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Love the new "now playing"! :woot:

I confirm the cover background bug, when i change track it disappears.
I still have the bug when i try to play a song for the first time, i got an error message.

 

I have a request on the "now playing" screen, it is possible to have another option to display more informations (normal tags, additional tags created by the user, bitrate, ...) on the playing track instead of playlist or maybe side by side with playlist? It would be awesome!

 

 

 

 

 

From now on, Dopamine checks availability of its executables on startup. If your anti-virus ate at least one of them, the splash screen becomes and "Oops" screen and when clicking "Show details" you'll see what happened.

Oops.png

  • Like 2

I put another nightly build (576) only for you. This is the changelog:

 

- Now playing now has a list of playing songs
- It is now possible to add and remove songs from now playing
- Fixed the now playing screen background dissapearing when the next song in an album starts playing
- The last now playing list is remembered at the next startup

 

Get it here: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/xtihhv85o26qwnw/AABtfqFOkbFYIyBV6mmnbOEYa?dl=0

 

Up next: check out why it doesn't start playing on the first go for some people.

 

  • Like 2
On ‎9‎/‎02‎/‎2016 at 7:16 PM, accuratecopy said:

Love the new "now playing"! :woot:

I confirm the cover background bug, when i change track it disappears.
I still have the bug when i try to play a song for the first time, i got an error message.

 

I have a request on the "now playing" screen, it is possible to have another option to display more informations (normal tags, additional tags created by the user, bitrate, ...) on the playing track instead of playlist or maybe side by side with playlist? It would be awesome!

 

 

 

 

 

The next nightly (somewhere tomorrow) will have a possible fix for your problem. I'll let you know when it is available.

Feature request :

-  The now playing screen background transitions more seamlessly (new background fading in on top of the previous background, so there are no fading out moment).

- The background should fill the now playing screen properly, when the album art is not in 1x1 aspect ratio. See picture below. 

- Option to keep the control element (playback control, progress bar, etc) persistent in the now playing screen, so they're not fading out when not in use. 

 

 

Capture.PNG

51 minutes ago, Tejoenardo said:

Another bug here.

Sometimes the list of playing songs in the now playing screen didn't properly follows the position of playing song. Especially when the song changed and I'm not in the now playing screen.

EDIT : This problem is also happening on song list in collection, when the song changing and I'm staying on the now playing screen. In conclution, the problem is these two lists doesn't follow the playing song simultaneously.

1 hour ago, Tejoenardo said:

EDIT : This problem is also happening on song list in collection, when the song changing and I'm staying on the now playing screen. In conclution, the problem is these two lists doesn't follow the playing song simultaneously.

I've saved all your feature requests and this bugs in my tracking system. I'll process them soon.

  • Like 1
2 hours ago, Raphaël G. said:

I've saved all your feature requests and this bugs in my tracking system. I'll process them soon.

Do you have ANY plans to create a minimalized player? if I play an album and minimize it that, I can see the icon on my taskbar and hold my mouse pointer over it and have a stop, pause and play button?

 

9767pd.png

5 minutes ago, chrisj1968 said:

Do you have ANY plans to create a minimalized player? if I play an album and minimize it that, I can see the icon on my taskbar and hold my mouse pointer over it and have a stop, pause and play button?

 

9767pd.png

Dopamine already has this feature. Go to settings - behaviour - and enable "Show an icon in notification area"

13 minutes ago, chrisj1968 said:

Do you have ANY plans to create a minimalized player? if I play an album and minimize it that, I can see the icon on my taskbar and hold my mouse pointer over it and have a stop, pause and play button?

 

<snip>

 

Just to show you it in action :)

 

MQLIjKN.png

 

 

Hi, I just installed this and after just a few minutes I already love it. In a lot of ways it's like a new version of Zune. To that end, if I may, I would like to make a couple of feature suggestions:

 

1. It would be nice to be able to move the borders between sections. e.g. The right-hand pane is much wider than it needs to be and that space could be used to show more album covers in the centre pane.

