2012-03-03, 00:45
saitoh183 Wrote:In the Appearance setting there is a Font option. Would it be hard for skinners to include different font choices for people to select?
Yes it would.
Yes it would.
2012-03-04, 17:30
You might also look into BIG Alaska or my Aeon Nox mod below.
http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?tid=102353
I agree it would be nice to have the option for increasing fonts but after playing with the font.xml it really can bork things up pretty bad even with small increases. You then have to mod different aspects of the skin to "make it work" and look presentable.
My mod is simple yet not perfect but works well on both a 4:3 crt or even small 16:9 screens. There were A LOT of changes that needed to made.
I have to appreciate all the work the skinners put in to make things look right with their current font/size selections. Trying to maintain another size font would almost be like trying to maintain a whole other skin and for what benefit. A few happy users?
Just my 2 cents.
http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?tid=102353
I agree it would be nice to have the option for increasing fonts but after playing with the font.xml it really can bork things up pretty bad even with small increases. You then have to mod different aspects of the skin to "make it work" and look presentable.
My mod is simple yet not perfect but works well on both a 4:3 crt or even small 16:9 screens. There were A LOT of changes that needed to made.
I have to appreciate all the work the skinners put in to make things look right with their current font/size selections. Trying to maintain another size font would almost be like trying to maintain a whole other skin and for what benefit. A few happy users?
Just my 2 cents.
2012-03-04, 18:05
Without the ability to auto-scale both images and fonts (a bit like a PDF does vector scaling) then there will be no good all-in-one solution. This, in theory, could be done in XBMC where the skinner could be allowed to set what can, or cannot, be scaled in the skin. Thus when the user sets the scaling amount (zoom) those items would scale.
- I have no clue how difficult this would be to build into the skin engine but I imagine is would not be trivial. And the skins would need to be changed to support it.
So, what is the "fix" that can be done today you ask?
The "fix" is for the skinner to design the skin for the masses (not for his bedroom)...
In order to do this, the skinner will need to to consider what will work on a "10 foot UI" for people of all ages and levels of vision.
If you look at skins on major applications made for the living room (Roku, Tivo, Cable Boxes, Boxee, Windows Media Center, etc) - this has been done.
The skinners here are usually skinning for themselves and what they (specifically) like... if they can read 2 point font from 10' away they put in on there.
When designing Windows Media Center, the designers used these simple rules as a starting guide...
› Avoid paragraphs / pages of text
› Serif fonts for large titles or graphic elements
› Font sizes smaller than 16pt are un-readable
› Create type hierarchy - few sizes
... then from these it was refined.
- I have no clue how difficult this would be to build into the skin engine but I imagine is would not be trivial. And the skins would need to be changed to support it.
So, what is the "fix" that can be done today you ask?
The "fix" is for the skinner to design the skin for the masses (not for his bedroom)...
In order to do this, the skinner will need to to consider what will work on a "10 foot UI" for people of all ages and levels of vision.
If you look at skins on major applications made for the living room (Roku, Tivo, Cable Boxes, Boxee, Windows Media Center, etc) - this has been done.
The skinners here are usually skinning for themselves and what they (specifically) like... if they can read 2 point font from 10' away they put in on there.
When designing Windows Media Center, the designers used these simple rules as a starting guide...
› Avoid paragraphs / pages of text
› Serif fonts for large titles or graphic elements
› Font sizes smaller than 16pt are un-readable
› Create type hierarchy - few sizes
... then from these it was refined.
2012-03-04, 18:57
What's all this nonsense about skinners designing for pc screens. Don't you think every single one skinner here also uses his own skin on the living room TV?
If I would think the fonts are too small I would change them, simple as that.
If I would think the fonts are too small I would change them, simple as that.
2012-03-04, 19:08
Livin Wrote:The skinners here are usually skinning for themselves and what they (specifically) like... if they can read 2 point font from 10' away they put in on there.
I can read everything perfectly fine on a 40"screen from 4 meters away.
If you have trouble with you vision you might as well get glasses cause watching TV is just the same as using the XBMC
If you don't like start making a skin yourself!
Remember they are doing this all for FREE
and believe me they do skin for the masses and not just for themselves.
2012-03-04, 19:23
We are trying to discuss SOLUTIONS to this... not a bitch session at the skinners nor any need to defend yourself. For the most part, it is understood that, skinners build to suit their desires/tastes/etc. No one is saying there was anything wrong with that.
Different people have different levels of vision and thus what looks very small and hard to read to me (like the time/date info on Aeon Nox on my 65" screen from 10' away) may look perfectly fine to Big Noid.
Different people have different levels of vision and thus what looks very small and hard to read to me (like the time/date info on Aeon Nox on my 65" screen from 10' away) may look perfectly fine to Big Noid.
2012-03-04, 19:37
There's only one real solution and that's to re-code all the labels and textboxes for the entire skin because simply editing the sizes in the fonts.xml wont work.
2012-03-04, 19:57
I hate when people start the complaining and are then taking the moral highground.
Maybe you should read your post again. Your solution is that skinners need to change the way they work :confused2:
Maybe you should read your post again. Your solution is that skinners need to change the way they work :confused2:
2012-03-04, 22:00
Heh I only added the large font option to Back Row because I got sick of my wife constantly nagging me to read the plot synopsis for every bloody tv episode we watched 
It is very fiddly to implement successfully.
It is very fiddly to implement successfully.
2012-03-04, 22:02
Sharpe Wrote:Heh I only added the large font option to Back Row because I got sick of my wife constantly nagging me to read the plot synopsis for every bloody tv episode we watched
It is very fiddly to implement successfully.
i was praising your skin yesterday when my wife said lets find a movie and wanted to read the synopsis of every choice
2012-03-04, 22:19
Sharpe Wrote:Heh I only added the large font option to Back Row because I got sick of my wife constantly nagging me to read the plot synopsis for every bloody tv episode we watched
It is very fiddly to implement successfully.
Me too
Started re-doing views with larger fonts for same reason.
2012-03-05, 01:31
Sharpe Wrote:Heh I only added the large font option to Back Row because I got sick of my wife constantly nagging me to read the plot synopsis for every bloody tv episode we watched
It is very fiddly to implement successfully.
I find it _much_ easier to place her on chair in front of TV. I go take a smoke and return after she has read everything she needs.
I guess women needs to be well informed before watching.
2012-03-05, 10:58
saitoh183 Wrote:Yeah i tried it but since it has no possibility of making extra menu items from favorites, its a deal breaker...oh well
ah, yeah, true, well it is is under development so it might well include the option on a near future
2012-03-05, 11:00
pecinko Wrote:I find it _much_ easier to place her on chair in front of TV. I go take a smoke and return after she has read everything she needs.
I guess women needs to be well informed before watching.
my goodness... that's sooo sexist..
