[mythtv-users] program guide font size

Todd nospam at tippyturtle.com
Tue Oct 25 15:50:29 EDT 2005


I have had great results, maybe it is not for everyone.  I am not having 
they issues you talk about with the font I have chosen and the DPI am using.

You are right for how the screen is going to laid out.  I am right for what 
it looks like across the room.  You are further right that myth will have 
trouble keeping HUGE fonts in small rectangles...if you don't pick good 
font.  I choose tall narrow fonts and life is good.  I can see it, and text 
doesn't spill everywhere.

Just trying give other people multiple ways to do things...one will work 
best for them.

Todd

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Michael T. Dean" <mtdean at thirdcontact.com>
To: "Discussion about mythtv" <mythtv-users at mythtv.org>
Sent: Tuesday, October 25, 2005 11:40 AM
Subject: Re: [mythtv-users] program guide font size


> Todd wrote:
>
>> Although the FAQ is technically correct; think of the use-case.
>> "Monitor Size" for X is generally with your face 2 feet from the
>> screen.  What is the "Monitor Size" when you are 30 feet away (to your
>> eye)?
>>
>> Here is what the "Monitor" section of my XFree86-4 looks like:
>> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>> # Little Text
>> # DisplaySize     400 300
>> # DisplaySize     360 270
>> # DisplaySize     320 240
>> # DisplaySize     280 210
>> # DisplaySize     240 180
>> DisplaySize     200 150
>> # DisplaySize     160 120
>> # DisplaySize     120 90
>> # DisplaySize     80 60
>> # DisplaySize     40 30
>> # HUGE Text
>>
>> I just uncomment out different lines until it is "just right".  Each
>> TV in my house used a different line to be just right.  It is a
>> balancing act, I would be amazed at any system that work at
>> 40x30!...be somewhere between both ends will be just right for you.
>
> Note that when you do this, it is completely impossible for your
> text/graphics to line up properly when using a theme that was created
> correctly.
>
> Normally, a program calculates the appropriate position of graphic
> elements (in pixels = dots) relative to fonts (specified in points =
> 1/72 inch) based on the DPI (Dots Per Inch) specified by the windowing
> system.  However, this requires run-time calculations.  Myth's "theming
> engine" allows the creation of themes that combine text and graphical
> elements, but since the themes are simple XML (text) files, there is no
> ability to do calculations.  Therefore, all themes are supposed to be
> created to use  a fixed DPI--100 DPI--so that graphics and fonts line up
> appropriately on any /properly-configured/ Myth system.
>
> Now you know why the "technically correct" FAQ is completely
> correct--it's correct by specification--and using DisplaySize (which is
> used by X to calculate DPI) to adjust font sizes is incorrect.  And, now
> you know why the little arrows in your playback box, etc. are in the
> wrong places...
>
> If you were to adjust your DisplaySize and then adjust all your themes
> for the resulting DPI, it would be just as "correct" as using 100DPI
> with the provided themes.  However, that approach takes much more time
> and is likely to result in much bigger font problems when re-displaying
> Myth screens (i.e. mythtv-setup) on other systems on your network (which
> may not be using 100DPI, but are likely to be close enough to 100DPI
> that it will still be readable--especially on a monitor 2 feet in front
> of your eyes).
>
> So, please don't tell people to simply adjust their DisplaySize to fix
> font size problems.  The /only/ correct way to adjust font size is to
> edit the font names and font sizes in the theme.  (Editing font names is
> required when the specified font is not installed on your system.  If
> Myth requests a non-existant font, X font substitution will select
> another font as a replacement and often the font metrics are very
> different from the requested font, so to take the unknown element out of
> the system, you must ensure the theme requests an installed font.)
>
> Mike
>
>
>


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


_______________________________________________
mythtv-users mailing list
mythtv-users at mythtv.org
http://mythtv.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/mythtv-users



More information about the mythtv-users mailing list