[cryptkeeper]

i'm trying to create a skin with a video playing in the background. i've tried replacing it in the xml file, bhut since i do not know valid <types> i'm pretty much doing a "stab in the dark" method.

<control>
<description>background image</description>
<type>image</type>
<id>1</id>
<posx>0</posx>
<posy>0</posy>
<width>720</width>
<height>576</height>
<texture>background.png</texture>
<colorkey>0</colorkey>
<colordiffuse>ffffffff</colordiffuse>

</control>

i have tried changing type to "video" and "videowindow"
and texture to "video" and "texture" etc. the texture is "xxxxxx.wmv"

i know it's possible to run a video in there because i've looked at:

<control>
<description>video preview window</description>
<type>videowindow</type>
<id>1</id>
<posx>180</posx>
<posy>60</posy>
<width>540</width>
<height>455</height>
</control>

however this is using whatever is loaded in mplayer.

[KoTiX]

the only way i can think you could make it work is to use a script that play a video at the startup or converting a video into a gif image and use it as texture;
<texture>background.gif</texture>
btw be carefull with memory usage.

that is the way i made my skin "the orbs".

[cryptkeeper]

using an animated gif is pretty much out of the question

i have been playing with onstart videos in a script, but i cannot figure out how to get the script to dump me back to the main screen.

[Nuka1195]

import xbmc
xbmc.executebuiltin('xbmc.activatewindow(0)')

[cryptkeeper]

awsome. going to try this out. thanks

[cryptkeeper]

no it freezes on the first frame.

[Nuka1195]

do you have an older build, i seem to recall a fix for minimizing video to early.

you could try adding a sleep()

[ackman]

g'day

i have been looking around on the forum there but not able to find out, how to add a small video in the background of the main menu.

i would like to start xbmc with a short video running in the background then load up the menu. or just have a running video with xbmc starts up. any idea how?

many thanks :bowdown:

[Gamester17]

i have been looking around on the forum there but not able to find out, how to add a small video in the background of the main menu.

you must have looked in the wrong forum then becuase since it's not an implemented feature it has only been asked for and discussed/requested in the feature suggestions forum:
http://www.xboxmediaplayer.de/cgi-bin....;t=7261
http://www.xboxmediaplayer.de/cgi-bin....;t=9318
http://www.xboxmediaplayer.de/cgi-bin....;t=4671

ps! as a workaround you can use animated gif pictures for moving background, etc. (like in kotix's skin "symbol")

[Chokemaniac]

you might aswell use autorun.py to autoexecute any video on startup, yet this is not so nice since this is starting the video in fullscreen and minimizing it imediatly

its not possible to start minimized..

[Oen]

you might aswell use autorun.py to autoexecute any video on startup, yet this is not so nice since this is starting the video in fullscreen and minimizing it imediatly

its not possible to start minimized..

i think it would be great to start minimized, or least have an option to keep videos minimized unless the user pushes x.

reason i like this is because right now i have a video play on startup, and it is alright.. but if i have more than 1 set to play, after the first one plays it cuts to full screen if there is a second one.

anyways, xbmc is great, minor thing i hope get implemented.

rock on.

[Chokemaniac]

not sure how to implement that...

most people would prefer to run vids fullscreen right away

maybe we can make it stay minimized, even when a new one starts, but im not sure if we can make it start minimized jst for a script...

[jimk72]

i am working on a skin and have had problems trying to find a good place to put the video screen when you are looking at other menus(small version to display when you use the x button). i ended up putting it full screen in the back ground. my menus, icons and everything else work great, the movie just plays in the background.

so just a thought couldn't you set up the visible tags to check if media is playing and if so not to display the menu items and background?
set the overlay option to no and specify in your home.xml the video to play and the size. once the video is done playing the menu items and background will appear.

the only problem i see with this is if you start a video and then hit x button and go back to the main menu you would not have a menu visible till the video stopped.

[st3amco0ker]

It would be nice to have a standard animated backdrop for the main UI. Instead of a boring static image, replace it with an underwater like FX. To better understand my point, here's an example:








Now remove red seats backdrop and replace with an animation of a calm beach and waves on white sand.

Just an idea.

Thanks for reading!

[kautious]

Nice
I like the idea, It would be sweet to see something like that, but I think something that graphical(maybe not the right word) would finally send my xbox over the edge

Time to upgrade anyways