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Posted by
Astrotoy7 
Greetings!
The TVPack Update 2008(aka Fiji) was a hit and miss affair, enabling some handy features but at the expense of other features users have become accustomed to.
One such feature (less controversial in the scheme of things) was the use of custom themes, either via the use of apps like MediacenterFX or custom built themes like the black theme made by AMCC member JN Ridgeway. This theme is my personal favourite, as it suits my av equipment and room nicely. It is mildly reminscent of the PS3 interface.
[IMG]http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc288/Astrotoy7/mcewlogo.jpg[/IMG]
How?
This is only possible by using a Resource Editor, commonly called Resource Hackers by those into modding/skinning in the gaming world.
Two such programs are Resource Tuner and Restorator
The key to this discovery (for me) was coming across a blog entry from a TGB member who managed to make his own Fiji happy ehres.dll file. So feel free to check out Steve H's blog entry about skinning Fiji/My Movies2. He has been kind enough to share his (quite bright!) custom theme which is quite useful in making your own...
The next revelation came when speaking to some colleagues elsewhere who were familiar with fiddling with Windows resources, be they for modding games or skinning aero. With this I was pointed towards another Resource hacker called Restorator. I must admit, Restorator is the bees knees, supporting image drag and drop to edit and significantly saving time :)
*If anyone knows of an equivalent freeware option, please share your discovery!*
nb. I did find one called 'ResHacker' but it was not suitable for the purposes of image resource editing :(
TVPack 2008 has made some changes to the interface and as as result the ehres.dll file that contains the constituent images has now altered in a way that makes a pre-Fiji theme file no longer compatible. With the skin redesign for Windows 7, this also applies (of course)
Unfortunately, the Mediacenterfx project is now defunct, though people like the Window Media Center Theme Project seemed to have taken over the mantle. Despite their work, TVPack support has not yet been enabled.
So, is there a solution for those wanting TVPack2008 or W7 Custom themes ? Luckily yes. However, it isnt an entirely easy solution - although 'building your own theme' never was :p
What Will You Need?
1. Resource Hacker
A Program that enables you to access ehres.dll and its constituent resource(image files)
2. Patience !
The image resources file for the VMC skin contains over 1000 images. Whilst you only need to edit less than a third of these, its still pretty time consuming.
3. Image Editing Program of Your choice.
It really depends on what you want to achieve. I was able to swap in many of the modded images from JNs black theme> if you want to come up with something unique from scratch, be aware that you will need to edit the images yourself. nb. If there is custom vmc theme you were previously using, thats a much easier way to do it than making them all yourself. Using Resource Tuner you can swap in many of the custom themes images. There are several types that wont have an equivalent, so its best to make those by altering copies of existing images..They're all just coloured boxes and lines after all! :p
Are you game? If so, read on:
Making Your Own Theme for Fiji or Windows 7
*This assumes youve already updated to TVPack 2008 >> If you haven't, you should Read This First!. For Windows 7, Ive had no problems opening and tweaking the ehres.dll from 6801 and beta 1, though I cant see any reason why any previous versions wouldnt open ;)
Here's what you need to do:
1. Download dll editor.
Resource Tuner and Restorator have trial editions if you would like to use that (links above) I must admit that my default Fiji and W7 theme did not open in ResTuner but did in Restorator. However, ResTuner worked fine in editing the modded Fiji skin from Steve H's blog.
2. Make a copy/backup of your ehres.dll
As per previous custom themes, its best install the take ownership registry key > this allows you to R.click a file > select take ownership of it and work with it. The key is available HERE. Download/click to deploy ;)
After taking ownership of the ehres.dll in the
C>Windows>ehome (default) folder, do a copy and past into a separate location, such as your desktop, so you can modidy that rather than the original.
Creating a backup of the original:
You can do this by simply copy and paste another copy into a separate location, or by R.click>rename and rename the file to ehres.dll.bak
Now, here's where I hit a snag >> I couldnt get Resource Tuner to open my 'fiji' ehres.dll. When I tried this on another pc, there was no issue. I couldnt be bothered trying to figure it out, so downloaded Steve H's custom theme and tested that it worked for starters. [It did, and it was very bright!]
It worked out well as Steve's theme is so bright it makes it quite easy to spot the files you need to change!
He has simply replaced the default vista blue to his desired files.
Editing the files.
Using your favored dll editor, open the ehres.dll. If it has opened correctly, you will see a number of folders within it. The one called 'RC Data' contains all the images that make up the VMC skin. ResTuner will quite handily display a preview of the image.