 

2. I use Sony's Media Go software with my Walkman and it has a great system for editing metadata. It allows you to edit a song, then move to the next/previous and repeat the action. You then apply all the changes at once when you are done. Here's a screen shot -

Shot.thumb.jpg.5e72f69192aaffb29050db64a

 

3. It would be awesome if the app included band bios and album reviews, like Windows Phone's music player does. You could do it easily enough by scrobbling data from Last.FM.

 

Overall, though, it seems really good so far and I am loving it! Thanks so much for taking the time to do this and sharing it with all of us.

On 2/9/2016 at 7:16 PM, accuratecopy said:

Love the new "now playing"! :woot:

I confirm the cover background bug, when i change track it disappears.
I still have the bug when i try to play a song for the first time, i got an error message.

 

I have a request on the "now playing" screen, it is possible to have another option to display more informations (normal tags, additional tags created by the user, bitrate, ...) on the playing track instead of playlist or maybe side by side with playlist? It would be awesome!

 

 

 

 

 

I've put nightly build 578 online. could you check if it solves the playback issue (where it doesn't work the first time)? You can get it here: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/xtihhv85o26qwnw/AABtfqFOkbFYIyBV6mmnbOEYa?dl=0

  • Like 1
2 hours ago, MotorMouth said:

Hi, I just installed this and after just a few minutes I already love it. In a lot of ways it's like a new version of Zune. To that end, if I may, I would like to make a couple of feature suggestions:

 

1. It would be nice to be able to move the borders between sections. e.g. The right-hand pane is much wider than it needs to be and that space could be used to show more album covers in the centre pane.

 

2. I use Sony's Media Go software with my Walkman and it has a great system for editing metadata. It allows you to edit a song, then move to the next/previous and repeat the action. You then apply all the changes at once when you are done. Here's a screen shot -

Shot.thumb.jpg.5e72f69192aaffb29050db64a

 

3. It would be awesome if the app included band bios and album reviews, like Windows Phone's music player does. You could do it easily enough by scrobbling data from Last.FM.

 

Overall, though, it seems really good so far and I am loving it! Thanks so much for taking the time to do this and sharing it with all of us.

Thanks for loving it :) 

 

Moving borders are planned.

The tagging features looks handy. I'll create a feature request in my tracking system. It'll have to check how much changes to the current system it would require.

  • Like 1
5 hours ago, Raphaël G. said:

I've put nightly build 578 online. could you check if it solves the playback issue (where it doesn't work the first time)? You can get it here: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/xtihhv85o26qwnw/AABtfqFOkbFYIyBV6mmnbOEYa?dl=0

The fix seems like to work, i didn't have the error message on first play after the update.

  • Like 1
6 hours ago, Ned said:

I just got the first play error, but I think it only happens when I've left the hard drive idle for a long time.  All my songs are on an external drive.

Could you send me the log?

