DPS 2.0 Testing (Windows)

[jimboden]

Hi Joey:

Point 1 is correct.

Point 2 is correct.

Re: movie and music modes – OK, now I understand.

Re: background colour – not currently available.

Re: volume settings – I reinstalled DPS 1.2.3 and compared its behaviour with 2.0. It turns out both versions work fine and there are no problems with having them both installed and activated at the same time. I’m going to simplify my original point.

Test case 1: SB card volume set to 40. Start DPS 1.2.3 in headphone mode. Result: SB volume still at 40. Exit DPS 1.2.3. Result: SB volume still at 40. This is normal behaviour.

Test case 2: SB card volume set to 40. Start DPS 2.0 in headphone mode. Result: SB volume still at 40. Exit DPS 2.0 Result: SB volume is at 100. This is abnormal behaviour when compared with DPS 1.2.3, which leaves the volume at 40.

Test case 3: SB card volume set to 40. Start DPS 1.2.3 in speaker mode. Result: SB volume is at 100. Exit DPS 1.2.3 Result: SB volume still at 100. This is normal behaviour.

Test case 4: SB card volume set to 40. Start DPS 2.0 in speaker mode. Result: SB volume is at 100. Exit DPS 2.0 Result: SB volume still at 100. This is normal behaviour.

From the above, my issue is with test case 2 and the other test cases are fine. I think I understand why 2.0 is doing it based on your comments about using a keyboard, which I assume means a keyboard volume control, if it has one. In my example of using a volume of 40 and DPS 1.2.3 leaving it at 40 when it exits, means that the keyboard’s volume control won’t be able to adjust the volume past 40, so I can understand the logic. As with anything like this, it’s not really a big deal as I always check the SB volume control anyway after stopping and restarting DPS. Neither version of DPS works after switching between speakers and headphones without a restart and they don’t work when the system comes out of hibernation or sleep mode. Joseph Beatty explained in another thread a while back why he thought this was happening and his explanation made sense.

All-in-all, DPS 2.0 seems pretty solid. As new items are introduced, it can only get better. I really like the stereo control, but it only works with speakers, not headphones as I mentioned earlier.

[xaqmusic]

Thanks for the detail, Jim.  We will take all of this into consideration.

Regarding the Stereo controls for Headphones:  This is a bit of a hidden feature.   The stereo enhancement algorithm currently only works with two speakers in the atmosphere to create a wider image.  However, some users of the iOS software have requested a Headphone “mix” feature.  Basically, if you are listening to old stereo 50’s and 60’s records with ridiculously panned content (ie. drums on left side, vocals on right etc) you can use the Stereo controls to bring them together for a much more comfortable experience.

So in Headphones mode with the stereo control on, move the circles all the way to the outside for normal stereo effect.  Then bring them together to mix the Left and Right channels together.  Try it and see!

[xaqmusic]

THERE IS NOW A NEW BUILD AVAILABLE.

Please check the Dropbox link that was emailed to you when you signed up for the alpha builds.

Version 2.0.0a8

• Added tooltips and a preference to turn them off.
• Installer – Added a check to see if DPS 2.0 is running before installation.
• Installer – Removed the .NET installer and added an alert and option for user to go to Microsoft download page if .NET 4.0 is not installed on their system.
• Attempted a fix for the issue where the DPS driver was showing up in the output dropdowns.
• Added support for handling the application URL controls.
• Show the main UI on a single left click on the notification icon.
• Integrated new background graphics for EQ pads, stereo wide control and radio buttons.
• Added the ability to change the application skin in the Settings tab.

[soccerkingpilot]

DPS is pegging at 100% volume and staying there on startup. I have to remember to turn it down manually so the neighbors don’t think I’m having a rave. 🙂

[xaqmusic]

Ok.  That’s one more vote for having the option for setting the volume control for the default device in the Settings tab.  See my reply to Jim for details.

[jimboden]

Hi Joey:

In my original set of observations, I said “I found out that, with headphones, turning the stereo control off gives exactly the same effect as turning it on and dragging the circles all the way out”. Maybe I’m missing something and will try it again. It works perfectly for speakers, though, and is a neat feature.

