[Release] CD Art Display RC6


Recommended Posts

it doesnt see my foobar either...it closes itself after a few seconds Gavin because you have it set to "exit when player is ended." I'm trying to get CAD to currently see my foobar setup, hopefully it will work.

:::I do have winamp installed, and pointing to C:\Program Files\Winamp\winamp.exe did the trick :D

Just find out about this and here are my thoughts on RC6. I'm using Windows Vista by the way...

- When no song is being played, the skin is still on the desktop. I think this should fade out and completely disappear and when a song starts again it should fade in quickly.

- If I start to play a song and then stop it, the song info remains on screen, it should be gone. Better yet is to implement my suggestion above.

- Maybe you could implement an option to "click through"?

- "Pin to Desktop" makes the whole skin disappear (in Vista at least), however, if I right-click somewhere in the vicinity of the skin, the right-click menu popups up anyway.

- Right now, I don't have any covers for my song collection but I started playing a song and decided to test the search cover function with the internal browser. I found a cover and applied it. Now the weird part... I couldn't locate the jpg file anywhere... I right clicked on it and selected the "view" option and I could see it in Windows Photo Gallery, even the location for the file (it was on C:\Program Files\CD Art Display\Covers) but I opened the folder and the file wasn't there? I clicked the "open" option in Windows Photo Gallery to open the jpg file in Paint.NET, but the file couldn't be opened cause it couldn't be found. Then, I deleted it through Windows Photo Gallery and it worked, the file was somehow deleted cause I tried to refresh the song I was playing and the cover wasn't there anymore on the skin (it was there all the time after downloading it).

Now a question... The rate feature is integrated with the one in the system/windows media player 11 or do you keep the ratings in a separate database?

Nazgulled

- such feature is in my to do list

- idem

- I'll consider it after 1.0 final

- Pin to Desktop does not work on Vista (the build I'm working on right now will disable it for Vista): for some reason I can't pin a layered window on the desktop anymore and a solution for that was not found yet. It's a Vista limitation.

- Since you're using Vista try to change the location where CAD saves the covers. Just go to CAD "Control Panel>Read cover" and select another "Cover folder". Go to "Control Panel>Download" to change where CAD saves a downloaded cover. Note that CAD is very flexible and you can save the cover in any folder, including the current song folder. See Help for details. Next CAD version, if I don't forget :) , CAD will not use the folder where it is installed to save "Covers" and "Lyrics" since Vista won't let use it unless you give the rights...

- Ratings: for most of the players CAD uses the player database (like in Winamp, WMP11, AlbumPlayer). Some players don't have such database or interface then CAD can store ratings (e.g. foobar2000).

Thanks for the input...

- There must be a way somehow to pin to the desktop in Vista... We just don't know how yet!

- About the covers, I think I'll skip that, I'm in the process of placing the covers in the mp3 tags... It will be better this way cause I have very misc songs in the same folder and I want media player to also recognize these covers for individual files... If I paste the cover into mediaplayer, it will be stretched to 200x200 and that sucks... So, placing them in the mp3 tags is the best option IMO...

Is there any mailing list or something or should I just track this topic?

Nazgulled, I received the same error on the covers. This is what you need to do to ensure it saves, and is quite weird.

When you point to the cover folder ex C:\Program Files\CAD\Covers\ make sure when you hit save it is "x:\Program Files\CAD\Covers" NOT "x:\Program Files\CAD\Covers\"....when you hit save, and look back it will have the \ on it, but from then on in it will save to the correct location.

I tampered with this for a while and found the extra \ to cause the glitch. Tell me if it works for you as well.

First of all: Great Program, used it 2 Minuets, loved it! :)

Heres a question: I already got many covers for my iTunes Library (in the id3 tags) but CAD won't show them to me....is there any way to make this work?

All I ever see:

post-21406-1175868835.jpg

Edited by Creamy
First of all: Great Program, used it 2 Minuets, loved it! :)

Heres a question: I already got many covers for my iTunes Library (in the id3 tags) but CAD won't show them to me....is there any way to make this work?

All I ever see:

If you're using iTunes CAD should get the cover from iTunes.

