Overview

Find out all the features that make aMPed unique.

Unique Features

So what is so unique about aMPed?  It is not like any other skin:

• Multiple Screen Sizes - 4x3 (PAL i.e. 5x4), True 4x3 (new as of version 3.4) or 16x9  - all in one skin!
• Multiple Font sizes:
  • 12 pt - for large screens or laptops/PC screens
  • 15 pt - for normal sized screens 
  • 18 pt - for smaller screens like client PCs or bedroom TVs you want to watch from your bed!
• Multiple Themes - aMPed (default), Monochrome, Super Blue, and Wine Glass
• Basic Home - two options for Basic Home layouts
  • revaMPed - vertical menus with sub menus
  • Vintage - button style where you can design the layout of the screen
  • Touch - a combination of revaMPed main layout with Vintage sub menus for mouse or Touch Screen users.
  • Editor - graphical Editor for either revaMPed or Vintage Basic Home layouts to edit:
    • Menus
    • Backdrops
    • Layouts
• Backdrops - customize aMPed with your own backdrops or backdrop styles:
  • Default Backdrops style: select Single image, Multi Image (cycling) or None if you don't like backdrops/fanart.
  • Home screen Backdrops - for either the standard My Home window, or either of aMPed's Basic Home layouts: revaMPed or Vintage.  In revaMPed you can even select different backdrops for each sub menu, including any image(s) on your HDD to display your own backdrops. aMPed provides several backdrop collections you can choose from.
• Layouts
  • Choose your Layout/backdrops style:
    • Fanart (default) - displays scaled down backdrops in 16x9 screens so fanart is fully visible
    • Wide Fanart - displays full screen backdrops (as of version 3.4 supported in all screen sizes)
    • None - displays backdrops only in Menus or Details View 
    • Picture and Video Thumbs as backdrops in supported windows
  • Big Covers - normal is designed for fanart and backdrops, Big Covers are designed for no fanart layout
  • List layouts:
    • Left side Lists do not cover most of the screen
    • List width - choose your own list width to match the style of backdrops/design you prefer
    • Clean and neat, without extra data already displayed on the screen
    • Covers/artwork are always visible, even when viewing menus
    • for wide lists choose Big Icons List layout - available using the Layouts menu option in most Music windows, Recorded TV, and other windows that support it 
• Details Ticker - always displays the most relevant content in a ticker across the bottom of your screen for all layouts
• Details view - aMPed's unique details layout can be accessed using the right arrow from list layouts, or the down arrow from coverflow layout
• MPEI Extensions Update button - displays on Home screen whenever an update is available for any extension you have installed.
• Watched/Unwatched Icons for all video related screens that display even on Icon, Filmstrip and Coverflow layouts
• Video Shares layout - for non movie videos, displays auto generated thumbs in their correct resolution
• TV Guide - 8 or 10 line
• Navigation - aMPed always scrolls Menus (and lists) from top to bottom and vice versa.  Special links to other windows and settings relevant to the current window are included on menus and easily identified in blue text.
• Screen Layout - aMPed uses a standard or common layout for most windows so you always know where to look for the same data, to identify where you are and the options available.
• Date Formats - with aMPed you can even modify your dates to use nice abbreviated formats
• aMPed Config - all your options can be selected easily via aMPed Config, using a Windows desktop shortcut, or Start Programs menu option.  You don't need to reinstall aMPed to change any options.  Your options are always saved, even when you reinstall, or you can revert to default settings any time.
  • Profiles - once you have decided on the options you like, you can save them all in a Profile. Handy if you have multiple users who prefer different options. You can even start-up MediaPortal using a batch file linked to a menu button which selects the aMPed profile for each user.

aMPed is designed to be an alternative to the usual skins designed for MediaPortal. Plus, it offers more options than any other skin for you to customize it the way you like.

Feature Details

The screenshots below illustrate the above features. Or just try it out for yourself and see if you like it!

Screen Layout

aMPed uses a standard layout for almost all screens or windows. 

Every window displays:

• System or 'global' data at the top:
  • current weather if the World Weather or yrWeather plugin are installed.
  • the current date and time
  • the name of the window, such as Music
  • a graphic icon showing the window or feature you are using 
  • the module, view or feature, such as Recorded TV
• the current view selected, such as All, Unwatched, genre, etc displays top left below the Window's icon
• the Title of the selected item, such as a movie title, or Artist name, is always displayed in large fonts at the top of the screen
• the status of the selected item (e.g. watched/unwatched is display top right so it is visible in all layouts.
• the number of the item displayed plus the total number of items displayed, for example " 3/555 Video Titles"
• media info icons like video/audio codecs, or even channel and genre logos always display below the backdrop
• Details Ticker(s) scrolls at the bottom of the screen
• Page up/down arrows (spin controls) are not displayed in aMPed, as these can often make your remote lose focus and it is much easier to use the Page up/down keys or scroll with a mouse.

Menus and Navigation

Menus in aMPed are usually hidden, but easily accessible by using the left arrow key.  Menus always scroll from top to bottom and vice versa. They do not access the top bar as they do in other skins, because the top bar is normally only required by mouse or touch screen users who can display it by hovering the mouse, or pointing at the top of the screen.

As of version 3.3 you can use either left or right arrow to exit menus, no need to move your finger! Links to 'jump' to other windows display in a different color and help you navigate quickly without needing to always return to the Home screen. 

Another unique feature of aMPed is that when media is playing (i.e. video, TV, or music) the small now playing media overlay window is still visible when accessing the menu as in the second screenshot above.

