Primer on changing WDTV Interfaces

I recently bought this from Amazon :  http://www.amazon.com/Live-Media-Pla…/dp/B005KOZNBW

Is this what’s referred to SMP?

I love the device but would like a better menu system. I am a bit confused / overwhelmed by all the custom firmware options though. DeVicious’ Simplicity seems to be the favorite but then I read the disclaimers about how the SMP device is not supported and I get scared off.

I’ve spent hours and hours reading community forum pages on the various WD sites and I think I’m going blind - can anyone help simplify this for me?

Can we define some terms?

Hub vs SMP

firmware vs theme

linksheet vs backdrop

I’m getting quite lost in the lingo.

Can we also talk about what the overall process of updating and setting up your movies in the right way?

I think I’ve watched enough youtube videos to get the gist of the mechanicals but I’m not sure I understand from a high level what we’re doing - it seems like there is a firmware layer and an interface layer and both have to be changed?

I have a 4TB WD MyCloud that I use to serve all my movies - how should they be organized?  they’re all just sitting one common folder right now.  How can I control what “movie poster” shows up when I select that movie?  And then how can I control what shows up on the “movie detail” screens that I’ve seen?  It seems like there are ways to let that stuff just auto generate (thumbgen?) but what if I don’t like what it comes up with?

I’m really just after a movie sheet interface (that I can control what images show up) and then a nice detail view with background image (again, with image that I control). I wouldn’t mind a program’s assistance in populating all the movie posters and background images but if I want to go with something else then I want the ability to change it.

hub = old device that has internal hard drive

smp = getting old but still supported

theme = set of xml’s and images used to modify the look of the on screen display

firmware = software package designed to modify the functionality of the device

moviesheet = custom backdrop of movie picture image, usually containing data and synolpis info about the film

ok.

first off custom themes are official supported by WD

regarding moviesheets, how does the WD display these moviesheets?

There are 2 methods

XML files - these are officially supported, but has the downside that image is not immediately displayed, it takes a second, there’s also so other quirks you can search about on forum

Linksheets - this method has the benefit of moviesheets are displayed instantly, but is not an officially supported method

the linksheets method works fine on the HUB due to the internal hdd

on the SMP it actually works as well, but you are limited to 30MB for all theme and moviesheet data

as a result you run out of storage space too quickly, you might only be able to get 20 moviesheets + theme into that 30MB limit

so in comes custom firmware, besides many other things, it allows to run the theme on a thumbdrive or attached hdd

so that users are only limited to the size of their hdd for moviesheet and theme data

both xml or linksheets methods allow you to choose and change moviesheets anytime you want

you’ll probably want to look into software called thumbgen to help you do this

brilliant!

that helps a ton! 

quick point of clarification :

“so in comes custom firmware, besides many other things, it allows to run the theme on a thumbdrive or attached hdd so that users are only limited to the size of their hdd for moviesheet and theme data”

so what about network drives like the mycloud?

jcwillia1 wrote:

brilliant!

 

that helps a ton! 

 

quick point of clarification :

 

“so in comes custom firmware, besides many other things, it allows to run the theme on a thumbdrive or attached hdd so that users are only limited to the size of their hdd for moviesheet and theme data”

 

so what about network drives like the mycloud?

the custom firmware requires a thumbdrive to stay plugged in, firmware runs live off the thumbdrive

so it makes sense to store the theme on the same thumbdrive, network attached drives, while possible to implement is not supported or planned

maybe another interesting note as you look through at different themes

a theme can support

  1. no moviesheets of any type

  2. xml style moviesheets only

  3. linksheets style moviesheets only

  4. both xml & linksheets style moviesheets