If you're using another player (e.g. Winamp) make sure to have "Read ID3v2 Tag Cover" in your "Control Panel>Read Cover" list.

If you're using iTunes + Vista maybe you should allow all rights for CAD folder.

Next CAD version there'll be some Vista tweaks.

read cover

Interesting. It should work with or without the "\" at the end...

I was wondering if there is a way to improve the shadow under the lettering, for example this is a similar app (coversutra I think) on the mac:

It's a small detail, but I think it would make a difference.

I was not able to reproduce such shadow yet but it's something I'd like to add for sure!

Thanks man, this is exactly what my desktop was missing, i love it, everything is working right with mine.

I tweaked it a little and i ended up with this, it looks awesome:

...

Keep up the good work, cant wait to use 1.0 :cool:

Nice touch! :)

By the way here's what is coming next:

round.jpg

- Round corner for cover area

- new mirror engine

- set mirror size

- toolbar (menu and playback buttons) on mouse over

- skinned interface for lyrics

- notifier alike style

- improved all fade in/out procedures

- current song time as a tag

- Vista tweaks and more...

cadrc7.jpg

:cool:

I've been following this software for a while and eventually I decided to give it a try now that it's close to final. It's pretty nice with Itunes on my new lapotp so far but I've some questions. I just started using Itunes now because my old laptop was too slow. I have some questions so any assistance would be most helpful.

Is there any way to configure the following:

1) Show the total time of the song next to the current time like (2:01 / 5:23)

2) Scroll the song text/artist. This is because some Indian songs/artists have humongous names and when wrapped around it doesn't look as pretty.

3) Hotkeys for Volume Up, Volume Down, Repeat (within playlist, song), Shuffle?

4) Lyrics Windows To be Always On Top

5) Is there a way to automatically tag lyrics to the played song if lyrics are blank? I am not sure think EvilLyrics with an script might do this but its UI is not as good. (If not, how can it be done elegantly?)

6) I haven't tried the Album Art feature yet but does the song have to be in the current folder of the song (if so with what type of filename) or tagged within the song?

7) Is there a way to tag multiple art covers within the song? If so how? (If not, how can it be done elegantly?)

8) What skin would you recommend? I'm a sucker for displaying the maximum amount of information per song while still looking pretty.

Thanks in advance and for a great software. Hope improvements keep coming!