[IMG]http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc288/Astrotoy7/ReTuner.png[/IMG]
Suggested next step >
Before you go compiling anything back into the ehres.dll its good to have a backup of the images already in it. You can extract the whole RC Data folder by R clicking it and selecting 'Save Multiple Resources at Once.'
You can then get into windows and view thumbails to allow you to zero in on files that need to be changed. With Steve H's theme being a bright orange, you should have no difficulty spotting what these are.
If you prefer to play around with the black theme, or simply want to use it >> you can find it HERE
Made it this far? Well done > keep going!
Slowly and steadily, go through and edit your images. Do it in short sessions lest you go batty. Its all listed alphabetically so its easy to not what you are up to.
Please make sure you save and test your theme at regular intervals. testing it is the best way of figuring out what goes where.
* * *
Hence, after all that >> the pretty black theme is now back :)
[IMG]http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc288/Astrotoy7/FijiBlackTheme.png[/IMG]
Windows 7
**Important: There are now x64 and x86 specific versions of the theme. Please only use the one that corresponds to what you have in your setup !!**
Thank you to AMCC members and others for the prompt heads up ;) !!
Please keep this in mind for making your own W7MC theme or using other themes. ie. If you are using an ehres.dll from an x64 setup, then that will ONLY work in another x64 setup.
I had started started chipping away at the W7 ehres.dll for pre beta 1 builds, but a number of images were added for Build 7000/7016. After much fiddling - now it's done!!
[IMG]http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc288/Astrotoy7/w7blacknew.png[/IMG]
http://i215.photobuc...kScreenCaps.png
Black theme ready to go in W7 is good news IMO :D
UPDATE: The Black Theme for Windows 7MC Build 7000 is ready > click the banner to download! (Remember to choose the correct version - x86 or x64)
[IMG]http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc288/Astrotoy7/W7BlackBanner.png[/IMG]
EDIT: I have created a tweaked "Transperent Edition" for those that would like full transperency when you are in start menu, guide or mini guide during playback. I watch alot of sports and find it quite handy ;) Same download location as above, make sure you pick correct version of course.
Astro's Black for Windows 7 MC [Transperent Edition] x86 Version
Astros Black for Windows 7MC [Transperent Edition] x64 version
[IMG]http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc288/Astrotoy7/7MCTransperencies.png[/IMG]
Feel free to leave comments on this blog entry or at this thread
If anyone else has created a custom theme, either for Fiji or W7 feel free to share your hard work!
Good luck
Astro
The TVPack Update 2008(aka Fiji) was a hit and miss affair, enabling some handy features but at the expense of other features users have become accustomed to.
One such feature (less controversial in the scheme of things) was the use of custom themes, either via the use of apps like MediacenterFX or custom built themes like the black theme made by AMCC member JN Ridgeway. This theme is my personal favourite, as it suits my av equipment and room nicely. It is mildly reminscent of the PS3 interface.
[IMG]http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc288/Astrotoy7/mcewlogo.jpg[/IMG]
How?
This is only possible by using a Resource Editor, commonly called Resource Hackers by those into modding/skinning in the gaming world.
Two such programs are Resource Tuner and Restorator
The key to this discovery (for me) was coming across a blog entry from a TGB member who managed to make his own Fiji happy ehres.dll file. So feel free to check out Steve H's blog entry about skinning Fiji/My Movies2. He has been kind enough to share his (quite bright!) custom theme which is quite useful in making your own...
The next revelation came when speaking to some colleagues elsewhere who were familiar with fiddling with Windows resources, be they for modding games or skinning aero. With this I was pointed towards another Resource hacker called Restorator. I must admit, Restorator is the bees knees, supporting image drag and drop to edit and significantly saving time :)
*If anyone knows of an equivalent freeware option, please share your discovery!*
nb. I did find one called 'ResHacker' but it was not suitable for the purposes of image resource editing :(
TVPack 2008 has made some changes to the interface and as as result the ehres.dll file that contains the constituent images has now altered in a way that makes a pre-Fiji theme file no longer compatible. With the skin redesign for Windows 7, this also applies (of course)
Unfortunately, the Mediacenterfx project is now defunct, though people like the Window Media Center Theme Project seemed to have taken over the mantle. Despite their work, TVPack support has not yet been enabled.
So, is there a solution for those wanting TVPack2008 or W7 Custom themes ? Luckily yes. However, it isnt an entirely easy solution - although 'building your own theme' never was :p
What Will You Need?
1. Resource Hacker
A Program that enables you to access ehres.dll and its constituent resource(image files)
2. Patience !
The image resources file for the VMC skin contains over 1000 images. Whilst you only need to edit less than a third of these, its still pretty time consuming.