Spoiler

2016-02-12 02:04:54.6084|Info|Dopamine.Application.ExecuteStartup|### STARTING Dopamine, version 1.0.0 (Build 578). IsPortable = False ###
2016-02-12 02:04:55.8081|Info|Axon.Axon.Main|CorePlayerService was started successfully
2016-02-12 02:04:56.1172|Info|Dopamine.Bootstrapper.InitializeWCFServices|CommandService was started successfully
2016-02-12 02:04:56.1172|Info|Dopamine.Bootstrapper.InitializeWCFServices|IndexingService was started successfully
2016-02-12 02:04:56.1293|Info|Dopamine.Bootstrapper.InitializeWCFServices|FileService was started successfully
2016-02-12 02:04:56.1293|Info|Dopamine.Bootstrapper.InitializeShell|Showing Main screen
2016-02-12 02:04:56.2035|Info|Dopamine.Common.Services.Indexing.IndexingService.TryStartIndexer|Trying to start the indexer.
2016-02-12 02:04:56.4359|Info|Synapse.Synapse.Main|<<< Synapse indexer started >>>
2016-02-12 02:04:56.4564|Info|Synapse.Synapse.Main|Validating process
2016-02-12 02:04:56.4564|Info|Synapse.Synapse.ValidateProcess|Commandline argument 1: IgnoreRemovedFiles = False
2016-02-12 02:04:56.4564|Info|Synapse.Synapse.Main|Initializing WCF proxies
2016-02-12 02:04:56.4964|Info|Synapse.Synapse.Main|Notifying the main application that the indexer is started
2016-02-12 02:04:56.5085|Info|Synapse.Synapse.Main|Waiting for the database
2016-02-12 02:04:56.5085|Info|Synapse.Synapse.WaitForDatabase|C:\Users\Brad Sarmir\AppData\Roaming\Dopamine\Dopamine.db was found. Proceeding.
2016-02-12 02:04:56.5085|Info|Synapse.Synapse.Main|Initializing the Indexing Worker
2016-02-12 02:04:56.6646|Info|Dopamine.Common.Services.Update.UpdateService.EnableUpdateCheck|Update check: checking for updates. AlsoCheckForPreReleases = False
2016-02-12 02:04:56.6646|Info|Dopamine.Common.Services.Update.UpdateService+VB$StateMachine_133_CheckForUpdatesAsync.MoveNext|Update check: current version = 1.0.0.578
2016-02-12 02:04:57.6425|Info|Dopamine.Common.Services.Update.UpdateService+VB$StateMachine_133_CheckForUpdatesAsync.MoveNext|Update check: latest online version = 1.0.0.570
2016-02-12 02:04:57.6465|Info|Dopamine.Common.Services.Update.UpdateService+VB$StateMachine_133_CheckForUpdatesAsync.MoveNext|Update check: no newer version was found.
2016-02-12 02:04:59.0656|Info|Synapse.Synapse.Main|Initializing the LifeBeat Timer
2016-02-12 02:04:59.0656|Info|Synapse.Synapse.Main|Starting the LifeBeat Timer
2016-02-12 02:04:59.0656|Info|Synapse.Synapse.Main|Indexing collection
2016-02-12 02:04:59.0876|Info|Dopamine.Core.Indexing.Indexer+VB$StateMachine_43_IndexTracksAsync.MoveNext|+++ STARTED INDEXING COLLECTION +++
2016-02-12 02:04:59.4726|Info|Dopamine.Core.Indexing.Indexer+VB$StateMachine_43_IndexTracksAsync.MoveNext|Tracks removed: 0. Tracks hidden: 0. Time required: 379 ms +++
2016-02-12 02:04:59.9443|Info|Dopamine.Core.Indexing.Indexer+VB$StateMachine_43_IndexTracksAsync.MoveNext|Tracks updated: 0. Time required: 232 ms +++
2016-02-12 02:04:59.9779|Info|Dopamine.Core.Indexing.Indexer+VB$StateMachine_43_IndexTracksAsync.MoveNext|Tracks added: 0. Time required: 29 ms +++
2016-02-12 02:05:00.9824|Info|Dopamine.Core.Indexing.Indexer+VB$StateMachine_43_IndexTracksAsync.MoveNext|+++ FINISHED INDEXING COLLECTION: Tracks removed: 0. Tracks hidden: 0. Tracks updated: 0. Tracks added: 0. Time required: 1889 ms +++
2016-02-12 02:05:00.9879|Info|Dopamine.Core.Indexing.Indexer+VB$StateMachine_44_IndexArtworkAsync.MoveNext|+++ STARTED INDEXING ARTWORK +++
2016-02-12 02:05:01.1467|Info|Dopamine.Core.Indexing.Indexer+VB$StateMachine_44_IndexArtworkAsync.MoveNext|+++ FINISHED INDEXING ARTWORK: Covers deleted from database: 0. Covers deleted from disk: 0. Covers updated: 0. Time required: 152 ms +++
2016-02-12 02:05:01.1627|Info|Dopamine.Common.Services.Update.UpdateService.EnableUpdateCheck|Update check: checking for updates. AlsoCheckForPreReleases = True
