| · How do I upgrade my player's hard disk? |
| · How are the songs stored on a two-drive player? |
· Can I make my own visuals for the player?
(Entry last updated on April 2nd, 2005)Yes and no.
The source code for the Prolux real-time visuals is closed-source. There's currently no way to create your own full visuals, there is no plug-in interface for doing it in the player software.
However, some of the existing visuals can have their graphics modified. At the time of this writing, you could do the following:
- You can add a custom logo that appears on the screen during the player's boot-up process. This is done with the Logo Editor (instructions here) or with jEmplode. Examples of custom boot up logos can be found here.
- You can replace the animated company logo which appears before the custom logo when the player boots. This is done with jEmplode, and requires the latest version of the Hijack kernel. Complete instructions here. Examples of custom boot up animations can be found here.
- You can replace the backdrop to the Anna Vu visual. This is done either with the Logo Editor or the EmRAWerter utility. If using EmRAWerter, the file must be uploaded to the player using one of these methods. The file to be edited is /empeg/lib/visuals/vuback.raw, and it must not be RLE-compressed. Examples of modified Anna Vu backdrops can be found here.
- You can replace the graphic used as the basis for the Tux Much, Tux Too Much, and Tubular visuals. This is done either with the Logo Editor or the EmRAWerter utility. If using EmRAWerter, the file must be uploaded to the player using one of these methods. The file to be edited is /empeg/lib/visuals/logo.raw, and it must not be RLE-compressed. Examples of modified Tux images can be found here.
- The graphic used for the "Logo" visual, although it is similar to the Tux Much graphic, is not the same file. The Logo visual is not changed when you edit the Tux Much graphic. Instead, this graphic is embedded in the player binary and can only be replaced by hacking that file. Because a mistake with the player binary could render your player temporarily inoperable, attempting to change this file is not recommended. If you're hell-bent on changing the Logo visual, do a search on the Unofficial Empeg BBS to locate a utility that will help you hack a new graphic into the player binary.
- You can replace the graphic used in the Image Pan visual. This is done with the EmRAWerter utility. The file must be RLE compressed, and then uploaded to the player using one of these methods. The file to be edited is /empeg/lib/visuals/escher.raw. Examples of modified Image Pan files can be found here.
- You can create new animated dances for the stick figures in the FlanceDoor visual. This is done with the FlanceEdit utility. The files must be uploaded to the player using one of these methods. The files to be edited are /empeg/lib/visuals/*dance.raw.
- You can edit the player's text fonts. The editing utility for this can be found in the downloads section of this site. The edited font files must be uploaded to the player using one of these methods. The files to be edited can be found in the /empeg/lib/fonts folder.
When editing the graphics on the player, remember that most of them must be reduced to only 128 pixels wide by 32 pixels high, and all of them are made up of only four colors: Black, white, and two shades of gray. Continuous-tone photographic images must be posterized and/or dithered before they will display on the player. Note that the two gray shades are not the same as the two standard shades of gray you find in the Windows default palette. You must create a custom palette and use it exclusively when creating your graphics. The palette values for the four colors are 0 (black), 80 (dark gray), 96 (light gray), and 255 (white).
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| · How do I put custom logos or kernels into the player? |
| · How do I change the animated company logo? |
| · What is the file format for the boot logo files? |
| · Is it dangerous to put a custom kernel or a custom logo onto the player? |
| · Where can I find source code for writing to the player's flash RAM? |
| · What controls the combination of company logos and custom logos at boot up? |
| · How do I edit the 'config.ini' file on the player? |
| · Can I customize the alternate-row coloring in Emplode? |
| · How do I create a set of 'favorite' visuals? |
| · How do I use Hyperterminal to connect to the player's shell prompt? |
| · Where can I find help on Linux commands? |
| · How do I send and receive files from the player? |
| · What is the file structure for the song and playlist files on the player? |
| · Can the player make MP3s from the radio, aux, or microphone inputs? |
| · How do I get this Displayserver thing working? |
| · Can I use Ghost or Drive Image with the disks? |
| · Can I add extra RAM to my player? |
| · Can the player's buttons be made to light up in the dark? |
| · Will we ever get voice recognition for the player? |
| · Can I install a cooling fan into the player? |
| · Can I add a digital output to the player? |
| · Can I use my player as a GPS navigation system? |
| · Can the player scroll lyrics in synch with the music? |
| · Can I customize the way the track information is displayed on the screen? |
| · Can I use a Palm organizer to control the player? |
| · Can I make a home docking station for my player? |
| · How do I upgrade my software? |