I’ve download the new version, so I’ll use it from now on.

[xaqmusic]

I’ve uploaded a Transparent GUI Skin into the Dropbox.  Extract it into Program Files/Bongiovi Acoustics/DPS 2.0/Skins.

Then select it in the Settings menu.  Then hit SET SKIN.  You will be able to change the background color.

There are still some things broken about this.  You will still see blue tabs and buttons.  It will be fixed in the next build.

[jimboden]

I just downloaded it and am confused. There’s nothing in the Skins folder except for a sub-folder named DPSTheme . Should I put it in Skins or DPSTheme?

[soccerkingpilot]

My stereo controls default to “off” on boot as well.

[jimboden]

Hi Joey:

OK, I got the skins thing straightened out. I installed it in Program Files>Bongiovi Acoustics>DPS 2.0>Skins>XParent. When I change the colour, it starts out as solid and gradually fades towards the bottom. That is the thing I want to eliminate if possible. Any ideas?

EDIT: After closing and restarting DPS, the skin colour is grey, which is not what I selected. It seems setting the skin colour is a one time only thing and it has to be done every time DPS starts.

EDIT: Just discovered there’s some weird interaction between the grey skin colour and the volume control. When DPS is set to speakers and the SB volume is at 40, restarting DPS when it has the grey skin leaves the SB volume at 40, but it still sets SB to 100 on exit. Selecting another skin colour reverts back to normal behaviour (I.E. SB volume goes to 100 after a restart). Weird!

I’m now using 2.0.0a8 and everything seems fine. The good news is, when I started it for the first time, it correctly set up the output devices. I did not uninstall the previous version, though, and don’t know if that made a difference. I see with each new version it’s necessary to activate it again. I hope that doesn’t cause a problem with the number of licenses I have. Over the years, I’ve purchased DPS 3 times and currently have it activated on 2 computers.

soccerkingpilot:

It seems the default setting for stereo controls is off. That’s how I like it, but it should keep whatever setting you prefer.

UPDATE: With version 2.0.0a8, all settings after a reboot are coming up correctly, including stereo controls. I turned it on and did a reboot and it’s still set to on.

[wxman123]

I uninstalled previous version and the new version started with the correct output device, unlike prior version which was a headache.  I cannot change the background color.  Also, I think you need to change the on/off radio colors as the current scheme is not intuitive as to what’s on versus off.  Green – clear might work better

[jimboden]

wxman123:

To change the skin colour, you have to follow the procedure that Joey posted above. I did what he suggested and can change the skin colour, but it only works until you restart DPS and it has a grey screen when it restarts. I’m still trying different permutations and combinations to figure out how it’s supposed to work, but am not having much luck. I’ll wait until Joey chimes in to see what he has to say.

Skin colour aside, everything else is working fine, including retaining your settings between computer restarts.

[xaqmusic]

So here are the things we will be addressing:

The background color is not being saved in the registry.  That is why it starts up grey every time.

The buttons and tabs (at least on my machine) are not getting refreshed when a new skin is loaded.

The DPS settings are not getting saved in the registry when the machine is shut down.  But they are saved when you manually quit DPS.  That is why some of you are having better luck now with the outputs being setup properly.

We will check out the weird skin/volume control behavior.

We will discuss the volume control to 100% behavior.  Perhaps an option is Settings is in order.

Jim:  I dropped a totally transparent background image file into the Dropbox folder.  Replace the MainBackground png in the Xparent skin folder and you will loos e the gradient you don’t like.

[jimboden]

Joey:

Just checked the drop box but only see DPS and TransparentSkin.zip, which I already have. I downloaded it anyway and compared MainBackground.png in both files, and they’re exactly the same. I tried pasting the image into this post, but it doesn’t work. The image is white starting at the top and, just over half-way down, it starts to go grey then slightly back to white at the bottom.

[bef522b1-0846-4b91-9c0e-64605f6ae0d5]

Hi Jim!

You can try this fully transparent image.

[Author]

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