MPH (Media Player Hotkeys)

[Checker]

[Moderator note: this is the primary MPH thread. View database entry]

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I added MPH to the database.
http://www.portablefreeware.com/index.php?id=2211 ... please vote

[webfork]

I added MPH to the database.
http://www.portablefreeware.com/index.php?id=2211 ... please vote

Outstanding idea -- I wish I'd thought of it.

[webfork]

Its been a while since I've been really impressed by a program. Tested on Win XP SP3 with AIMP, VLC, and an old version of WinAmp using keys ctrl+alt+p and the bracket keys. All seemed to work fine with Play/Pause, Forward, Backward.


Good

• • Low system resources: 832k RAM, 2.3 megs on disk. A similar program here on the site "HotKeyz" takes up just under 8 megs.
  • Wide selection of hotkeys (Function keys, Mouse keys, and more)

Awesome

• If you have additional keys past the regular set, you can just assign them to your media player of choice. So if you have one of those keyboards but are a like me and never used Windows Media Player, they just became useful.
  
  • Function keys above F12 (F13, F14, etc.) - Mac keyboards generally have up to F19
  • Multimedia keys (launch mail, media, etc. buttons on many HP keyboards)
  • "Help" and "Sleep" buttons
  If these are already mapped, you've obviously got to disable the program that's handling them.

Issues

• • I had some difficulty with Win+Alt+key and mouse wheel combinations. That may easily be my weird VMware config, so your mileage may vary.
  • Seems it only works with the LAST media program you opened. If you close it, the program doesn't affect any other media players, which you must reopen. This seems wrong, but I'd have to think about how I'd prefer this to function.
  • Many programs don't support volume changes and Foobar2000 seems to require an additional plugin (there are two entries, I couldn't figure that out)

Wishlist

• • The only major (in my opinion) player missing was SMPlayer. VLC, Winamp, MPC-HC, and AIMP are all covered. As SMPlayer is based on the same software as MPC-HC, I don't think that will be an issue.
  • Support for RadioSure, just because I use it. Obviously there are other programs that would get the majority of requests before it.
  • One or more of the following would be helpful to speed up Hotkey management:
    
    • The ability to copy commands (ignoring duplicates). That way, if you want to create a bunch at once, (say you want all of yours to start with alt+shift) and then go back and just change the last key.
    • Various different default profiles of hotkeys, similar to PicPick's available hotkey settings. For example, you can pick program hotkeys for HyperSnap, FastStone Capture, as well as the developer's default. That way you don't have to memorize anything new. WinAmp would utilize a zxcvb default (with shift+ctrl so it works globally).
    • Would like to just press the key combination I want and it would show up rather than checking boxes and moving through the menu. Its something I've seen in other programs.

[SYSTEM]

As SMPlayer is based on the same software as MPC-HC

By the way, they aren't.

SMPlayer is a GUI front-end for mplayer, while MPC-HC is a fork of Media Player Classic. AFAIK, mplayer and MPC aren't related at all (for example, mplayer is cross-platform while MPC is Windows-only).

[skwire]

Hi, all. I'm the author of MPH and all the freeware on my Skwire Empire website.

@SYSTEM: You are absolutely correct. SMPlayer is not related to MPC/MPC-HC at all.

@webfork: Thanks very much for the feedback. I'll try to address your points below.

Issues

• • I had some difficulty with Win+Alt+key and mouse wheel combinations. That may easily be my weird VMware config, so your mileage may vary.

Those hotkey combos seem to work on my test systems without issue so it definitely could be a VMware-related issue.

[*] Seems it only works with the LAST media program you opened. If you close it, the program doesn't affect any other media players, which you must reopen. This seems wrong, but I'd have to think about how I'd prefer this to function.

This might be another VMware-related issue as the program is designed to control the first application it "finds" in the Players tab list. Closing applications shouldn't affect this as it should just find, if any exist, the next app in your list. You can adjust this order in the Players tab.

[*] Many programs don't support volume changes and Foobar2000 seems to require an additional plugin (there are two entries, I couldn't figure that out)[/list][/list]

There are a couple of ways to control foobar2000 remotely. The non-plugin way doesn't allow for any volume control (that I could find). The foobar2000 Winamp-emulator plugin does allow for this so that's why there are two entries. One for foobar2000 users that don't want to use the Winamp-emulator plugin and one for those that don't mind (and want the extra volume control).