2016-02-12 02:05:01.1627|Info|Dopamine.Common.Services.Update.UpdateService+VB$StateMachine_133_CheckForUpdatesAsync.MoveNext|Update check: current version = 1.0.0.578
2016-02-12 02:05:01.1752|Info|Synapse.Synapse.Main|Notifying the main application that the indexer is stopped
2016-02-12 02:05:01.1752|Info|Synapse.Synapse.Main|Stopping the LifeBeat Timer
2016-02-12 02:05:01.1752|Info|Synapse.Synapse.Main|<<< Synapse indexer NORMAL stop >>>
2016-02-12 02:05:01.9769|Info|Dopamine.Common.Services.Update.UpdateService+VB$StateMachine_133_CheckForUpdatesAsync.MoveNext|Update check: latest online version = 1.0.0.570
2016-02-12 02:05:01.9769|Info|Dopamine.Common.Services.Update.UpdateService+VB$StateMachine_133_CheckForUpdatesAsync.MoveNext|Update check: no newer version was found.
2016-02-12 02:05:04.3507|Info|Dopamine.Common.Services.Playback.PlaybackService+VB$StateMachine_100_SaveQueuedTracksAsync.MoveNext|Saved queued tracks
2016-02-12 02:05:08.8553|Error|Axon.Axon.LifeBeatTimer_Elapsed|There was no LifeBeat for more than 1 seconds. Stopping now.
2016-02-12 02:05:08.9039|Error|Dopamine.Common.Services.Playback.PlaybackService.LifeBeatTimerElapsed|Could not send lifebeat to player application. Exception: The server did not provide a meaningful reply; this might be caused by a contract mismatch, a premature session shutdown or an internal server error.
2016-02-12 02:05:09.0005|Error|Dopamine.Common.Services.Playback.PlaybackService+VB$StateMachine_107_TryPlayAsync.MoveNext|Could not stop the Player
2016-02-12 02:05:09.0040|Error|Dopamine.Common.Services.Playback.PlaybackService+VB$StateMachine_107_TryPlayAsync.MoveNext|Could not play the file E:\Music\Video Game\Undertale\toby fox - UNDERTALE Soundtrack - 95 Bring It In, Guys!.mp3. LoopMode=None, Shuffle=True. Exception: The server did not provide a meaningful reply; this might be caused by a contract mismatch, a premature session shutdown or an internal server error.. StackTrace:    at System.Runtime.AsyncResult.End[TAsyncResult](IAsyncResult result)
   at System.ServiceModel.Channels.ServiceChannel.SendAsyncResult.End(SendAsyncResult result)
   at System.ServiceModel.Channels.ServiceChannel.EndCall(String action, Object[] outs, IAsyncResult result)
   at System.ServiceModel.Channels.ServiceChannelProxy.TaskCreator.<>c__DisplayClass6_0.<CreateTask>b__0(IAsyncResult asyncResult)
   at System.Threading.Tasks.TaskFactory`1.FromAsyncCoreLogic(IAsyncResult iar, Func`2 endFunction, Action`1 endAction, Task`1 promise, Boolean requiresSynchronization)
--- End of stack trace from previous location where exception was thrown ---
   at System.Runtime.CompilerServices.TaskAwaiter.ThrowForNonSuccess(Task task)
   at System.Runtime.CompilerServices.TaskAwaiter.HandleNonSuccessAndDebuggerNotification(Task task)
   at System.Runtime.CompilerServices.TaskAwaiter.GetResult()
   at Dopamine.Common.Services.Playback.PlaybackService.VB$StateMachine_107_TryPlayAsync.MoveNext()
2016-02-12 02:05:12.6231|Info|Dopamine.Common.Services.Playback.PlaybackService+VB$StateMachine_100_SaveQueuedTracksAsync.MoveNext|Saved queued tracks
2016-02-12 02:05:17.4055|Info|Axon.Axon.Main|CorePlayerService was started successfully
2016-02-12 02:05:21.8152|Info|Dopamine.Views.Shell+VB$StateMachine_8_PerformClosingTasksAsync.MoveNext|Performing closing tasks
2016-02-12 02:05:22.3179|Info|Dopamine.Common.Services.Playback.PlaybackService+VB$StateMachine_100_SaveQueuedTracksAsync.MoveNext|Saved queued tracks
2016-02-12 02:05:22.6298|Info|Dopamine.Views.Shell+VB$StateMachine_8_PerformClosingTasksAsync.MoveNext|### STOPPING Dopamine, version 1.0.0 (Build 578) ###
2016-02-12 02:05:24.4339|Error|Axon.Axon.LifeBeatTimer_Elapsed|There was no LifeBeat for more than 1 seconds. Stopping now.

