[mythtv-users] mytharchive dvd themes

Rod Smith mythtv at rodsbooks.com
Tue Feb 5 17:05:37 UTC 2008


On Tuesday 05 February 2008 11:08:42 Anthony Zawacki wrote:
> Hello,
>
> I am interested in creating a new-ish theme for dvd creation.  I mostly
> archive 1/2 hr kids shows, and put 4 on a dvd at a time.  I'd like to
> create a theme that shows 4 shows on the main menu, and also auto-plays.
>
> I didn't see any instructions on how to do this in the archives are in
> the wiki, though I am sure I can use the built-in ones to try to figure
> it out.
>
> So, two questions really:
>
> 1.  Is there documentation that I missed, or should I just figure it out?

AFAIK, there's no documentation. Certainly I couldn't find any when I went 
looking a few months ago, and a query by me on this list produced no 
responses. I can, however, give you a few pointers:

DVD archive themes are stored in the /usr/share/mythtv/mytharchive/themes 
directory on my system, but I can't promise the location will be the same for 
you. Each theme has its own subdirectory, and the directory names determine 
the theme names in MythArchive. The theme.xml file controls the overall theme 
(button placement, etc.), the description.txt file is displayed as a 
description in the theme selection GUI, and the various .png files are 
displayed as samples of what various screens look like in the finished DVD. 
The theme.xml file isn't very long or difficult to figure out, but it's not 
exactly formatted in an easy-to-read style.

FWIW, I created a 4-up theme myself. I've just put it up on my Web site so you 
can check it out:

http://www.rodsbooks.com/TV-4up.tgz

As written, this theme uses at least one font that you're unlikely to have, so 
you'll probably have to substitute another. (Search the theme.xml file for 
the string ".ttf" to find where to make a substitution.) The theme creates a 
4-up menu with preview images, subtitles, and descriptions, but omitting 
titles. The theme also omits the scene-selection menus. You can of course 
change any of these features. I've never looked into auto-play, so you'll 
need to figure out how to add that feature yourself if you want it. If you 
intend to create DVDs with more than four items to be played on standalone 
DVD players, you may need to tweak the position of the next-page and 
previous-page buttons, since they may appear off-screen because of overscan. 
(They're barely visible on my standalone DVD player and TV.)

> 2.  With .21 due out this month, are there changes to the way themes
> work for mytharchive as compared to .20.2?  Should I just wait until I
> upgrade to .21?

I'm afraid I don't know the answer to that question.

-- 
Rod Smith
http://www.rodsbooks.com


More information about the mythtv-users mailing list