OSMC Skin Scope Mask feature

[radschi]

Hi there,

I am using this OSMC Skin Scope for my home cinema with a 21:9 canvas. I am watching movies in 21:9 and TV-shows in 16:9. For 21:9 I adjust my beamer to full width and for 16:9 to full height. So i need also to change the type of the mask too.
Is ist possible to have a short cut for the mask feature? Maybe toggle through all masks?

And maybe an automatic feature to switch mask dependig from the ratio of a selected video, when starting playback and switch back to a default mask when video playback is stopped?

Harald

[sam_nazarko]

CC @Chillbo

[Chillbo]

@radschi

Is ist possible to have a short cut for the mask feature? Maybe toggle through all masks?

There’s an additional button in the video player OSD of the scope skin version which opens a dialog to select a different masking aspect ratio.

@radschi

And maybe an automatic feature to switch mask dependig from the ratio of a selected video, when starting playback and switch back to a default mask when video playback is stopped?

That’s not properly possible as the only aspect ratio information available to skins is the video file’s aspect ratio. It’s the aspect ratio including the black bars though and therefore not of much help here.

[radschi]

To 1.) I mean a keyboard short cut.

To 2.) Maybe with a Filename extension?

[radschi]

Add to 2.):

Or restore the original mask after playback…?

[Chillbo]

@radschi

To 1.) I mean a keyboard short cut.

You may set a keymap to a skin setting built-in command already. The value that you need to use for this skin setting and the skin setting’s name you’ll find here: SkinSettings.xml

@radschi

To 2.) Maybe with a Filename extension?

The method of using filenames for skin actions or behaviour tweaks is not favourable at all, tbh. It requires each user to follow specific naming conventions - this should be done by the skin itself.

@radschi

Add to 2.):

Or restore the original mask after playback…?

Question is what ‘original’ would be… The settings are meant to be in place all the time, there’s no fallback really.

[Chillbo]

I’ll think about a way to maybe implement an optional way of setting the masking aspect ratio via specific filename tags. Not absolutely sure though. Will let you know, if I come up with something convincing that’s as user-friendly and as little intrusive as possible.

[Chillbo]

This has been a quick one… I wasn’t comfortable implementing anything like this for all users without any options, but I’ve found a convenient way to add this in an optional manner. If one wishes to let the skin adjust the masking aspect ratio during playback automatically, it will be possible to enable this via a skin setting and a couple of filename tags that I’ll add to the OSM Skin wiki article once implemented:

The set value above this new setting will be the fallback and what’s being used while video playback is not active. Once video playback is active, the skin will look for a tag in the filename and set the masking aspect ratio accordingly. The tags will be in this format: ‘.scope240’, ‘.scope235’, ‘.scope233’, ‘.scope200’. If there’s no tag, the skin will disable masking during video playback. So, tags will only be necessary for videos that are not at a 16:9 aspect ratio.

I hope, this will add exactly what you were looking for, @radschi

[radschi]

@Chillbo: Wow, is was really fast!

I can try it out in the next few days and let you know the result.
One suggestion: There is a software availiable, called “Aspect Ratio Detector”, which can scan all movies to find out the correct ratio and add it to the file name like “_AR240”, “_AR233”… automatically.

You can find it here: Aspect Ratio Detector: Seitenverhältnis erkennen - HTPC & Mediaplayer - Heimkinoverein
Unfortunately, its a german website, but maybe you can understand it (I am from Austria, so its my first language too).

I want to use this tool to tag all movies with the ratio and then it should be possible to use your new feature without much fiddling with the filenames manually, means if you can change your tag to the same format then this is perfect

Thank you again for your fast effort.

[darwindesign]

@radschi

if you can change your tag to the same format then this is perfect

You could use a renaming utility to change any “_AR240” to “.scope240” quite easily.

[Chillbo]

@radschi

One suggestion: There is a software availiable, called “Aspect Ratio Detector”, which can scan all movies to find out the correct ratio and add it to the file name like “_AR240”, “_AR233”… automatically.

You can find it here: https://www.heimkinoverein.de/forum/thread/17504-aspect-ratio-detector-seitenverhältnis-erkennen/
Unfortunately, its a german website, but maybe you can understand it (I am from Austria, so its my first language too).

I can have a look at that and see what works best. Will also check out how the other rare CIH/scope skins are doing this. Maybe this would be a good approach for other users as well.

[Chillbo]

I’ve checked the very few other scope skins around and the .AR240. format tag is indeed the most common. If either .AR178., .AR200., .AR233., .AR235. or .AR240. (surrounded by any combination of -, .or _) are present in the file or folder name (and if the automatic masking aspect ratio feature is enabled) the masking aspect ratio will be set automatically. If none of these five tags are present, the masking aspect ratio will rely on the custom value set in the skin settings. After video playback has stopped, the aspect ratio will also fall back to that value.

I’ll push the changes later today. Then you’ll be able to test

[radschi]

@Chillbo

Renaming is not good because i use another tool which relay also on this naming schema to adjust the lens on my beamer automatically.

