User:DJ VorTechS/PhatHack Media Manager/Manual/Media Player

PhatHack Media Manager - Using the Media Player
PhatHack Media Manager currently only supports audio files, but it won't always stay like and there are plans to support video files, DVD and possibly TV tuners in a future version.

Like many other screens in PhatHack Media Manager, the built-in media player is skinnable and so the following documentation on the media player relates to the default skin, which shows the basic features of the media player. Further examples may be used to illustrate additional features.

Launching the Media Player
One of the reasons for organising your media correctly, and by using PhatHack Media Manager, becomes apparent with the features of the Media Player. Playback of media is achieved on a device-by-device basis, where a device is considered to be either the 'Imported Media' folder, a 'Watch Folder', a DMS Cartridge, a Portable Media Device (Windows Mass Storage based device) or a HTTP Audio stream.

To launch the audio player:


 * Select the appropriate device from the 'Media Sources' tree
 * Click on the 'Media Player' button.

Alternatively:


 * Select the appropriate device from the 'Media Sources' tree
 * Select the appropriate media view from the 'View Media By' dropdown (optional)
 * Select the appropriate media category from the 'Media Categories' list (optional)
 * Select the appropraite media item from the 'Available Media' list (optional)
 * Click on the 'Media Player' button

Using the Media Player
Once the media player is launched, the default skin's user interface is displayed and media playback is started. The default media player interface is divided into 3 sections:


 * The 'Media Info' section - at the top of the screen
 * The 'Visualization/ popup window' section - in the middle of the screen
 * The 'Media player control' section - at the bottom of the screen

 The Media Info Section  shows information about the current playlist, and item playing and specifically shows:


 * The type of media source (folder, DMS, Device)
 * The current 'Playlist' title (or alternative media category dependent on playback mode)
 * The title of the currently playing item
 * The current playing time (switchable between elapsed/total/remaining)
 * The current playing item audio format
 * The current playing item bit rate

It also contains a 'time bar', showing the elapsed time of the currently playing item.

 The 'Visualization/ popup window' section  displays the current visualization (sound to graphics animations) during playback, and is also used to display any popups required during media control. Example popups include:


 * Audio Mixer
 * Playlist viewer
 * Device sources

 The 'Media player control' section  allows the media player to be controlled and contains the following features:


 * Closing the media player (but NOT stopping media playback)
 * Repeat mode
 * Playback mode (one of the seven available Playlist/Album/Artist/Genre/Year/Decade/Date Added)
 * Playlist viewer
 * Mixer control
 * Media Scan Functions (Previous 'Playlist', Previous Item, Play Media, Stop Playback, Pause Playback, Next Item, Next 'Playlist')
 * Mute
 * Attenuator
 * Switch device

Controlling the current item playback
Once playback is started the current item being played can be manipulated by doing one of the following:


 * Dragging the elapsed time bar to the left or right, skipping through the current track
 * Clicking on the 'Stop' button, to stop playback
 * Clicking on the 'Pause' button to pause playback (pressing play will resume from the point at which playback was stopped)

Switching the playback item
Switching the playback item can be achieved in two ways, using the playlist/item navigation buttons or by using the playlist viewer.

Using the navigation buttons
You can navigate around the available playlists, or playlist items by using the media control buttons at the bottom of the default skin user interface. These buttons are:


 * [[Image:PhatMM_MediaPlayer_IconPP.PNG]] Previous Playlist - Navigate to the previous playlist, playing the first item
 * [[Image:PhatMM_MediaPlayer_IconPI.PNG]] Previous Item - Play the previous item in the current playlist
 * [[Image:PhatMM_MediaPlayer_IconNI.PNG]] Next Item - Play the next item in the current playlist
 * [[Image:PhatMM_MediaPlayer_IconNP.PNG]] Next Playlist - Navigate to the next playlist, playing the first item

Using the playlist viewer
You can also switch the currently playing item by using the playlist viewer, that shows all of the current 'playlists' available in the current media view for the device being used for playback.

To use the playlist viewer:


 * Click on the playlist viewer icon [[Image:PhatMM_MediaPlayer_IconPV.PNG]]
 * Under the 'Playlists/Discs' heading, selec the appropriate playlist
 * Under the 'Track Listing' heading, select the appropriate item to play (Optional)
 * Click on the 'Switch' button

If you do not want to switch playback to another playlist/item, click on the 'Cancel' button. If you have clicked on the 'Switch' button, the media player will start playback from the selected playlist and/or item.

Using the device switcher
If you want to change the source of media, then you can click on the 'Switch Device' icon ]

This will display the available media devices.

To switch the current device:


 * Select the device from the 'Available Media Sources' list
 * Click on the 'Switch' button

The media player will start playback from the selected device, using the first playlist and item as defined by the current playback mode.

Media Player Toggle Controls
The Media Player default skin has 4 toggleable settings:


 * The Repeat Mode
 * The Playback Mode
 * Mute On/Off
 * Attenuator On/Off

Changing the repeat mode
There are x repeat modes supported by the media player.