 

 

2 hours ago, chrisj1968 said:

Thanks Skiver. I never even tried it. Been so busy with RL.

I used MusiX from pretty much release and Dopamine from the get go so although I've not been keeping up to date with the changes as much as I used to I know it pretty well I like to think, just happens in this case that I've had those options enabled for a while.

2 hours ago, Skiver said:

I used MusiX from pretty much release and Dopamine from the get go so although I've not been keeping up to date with the changes as much as I used to I know it pretty well I like to think, just happens in this case that I've had those options enabled for a while.

Aaah musiX. I'm feeling nostalgic now. Story time!

 

It's already 2 years ago (give or take a few days) that I released it. Back then, I just came back to Windows after years of Linux use. Why? Daytime job gave me an opportunity in a team that focused solely on Windows .NET software development. I wasn't put on development, but support and project execution (a few months ago I made it to developer, after putting quite some energy into it, a big achievement for me as I've finished my studies with 1 focus in mind: write software!). But I had to beat that curve like a boss (well, better than a boss) and went full Windows on all the devices I had. Then I realized I missed the simplicity of the music players which exist on Linux. Windows has a lot of options, but they're mostly bloated and complex to configure. I tried foobar2000, which is very very powerful (lots of respect for that developer), but it must be one of the most complex music players around. I searched for simplicity and minimalism and I found the foorbar2000 Zune skin, I installed it and noticed it missed an essential thing: a scroll bar. As this skin is based on Zune, I tried the Zune software, but found it an awful mess. Conclusion: Zune skin with no scroll bar, or awfully messy real Zune? :(

 

Then came the spark (bling, bang, boom, couldn't get rid of it). That simple idea, that grows in your brain and gets a hold of you. While driving. I told my wife: I'm going to write my own music player. She didn't think much of it back then and looked at me weird :). But the spark was there, and never left, and eventually musiX was born. We all know where that lead to :)

 

More useful news: testing is positive and my current build is stable, so I'll have a new public build for you tonight. So stay tuned! Changelog:

 

12-02-2016: Dopamine 1.0.0.582 (Preview)
 

- Now playing now has a list of playing songs
- It is now possible to add and remove songs from now playing
- Fixed the now playing screen background dissapearing when the next song in an album starts playing
- The last now playing list is remembered at the next startup
- Now playing background cross fades

