWidgets should have this feature.

do you know any GTK2+ to QT4 migration site ?

[MetalheadGautham]

Update: QtTabWidget

[Jean-Baptiste Kempf]

Well, I do know what is a QTabWidget, I use it many times in the interface of VLC. However, what I do not clearly understand is what you want to put in the different tabs.

[MetalheadGautham]

Well, I do know what is a QTabWidget, I use it many times in the interface of VLC. However, what I do not clearly understand is what you want to put in the different tabs.

As I said before, you can have simple tabs for the following:

1. Video Window
2. Media Info w/ album art
3. Equiliser + Extended GUI
4. Playlist Editor

and a real time video and audio bitrate display wouldn't hurt either, in the video window

I feel this can make VLC look more sleak, trim and professional.
I hope this isn't asking too much, but do you think its possible to do this ?

[Jean-Baptiste Kempf]

I think it is doable.
However, it will seem a bit too much like WMP. Moreover, I like to have my equalizer while I watch my video, not in a different tab.

[templar]

The playlist window in the nightlies is not currently a drop target -- that is, I cannot drag and drop files onto the playlist window, adding them to the playlist as is the case with the 0.8 builds. I can drag and drop files on to the main window, which adds them to the playlist but also starts playing the file, which is not what I want.

I'm not sure if this is a planned feature that is just not currently implemented in the nightlies, so I apologise if this request is unnecessary.

Is there a more appropriate place to ask this question? I couldn't find an appropriate page on the Wiki.

[MetalheadGautham]

I think it is doable.
However, it will seem a bit too much like WMP. Moreover, I like to have my equalizer while I watch my video, not in a different tab.

It won't be like WMP because the whole window size will be too small compared to WMP. The tabs have a very small footprint on VLC, as they are just one and a half lines(of text) thick. And you can have this set of tools BOTH in tabs, and as detachable windows or extentions. This can ensure that everything is accessable.

It wouldn't take you more than a few minutes to get this into a nightlie, would it ?

PS: VLC looks really funny on FluxBox

[CloudStalker]

CloudStalker wants to see a pic of what it looks like on FluxBox.

But seriously, this is not a half bad idea from a half bad guy (kidding, kinda). It could actually work well with suggestion #32. There could be some sort of compact playlist when viewing videos for quick and easy access to content, which of course can be disabled (see #32), and then if wanted, you can switch the tab over to "Playlist" to get more details such as the rating system (more useful for music then videos).

That brings up another question: will the rating system use stars like other ratings systems do (good) or will it be a non-stylish numarical 1-5 (yawn)?

VLC could look great if only... suggestions 1-32. (Joking, kinda)