Theme: GoodBye Black Mamba (LinkSheet) Updated Dec 14th

so what exactly will SMP device see if we go down the Linksheet route without uploading the theme to it… just as it stands this version is aimed at Linksheets… so setting to create the XML files and put all the .jpg and nn_sheet.jpg are turned off. 

sadly this bundle has wiped out the 1.9 settings, which is a shame… i do like the new layouts but i dont like linksheet.

Tinwarble wrote:

Linksheets isn’t pratical for the SMP because your sheets have to be in the theme zip & you are limted to 30MB for a theme on the SMP.

 

So unless you only have a few movies (like under 20) then this theme isn’t going to work for you on the SMP.

the theme will work but the linksheet thingie is limited, old sheets with XML and all that stuff are provided in the pack as an alternative.

Kazgor wrote:

so what exactly will SMP device see if we go down the Linksheet route without uploading the theme to it… just as it stands this version is aimed at Linksheets… so setting to create the XML files and put all the .jpg and nn_sheet.jpg are turned off. 

 

sadly this bundle has wiped out the 1.9 settings, which is a shame… i do like the new layouts but i dont like linksheet.

 

your space is limited for linksheet since you only have 30mb for the theme + sheets

what you will see is an instant load of the movie sheets… time to get a live hub :slight_smile:

if you like the new sheets but want to trigger them as usual simply load the V4 profiles in thumbgen and change the template in the thumbgen options / movie sheets… it’s just one click

pearl wrote:

Issue with sheets for ISO files:

 

I have several hundred movies that I ripped as ISO files.

this is such a waste of space when you can have the same movie without quality loss up to 7 times smaller…

maybe that’s where you should look into finding a solution. I wouldn’t know if it works with ISO or not coz i don’t use them sorry :slight_smile:

DeVicious wrote:


Tinwarble wrote:

Linksheets isn’t pratical for the SMP because your sheets have to be in the theme zip & you are limted to 30MB for a theme on the SMP.

 

So unless you only have a few movies (like under 20) then this theme isn’t going to work for you on the SMP.


the theme will work but the linksheet thingie is limited, old sheets with XML and all that stuff are provided in the pack as an alternative.

That’s why I said “Linksheets isn’t pratical for the SMP”.:wink:  And it’s not 30MB + sheets, it’s 30MB including sheets, just to be clear.  I know what you meant but someone reading it may not.

Tinwarble wrote:


DeVicious wrote:


Tinwarble wrote:

Linksheets isn’t pratical for the SMP because your sheets have to be in the theme zip & you are limted to 30MB for a theme on the SMP.

 

So unless you only have a few movies (like under 20) then this theme isn’t going to work for you on the SMP.


the theme will work but the linksheet thingie is limited, old sheets with XML and all that stuff are provided in the pack as an alternative.


That’s why I said “Linksheets isn’t pratical for the SMP”.:wink:  And it’s not 30MB + sheets, it’s 30MB including sheets, just to be clear.  I know what you meant but someone reading it may not.

missing commas can change so much :laughing:

@Pearl

when you say the linksheet is showing for your hard drive eating ISO files how are you naming the movie sheet?

It’s supposed to be renamed to .iso too did you do that?

DeVicious wrote:


pearl wrote:

Issue with sheets for ISO files:

 

I have several hundred movies that I ripped as ISO files.


this is such a waste of space when you can have the same movie without quality loss up to 7 times smaller…

maybe that’s where you should look into finding a solution. I wouldn’t know if it works with ISO or not coz i don’t use them sorry :slight_smile:

Apparently a false alarm. Not sure what I did but the ISO files are all working fine with sheets now. Wish I could tell you what I did, but as long as it works…

Agreed on the conversion part, but just low on the priority list. When I first got my LivePlus, I needed to move over my movies in a reasonable time frame and getting them from DVD to ISO was easy and quick, and also allowed me to burn them back to a DVD very easily. I keep meaning to get to converting them to MKV, but then something else takes priority (like upgrading your themes :smileyvery-happy:.)  Plus, it’s just another long project and an application to learn to use correctly so not to lose resolution etc, so as long as the ISOs work, I have been using them. Someday there will be time…Hah, never enough time. I have tried handbrake a few times without very good results, so I know I need to sit down and focus on learning to convert the ISOs correctly.

