[sphere]

Hi all,

The Big Pictures is a script to show Albums and Photos from photojournalism websites like Boston.com's "The Big Picture".

Here are some Screenshots:

Photo View


Photo View (the Description appears after 2 secs)


Album View


Loading Screen


Photo or Album Download


Usage:
You can switch the Source (=Website which provides Albums and Photos) with the up- and down-keys.
Switch the Albums of current Source with the left- and right-keys.
To enter an album you have to press the select-key (enter).
To go back to the albums press the back-key.
To hide and show the Info Overlays you have to press the media-info-key (i).
You can download a Photo or Album with the context-key.
You can switch the aspect-ratio of the image-view with the 0 (zero) key.
Also you can start a slideshow of the current selected photoset with the play key (p).

Currently implemented Sources:
- Boston.com: The Big Pictures (http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/)
- The Atlantic: In Focus (http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/)
- Sacramento Bee: The Frame (http://blogs.sacbee.com/photos/)
- Wallstreetjournal: The Photo Journal (http://blogs.wsj.com/photojournal/)
- TotallyCoolPix.com: (http://TotallyCoolPix.com)
- Time.com: LightBox - Closeup (http://lightbox.time.com/category/closeup/?iid=lb-close)

Feedback or feature suggestions are always welcome!

This Addon is available through the official Addon Repository!

Changelog:

Code:

4.1.1 (17.06.2013)
added possibility to hide background image (which results in black background)

4.1.0 (05.05.2013)
added possibility to choose enabled scrapers
updated Translations

4.0.0 (17.03.2013)
New Scraper: NewYorkTimes.com - Lens Blog
New Default Skin (thx Jugger)
Fixed Slideshow on Frodo (press PLAY to start)
Code rewrite
All Scrapers fixed

3.0.5 (18.11.2012)
Fixed: Time.com Lightbox photosets
Updated Translations

3.0.4 (29.07.2012)
Fixed: "The Big Picture"-scraper
Fixed: "Wallstreet Jouarnal"-scraper

3.0.3 (18.04.2012)
Fixed TheSacramentoBee
Fixed Time.com: LightBox
Added Czech Translation (thx to Spike)

3.0.2 (03.03.2012)
Fix for startup error (default->Default)

3.0.0 (03.03.2012)
Complete code rewrite
Added: Slideshow feature (press play)
Added: Plugin-mode for slideshow and screensaver mode
Improved: Go back to the last seen album when returning from a photoset
Improved: Faster cache algorithm (json storage)
Improved: Rewrite of skin including animations and behaviour
Improved: Smoother scrolling between the pictures
Fixed: All unicode/entity problems
Cosmetics: 100% pep8 (python styleguide) conformity
Improved: Debug logging
Added: French translation (thx to stombi)
Added: Dutch translation (thx to apeeters)

2.0.3 (27.01.2012)
Added: New Scraper "TotallyCoolPix.com"
Added: New Scraper "Time.com: LightBox - Closeup"
Changed: How using 'keep' as default aspect-ratio (press 0 or set in settings to change)
Fixed: html codes in title from some "Atlantic in focus" albums
Changed: The spinning loading animation logic
Fixed: ATV2-Remote Keymaps

2.0.2 (04.12.2011)
Fixed import error

2.0.1 (07.11.2011)
New plugin-way for scrapers
Fixed: Wallstreetjournal Scraper
Fixed: Sacramento Bee Scraper
Fixed: Visible-conditions in Eden
Fixed: Back-key in Eden
Code Improvements

2.0.0 (03.06.2011)
Eden release

1.5.0 (03.06.2011)
Added: New Scraper: 'The Atlantic: In Focus'
Removed: Scraper 'Boston.com: The Big Shot' - outdated
Added: Function and Setting for changing the aspect-ratio of the Pictures
Improved: Caching of HTML-Pages (much faster now)
Improved: Rewrote the multi-scraper-logic
Fixed: The Big Pictures Facebook-comment-change Announcement broke scraper
Fixed: The Big Pictures remove Hash at the end of the Description
Changed: The usage help is now replaced by a settings "help"-section
Cosmetic: more pep8 conformity