3. Image Editing Program of Your choice.
It really depends on what you want to achieve. I was able to swap in many of the modded images from JNs black theme> if you want to come up with something unique from scratch, be aware that you will need to edit the images yourself. nb. If there is custom vmc theme you were previously using, thats a much easier way to do it than making them all yourself. Using Resource Tuner you can swap in many of the custom themes images. There are several types that wont have an equivalent, so its best to make those by altering copies of existing images..They're all just coloured boxes and lines after all! :p
Are you game? If so, read on:
Making Your Own Theme for Fiji or Windows 7
*This assumes youve already updated to TVPack 2008 >> If you haven't, you should Read This First!. For Windows 7, Ive had no problems opening and tweaking the ehres.dll from 6801 and beta 1, though I cant see any reason why any previous versions wouldnt open ;)
Here's what you need to do:
1. Download dll editor.
Resource Tuner and Restorator have trial editions if you would like to use that (links above) I must admit that my default Fiji and W7 theme did not open in ResTuner but did in Restorator. However, ResTuner worked fine in editing the modded Fiji skin from Steve H's blog.
2. Make a copy/backup of your ehres.dll
As per previous custom themes, its best install the take ownership registry key > this allows you to R.click a file > select take ownership of it and work with it. The key is available HERE. Download/click to deploy ;)
After taking ownership of the ehres.dll in the
C>Windows>ehome (default) folder, do a copy and past into a separate location, such as your desktop, so you can modidy that rather than the original.
Creating a backup of the original:
You can do this by simply copy and paste another copy into a separate location, or by R.click>rename and rename the file to ehres.dll.bak
Now, here's where I hit a snag >> I couldnt get Resource Tuner to open my 'fiji' ehres.dll. When I tried this on another pc, there was no issue. I couldnt be bothered trying to figure it out, so downloaded Steve H's custom theme and tested that it worked for starters. [It did, and it was very bright!]
It worked out well as Steve's theme is so bright it makes it quite easy to spot the files you need to change!
He has simply replaced the default vista blue to his desired files.
Editing the files.
Using your favored dll editor, open the ehres.dll. If it has opened correctly, you will see a number of folders within it. The one called 'RC Data' contains all the images that make up the VMC skin. ResTuner will quite handily display a preview of the image.
[IMG]http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc288/Astrotoy7/ReTuner.png[/IMG]
Suggested next step >
Before you go compiling anything back into the ehres.dll its good to have a backup of the images already in it. You can extract the whole RC Data folder by R clicking it and selecting 'Save Multiple Resources at Once.'
You can then get into windows and view thumbails to allow you to zero in on files that need to be changed. With Steve H's theme being a bright orange, you should have no difficulty spotting what these are.
If you prefer to play around with the black theme, or simply want to use it >> you can find it HERE
Made it this far? Well done > keep going!
Slowly and steadily, go through and edit your images. Do it in short sessions lest you go batty. Its all listed alphabetically so its easy to not what you are up to.
Please make sure you save and test your theme at regular intervals. testing it is the best way of figuring out what goes where.
* * *
Hence, after all that >> the pretty black theme is now back :)
[IMG]http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc288/Astrotoy7/FijiBlackTheme.png[/IMG]
Windows 7
**Important: There are now x64 and x86 specific versions of the theme. Please only use the one that corresponds to what you have in your setup !!**
Thank you to AMCC members and others for the prompt heads up ;) !!
Please keep this in mind for making your own W7MC theme or using other themes. ie. If you are using an ehres.dll from an x64 setup, then that will ONLY work in another x64 setup.
I had started started chipping away at the W7 ehres.dll for pre beta 1 builds, but a number of images were added for Build 7000/7016. After much fiddling - now it's done!!
[IMG]http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc288/Astrotoy7/w7blacknew.png[/IMG]
http://i215.photobuc...kScreenCaps.png
Black theme ready to go in W7 is good news IMO :D
UPDATE: The Black Theme for Windows 7MC Build 7000 is ready > click the banner to download! (Remember to choose the correct version - x86 or x64)
[IMG]http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc288/Astrotoy7/W7BlackBanner.png[/IMG]
EDIT: I have created a tweaked "Transperent Edition" for those that would like full transperency when you are in start menu, guide or mini guide during playback. I watch alot of sports and find it quite handy ;) Same download location as above, make sure you pick correct version of course.
Astro's Black for Windows 7 MC [Transperent Edition] x86 Version
Astros Black for Windows 7MC [Transperent Edition] x64 version
[IMG]http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc288/Astrotoy7/7MCTransperencies.png[/IMG]
Feel free to leave comments on this blog entry or at this thread
If anyone else has created a custom theme, either for Fiji or W7 feel free to share your hard work!
Good luck
Astro
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