mala preview window

[gbeef]

How do i get a preview to work?  I dont even know where to start can someone please explain it to me?? im using mala.

Ive been searching the web and these forms andi cant find anything....

[loadman]

Preview?

Do you mean snapshots?

If so set the path to your snapshots in Mala -optionsa-Mame config- Pictures and video

The snapshot pictures need to have the same name as the roms

The layout you use also needs to be one that has a snapshot window. Make one yourself or download one.

[draginit]

i have a similar question.. using mala and the blue skin, my snaps work, but how do you get the image to sit behind the circular window like in the sample image on the download page.

-also,l i just downloaded the avi previews from emumovies, and want to use these, but when i  choose the path, nothing shows up at all..
-so my questions are how do i get the image to fit right in the skin and how do i get the video previews to work correctly.. here is a pic of the image not within the window..

[loadman]

Answers

1) You can't.  Video is alwways on top in MaLa layouts. Use another FE if this is a must have for you.

2) Make sure you can play this vids with xvid codec installed
http://download.divxmovies.com/XviD-1.1.3-28062007.exe

[draginit]

ok, no problem. mala is the best FE ive used so far so i can live with video on top, eventually im going to try and make my own skin.

as for the videos, i still cant get them to play in the FE after installing codec..they play fine on their own.  they are all avi. format and i have them in c:/mame32/snapavi.  and in the mala config i have it going to this . what else can i try to fix this?

[loadman]

ok, no problem. mala is the best FE ive used so far so i can live with video on top, eventually im going to try and make my own skin.

as for the videos, i still cant get them to play in the FE after installing codec..they play fine on their own.  they are all avi. format and i have them in c:/mame32/snapavi.  and in the mala config i have it going to this . what else can i try to fix this?

 

Ahh Well  make sure you don't have divx installed as well

Can you e-mail me an example of the vids your are having trouble with?

[draginit]

right, no divx is installed,  i sent you an email with two samples, rather large files so let me know if you recieved them. thanks
nevermind it just failed delivery, i'll try something else.

[loadman]

right, no divx is installed,  i sent you an email with two samples, rather large files so let me know if you recieved them. thanks
nevermind it just failed delivery, i'll try something else.

 .. Post on a website maybe

[draginit]

ok, im stumped,.. i cant seem to get this thru anything..its about 5mb...everything online wants to convert it, ie; photobucket,putfile,etc and i dont know how to get it on a website..
-anybody else here have downloaded emumovies that may be able to get loadman a file or two for testing purposes?? i'd appreciate it.

[loadman]

ok, im stumped,.. i cant seem to get this thru anything..its about 5mb...everything online wants to convert it, ie; photobucket,putfile,etc and i dont know how to get it on a website..
-anybody else here have downloaded emumovies that may be able to get loadman a file or two for testing purposes?? i'd appreciate it.

I have download access to Emumovies.  What file is an example?

[draginit]

im just using the mame previews only. so any in the horizontal folder or artwork/full folder after their downloaded. im away from my machine at the moment or id have more detail. i'll repost when i get home tomorow.

-i was going to send a 1943.avi file or area51.avi

[unclet]

I have no idea how preview AVI files work since I do not use them, but I was wondering whether the actual layout file has to be updated to include a special "preview" object box rather than the standard snapshot object/box?

I mean do the AVI previews play themselves in the snapshot layout region or is there a specific "video preview" region which must be added to the actual layout design?

I am curious how this works ..... I am too lazy to install the previews now, but you never know what might happen in the future ...

[swindus]

I have no idea how preview AVI files work since I do not use them, but I was wondering whether the actual layout file has to be updated to include a special "preview" box rather than the standard snapshot box?

There is a specific video object that must be added to the layout like the snapshot object.

[shardian]

If you are using gamecreature's "blue" skin, then yes your snaps should be behind the circular border. Now for videos, refer to his "aliendashboard" skin. You'll notice that videos are in a square box inside the circular border.

[draginit]

swindus,
-i loaded "blue" into malalayout...is there some kind of lock on that skin?  i removed the snap/title object and put a video object in its place. its still blank. i dont suppose there is an easy answer to putting a video object into this skin.

shardian,
-how? no matter what i try, its always in front of the window. i suppose if i could get the snaps into the window like the sample i could live with that. as long i could then have some background music with this skin.. 

swindus,
-that is another option that seems not working. is background sound not supposed to with this skin?

[shock_]

Excuse me for chiming in.

swindus,
-i loaded "blue" into malalayout...is there some kind of lock on that skin?  i removed the snap/title object and put a video object in its place. its still blank. i dont suppose there is an easy answer to putting a video object into this skin.

I don't understand this statement; you've posted a picture in the third post of this thread above showing the videos do indeed work, ie are not "still blank".   

shardian,
-how? no matter what i try, its always in front of the window. i suppose if i could get the snaps into the window like the sample i could live with that. as long i could then have some background music with this skin.. 

What shardian was implying is that since videos are always the very front object in MaLa no matter what you do (as loadman said above), the only clean way to display them is to design a rectangular (or square) container for them.  The porthole design that works for snaps is impossible.  Blue is a layout not designed for video, plain and simple.

[draginit]

shock, any help is thanked,.. but that photo IS just a snap as stated it is a snap. my still snaps do all work fine.,.. i cant get videos to appear in any way shape or form...based on your last sentence i will just forget about the videos for now, and that is fine too as all im after right now is a clean plain and simple FE.  if you reread shardians first sentence, it says "yes your SNAPS should be behind the circular boarder",. since the photo is of a snap and not a video, im just asking how to get it right.  again thanks for chiming in, i think its really clearing things up in here.
-if in fact the snap files cannot fit behind the circular window , then i think the display image for the sample on the downlad page should be changed to reflect that,..as it is very decieving.

[shock_]

My apologies - I just remember videos looking like that when I tried them so I assumed etc.

The problem then is most likely either a missing "custom 1" file, or snaps are higher in the z-order than custom graphics.  You need to fix that in MaLaLayout. Try unpacking the original zip again to restore to a default.  It definitely can look just like the example shown.

Disclaimer: I don't have that layout in front of me at the moment; this is from memory of it - but hopefully that will give you an idea where to go next.  I remember it because that layout was what taught me what custom images were for

[loadman]

im just using the mame previews only. so any in the horizontal folder or artwork/full folder after their downloaded. im away from my machine at the moment or id have more detail. i'll repost when i get home tomorow.

-i was going to send a 1943.avi file or area51.avi

They work fine for me 

[draginit]

well, i figured out the sound..unchecked the use layout sound box obviously..sheesh
-given up on videos for now and have tried everything shock and others have mentioned to this point,..video object, definables, custom,z-order etc..and i cant get the snap behind the window..could someone post a screenshot of your config maybe or how you have the "blue" layout configured in mala layout.

-loadman, what skin are you using they are working for? all of them?   i have installed xvid, there is no evidence of dvix ever installed, if i play them by themselves they play thru my WMP by default. i have them all unzipped in their own folder. what more can i do? im thinking there is a setting within mala that im not seeing...