As of version 3.4 media overlays are widescreen resolution and support artist fanart when music is playing (via Fanart Handler plugin).

Lists

One of the first things you will notice in aMPed is that lists are on the left so that images like DVD or album Covers and Artist or photo images are always visible, even when accessing the sliding menus.  This means that shorter list items do not display in the center of the screen, and cover up your fanart images or backdrops.

In aMPed lists do not display the tiny thumbs which are  too small to see on 4:3 TVs – they are always displayed much larger on the screen

Redundant data (like run times, dates, etc.) is also not displayed on lists. Instead, the data is displayed in much larger fonts, usually beneath the title. Thus, in aMPed lists are clean, neat and easily readable with only title data. The 'Big Icons List' layout offers wide lists in most Music windows and Recorded TV.

List Widths

One of the most unique features of aMPed is the ability to choose your own list widths. Some users prefer longer lists to see more data, while others prefer shorter lists to see more fanart or other backdrops.  The choice is yours!

Details View

When using a List layout, you can easily view details, like plot and actors, by using the right arrow key.  This keeps the screen clean (acts as a built in spoiler) and makes all your fanart and backdrops more visible while allowing you to view the details easily, but only when you wish.

As of version 3.4 the Details view may also be selected from coverflow layout by using the down arrow key.

The Details Ticker, unique to aMPed skin, displays all the details scrolling across the bottom of the screen rather than filling your screen with text

Icons Layouts

For users who prefer to see all the Details in the main , the Icons layouts display them. 

As of version 3.4 there are two different icons layouts:

When there is detailed text, like actors or plot, icons layouts display a large cover on the left, with details below the icons. 

When there is no detailed text, such as in Pictures, aMPed displays a 'video wall' of icons, with a larger blow up of the selected icon below:

Fanart or backdrops become fully visible when the sliding Menu/Details layout is accessed via the left/right arrow keys

Screen Sizes

aMPed supports multiple screen sizes, 4x3 (PAL e.g. 5x4), True 4x3 (new as of version 3.4) and 16x9, all in one skin! The layout simply adjusts based on the screen size you choose.  As of version 3.4 aMPed is a widescreen 16:9 skin (1280x720) which scales down to 4:3 instead of up to 16:9

Styles - Big Covers or Fanart

Fanart is supported in most screens via the Fanart Handler plugin, but you can turn off fanart, and display Big Covers instead.
  

Font Sizes

aMPed supports up to 18 pt font size for readability on even smaller TVs. Choose:   

• 18 pt font for smaller screens - especially 4x3 TVs or those 32" wide screens viewed from your bed!
• 15 pt font (default size) for average screens
• 12 pt font for larger screens.

Themes

aMPed supports multiple themes:

• aMPed (default), Monochrome, Super Blue and Wine Glass
       

  Default Backdrops

  Whenever fanart is not available, aMPed will display default backdrop images for you. However, you may choose the default backdrop style you prefer:
• Multiple Images
• Single Image
• None

  Pictures and Video Thumbs

  If you prefer, you may  choose to display Pictures/Videos thumbs as backdrops in Pictures and Video Shares (thumbs layout), Recorded TV or Video Playlists (including TV Series Playlists) where fanart may not be supported or available.
    

Basic Home Layouts

There are two layouts for Basic Home - revaMPed or Vintage.
Vintage supports sub screens for Watch (videos, pictures, movies etc.), Music, System, News and Games:
 
revaMPed offers up to three sub-levels of menus to display all your plugins by pressing the left and right arrow keys to move between menus.
    [ |BasicHomerevaMPed.jpg^630]
Both layouts can be modified by using the Basic Home Editor, including choosing your fanart backdrops or even a folder of your favorite images as backdrops. On revaMPed you may select different backdrops for each sub menu, such as Music Fanart for the Music Menu.
Touch - as of version 3.4 aMPed offers a new Touch layout, designed especially for mouse or touch screen use, it combines the main revaMPed layout with the Vintage sub menus.

Basic Home Editor

Modify either Basic Home layout using the Basic Home Editor - revaMPed Basic Home or Vintage Basic Home. Create Basic Home layouts for each member of your family, with different fanart backdrops and options.
 
The Editor is very user-friendly with a graphical presentation, designed using Windows Presentation Format (WPF). You can simply move items where you wish and see how your Basic Home Layout will look.

TV Guide Layouts

You may choose between two layouts for TV Guide, 8 or 10 line. The 8 line layout is designed for larger fonts and smaller screens, while the 10 line layout is the default for smaller font sizes
 

Video Shares Layouts

There are two different layouts for Video Shares, depending how you use that view.  If you browse your movies in Shares View, you can use the Covers layout to display DVD covers. However if you use Video Shares for other types of videos, you can use the Thumbs layout to properly display auto generated video thumbnails - e.g. TV recordings, camera videos, music videos, etc.
 

Date Formats

Using 18 pt font on a smaller 4:3 TV Screen, long date formats often do not display fully, or require a lot of room on the screen.  Thus aMPed provides you the option to enter your own abbreviations for dates (months and days) which are generally a standard three characters.

Choose Your Options

How do you choose al your options?  Just use aMPed Config via a desktop shortcut. Each tab presents different options: Layouts, Themes, Backdrops
   

• Change your selections as often as you like.
• aMPedConfig will automatically let you select them.
• As of aMPed 3.2 you can save even save Profiles and autorun them with MP!
  For further details see Choosing Options.