[haiku-development] Re: Adding attributes to media files with MediaPlayer (volume, etc.)

From: "Jonas Sundström" <jonas@xxxxxxxxxxx>
To: haiku-development@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Date: Sat, 29 Aug 2009 05:03:54 +0200 CEST

Ryan Leavengood <leavengood@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> 2009/8/28 Jonas Sundström <jonas@xxxxxxxxxxx>:
> >
> > It would be awful setting a volume of 20% and have it
> > pop back to 100% for the next track, so I think the slider
> > should remain a MediaPlayer master volume.
> 
> Yeah I agree. The problem now is there is no persistance
> at all of the volume setting. So everytime MediaPlayer is
> opened it resets to 50%.

Why not a 100%? (Is it a 0-200% slider offering some overdrive?)

> Of course the main issue with saving the volume setting
> is that it is possible to have multiple MediaPlayer windows
> open at once, so which one would be used for the saved global
> volume setting? The last one closed?

That's not such a bad system, IMO.

The system has a master volume, so I really don't see any
huge error in opening every MediaPlayer window at a 100%
volume. Easy to implement and easy to understand.

Saving the volume on closing the last window (or just
when closing any window) is almost as easy to implement
and probably not especially difficult to figure out, as
a user, how it works. A little effort at respecting user
preference, yet free of any complexities.

I don't quite see that implementation simplicity, 
behaviour predictability and meeting user expectations
in storing volumes with files or with playlists.

I don't think one can assume with any certainty that a
volume change made by the user while playing a file or
a playlist has anything to with the file or playlist, 
or know whether or not the user actually wants the volume
change to stick.

It has to work the same for video and for plain audio
to make sense, IMO, and also not silently do different
things depending on whether or not in a playlist.

It would be possible to store per-file volumes with the
playlist (only). This would be predictable, once understood,
but not easily figured out. And understanding how it works
does not necessarily mean one likes how it works.

> > A per-file value of 0-100% affecting the MediaPlayer's
> > master volume should work, but that would need to be
> > controlled either via a separate slider (file info panel?)
> > or a dual-mode volume slider, with either a press-and
> > hold modifier key or a mode change shortcut to change
> > between MediaPlayer volume and file volume.
> 
> That seems awfully complicated and hard to use, so I don't
> think it is a good option.

I can't see a per-file volume behaviour always-on, without
risk of annoying people. I think its better if per-file 
volume is only ever set if the user expressively asks for it.

If provided as a mode, affecting what the volume slider does,
it would need to show somehow in the appearance of the 
volume slider, IMO. If provided as a separate slider (somewhere)
that would be enough distinction by itself. The current volume
slider has the advantage of being very accessible, and clearly
about the current file.

/Jonas.

References:
- [haiku-development] Re: Adding attributes to media files with MediaPlayer (volume, etc.)
  - From: Ryan Leavengood

[haiku-development] Re: Adding attributes to media files with MediaPlayer (volume, etc.)

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