Post regarding new feature in Freebox

[Barry Barcrest]

I have added a "Quick Search" add-on feature that makes searching for music quick and easy.

Now on the search screen there are 4 quick jump labels that work just like touchtunes. These display the artist - album that matches what you are keying into the search box using the on screen touch panel. (It's basically like predictive text on a mobile)

As soon as you see the artist - album you are looking for you can click that to jump straight to that album track display screen.

See the pictures for an example where i am searching for the artist JEWEL, see the predicted albums update with each additional letter clicked.

Look for this in the next release probably this weekend.

[VMJ Team]

Hey, that's a great feature!  I just added one of those in VMJ!  Already implemented



You should also impliment a "Quick Search" feature like this for your arcade users:



I think those features would really add to the overall quality of the software.  It appears many of the features in VMJ and Freebox are very similiar.  As a matter of fact, be sure to add cursor control to navigate the buttons on your search screen...in case someone only has buttons or a joystick to enter the letters.

On VMJ, the user can use the mapped left, right, up, down keys to highlight a letter and press the accept button to select a letter.  The search screen, otherwise, will be useless to someone using an arcade setup (joystick/buttons to navigate).

[Space Fractal]

As I can see Freebox is a touch screen only, so it would not need a mapped control here. It wansent for use in a arcade cabinet, but in a jukebox cabinet. Barcrest, correct me, if Im wrong.


VMJ can also controlled with keypads as well, so why not to use these keys for the searhing? The only thing I dosen

[VMJ Team]

Thank you for the feedback.  I agree 100% that the "Window" pop-up has a less than professional look and feel.  It will, of course, be developed more.  The user will be able to adjust the font size, color, style, screen background color, etc... in the preferences (just like the other VMJ interface attributes).  I will look into enhancing navigation features for pushbutton users.

[Barry Barcrest]

Space fractal: why are you bothered about being called Dude? I call everyone Dude, it's not an insult you know.

VMJ: As for adding more arcade cab support, like Space Fractal says the software is geared for touchscreens and as such i don't have any need for adding arcade cab support at the moment. I do have limited key mapping facilities but i am working in other areas of the juke and do not see this as a priority. Obviously if a user requests something then i will get it in ASAP as the user are what really drives what i put in and what i leave on the back burner.

Sorry for the late replies but i am currently without internet.

[Space Fractal]

I said about it, because I trouch it was for angry use..... That it. It fine with the wiki (I even changed so it suit your changes).

Yep, it correct as Freebox do NOT need any keyboard handling, since it for touchscreen. personlly they may only use for remote use (volume, pause etc), and if Freebox supported remote controllers).

Instead a costume created sprite for the mousepointer is a better idea (not the crappy windows one), so it can being used in a arcade cabinet with trackball?

[Barry Barcrest]

Well i was going to add the following to help out for thoose without a touchscreen...

Album numbers:
This would let you key in 010 to go to album 010 and then the track number 003. Then have mappable keys for the play now, play next and add to queue.

Joystick Control:
Move left and right to select an album cover (Via an highlighted box) and up and down to switch pages. Click on the cover you want brings up the track listing where you can use up/down to select a track. Click the button and then you use let and right to highlight the Play Now, Play Next or add to queue buttons. Click a button and it returns you to the album cover selection screen.

Now both of thoose are easy to add (Less than a day) and both enable the playing of songs without a touchscreen. Switching between pages (Album Covers, Search, Top 20 etc is already supported via mappable keys.)...

At the moment i don't have any internet at home like i said, the upside is i have been working hard on the next release of freebox. To be honest i might add the stuff i mentioned above just to offer more options. See how i get on with the stuff i am working on.

I really like my jingles feature, i dumped a load of old station ID's in there from my pirate radio days and it's like listening to a radio station :p

[Space Fractal]

Just some notices when I downloaded and tried today:

- Install: Installation say it a "Freebox Alpha 1.0.0" when using the newest beta (1.9.45).

- Install: The installation should run config and NOT Freebox itself (Wich cause a error, since Freebox is not configurated).

- General: The start menu still say it Alpha. I guess you should remove it.

- General: ESC should exit Freebox as default (wich can been removed later).

- Video: Only sound is playing, not video itself. I have simular problems (Fullscreen <-> Regular diddent work very well) in the past, and created a little movieplayer dll with Pure Basic, wich seen to work fine here. I still have sourcecode for this (I did not lost all, and still have most important parts).

If you wich, I can send this to you. It add a gadget, using hWND window id (I dosen

[str1der]

Just some notices when I downloaded and tried today:

- Install: Installation say it a "Freebox Alpha 1.0.0" when using the newest beta (1.9.45).

- Install: The installation should run config and NOT Freebox itself (Wich cause a error, since Freebox is not configurated).

- General: The start menu still say it Alpha. I guess you should remove it.

- General: ESC should exit Freebox as default (wich can been removed later).

- Video: Only sound is playing, not video itself. I have simular problems (Fullscreen <-> Regular diddent work very well) in the past, and created a little movieplayer dll with Pure Basic, wich seen to work fine here. I still have sourcecode for this (I did not lost all, and still have most important parts).

If you wich, I can send this to you. It add a gadget, using hWND window id (I dosen

[Space Fractal]

Then it should report a error.... It not documented when videos and maybe cdg

[Barry Barcrest]

If you get no videos or MP3+G in the now playing screen then you have codec issues. It's strange because i have videos that would play in media play but wouldn't play in freebnox (Active Movie) until i installed a codec pack so it could be to do with dirct show filters or something. Also it doesn't seem to like slipstreamed XP's that don't have WMP, i don't know why as it doesn't use it but this could again by the direct show filters thing.

The codec for the MP3+G is included in the zip file...

The installer should runs the main app because this will then launch the config if you have no databases but if you are doing an upgrade it will all work fine.

Sorry i have only just back from my honeymoon so to speak, i will try and post a little more later...

Thanks for the feedback, i do have a new version i am waiting to upload but i still have no internet at home.

[Space Fractal]

Im didden't test the CDG-G feature.

I have allready tried diffecent ways about videos:

- Using drawmovie command from blitz+ didden