 * [[Image:PhatMM_MediaPlayer_IconREPEATDEVICE.PNG]] Repeat Device (default)
 * [[Image:PhatMM_MediaPlayer_IconREPEATOFF.PNG]] Repeat Off
 * [[Image:PhatMM_MediaPlayer_IconREPEATONCE.PNG]] Repeat Track (Once only)
 * [[Image:PhatMM_MediaPlayer_IconREPEATCONT.PNG]] Repeat Track (Continuous)
 * [[Image:PhatMM_MediaPlayer_IconREPEATPLAYLIST.PNG]] Repeat Playlist

Toggling the repeat mode, is done by cycling through each individual mode until you reach the desired mode. To do this, click on the 'Repeat Mode' icon that by default appears as, but that changes on each click as illustrated by the icons above.

Changing the Playback mode
As with several of the screens that display media, the media player is able to play media back in all of the modes available to the media views. Switching between these views, is achieved by using the 'Playback Mode' icon which cycles through each mode individually.

Once you click to switch the mode, any current playback is stopped and playback is reverted to the first 'playlist' and item in the new mode.

The available modes are:


 * [[Image:PhatMM_MediaPlayer_IconMODEPLAYLIST.PNG]] Playlist (default)
 * [[Image:PhatMM_MediaPlayer_IconMODEALBUM.PNG]] Album
 * [[Image:PhatMM_MediaPlayer_IconMODEARTIST.PNG]] Artist
 * [[Image:PhatMM_MediaPlayer_IconMODEGENRE.PNG]] Genre
 * [[Image:PhatMM_MediaPlayer_IconMODEYEAR.PNG]] Year
 * [[Image:PhatMM_MediaPlayer_IconMODEDECADE.PNG]] Decade
 * [[Image:PhatMM_MediaPlayer_IconMODEDATE.PNG]] Added Date

Mute On/Off
The media mute status, is toggled on or off. By default mute is OFF, so that the audio can be heard. Clicking on the 'Speaker' icon will turn mute ON, and stop any output from the media player from going to your speakers/headphones. The speaker icon will also become blank until the mouse is hovered over it.

To turn mute OFF, click on the now blank icon or alternatively adjust the volume control from within the application's audio mixer.

Attenuator On/Off
The attenuator status, is toggled on or off. The attenuator allows you to quickly reduce the volume of the current playing item without entirely stopping it from being heard. PhatHack Media Manager's attenuator will reduce the current playback volume by 70% when turned on. By default it is OFF, so that the audio can be heard at normal volume.

Clicking on the yellow 'ATT' icon will turn the attenuator ON, reduce any output from the media player by 70%, and turn the yellow icon red.

To turn the attenuator OFF, click on the now red 'ATT' icon or alternatively adjust the volume control from within the application's audio mixer.

Using the audio mixer
PhatHack media manager supports user-definable, skinned mixers. The default skin contains controls for Volume Levels, EQ Levels and normalization. The default skin defines a 10-band mixer, adopting idustry standard 10-band equalizer ranges of 31/63/125/250/500hz and 1/2/4/8/16khz.

Adjusting the playback volume
The volume control on the mixer takes the form of a horizontal slider, adopting a percentage scale from 0, to 100%. To adjust the current playback volume:


 * Clicking, and holding the left mouse button down on the volume control slider button
 * Moving the mouse left and right, to adjust the volume up or down accordingly
 * Releasing the left mouse button

The volume is adjusted immediately, and cannot be automatically reverted.

Adjusting EQ levels
The equalizer settings are arranged in the form of simple to use vertical sliders. To modify the gain at any of the EQ ranges, simply adjust the relevant slider by:


 * Clicking, and holding the left mouse button down on the relevant slider button
 * Moving the mouse up and down, to alter the slider up or down
 * Releasing the left mouse button

The effect of the new EQ settings is applied immediately, and cannot be automatically reverted.

Zeroing EQ levels
To zero all EQ ranges at the same time, simply click anywhere on the grey band that runs through the center of mixer. The zeroing effect of the new EQ settings is applied immediately, and cannot be automatically reverted.

Applying Normalization
Normalization is the process of ensuring that all tracks have gain applied automatically so that they play at the same level. By default Normalization is turned OFF as normalization requires that, currently, a track is pre-parsed to establish the appropriate gain levels. The pre-parsing is considered 'harmful' as it has a detrimental effect on the pause time between tracks.

It is recommended therefore that all tracks are pre-normalized before being used in PhatHack Media Manager. However, if you wish to use the normalization feature simply ensure the 'Enable Normalization' box is checked.

Checking/unchecking this box will briefly 'pause' the current item being played, and when enabled scan the current media item to obtain the required gain levels, before continuing playback from the point at which it was paused.

Future plans for this feature involve storing the gain levels with the media entry in the device database, with a background scan process to verify and maintain this level during playback.

Closing the mixer
Simply click on the 'Close' button to close the mixer window, or press CTRL + F4.

Closing the Media Player
The default skin, by default, does not stop media playback when the window is closed. If you require playback to be stopped, click on the 'Stop' icon.

To close the media player window, click on either the 'Close' icon, or use the 'CTRL + F4' key combination.

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