Samuri's *UN*Official SlyPlayer(tm) Thread

[SamuriHL]

SlySoft has announced that they will be creating a freeware player. There is no current release date on this, so, questions about "when" will be moved to another thread. Feel free to add feature requests to this thread. Any off topic posts, including my own , will be moved. The previous SlyPlayer thread can be found here and has been closed. Here's a list of the features requested so far. Note that these are only REQUESTED which does NOT mean they will be added! SlySoft alone gets to make the final call on features to be implemented.

[U][B]Feature Request List:[/B][/U]
Support for all Blu Ray and HDDVD formats (video and Audio) [DTS HD, DD True-HD, DD+, VC1, MPEG2, h264, etc] 
Playback of Java BDs
Support for .MKV, .AVI, .MOV, .mP4, .h264, .AVC, .FLAC containers
Bitstreaming
DVD Upscaling
Bit perfect LPCM streaming unmolested; auto selecting
No downsampling of audio streams
Ability to correct timing differences and sync issues in audio streams
DXVA, DXVA 2.0 and CUDA support (Video hardware acceleration) for BR and HDVDDV
DXVA, DXVA 2.0 and CUDA support for other file container formats like MKV and h264
Audio setup section allowing testing for each speaker in a 5.1/6.1/7.1 configuration
Automatic channel detection (2.0/5/1/7/1) to send to receiver
Easy playback and selection on Episodic discs
Support for 1080p/24 output
Integration into Windows Media Center, including playback through WMC
Support for WMC remotes & keyboard shortcuts
Support for hotkeys, preferrably user definable for almost all functions (valuable to those using remotes like the Harmony)
Integration with My Movies and other DVD cataloguing programs
Support for WMC extenders
Support for Virtual machines like Fusion and Parallels for the Mac
Remember last playback position on DVDs
Remember last playback position of BRs and HDDVDs
Aspect ratio manipulation
Standalone Mac (apple) version
Standalone Linux version
"Finely-graduated" zoom function (similar to whats in MPC-HC/Zoomplayer)
TCP control so the player can be controlled by external programs
Color management (ie ability to support for 3D LUT files)
Support for Windows Home Server
Post-processing support (ie FFDSHOW capabilities)
Ability to change the position of the subtitles related to the video (DVD, BR, and HDVDVD)
Ability to load external subtitles
Support and use of DirectShow filters
Variable aspect control (allows for shifting of a widescreen image to the top (or bottom) of 16:9 frame)
Support for x/y stretch functions for incorrectly mastered discs
Support for VST plugin "Convolver" 
Option to add audio/video filters (advanced option maybe)
Ability to downmix different audio formats to AC3 (DD)
Support/Integration into XMBC
Support for external soundcards like XONAR and Auzentech
Gamma correction controls
Channel expansion (for all audio with less channels than your output)
Ability to NOT deinterlace DVD sources
Ability to switch the video refresh to match the movie its playing
Ability to set default Audio streams in preference (DTS-MA then TrueHd then LPCM then DD+, then DTS/AC3...etc...)
Ability to do Dolby Headphone
Ability to autoplay upon inserting a disc
Ability to autoplay and change the resolution to desired format upon inserting a disc; then change back to native resolution upon program exit
Ability to be callable from command line
Aspect ratio adjustments, presets, and any other adjustments done on a Per-disk level
Split screen mode to compare current settings with new settings (ala PDVD 9)
Cinema user interface option (large fonts/icons,etc)
Ability to move control playback ribbon to any location on the screen
Plugins/add-ons architecture (using DLLs, or WM_messages) to allow integration with automation/IR-control utilities
Frame advance when paused feature
Screen grab feature

 

[Webslinger]

I can't see the Dolby (headphone) stuff happening. Dolby requires licensing fees, and this is a freeware product.

 

[SamuriHL]

A lot of those were already nixed by SlySoft. Those are simply there to show what's already been requested.

 

[andy o]

I think it was me who requested DH. Not a big deal since I don't buy a sound card now that doesn't have it, but it could be like foobar2000 does, they use the Cyberlink DH dll.

 

[HK_sends]

A lot of those were already nixed by SlySoft. Those are simply there to show what's already been requested.

Hi, everybody! SamuriHL, since several of the suggestions were nixed by Slysoft, would it be possible to annotate in some way (i.e. asterisk, or notation) the ones that won't be addressed?

-HK sends

 

[SamuriHL]

Yea, we'll get to that.

 

[sej7278]

Hi, everybody! SamuriHL, since several of the suggestions were nixed by Slysoft, would it be possible to annotate in some way (i.e. asterisk, or notation) the ones that won't be addressed?

i bet i can guess :bang:

* Standalone Mac (apple) version
* Standalone Linux version

If its going to be freeware, why not just donate some coding time to the mplayer or videolan projects - we all know you've got some love for mencoder/ffmpeg rather than re-inventing the wheel.

 

[DrinkLyeAndDie]

If its going to be freeware, why not just donate some coding time to the mplayer or videolan projects - we all know you've got some love for mencoder/ffmpeg rather than re-inventing the wheel.

I can think of one huge reason why this would not be a good idea: bureaucracy.

As it is, Slysoft is beholden only to themselves and they are in complete control: their deadlines, their wants, their needs. Donating code to another project involves a bureaucratic quagmire. Personally, I do not want to see that happen.

 

[liels]

sad but true

I can think of one huge reason why this would not be a good idea: bureaucracy.

As it is, Slysoft is beholden only to themselves and they are in complete control: their deadlines, their wants, their needs. Donating code to another project involves a bureaucratic quagmire. Personally, I do not want to see that happen.

