Different
Window Sizes
You can execute the LMP in three different window sizes: Normal,
Compact and Mini. In the Normal Size, the LMP covers the entire
screen, in the Compact Size it turns into a window of approximately 640
x 400 pixels size, and in the Mini Size it limits itself to
the height of the Windows title bar and about 150 pixels in
width.
You can change between the modes by left- or right-clicking on
the "Player Size: Normal/Compact" button or in the
Mini Size by clicking on the rectangular, free box on the very
right, respectively. Please note that you can only hear the sound
of video files, you will not see the picture, if you are in Mini Size.
In the Compact and in the Mini Size you can move the LMP just
like every other window by draging it on its title bar and close
it by double-clicking on the round button at the very left.
Playing files
Opening files
Very simple to do by clicking on the "Open" button and
then double-clicking on the file you wish to open.
Play, Pause, Stop, Previous file, Next file
Self explanatory.
Repeating Playlists and files
If you wish the LMP to start from the top of the playlist after
having played it once, you should left- or right-click the button
right next to the "Stop" button until it says
"Repeat list".
If you wish to repeat a currently open file, click on the button until it
says "Repeat file". The LMP ignores any playlist open at that
time, until you change the mode again. If you just want the playlist to be
played and to be stopped at the end, click on the button until it says
"Do not repeat".
Different modes of
displaying video files
By clicking on the red button right next to the
Repeat Button you can decide which way video files
are displayed.:
"Fit size" shows the video that it uses up the entire
playing space of the LMP - of course the picture will be adjusted
according to its proportions;
"Half size", "Original size", "Size x
2" play the video in half, original or double size
respectively;
"Fullscreen" plays the video by using the entire LMP
window. So it is actually only a fullscreen mode when the LMP
uses the entire screen (when it is set to Player Size: Normal).
Use
of the Playlist
Creating, Opening and Saving Playlists
A new playlist is created every time you open a file by
clicking on the Open Button. If you choose this way,
the Playlist will contain the name of the opened file.
Creating a new Playlist is also possible by clicking on the Close Button
- doing it this way, you will receive a completely empty Playlist.
A saved Playlist (WinAmp play lists as well) can be opened by
clicking on "Load list" in the Playlist area.
An edited playlist can be saved by clicking on "Save
list".
Adding, Deleting,
Moving, and Loading files in the playlist
You can add files to your playlist by clicking on "Add
file" in the playlist area. The new item will always be in
front of the last marked item, if there is no marked file, it
will be put at the end of the list.
You can delete an entry of the playlist by clicking on the "Del
file"-button in the playlist area. Please note that you can
only delete entries that are not playing at the moment.
You can move entries of the playlist by first clicking on it with the mouse
and and then moving it with the cursors while holding the
Ctrl keys.
You can load a playlist entry by double-clicking on it.
All these actions can only be done when the shuffle mode is inactive.
Shuffle
The LMP can also shuffle playlists. To activate or deactivate the shuffle mode just
click on "No shuffle" or '"Shuffle on",
respectively, left next to the title in the playlist area.
The random order is created at the beginning. While playing in
the shuffle mode you can load the previous or next song at random
by clicking on "previous file" or "next
file", respectively.
As long as the shuffle mode is active, you cannot do any changes
to the playlist.
Playing CD's
Opening CDs
CDs can be opened by putting the LMP into the CD Player mode. You
can do that by clicking on "CD Player". You can end
this mode by clicking on "Close".
The CD player will display the available tracks in the playlist
and automatically start playing the inserted CD.
Please note that the LMP will only look for inserted CDs in the
drive you specified in the settings menu.
Entering/downloading CD informationen
In order to have information like name, artist and track names of a CD in the playlist displayed,
you have to submit this information to the LCARS MediaPlayer, or it has to download this information
itself from CDDB over the Internet.
When you insert a CD for the first time, the LMP will offer a window to you in
which you can choose whether you want the LMP to download the
information over the Internet or whether you want to submit the
information yourself.
If you choose to download you will get the information after a few
seconds; for submitting information yourself, please read "Editing
CD information".
If the information is already saved in the Windows CD Player, the LMP will also offer to import the
information from there.
Editing CD informationen
Click on "Edit/Show CD Info" for editing CD information. You can enter it manually in the
following window. If you click on "(Re)load CDDB information", the LMP will ask the CD database
via the Internet and replace the old information by the new one.
Specialties of playing CDs
The playlist can no longer be filled with files but only with
tracks of the inserted CD.
Playlists can neither be loaded nor saved.
Settings
You can modify the settings of the LMP by clicking on button for
the settings menu.
Activating sounds and setting a sound
directory
With the checkbox "Play sounds" you can choose whether
the LMP plays its LCARS sounds or not.
Please note: if a media file is started while the LMP is still
playing one of his own sounds (happens very seldomly), then the
media file will be played without sound. To activate the sound
after all, just click the "Stop" and then again the
"Play" button.
Furthermore you can set the sound directory; this is a directory, in which
you have copied all the BENNIsoft sounds (snd??. wav). The
advantage of this is, that you thus do not have to save the
sounds twice on your hard drive. If the LMP does not find its
sound in the program directory, it will look for them in the sound
directory.
CD drive
Here you can specify the CD ROM drive, from which you want the
LMP to play CDs usually. Please note that you can only make
changes to the settings when the LMP is not in the CD Player
mode.
Other options
"Always on top if in Mini Size": is this option active,
the LMP will always be on top if it is set to Mini Size.
"Play UFP logo animation": is this option active, the
LMP will play the animation of the UFP logo every 15 seconds
approximately. If you have a slow computer though, it can happen
that MP3s cannot be cannot be decompressed in in real time.
"Play last used playlist at start": is this option
active, the LMP will - at every start - load the last used
playlist and will start playing it.
"Save playlist automatically": is this option active,
the LMP will save your playlists without request upon every
change made. Otherwise your changes will be lost without warning,
if you have not saved your changes manually.
Associating the LMP2 with file endings
After having clicked on "Associate file types" in the
settings menu, you can mark every file format which you want the
LMP to start when clicked on in the Explorer or the Terminal
Manager.
How can I register?
The LMP is shareware; that means, that you can test
the LMP without any limits for 45 days, and then pay for it only if you like it and want to go on using it.
The LMP costs US$ 10 (or 9 Euro). If you register with a credit card, you have to pay US$ 12.
For registering, launch the Registration Wizard (REGWIZ.EXE) or simply click on "Register now!"
in the Register Message Box which appears at every start of the LMP. The wizard will give you all information
which you need to register.
Others
Tips for more
LCARS-feeling
- No picture, but only
black blackground.
- Use all BENNIsoft
programs, especially the Terminal Manager and the
LCARS Screensaver.
- Use the start logo for
Windows which is available to download on the BENNIsoft homepage.
- Set the sounds, that
are used by the LCARS programs, as Windows sounds as well.
- Set Task
Bar on "automatically in the background".
Acknowledgements
Many thanks to...
- Daria, who has helped my a lot developing this program with criticism, translations, testing and suggestions.
- Bülent Öztürk and Maik Müller, which have tested the LMP, too.
- the people in the German newsgroups basicworld.public.vb.* and microsoft.public.de.vb; without them,
the LMP wouldn't have some fancy details (e.g. MP3 header analysis).