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Here are other updates and releases you may find interesting: VS Code 1.123 introduces massive upgrades for persistent AI developer workflows Microsoft OneDrive is getting a simple yet much-needed feature Microsoft faces heat after quietly blocking promised Office features on Apple systems Microsoft resumes forced Copilot app installation on some Windows PCs Browser vendors pen an open letter to Microsoft, saying "enough is enough" Here are the latest drivers and firmware updates released this week: AMD Radeon Software 26.6.1 with optimizations for F1 25: 2026 Season, World of Tanks: HEAT, and various bug fixes. Reviews are in Here is the hardware and software we reviewed this week Steven Parker dropped more mini PC reviews this week. GEEKOM Air12 2026 Edition is a low-power, affordable computer with an Intel Tiger Lake Pentium Gold processor, up to 16GB of memory, and 512GB of storage, costing just $349. It is light, quiet, energy efficient, and has modern ports on the front. However, the front-facing USB Type-C is data-only, and there are some quirks with the computer's memory, so check out the full review. The AMD RX 9070 GRE has been released worldwide, and we published a benchmark review comparing this powerful graphics card to the RX 9070 XT, 7800 XT, the NVIDIA RTX 5070, and RTX 4070. It has solid, balanced performance, plenty of RAM, and low temperatures, but watch out for mediocre ray tracing performance and not the best efficiency. Also, we reviewed the Cuktech 10 Ultra, a compact, high-power charger with four ports and a big display full of various stats. This tiny charger can pull nearly 120W and spread that power according to each connected device's needs. It also comes with a high-quality 240W cable, three power modes, and retractable prongs. The best part? It is quite affordable, just make sure you have an outlet placed in the right spot to benefit from the built-in display. On the gaming side Learn about upcoming game releases, Xbox rumors, new hardware, software updates, freebies, deals, discounts, and more. Do you remember the ASUS ROG Xbox Ally, Microsoft's first handheld console designed in partnership with ASUS? This week, ASUS revealed a new version of the device to celebrate twenty years of its Republic of Gamers brand. The new ROG Xbox Ally X20 features an OLED display, a transforming D-Pad, TMR sticks, and other changes. However, the chip inside the console is still the same. Forza Horizon 6 launched last month to critical acclaim, but the game will soon have a new rival made by those who used to work on Forza Horizon titles. Mike Brown from Maverick Games announced Clutch, an upcoming racing game with a story-driven campaign, deep car customization, and rich multiplayer. The game is coming to PC, Xbox Series X|S, and PlayStation 5 in Spring 2027. The next update for Minecraft now has a release date. This week, Mojang announced that Chaos Cubed will be available on June 16, 2026. In addition, Mojang published a teaser of the next Minecraft movie. A Minecraft Movie Squared has now been confirmed for a release somewhere in 2027. NVIDIA GeForce Now is getting 18 new games in June. Those include Jurassic World Evolution 3, Fatekeeper, GOALS, Gothic 1 Remake, NTE: Neverness to Everness, and more. If you are a Game Pass subscriber, you can also get new games soon: Persona 5 Royal, Starseeker: Astroneer Expeditions, and more are coming to the service this month. Sumer Game Fest 2026 happened this week, where we saw plenty of new games, including Alien Isolation 2, Final Fantasy VII Remake Part 3, Gen Atlas from the Shadow of the Colossus creator, a new Cuphead game in 8-bit style, a new expansion for Mafia: The Old Country, and more. Finally, here are this week's Weekend PC Game Deals, full of discounts and the latest freebies from the Epic Games Store. Other gaming news includes the following: God of War Laufey announced, introducing Kratos' wife as the new protagonist Ori studio's No Rest for the Wicked 1.0 release and console plans announced Microsoft launches Godot Sample to streamline Xbox PC game development on the engine Great deals to check Every week, we cover many deals on different hardware and software. The following discounts are still available, so check them out. You might find something you want or need. Samsung 990 PRO SSD 2TB NVMe - $389.99 | 39% off Sonos Sub 4 - Wireless Subwoofer - $759 | 16% off Logitech MX Creative Console - $159.99 | 20% off This link will take you to other issues of the Microsoft Weekly series. You can also support Neowin by registering for a free member account or subscribing for extra member benefits, along with an ad-free tier option.
    • Let's goooooooo! I've been loving the entries so far! I still have to finish Rebirth (things have been busy!)! Excited for this next installment.
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