I use mplayer all the time for certain things. I _love_ mplayer and _admire_ the skill of their core team (these guys really know their math and their assembler, and are more security conscious than 99% of the coders out there), their focus has never been on the great user interface experience (they state that as a different skill set IIRC).

Obvious to anyone using SS products, the user interface experience is fantastic, as well as at least good enough on whatever blackmagic needs to happen at the ugly bit/data struture level. Note they are definitely aware of mplayer/ffmpeg as they use it for clonedvd mobile!

So I think the best HTPC user experience would be a standalone SS player. Now, if it was open source and had an LGPL compatible license I'm confident in time aspects of it would get into mplayer.

Note that for a long time mplayer has been able to demux and decode decrypted HD discs. I think it is the only current option for native OSX/Linux playback, in fact.

 

[liels]

DTS downmix

I saw on the list

Ability to downmix different audio formats to AC3 (DD)

... while I want that, I'd want the

Ability do downmix different audio formats to DTS

also (just to be explicit)

Ability to bitstream downmixed/native AC3/DTS to S/PDIF.

EIEIO.

 

[thomaspf]

player requests

This is a fine list already. Here are two additions

I love the convolver idea but it will inevitably lead to a requirment to do fine grain lip sync control since reasonably accurate filters are pretty long so you end up having buffering delays in the order of seconds. All the multi-channel support is not that useful unless you can select individual delays to compensate for the speaker distance. That is what most people use their receivers for.

I have been using Theatertek for a long time and got used to their minimalistic full screen interface and the associated hot key assignments.
pause, next chapter, prev chapter, forward/backward keys for different levels of fast forward/backward, etc. That would be nice to get for this player as well.

To sum this up.

1. Ability to adjust lip sync with individual delays for surround sound setups

2. Full screen experience with mouse control and accelerator keys simlar to TheaterTek

Best of luck with this project.

 

[MrBlue]

[Ability to be callable from command line] and command line switch /F for start playback in fullscreen mode.

 

[Dann]

A couple of thoughts (hopes)

First, I wonder why freeware? I for one would gladly pay because when these guys do something, they do it right.

In that vein, I am particularly interested in the screen grab feature, and since PowerDVD screwed it up after 4.5 which worked beautifully, and TMT has never had it right, I'd like to mention a couple of specifics that I fervently hope are included.

The obvious most important thing is that grabs should not be disabled in Blu-ray like PDVD does. I get around it with an M2TS file thanks to Clown_BD but it's a pain in the ass. I don't think that will be an issue with anything from SlySoft.

First, the grab should go to disc and should auto-increment with a count like grab0001, grab0002, grab0003, etc., and not grab1, grab2, grab3 which makes browsing a nightmare. PDVD does it right, TMT does not. Being able to name the grabbed pics is nice but not essential. Format should be non-compressed, probably bmp or uncompressed jpg because yes, they'll be big but quality is important and most people that use this feature will discard the majority anyway picking only the ones they want to keep, and then most likely manipulating them further with Photoshop or the like.

Resolution of the saves should be controllable, or at least full-quality of the original. PDVD 4.5 allows a grab at screen resolution, which can be higher than the normal 720x480 DVD res, and on some screens, even higher than HD, but while it's a nice feature that I do use with DVD, it isn't essential as long as it can at least cap at original resolution.

The player MUST have frame advance and frame back in all modes (including Blu-ray) or the grab is useless. THIS IS A BIGGIE for screen grabs! PDVD has this, but only forward with M2TS, and it's been badly broken since 4.5.....lurches, skips, just doesn't work well, even with plain DVD's. TMT doesn't even have it, hence the grab is pretty worthless. Trying to grab the best frame with the pause button is next to impossible.

I have enough regard for the SlySoft guys that I feel certain if they do the screen capture they'll do it right. I've been using PDVD since 1.5, mainly because of the capture feature, and I still use 4.5 for DVDs even though I'm licensed through PDVD8, because so far 4.5 is the absolute best for capping. I'm really hoping SlyPlayer does it even better.

 

[SamuriHL]

I just want to reiterate a point made by James. The first few releases of SlyPlayer are going to be absolutely bare bones video/audio playback. So when it comes out and doesn't have your requested feature, don't get too disappointed. Once they get video and audio playing back smoothly and working on everyone's discs, then they may look into adding some of these requested features. This thread is simply to document those.

 

[Dann]

The first few releases of SlyPlayer are going to be absolutely bare bones video/audio playback. So when it comes out and doesn't have your requested feature, don't get too disappointed.

An absolutely fair point, and understandable.

As a programmer myself for 36 years, though, I can tell you that it helps to know where you're going as you try to get there. So this thread I think is very valuable to the developers even if some of the stuff never makes it. Some times you'll do something in a certain way if you know that eventually you want to accomplish something else. Hopefully everyone realizes that putting something in the thread is no guarantee it'll ever be in SlyPlayer.

I did. :agree:

 

[SamuriHL]

That's exactly right. I hope that SlySoft looks at this thread as a "hmmm, yea, that's a feature we'd like to see" kind of thing and thinks about how to implement some of the features we're all requesting. Rest assured not all of them will make it. Some are pie in the sky. Others are very specific with a limited range of usefulness in terms of overall audience. Some they just plain don't want to do. Etc. So request away and this thread will document all the requests but just understand that requesting something is no guarantee. SlySoft will cherry pick the features they want.

 

[davinleeds]

I would be absolutely happy with line one: Playback of BD and HDDVD. Thank You.

 

[SamuriHL]

I'll second that with the caveat of unmolested sound.

 

[davinleeds]

Well...........If it can happen, of course . With such stable products, Slysoft "is" a required htpc product.

 

[SamuriHL]

Oh, it CAN happen. It just takes a company like Slysoft to MAKE it happen.