1.4.2 (23.04.2011)
Fixed: Error with external Python and os.makedirs(cachedir) with cachedir = "special://..."
Fixed TheSacramentoBee wasn't able to get Photos
Fixed WallStreetJournal wasn't able to get Photos

1.4.1 (22.04.2011)
Fixed: boston.com now needs a referer for the photosets
Improved: Better class Inheritance
Cosmetic: pep8 (except line length)
Improved: The german, english and french usage instructions (and shorten them)
Fixed: The Help now appears only on the first album or photoset

1.4.0 (24.03.2011)
Changed: Skin has a new Look - thanks to Jezz_X
Changed: Skin is now animated
Changed: Dedicated Usage-Help-Box (hides if any key is pressed)
Added: French Translation
Changed: Split Sourcename, Albumtitle and Picturetitle for different use in 3rd party Skins
Improved: The toggle "showInfo" stays now in its last state
Improved: Respect pep8 styleguide (except line length...)
Improved: Skin XML-File is now clean

1.3.2 (07.11.2010)
Changed: Don't use 'os.getcwd()'
Improved: author, name, id, version only at one place
Improved: Make it possible for skins to override the scripts skin (thanks to Jeroen)

1.3.1 (19.10.2010)
Fixed: Crash/Hang when using Alaska/Rapier-Skin

1.3.0 (19.10.2010)
Added: The possibility to get albums/images from more than one website (switch source)
Added: New Scraper 'Wallstreetjournal: The Photo Journal'
Added: New Scraper 'Boston.com: The Big Shot'
Added: New Scraper 'Sacramento Bee: The Frame'
Changed: The Layout and content of the help texts
Fixed: TBP-Scraper: Remove the image-number within the description text
Fixed: TBP-Scraper: removed #-sign at the end of the picture
Improved: Changes to the icon.png (more padding)

1.2.0 (10.10.2010)
Ported to be dharma compatible by sphere (with permission of rwparris2)
Added: German Translation
Changed: Addon ported from plugin which called script to native script
Added: New icon.png

1.1.2 (2010)
Released as plugin for camelot by rwparris2

regards,
sphere

[mortstar]

Very nice Sphere - any progress on other sources as mentioned in the original thread? Guardian Eyewitness for example...

[sphere]

Hi,

I updated the Addon to Version 1.4.2 (1.4.1 was a buggy release and was replaced one day later with 1.4.2 - sorry for that).

Changelog

1.4.2

• Fixed: Error with external Python and os.makedirs(cachedir) with cachedir = "special://..."
  
• Fixed TheSacramentoBee wasn't able to get Photos
  
• Fixed WallStreetJournal wasn't able to get Photos
  

1.4.1

• Fixed: boston.com now needs a referer for the photosets
  
• Improved: Better class Inheritance
  
• Cosmetic: pep8 (except line length)
  
• Improved: The german, english and french usage instructions (and shorten them)
  
• Fixed: The Help now appears only on the first album or photoset
  

What is in Work
I am currently working on making it possible to use the pictures as a slideshow - for example as screensaver source.

Before I add new scrapers I have to make the (builtin-)scraper mechanism more dynamic - which is also be in work.

I also switched from googlecode (svn) to github. The official source is now available at https://github.com/dersphere/script.image.bigpictures

If anyone of you is interested in beeing a beta tester (with giving feedback!) please reply here.

regards,
sphere

[dieselboy27]

How do I install this on the apple tv 2g?

[sphere]

Hi,

just go within xbmc to the addon-browser and install from there:
System->Addons->Get Addons->XBMC.org Addons->Picture Add-ons->The Big Pictures

regards,
sphere

[mortstar]

Loving your ideas for future development sphere, especially regarding screensaver plugin.

I'd be happy to beta test for you.

In response to your dev' thread options. I think a 'backend' function plugin that provides data for a photo plugin/screensaver etc. is much preferable to multiple identical plugin entries in the photo section.