This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Posts

    • Glow 26.9 by Razvan Serea Glow provides detailed reporting on every hardware component in your computer, saving you valuable time typically spent searching for CPU, motherboard, RAM, graphics card, and other stats. With Glow, all the information is conveniently presented in one clean interface, allowing you to easily access and review the comprehensive hardware details of your system. Glow provides detailed information on various system aspects, including OS, motherboard, processor, memory, graphics card, storage, network, battery, drivers, and services. The well-organized format ensures easy access to the required information. You can export all the gathered data to a plain text file, facilitating sharing with others for troubleshooting purposes. No installation needed. Just decompress the archive, launch the executable, and access computer-related information. Glow runs on Windows 11 and Windows 10 64-bit versions. Glow 26.9 changelog: New Features The processor hardware detection engine has been significantly enhanced beyond traditional Intel and AMD architectures. Native support is now available for modern platforms such as Apple Silicon (M-Series) and the newly introduced NVIDIA Spark. In addition, all ARM-based processors can now be accurately distinguished between ARM32 and ARM64 architectures, providing precise hardware reporting. This marks a major milestone for Glow's hardware detection capabilities. The RAM manufacturer identification algorithm has been expanded. JEDEC vendor codes for popular brands such as Patriot, PNY, Team Group, GeIL, Lexar (Longsys), and Asgard/Gloway have been integrated into the database. This significantly reduces the likelihood of incorrect or "Unknown Manufacturer" results and improves overall hardware detection accuracy. New Public IP Address and Internet Service Provider (ISP) features have been added to the Network section. To ensure reliability, this information is retrieved from the trusted service ipwho.is. When Hiding Mode is enabled, no requests are sent and these features remain hidden, as they may expose sensitive information. The search engine used in the Installed Drivers, Installed Services, and Installed Applications sections has been enhanced. You can now perform more flexible and accurate searches using initials, partial matches, and loosely arranged character sequences. The TS Preloader loading bar has been rebuilt using our modern TS Custom Controls graphics library, developed entirely in-house. As a result of this infrastructure upgrade, the loading bar now features smooth rendering and rounded corners that align with the visual style of Windows 11. [TS Updater] A new validation algorithm has been added to check whether the target application is currently running before the update process begins. Bug Fixes Resolved a condition that could prevent TS Preloader from shutting down safely during rare application crash scenarios. Fixed a text alignment issue in the Network section affecting the display of DNS addresses. Alignment is now rendered correctly. [TS Updater] Fixed an issue that could prevent the updated application's executable "*.exe" file from being located after the update process. [TS Updater] Fixed a bug that could leave outdated "*.sha256" files in the application directory after an update. [TS Updater] Fixed a rare issue that could cause subfolders to be moved into the root directory after an update. [TS Updater] Fixed an issue during the first launch that could cause flickering and a temporary white window appearance due to Windows Defender interactions. Changes A small improvement has been made to the internet connectivity detection algorithm. Connectivity checks are now performed in the background with minimal impact on the user interface thread. The keyboard shortcuts in the top menu have been reorganized and simplified to provide a consistent experience across all Türkaysoft applications and to avoid potential conflicts with standard Windows shortcuts. The TS Preloader splash image has been updated with a Türkiye-themed stadium design to celebrate Türkiye's qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup—its first appearance in 24 years. Congratulations, Türkiye! The TS Custom Controls module has been updated to version 26.6, delivering improved stability and a more polished visual appearance. [TS Updater] The application icon has been redesigned to provide a more modern and refined look. Note: Always unzip the program before using it. Otherwise you may get an error. Download: Glow 26.9 | 1.8 MB (Open Source) Links: Glow Homepage | Screenshot | Github Get alerted to all of our Software updates on Twitter at @NeowinSoftware
