Overview

All  you need to do to get started using aMPed.

1. Install/Update Plugins

Update your plugins to the latest versions supported by aMPed - see Supported Plugins. The plugin versions listed in red must be used with the latest version of aMPed as they require changes to the skin. Of course, you can update plugins after installing aMPed, but it is best to check you have the correct versions and they work for you in the MediaPortal Default skin first.

WARNING: If you install other skins that install plugins as part of the skin installation, please be aware that these skins often install different versions of plugins which may not be compatible with aMPed or other skins. See Supported Plugins for the versions that work with aMPed.

aMPed supports the use of MediaPortal Extensions Installer (MPEI) for installing plugins because it helps ensure your plugins will be compatible with your current version of MP.

aMPed generally supports only stable plugins which have been well tested and documented. So you can be sure if a plugin is supported in aMPed, it works well.  The same is true for new releases of plugins - these are only supported in aMPed once the version has been thoroughly tested and is as bug free as possible.

Recommended Plugins

The following plugins are recommended for use with aMPed:

1. Infoservice - to display RSS feeds on Home screens
2. World Weather or yrWeather - either weather plugin will display current weather at the top left all windows in aMPed. If no weather plugin is installed, home screens display the MediaPortal logo instead, while other windows display the MPEInstaller update Icon to tell you when updates are available for one or more of  your installed plugins.
3. Fanart Handler - to display fanart backdrops in aMPed Home screens as well as most video and music screens (also allows you to download music artist images/fanart). If you don't have Fanart Handler, aMPed will display aMPed backdrops instead.

2. Install aMPed

Download and install aMPed via:

• MediaPortal Extensions Installer (MPEI) (or Extensions plugin within MediaPortal)
• MP Repository
• Google Code (for MediaPortal 1.5.x or earlier versions)

When you install aMPed it includes some very basic plugins for the Vintage Basic Home sub menus (Watch, Music, System, News, Games, etc).  No other plugins are installed with aMPed. 

Reinstalling/Upgrading to a new version of aMPed

If you are reinstalling or upgrading aMPed, the installer will automatically remove your previous version of aMPed; but don't' worry it will save your Basic Home mods and settings in your user data folder e.g.  

C:\ProgramData\aMPed

. You can delete Basic Home mods in aMPed Config any time you wish.

Note: if you have custom mods of aMPed, be sure to back them up first.

When you install a new version of aMPed, it will save your settings for you, however, to ensure they are correctly 'applied', run aMPed Config at the end of install, then just select ' Apply and Run MP' button. 

If your display/settings are not correct, just reapply the settings in the same way or use the 'Restore Default' button to reset aMPed default settings.

Note:  The above also applies when you update aMPed from SVN!

See Uninstall aMPed for instructions how to remove the aMPed skin.

3. Configure aMPed Settings

aMPed provides a configuration tool - aMPed Config - to help you select the options to customize the skin to your preferences, including editing Basic Home layouts, menus and backdrops.

At the end of installation you will be asked if you wish to run aMPedConfig to configure skin options. Note: as of version 3.4 Default options are  for 16x9 screen size and 15pt font using fanart

You can rerun aMPedConfig anytime to change options via a Windows desktop shortcut, or Start Programs Menu option. You do not need to reinstall the skin to change options.

Or you can save settings for different users using Profiles.

For an overview  see aMPedConfig; for information on the different features and how to combine them to create the look you want, see Choosing Options.  Or for more detailed customization see the Tutorials listed on the main aMPed WIki page.