Anyways, seems to be working fine now, so sorry about previous post.

-P

DeVicious wrote:


Kazgor wrote:

so what exactly will SMP device see if we go down the Linksheet route without uploading the theme to it… just as it stands this version is aimed at Linksheets… so setting to create the XML files and put all the .jpg and nn_sheet.jpg are turned off. 

 

sadly this bundle has wiped out the 1.9 settings, which is a shame… i do like the new layouts but i dont like linksheet.

 


your space is limited for linksheet since you only have 30mb for the theme + sheets

what you will see is an instant load of the movie sheets… time to get a live hub :slight_smile:

 

if you like the new sheets but want to trigger them as usual simply load the V4 profiles in thumbgen and change the template in the thumbgen options / movie sheets… it’s just one click

Let me just take something back… Linksheets do indeed look nice (just tried your demo files).

Maybe i am looking at this wrong, but i did try just using the V4 profile but looking at the options for it, the XML and other bits were not there. Anyway wasn’t hard to fix all this and get back to a non linksheet setup.

Incidently i do have a HUB :slight_smile: that the main device, but also have a SMP in the Living Room, i will have to see how the Demo Folder looks like on the SMP and report back.  i tend to prefer the Poster view (ie just the Box covers)

Also do like that TV Shows can now finally have a Folder sheet (can’t workout how to make one, but i am tired) and if you name the Season folders (per a previous post) uniquely (Season 1 (TVD) & Season 2 (TVD)  ) you can have season folder arts…  now that is very cool. 

@DEV, notice you had a couple of new Genre Icons… how much begging can we do for you to release them :) 

BEG!!!

pearl wrote:

Smaller Issue with Bulk Rename and multiple file types:

Another problem I am having that I can solve by just manualy going through the rename process is having folders/directories with media of mixed formats, avi, mkv, mp4 etc. I cannot really use he bulk renamer (I dont think) as I have to match the sheet JPG with the movie name’s extension, so I cannot just change all the JPGs to MKV extension or somethign similar,  I have to do each one manualy to match the file type. Any one know of a work around so I can use the bulkl renamer? Would save me innumerable hours or renaming.

 

-P

Here’s how I handled it:

You have to edit your settings in ThumbGen.

  1. Open TG

  2. Insure the Current Profile is set to the desired profile (for me Coco Movie Sheet)

  3. Click the Options button

4.Click the Input/Output Naming tab

  1. Edit info in Main Movie Sheet FROM: $M$N_sheet TO: Your Drive Letter:\Sheets$N$E (Mine was D:\Sheets$N$E)

  2. Create a folder on the drive you just pathed to above in the root titled “Sheets”

  3. Save your changes

  4. Do the same for your TV sheet profile but you already have a \Sheets folder

Line five above just appends the .AVI or whatever into the filename so it will look like this “Batman Returns.avi.jpg”

Now all you need to do is batch remove the .jpg from the files in yourdrive:\sheets as that’s where they will be now, just waiting. I use file ReNamer and the tab for find and replace and just put in .jpg for find and nothing for replace.

Maybe TG will get an option for NO extension one day (hint hint) :slight_smile:

1 Like

flhthemi wrote:


  1. Edit info in Main Movie Sheet FROM: $M$N_sheet TO: Your Drive Letter:\Sheets$N$E (Mine was D:\Sheets$N$E)
  1. Create a folder on the drive you just pathed to above in the root titled “Sheets”
  1. Save your changes
  1. Do the same for your TV sheet profile but you already have a \Sheets folder

 

Line five above just appends the .AVI or whatever into the filename so it will look like this “Batman Returns.avi.jpg”

 

Now all you need to do is batch remove the .jpg from the files in yourdrive:\sheets as that’s where they will be now, just waiting. I use file ReNamer and the tab for find and replace and just put in .jpg for find and nothing for replace.

