Windows Xp Media Center Theme

[Ernest Babin]

Modern8is a metro inspired theme for Windows Media Center. It uses Patchou's Media Center Themer to apply the new and improved UI

Modern8 is unique to many other Media Center themes (see details & screenshots further below):

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True, but personally I prefer the flattened Media Center logo as a differentiator from the Windows logo. But I'll look into including some optional updated Windows logos soon. I'll also look into categorising images so people can remove/add what they want a bit more easily

I really like this option but I thought a little bit further maybe it's possible to use the backdrop pictures from your own collection at random as background, this must be possible trough the api but i don't know how to realize it myself

1. This might just be me, but I personally would like a little more transparency for the black part of the channel info when you change channels (the last screenshot of the OP). I know there is some slight transparency, but again I myself would like a little more. If there is a way to change that in one of the XML files, def. point me in the right direction and I'll change it on my end.

2. For the clock, if there is a way to show AM and PM for us in the states that would be great. Not that its a big deal, and I can normally just look outside to tell what time of day it is , but still.

1. I also noticed things were a little too dark on my TV screen compared the computer screen which I have been using to edit the images. So I'll definitely increase the transparency a bit along with some other elements in the next release.

Thanks for pointing me in the right direction. Made the adjustments on the file you suggested and they work like a charm! Cant wait for more improvements as you progress along with this. Brilliant work...

My issue is that you can't open Media Center if you are in an RDP session or use it on an extender with this theme. It works fine on my main HTPC (aside from my Recorded TV HD menu being moved to the top). I think there still exists an issue with the theme that doesn't allow extenders to work.

Does any of the great theme work done on the previous WDTV Media Players translate to the newest WDTV Media Player Model: WDBYMN0000NBK-HESN? I am seriously considering the newest WDTV Media Player, but if I do purchase it, I want to enhance the movie viewing experience with themes and backdrops (Movie Sheets?), etc.

I am very invested in the Home Theatre PC platform with Windows Media Center and the Media Browser Plugin for my movie viewing at home on my TV. I have a gigabit wired home network, a NAS device to store my movies, and have structured the movie folder hierarchy to be compatible with the software on my HTPC.

Once I have the firmware upgraded, I think I understand that I will need to obtain some tools to work on my movie folders. I have read about Thumbgen, and visited web sites for other tools. It is a little confusing to me at this point. For the WDTV Media Player (2014), what tools do I need to get started working on my movie folders so the backdrops will be displayed as I look through my movie library?

I use the software called Media Center Master to create the XML for each of my movies so my current setup (Windows Media Center with the Media Browser Plugin with a theme applied) can display the backdrops, movie synopsis, rating, characters, etc. This software (Media Center Master ) has an option to create the XML for WDTV media players. My question is what do you normally use to create your XML for the new enhanced firmware for the WDTV?

2. For the WDTV Media Player (2014), what tools do I need to get started working on my movie folders so the backdrops will be displayed as I look through my movie library?

5. My question is how do I get something similar in this WDTV Media Player environment? I understand the movie synopsis and other information is somehow created as a .jpg, and stored in the movie folder (I think). So I suppose when I click on a movie this picture will display. I also suppose that at this point i can click on a button to play the movie? What about the trailer?

Thank you very much for the detailed reply. It appears the latest WDTV will do more than I thought. I will move foreward on purchasing the device, and see how it handles my movie library. I am sure I will have additional questions once I get my hands on it, and start using it.

Ok, I am up and running. I have loaded another theme on my WDTV, and I see how that works. I have spent a fair amount of time trying to understand how to map the WDTV to a specific folder on my USB connected hard drive.

I know I am missing something. I have a 2GB hard drive that has multiple folders on it. Some have videos, and other media in them. I only want to map one specific folder to the WDTV, but it wants to map the entire drive.

Windows XP visual styles are customizations of the graphical user interface of Windows XP. "Luna", "Royale", "Zune", and "Embedded" are codenames of the official visual styles designed for Windows XP by Microsoft.[1] Since Windows XP, themes include the choice of visual styles as well.[2] By default, "Luna" is preinstalled on Windows XP Home and Professional editions, "Royale" is preinstalled on Windows XP Media Center Edition and "Embedded" is preinstalled on Windows Embedded Standard 2009 and Windows Embedded POSReady 2009. In addition to the preinstalled visual styles, Microsoft has released additional ones for download. There were also some placeholder visual styles that Microsoft had used in beta versions of Windows before unveiling the official visual styles, such as "Watercolor" and "Mallard". Third parties have also released visual styles, though these require modification of core Windows components to work. Visual styles are compatible with all Windows XP editions except Starter Edition.

Compared to Desktop Themes in previous versions of Windows such as Microsoft Plus! for Windows 95, Windows 98, and Windows Me, the new visual styles have a greater emphasis on the graphical appeal of the operating system, using saturated colors[3] and bitmaps[4] throughout the interface, with rounded corners for windows.[5][6]

"Luna" (the Moon in Latin and various other languages) is the codename for the default visual style of Windows XP. Officially known as "Windows XP style", it is available in three color schemes: blue (default), olive green, and silver.[6][8] Critics who did not like the theme characterized it as a "Fisher-Price interface" among other names, due to its perceived childish nature and design.[9][10]

Luna was also present as a placeholder theme in all pre-reset Windows Vista (Longhorn) builds alongside the Plex, Slate and Jade themes, as well as the very early "Omega-13" post-reset builds 3790, 5000, 5001, and early Beta 1 builds 5048 and 5059. It was absent from all post-reset builds starting with build 5098 after the unveiling of Aero in build 5048.

Luna Beta is an earlier version of the Luna theme that was first previewed at CES 2001 and included in beta builds from builds 2428 to 2465, and later appeared in the leaked source code of Windows XP in September 2020. Officially known as "Whistler style", it is mostly similar to the final Luna theme, with some slight differences (such as the scrollbar being brighter, the taskbar buttons having a different shape, as well as a shinier start button). This theme is unofficially available as a separate theme made by enthusiasts.

Officially titled "Windows Classic style", this is the built-in look and feel of Windows that was used in previous versions of Windows prior to Windows XP. It is used when the theme service is disabled and in certain other scenarios, such as Win32 console windows or booting the system in Safe mode. Classic style widgets are also used for applications that are not theming-aware even though theming is enabled. It is less CPU-intensive and offers better performance,[11] due to which it is also used by default on Windows Server 2003 through 2008 R2.

Compared to other visual styles, it supports greater color and font customization options. Windows XP includes 22 preset color schemes for the classic style, with four of them[12] being optimized for the visually impaired. "Windows Standard" was the default color scheme of Windows 2000 and Windows Me and later appeared on Windows Vista and Windows 7, although in the latter it was renamed "Windows Classic". A slightly darker variant of the Standard scheme, called "Windows Classic", was the default color scheme of Windows 98 (albeit with a dark blue desktop background instead of green, much like the pre-release versions of Windows 2000) and appeared on Windows Vista but not Windows 7.[13][6] Other schemes appeared in previous versions of Windows.

Royale (also known as Energy Blue and Media Center style) was originally designed for Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005, and was ported to Windows XP Tablet PC Edition 2005.[14] It is accompanied by a new wallpaper (inspired by Windows XP Bliss). It presents a relucent, vivid and faux-reflective color scheme with intense blue and green colors.

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