Please don’t forget also AR133, i have some older TV-Shows in this old ratio.

About testing, it will take some time, because i need to rename all movies with the scanning tool.

[Chillbo]

This new feature has now been pushed to Git: GitHub - osmc/skin.osmc at scope

@radschi

Renaming is not good because i use another tool which relay also on this naming schema to adjust the lens on my beamer automatically.

I’m confused now as I’ve adopted the exact format you suggested now. See here. Why would you need renaming now?

@radschi

Please don’t forget also AR133, i have some older TV-Shows in this old ratio.

The above listed aspect ratios are the ones we support atm - we can’t support all aspect ratios possibly out there, tbh. 1.33:1 is a format which doesn’t need masking, but rather pillar boxing and can otherwise be treated as 16:9 (alias 1.78:1). As it won’t be detected, you simply have to select 1.78:1 masking manually during playback for this aspect ratio. Or you tag it as AR178 which would make a lot more sense IMHO.

[radschi]

@Chillbo

Sorry for confusing you, but @darwindesign suggested to use a renaming tool. It was my fault to reply to you instead of him.

Your naming schema is allready ok

And yes, you are right, 1.33:1 has the same height as 16:9

[Chillbo]

I’ve slightly reworked this feature again, so please pull the scope skin zip again, if you have downloaded it already.

[Chillbo]

@radschi, just asking for a followup… Have you been able to test the feature? Would like to make sure it’s working as intended for release in a next update

[radschi]

@Chillbo, sorry for my late reply, but I was on vacation and other things came up, but now:

I did a few tests with my movies. Basically it is working as it should be , but i am missing some aspect ratios, which are detected with the “Aspect Ratio Detector” tool: AR133, AR167, AR185, AR222, AR276

I know that AR133 and AR167 has the same like AR178 but maybe you can make an “or” logic (AR133 or AR167 or AR178 =>AR178) otherwise i need to rename all files with the “wrong” AR178.
In the future i want to control two motorized curtains on the left and right side to mask the projection screen width, depending from the tags AR133/AR167 or other tags, so i need the correct tags.

The other missing aspect ratios have a different height, so please can you add them too?

So you could support all aspect ratio’s which can be dedected by this tool (1.33 1.67 1.78 1.85 2.00 2.22 2.35 2.40 2.76). This tool can also round up/down to the next aspect ratio like AR233 → AR235.

And it will be also a nice feature to get the AR shown in the OSD instead of the word “Auto”

And thank you again for your skin

[Chillbo]

@radschi

Basically it is working as it should be

Good!

@radschi

but i am missing some aspect ratios, which are detected with the “Aspect Ratio Detector” tool: AR133, AR167, AR185, AR222, AR276

Unfortunately, this is gonna be a quick one: I’m not gonna add any more aspect ratios for a single setup that is using a very specific tool that is only to be found on a German home cinema forum that’s not very much known in the first place.
Sorry, but this is too much to ask. The scope skin is a feature I’m happy to offer as it wasn’t too much work, but it’s just one feature used by a couple of users in very custom environments from what I can see.

1.33:1 can’t be supported - as I said before - because it would mean adding vertical masking (including having to limit controls to an area smaller vertically as well) - the same applies to 1.67:1. Everything between 1.78:1 (16:9) and 2.40:1 (1920x800 pixel window that all of the UI controls sit in - meaning that 2.76:1 is not possible) is technically possible, but not reasonable to add and maintain as there’s basically an infinite amout of aspect ratios out there. What the scope skin supports are reasonable aspect ratios a fixed scope screen would come in. What I suggest here are two things:

• avoid vertical masking as there’s no skin out there supporting this (and there probably won’t be as it’s hard to implement AND the Kodi skin engine is not made for any of this)
• rely on the tags supported now and automatically convert the ones not supported (or too specific/custom) with an automatic renaming tool (search for e.g. ‘AR133’ in your media folders and replace by ‘AR178’)

That’s all I can advise here as I can’t add all possible aspect ratios for technical and maintenance reasons. The logic of the supported aspect ratios currently is what a project screen would likely cover and not which possible aspect ratios movies/TV shows out there have. That won’t change.

I hope, you can live with this approach and adjust your setup to work with this.

@radschi

And it will be also a nice feature to get the AR shown in the OSD instead of the word “Auto”

The logic here is that the OSD should reflect what the skin currently does. As long as the skin is in automatic mode (file name tag detection), it should show that it actually is picking up a tag. If the file played back doesn’t have a proper tag, the skin will fall back to the aspect ratio currently set - this means the ‘Auto’ label will be replaced by the aspect ratio set. I can’t add both, a hint to the automatic aspect ratio switching AND the aspect ratio set/used, to this small button, so one approach has to be chosen. Showing that the skin does something automatically outweighs the need to show what the current automatic aspect ratio is. I’ll see whether I can add a hint somewhere else that shows which aspect ratio is being picked up from the file name while automatic mode is active. But this is just a small gimmick, so don’t get your hopes up.

[mattmarsden]

Will the scope skin be updated for Kodi 19? Thanks