 

Maybe TG will get an option for NO extension one day (hint hint) :slight_smile:

 

 this is better as my version because i exclusively have MKV files and didn’t have to worry about file extensions.

I told ThumbGen what is needed but he is not doing it, probably because nobody is taking advantage of the bundle function and he invested a lot of time for us to make it easier for us.

I told ThumbGen what is needed but he is not doing it, probably because nobody is taking advantage of the bundle function and he invested a lot of time for us to make it easier for us.

 

2) NEW! Thumbgen Bundles  (A PARDIGM SHIFT) !!seriously!!

this version is pioneering the brand new bundle features.

 

Personally, i was amazed the term“Pardigm Shift” was used to describe what was essentially,

a “Dumbing Down” feature introduced into Thumbgen under the label of “Bundles”

 

People who want to use “Thumbgen” should have invested their own time, to learn how to use it.

(Instead of wasting the Developers time on something that a small minority might use … and people that are using “Bundles” are still asking for HELP on ‘Basics’ which they won’t have learnt because of using them.) 

 

Just my 2 cents (Don't Shoot Me)

 

 

 

 

JoeySmyth wrote:

I told ThumbGen what is needed but he is not doing it, probably because nobody is taking advantage of the bundle function and he invested a lot of time for us to make it easier for us.

 

2) NEW! Thumbgen Bundles  (A PARDIGM SHIFT) !!seriously!!

this version is pioneering the brand new bundle features.

 

Personally, i was amazed the term“Pardigm Shift” was used to describe what was essentially,

a “Dumbing Down” feature introduced into Thumbgen under the label of “Bundles”

 

People who want to use “Thumbgen” should have invested their own time, to learn how to use it.

(Instead of wasting the Developers time on something that a small minority might use) 

 

Just my 2 cents (Don't Shoot Me)

 

 

 

 

I will shoot you :smileyvery-happy: because it’s an extremely silly thing to say that people should learn how to use something so complicated as ThumbGen when all they want is a nice movie sheet but have no geek qualities and everything looks like chinese letters to them.

I have been there myself when i started and I found it impossible to figure out myself. In fact the whole reason why I started sharing my themes was to offer a solution because I was weirded out by the assumption of pre-knowledge from you guys. You all have been great help over the last year but when you are new to this you have no shot of understanding a single word because the information that is required is pread through out 20+ posts.

With the first Black Mamba version i had aproximately 100 questions regarding ThumbGen settings and after the bundle release not a single one. I call that a paradigm shift and I am sure not a single user was upset about the fact that they didn’t have to worry about anything. It’s a one click setup how it should be and if you provide thumbgen templates you should provide a bundle because it saves time for anyone.

1 Like

Because it’s an extremely silly thing to say that people should learn how to use something so complicated as ThumbGen when all they want is a nice movie sheet but have no geek qualities and everything looks like Chinese letters to them.

So you are stating the following silly points:

* Thumbgen is Complicated
* People that are familiar with Thumbgen and know how to use it are “geeks”
* Everything looks like “Chinese Letters” (See Forum Guidelines “Be Respectful” (2) regarding nationality, race)

I’m Stating the following:

* I do not regard Thumbgen as “Complicated” … There are many “options” which will take time to get familiar with.
Anything that is “New” or unfamiliar to a beginner should not be labeled “Complicated” that’s attaching negativity to something that is a learning process. Most people dive right in with over exuberance in creating Moviesheets … i can’t blame them… but the reality is, you have to get familiar with the program first.

* There are many Guides / FAQ / Tutorials that people kindly provide for people new to “Thumbgen”
Reading these and with a bit of “Trial and Error” and Re-Reading they will quickly learn.
(This does not make them “Geeks” this makes a person with “Knowledge and Experience”)

Anyways, Good Luck with your new Media Platform

I Hope the User Manual is not so Complicated that only “Geeks” would understand it. :stuck_out_tongue:

Goodbye.