    • DWARF mini review: the world's smallest smart telescope for night and day sky captures by Steven Parker DWARFLAB reached out to me asking if I was interested in checking out the DWARF mini, which is a portable astronomy telescope designed for amateur astronomers. Why do I say it's for amateurs? Well, for starters, it's not what you'd call "high end"; it's more of a professional-grade starting point for amateurs serious about capturing what's up there in our night and day skies. A typical amateur astronomer is most likely thousands of dollars deep into the hobby, and I will make no claims that this DWARF mini (at a fraction of the cost) could replace it all, okay? Well, if you read on, it will be clearer what I am trying to convey. Disclosure: DWARFLAB provided a free sample without any editorial input or review pre-approval. I have always been interested in looking up and observing the night sky. I see satellites crossing the sky above my garden most nights, and I am always looking at the moon. Yeah, I have a 200MP camera on my phone, but at 200X zoom, AI takes over and makes the pretty moon pictures that I snap, the DWARF mini does not, you get an actual true picture of what you can barely see with the naked eye. Before we start, let's share the highlights of the DWARF mini in bite-sized format: Pocket-Sized & Ultra-Lightweight Weighing just 1.85 lbs (840g), the DWARF mini easily fits into a backpack or large pocket. Its all-in-one, compact design makes it the ultimate grab-and-go digital telescope for hiking, camping, or traveling to dark-sky locations. Intuitive App Control & Built-in Sky Atlas Go from unboxing to your first shot in just 3 minutes! The DWARFLAB App provides a seamless experience with an interactive star map. Simply select your target and start exploring without the steep learning curve of traditional setups. Auto GOTO & 360° Pivot Freedom Enjoy pinpoint automated tracking with full 360° rotation. Powered by a high-sensitivity Sony IMX662 sensor (1/2.8-inch, 2.9μm pixels), it captures amazing, low-noise astro details, bringing faint nebulas and star clusters to life with stunning clarity. Pro-Level EQ Mode & Long Exposure Unlock advanced deep-space imaging with Equatorial (EQ) Mode. Supporting impressive single-frame exposures up to 90 seconds and featuring built-in light pollution filters, it easily cuts through city glow to reveal intricate celestial structures. Smart Cloud Processing & All-Ages Fun Effortlessly enhance your raw data with integrated cloud processing for professional-grade results. Perfect for beginners, kids, and adults, this telescope makes exploring and sharing the wonders of the universe an exciting, family-friendly adventure. The packaging is a pretty minimal affair with the outer box opening like a flap to reveal the plastic mould of the DWARF mini sitting in it. Below, the Sun filter, charging cable, cleaning cloth, and documentation can be found. DWARFLAB also provided a Mini Hydraulic Tripod ($89.99), and I highly recommend getting it if you plan on purchasing the DWARF mini, as it fully supports the motorized tracking feature of the telescope; plus, at 840g, the weight of the telescope, you will need a tripod that supports more than the weight of a smartphone anyway. What's in the box DWARF Mini Smart Telescope × 1 Sun Filter x 1 Type-C to Type-C Cord x 1 Cleaning Cloth x 1 User Guide With that out of the way, here are the full specs: DWARF mini Dimensions (DWH): 60.70 mm x 100.38 × 183.61 (2.39" x 3.95" x 7.23") Weight: 840g (1.85lbs) Aperture diameter: 30 mm (telephoto), 3.4 mm (wide angle) Image Sensor: SONY IMX662 1/2.8" (Telephoto) OmniVision OS02K10 1/2.8" (Wide-angle) Focal length: 150 mm (telephoto), 6.7 mm (wide-angle) Equivalent focal length: 1016 mm (telephoto), 45 mm (wide-angle) Shutter Speed: Tele - 1/10000-90s, Wide - 1/10000-30s Maximum exposure time: 90s (telephoto & wide-angle), Both in EQ mode Rotation range: Lens: 225°, Base: 360° Effective Pixels: 2.07M Maximum Resolution: 1920 × 1080 (Telephoto & Wide-angle) Built-in filters: Astro, Dark, Duo-Band (Telephoto), Astro (Wide-angle) Output: JPG, FITS, TIFF, MP4 Shooting Mode: Photos, Videos, Astronomy, Burst Shooting, Time-lapse Photography Storage: 64 GB Battery: Built-in 7000 mAh, supports external USB charging Charging Port: Type-C NPU: 1 TOPS Features: WiFi, NFC NFC One-Touch Connection Astronomy Post-Processing/Appointment Shooting/Astronomy Mosaic Wi-Fi Transmission Range: 15m (open environment) Color: Black Compatibility: iOS & Android smartphones/tablets Warranty: 2-years (24-months) MSRP: $399 Design Charge port On/off button Lens On the DWARF mini itself, it is a pretty minimal affair. On one side, there is a Type-C USB port to charge the non-removable 7000 mAh battery, and on the other side, a large button to power on or off the telescope. The button is flanked by an LED that is green when connected via the DWARFLAB app, or lights up red when being powered off. Below the button, there are four LEDs that indicate battery power. The DWARF mini does not have any sharp edges as all sides are rounded off; it has a good heft to it, but the weight of it feels quite balanced in the hand, so it isn't top or bottom-heavy. On the front there is the DWARFLAB logo which is quite small and there are no other markings on it. The tripod offers full 360° rotation of the motorized base, which allows for tracking for the time-lapse mode, but also for the 90-second captures of nearer objects in the sky, such as the Sun or the moon. Usage To get started, simply power on the DWARF mini and open the DWARFLAB app, tap on Connect, and it will scan for the DWARF mini over the Wi-Fi network. The device supports both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz Wi-Fi, as well as Bluetooth for discovery, so connection issues were minimal in my experience with it. As previously noted in the specs, the DWARF mini will stay connected with a phone or tablet up to 15 meters in an open environment, such as a backyard. Lighting status Powering on: The green circular light will rotate and breathe in turn Powering off: The red circular light is gradually extinguished Connecting: Green light strip