[sphere]

Hi,

I updated The Big Pictures in the Dharma repo and also added it as version 2.0.0 to the eden(-pre) Addon repo.


1.5.0 - Dharma
2.0.0 - Eden

• Added: New Scraper: 'The Atlantic: In Focus'
  
• Removed: Scraper 'Boston.com: The Big Shot' - outdated
  
• Added: Function and Setting for changing the aspect-ratio of the Pictures (press 0 for instant change)
  
• Improved: Caching of HTML-Pages (much faster now)
  
• Improved: Rewrote the multi-scraper-logic
  
• Fixed: The Big Pictures Facebook-comment-change Announcement broke scraper
  
• Fixed: The Big Pictures remove Hash at the end of the Description
  
• Changed: The usage help is now replaced by a settings "help"-section which is automatically shown at the first start.
  
• Cosmetic: more pep8 conformity
  

regards
sphere

[sphere]

Hi again,
I updated The Big Pictures in the official repo for dharma and eden-pre.

Changelog:
1.5.1 - Dharma
2.0.1 - Eden

• Eden-fix: back-button
  
• Eden-fix: Conditional visibility
  
• New plugin-way for scrapers
  
• Fixed: Wallstreetjournal Scraper
  
• Fixed: Sacramento Bee Scraper
  
• Fixed: Visible-conditions in Eden
  
• Fixed: Back-key in Eden
  
• Code Improvements
  

regards
sphere

[Dtekmario]

HI.
Very nice plugin.
Can You release a tutorial how to make our own scrapers ?
I presume every one have their favorite sites with pictures it would be nice to make scrapers our self and if they work send them to You so You can add it to git.

[sphere]

Hi,

no, there isn't any tutorial - but if you have any sites in mind: tell them - I always look for matching websites

If you want to make a scraper have a look at https://github.com/dersphere/script.imag...s/2_aif.py

You only have to add a file like 5_whatyoulike.py which has a 'register' function which instances a scraper class. This class should have the methods "getAlbums" and "getPhotos".

btw. the new versions are requested for a pull to the official repo - can take a day to be in there.

regards,
sphere

[procrastinator]

This is a great Add-On - it's consistently in my top 3. So firstly thanks very much for making it!

I'm having some problems with displying the onscreen info at the moment.
I'm using pre-Eden on AppleTV2.
- When I load the script it will usually briefly display the onscreen info over a black background. This will then quickly disappear and be replaced by just the photograph.
- Pressing the "info" button via an iPhone remote app does not bring up the info.
- There's no specific "info" button on the ATV hardware remote, but I *think* that an extended button press of one of the buttons serves the same purpose - doing this has no effect either.

There's a full debug log below:
http://pastebin.com/ytTGCdYY

BTW The version number that is displayed next to the addon in the menu is 2.0.0, not 2.0.1. I tried doing a force refresh on the XBMC repo to see if I could get an update, but the version number of the addon in the repo was also 2.0.0

[spiff]

@ sphere; for your and our sanity, please delay announcing "it's in the repo" by at least 2h from when i pull. it's the time reserved for our mirrors to sync up, i.e. the repo description xml is only updated on a 2h basis.

[sphere]

...I'm having some problems with displying the onscreen info at the moment.
I'm using pre-Eden on AppleTV2.
...
BTW The version number that is displayed next to the addon in the menu is 2.0.0, not 2.0.1. I tried doing a force refresh on the XBMC repo to see if I could get an update, but the version number of the addon in the repo was also 2.0.0

Hi,

you are still using 2.0.0 (which had a problem with nightly eden-pre builds and the info-layers) - but its not your fault
The pull to the official repo took longer / I announced the change too early...

The new version is in since about one hour - please be patient or force a refresh and update.

please report back

regards,
sphere

EDIT:
@spiff: yes - my bad, sorry for that.

[spiff]

no reason to apologize, just meant as a fyi

[procrastinator]

I've just got the update. Everything seems to be displaying properly now. Cheers