:slight_smile:

I won’t add the “custom” extension to the TG app. There are tools to remove the extension, users should use them for now. As I already said it, TG 1.x is a “dead” project for me; I am currently working on a new infrastructure that will reuse little code from 1.x therefore I prefer to spend time working on my new “hobby project” :slight_smile:

TG can be complicated and simple in the same time…depends on how much time someone invests in accepting it and learning it. The Bundle thing should make life much easier for endusers and they just need to download 1 file, and then Add it to TG using one click (they don’t even need to copy it to a specific location) instead of downloading 3-4 archives, unzipping them in some strict structure, registering 3-4 fonts, etc. Sure, the “paradigm shift” term is a bit generous… :slight_smile: I hope the TG 2.x will be a really “paradigm shift” :smiley: :smiley: I just hope that I’ll finish it some day :slight_smile:

1 Like

RE: Renaming in mixed format directories:
flhthemi,Thanks for the great idea for renaming . I may give that a try, although I have been using a workaround that requires no changes to the setup and works very well. I realized that I could see the file extension in TG’s file listing, so I can simply choose all of a single file type in a directory, say “avi”, choose and then create sheets for those, rename the jpgs (I am just using “ren” in DOS") and then move onto the next file type. Pretty simple work around.

RE: Bundles:
As and enduser I completely appreciated the bundles Dev released with 1.9 and Good Bye BM. With 1.5 I followed the manual and had no issues so that was fine as well. It seems to me that it is a great option. If I had to figure out TG myself, I would have, but I am betting a lot of folks would have failed a few times and given up. Based on the amount of questions Dev said she got even with the manual on 1.5, the developer may just be saving a lot of hassle. I guess it depends on what demographic you are making your theme for.

RE: My own ISO issue:
In my own stupidity I did not realize that the file extensions for link sheets were case sensitive. In my initial testing, my avi and mkv files worked as all were lower case and that is how I manually changed them. For my iso files, I had ripped them with capital “.ISO”, but renamed my jpgs to “.iso”, so of course they did not work.

Im loving these link sheets. The speed of the sheets changes everything and really makes the HUB a much better product.

-P

Joey

It’s a one click solution vs an entire learning process

  • seperate downloads

  • varying common folders that overwrite images for other themes,

  • installling common files in a particular folder

  • installing custom fonts

that really makes a great case :smileyvery-happy:

Talking about respect… you are bringing the negativity into this thread because you are driven by a motivation that should have been dealt with in private.

1 Like

pearl wrote:

RE: My own ISO issue:
In my own stupidity I did not realize that the file extensions for link sheets were case sensitive. In my initial testing, my avi and mkv files worked as all were lower case and that is how I manually changed them. For my iso files, I had ripped them with capital “.ISO”, but renamed my jpgs to “.iso”, so of course they did not work.

Im loving these link sheets. The speed of the sheets changes everything and really makes the HUB a much better product.

-P

i thought this was the problem, theoretically it shouldn’t matter which file extension you use, just that you use it right :smiley:

as for Renaming in mixed formats

I recommend have thumbgen create sheets named ._sheet.jpg

example Batman.avi_sheet.jpg

that way you can batch remove _sheet.jpg

and all file extensions avi, mkv, m2ts, etc will be left in tact and read for you to use

2 Likes

KAD79 wrote:

as for Renaming in mixed formats

 

I recommend have thumbgen create sheets named ._sheet.jpg

example Batman.avi_sheet.jpg

that way you can batch remove _sheet.jpg

and all file extensions avi, mkv, m2ts, etc will be left in tact and read for you to use

that’s correct and cannot be posted often enough, user flhthemi already made this suggestion which is way better as what I suggested because all my files are mkv files, I wasn’t thinking this through for others.

Sincere thanks to Marketa/Dev for this wonderful theme.  This theme, and others provided by this forum’s talented creators, have wholly enhanced my enjoyment of the sometimes frustrating WDTV LiveHub product.

A simple question which I’ll direct generally, as I understand Dev has moved on and cannot support the theme:  because I have young children, wondering if there is anything I can do to insert movie MPAA ratings into the onscreen information?

Thanks in advance to anyone who can help in this regard?