Wishlist

• • The only major (in my opinion) player missing was SMPlayer. VLC, Winamp, MPC-HC, and AIMP are all covered. As SMPlayer is based on the same software as MPC-HC, I don't think that will be an issue.

Trust me, I tried to make SMPlayer work as I use it myself. I could not figure out a way to do it. This mainly has to do with the QT framework it uses for its GUI. It's a great framework for cross-platform development but it a pain in the ass to control remotely as I have to do with MPH.

[*] Support for RadioSure, just because I use it. Obviously there are other programs that would get the majority of requests before it.[/list]

I'll see what I can do about RadioSure.

• One or more of the following would be helpful to speed up Hotkey management:
  
  • The ability to copy commands (ignoring duplicates). That way, if you want to create a bunch at once, (say you want all of yours to start with alt+shift) and then go back and just change the last key.

Good idea.

[*] Would like to just press the key combination I want and it would show up rather than checking boxes and moving through the menu. Its something I've seen in other programs.[/list][/list][/list]

Unfortunately, AutoHotkey doesn't have a hotkey control that recognises all possible combinations so this was the next best way to do things.

[webfork]

Related program: something else that tries to take advantage of keys on your keyboard you never use: Skeys - http://sites.google.com/site/freewarewi ... ware/skeys

Portable Media Keys (open source, fewer features compared to MPH) http://www.sqoshsoft.co.uk/programs/mediakeys/

[webfork]

Sorry this took me so long to get back to...

> This might be another VMware-related issue as the program is designed to control the first application it "finds" in the Players tab list. Closing applications shouldn't affect this as it should just find, if any exist, the next app in your list. You can adjust this order in the Players tab.

• I'll play with that a bit more and see what I can figure out.

> Trust me, I tried to make SMPlayer work as I use it myself. I could not figure out a way to do it. This mainly has to do with the QT framework it uses for its GUI. It's a great framework for cross-platform development but it a pain in the ass to control remotely as I have to do with MPH.

• That's unfortunate, but I seem to only need VLC lately anyhow, so at least from my perspective its not as high priority.

>> The ability to copy commands (ignoring duplicates). That way, if you want to create a bunch at once, (say you want all of yours to start with alt+shift) and then go back and just change the last key.

> Good idea.

> I'll see what I can do about RadioSure.

• Both good to hear, thanks.

>> Many programs don't support volume changes and Foobar2000 seems to require an additional plugin...

> One for foobar2000 users that don't want to use the Winamp-emulator plugin and one for those that don't mind (and want the extra volume control).

• Not a problem, thanks for addressing those.

[Ganamyde]

[Napiophelios]

Seems to work fine on WinXPSP2

no error messages or oversized feilds in the gui (like your screengrabs indicate)

the "Donate" and "contents" buttons are the only things that dont seem to function for me.

what OS you using Ganmyde?
Do you use a default browser?

[Ganamyde]

Win 7 32
Chagning menu icon sizes produces the first issue, and having no default browser produces the other, you need to use UseErrorLevel instead of the ugly error, you could also catch that and offer to copy link to clipboard.

I also suggest you move to Ahk_L latest version.

[skwire]

@Ganamyde: Thanks for the bug reports. I've fixed the buttons to trap ErrorLevel and I've also added your suggestion to offer to copy the URL to the clipboard. Would you mind testing it, please? As for the menu bug you're experiencing, I cannot reproduce it here on my main W7 desktop nor on an XP VM.

[Ganamyde]

Sorry for the late reply, was busy
Just tested it again, same problem with the menu, to reproduce it, select a big size then small one.



Maybe you should destroy the menu and rebuild it again every time?

Why don't you just switch to Ahk_l?

[skwire]

Just tested it again, same problem with the menu, to reproduce it, select a big size then small one.

I can switch between all the sizes and I don't get the problem you're having.

Why don't you just switch to Ahk_l?

MPH is compiled with AHK_L.

[webfork]

MPH 1.0.9 out:
http://www.softpedia.com/get/Multimedia ... /MPH.shtml

... but looks like mostly minor changes:
http://www.softpedia.com/progChangelog/ ... 04500.html

[Checker]

It's v1.1.0 ... database updated