rotating Connected: Green light strip solid/always on 4 lights 1= 0-25%, 2= 25-50%, 3= 50-75%, 4= 75-100% battery power To view the full lighting status, such as tracking mode and connection failure, you can check the user guide on the official DWARFLAB page. DWARFLAB app Above, you can see the steps undertaken to connect the DWARFLAB app to my Galaxy S26 Ultra. Weirdly, I got an alert that a firmware update failed to get uploaded to the DWARF mini the first time, but upon retrying, it worked. Then place the DWARF mini outside, make sure your smartphone or tablet is connected to it, and then head back inside, because you can manage it from the comfort of your home. Simply enter the Atlas tab in the app and search for what you want to capture, and then tap on the camera icon; the DWARF mini will then attempt to track the object and give you a live view right on your connected device. Results I've had the DWARF mini since April, but even though my garden is south-facing, I had a lot of trouble trying to capture a good image of the moon. In the end, it was possible after I took it with me on a trip to my parents in Southend, UK, at the end of May. Here is a capture of the moon, resulting from 20 stacked images over a 90-second exposure. What you are seeing here is not AI-assisted. A good example of what I mean is the latest flagships with their 200MP cameras claiming to capture things like closeups of the moon, and while they are not as good as the above example on the DWARF mini, the resulting image on smartphones is actually AI-assisted above 30X zoom. Here is an example of a similar shot at the moon at 200X zoom using an HONOR Magic8 Pro. The difference is clear. Next, here we have a shot of the daytime moon. Here is a shot of Arcturus, the red giant star, which is the fourth brightest in the night sky. As previously mentioned, it could be a bit clearer, but clouds passing in front of it muddied the shot a bit. The Sun The DWARF mini also ships with a sun filter, meaning you can take great shots of the sun as well. Tracking Sun Resulting (stacked) shot Live zoom The pictures themselves are limited to Full HD, and some of the examples actually came out in HD (1280x720), but this is because the standard telescopic result is in 720p while "Wide" is in 1080p. Above you can see how in the app the Sun is tracked, the resulting capture, and Live zoom. I have only scratched the surface of what is possible with this telescope; I found several examples online of shots of the Milky Way, among others, such as nebulae and galaxies. All of this requires patience and knowledge, although if you know what you are looking for, simply enter it in the Atlas tab in the DWARFLAB app, tap the camera icon, and the telescope will attempt to track it. Conclusion The good The DWARF mini definitely places itself in a price point that makes astrology accessible to anyone looking to get started in the hobby. Say you want to have a closer look at the moon, simply enter it in the Atlas, and the Live view also lets you zoom in and snap pictures. The bad Some issues I came across while operating the DWARF mini were that it sometimes failed to connect unless I held my smartphone right next to it, and finding and tracking sometimes took several attempts to get it calibrated. I discovered that it helped if I sort of positioned and pointed the telescope in the general area it was supposed to detect, but this obviously wouldn't work with objects you can't see with the naked eye; more testing is required for that. Another bit of advice is to ensure that the lens is clean. While making the examples of live zooming on the sun, I discovered that the telescope lens and sun filter were not completely clean, and only after cleaning with a microfiber cloth was I able to get a decent shot of the sun. Where to buy and a coupon Okay, $399 is not cheap for a side hobby, but nor is a $1,500 smartphone flagship that you'll most likely have for a couple of years. This is a one-time entrance into astrology, and it won't become obsolete in one year like a smartphone. It's a thumbs up from me. The DWARF mini is available to buy right now in the U.S. and U.K. at the links below. DWARF mini for $399 on the official site DWARF mini for $399 on Amazon U.S. Use the NEOWIN5OFF coupon code for an additional 5% off at checkout (expires June 21) As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
    • Adobe Acrobat Reader Dis Continued
    • The name, you mean? If so, it's actually the objects common name. There's another one called NGC 7293 which is also known as Helix Nebula (because we're looking at a helix structure top down) but other times also known as the Eye of God. You'll understand when you see it
    • Welcome to Neowin! Enjoy your stay!
  • Recent Achievements

    • One Month Later
      lamborghiniv10 earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • Week One Done
      lamborghiniv10 earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • Reacting Well
      X-No-file earned a badge
      Reacting Well
    • One Month Later
      pestcontrol46 earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • Week One Done
      pestcontrol46 earned a badge
      Week One Done
  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      505
    2. 2
      PsYcHoKiLLa
      272
    3. 3
      Skyfrog
      75
    4. 4
      +Edouard
      71
    5. 5
      FloatingFatMan
      69
  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!