[In v2.2] Music ScreenSaver Start Delay Timing

[pks]

Paul,

In the Music Library Settings, I have my Music ScreenSaver Start Delay set at 30 (seconds) and my Music ScreenSaver Mode set to Lights Out (a feature I requested and thanks for that).

But actually the ScreenSaver kicks in at approximately 17 seconds regardless of whether I set it to any of the delay options (30, 60, 90, 120, or 180). This is the case whether I've set the mode to Lights Out or CD Cover Wall.

Perhaps I'm doing something wrong or do not understand how to set it correctly. In my experiments with the options I always saved the settings. I also ran CMC as the administrator and additionally updated the registry in the Movie Settings and rebooted. Nothing seems to change this behavior.

I have also been wondering whether you might be willing to add a shorter Lights Out delay option such as 5 seconds. For me I like my screen to go black just after I've selected Play Album Now.

Pete

[Pauven]

Hey Pete,

The first thing to note here is that I programmed CMC to have a similar behavior as WMC's music library. When you select something to play, after approximately 17 seconds the WMC CD covers screensaver kicks in. CMC has this same behavior, and it is hardcoded.

The music screensaver start delay controls the start of the screensaver in all other scenarios, but not that one.

When you start something playing, you can navigate to another screen and that should stop the 17-second auto-start of the screensaver. From that point on the start delay should be the value you have configured.

You can try to add a custom screensaver start delay value by editing the CMC.cfg file. Just keep in mind that you would have to navigate away from the now playing view after selecting something to play (i.e. go Back), to bypass the 17 second delay and initiate the configured delay.

Paul

[pks]

Ok, Paul.

I'm glad I asked because I don't think I would have discovered that on my own.

I changed my CMC.cfg file to 05 seconds and discovered the results. I select Play Album Now and backed out of the play screen as you suggested. The 'lights out' does kick in after 5 seconds. So that works. But as you said, it affects everything. So when I first open the Music Library and start to look over the albums that I might want to play, I had better keep navigating rather constantly because in my case if I don't, the entire screen goes black after 5 seconds. Same when searching by artist, etc.

Not exactly what I was looking for when I put in the modification request. I just wanted the screen saver to kick in after I started to play an album.

So I think I'll be changing the config file timer field back and just let the WMC screen saver work as usual.

Thanks for your prompt reply.

Pete

[Pauven]

Yeah, sorry I didn't think that one all the way through.

When you start music playing, the now playing screen includes several options include "Start Visualization". I left that to always start the CD Cover Wall, even when you changed the screensaver to 'Lights Out' mode.

The main reason I left this button starting the CD Cover Wall is that, in WMC the Start Visualization actoin begins a equalizer graphic or psychedelic animation or something like that, not the CD Cover Wall screensaver, and I had it on my todo list to add some type of cool animation (I used to love the one in WinAmp, very trippy). So technically this button isn't intended to be used to control the screensaver....

But that's not to say I can't make that button control it. I could add a configurable parameter where you could set what "Visualization" that button starts, and one of the visualizations could be "Lights Out". That way, as soon as you start your music playing, you could select Start Visualization to go lights out, and you can leave the screensaver start delay at 30 seconds to 2 minutes or whatever you want.

How does that sound?

Paul

[pks]

"But that's not to say I can't make that button control it. I could add a configurable parameter where you could set what "Visualization" that button starts, and one of the visualizations could be "Lights Out". That way, as soon as you start your music playing, you could select Start Visualization to go lights out, and you can leave the screensaver start delay at 30 seconds to 2 minutes or whatever you want."

Love it. Pete

[Pauven]

I just got this added to v2.2. Should be in beta next week, with public release later this month.

[pks]

Great. Thanks Paul.
Pete