Front Row customization

I just got new Mac Mini, to be used as media center. My first Mac, so don't know much about Macs. Can't seem to adjust the way Front Row presents things, especially photos. I can adjust slideshow stuff in iPhoto, but that doesn't seem to apply to Front Row. Is there any way to customize Front Row at all?
Max

Max,
Front Row itself doesn't support much of anything in terms of customization at the moment. (Which isn't necessarily a bad thing. Do one thing and do it well is an admirable goal.) It's lean and mean and does about one thing - it listens for clicks and hands them off to scripts or other applications to do the work and then shows that work full screen with some simple eye candy and sounds on top of the content.
If you want to change slideshows - you need to first open iPhoto on the Front Row computer. (even if the pictures are stored on another computer and shared through Bonjour)
Preview the slides you want to control. If it is a local slide show - you have a lot of control. Each slide can have different timing, different fade, manual Ken Burns at the start/end of the slide, etc... If it is a remote slide show - you only have one setting for all the slides. You can change the timing, music, and transition (and save it as a new default).
Once the slides play the way you want in iPhoto, go back to Front Row and you should get the same treatment of the pictures as you did inside iPhoto.
Cheers,
Mike

Similar Messages

Is Front Row customizable?

Instead of it coming up with the little circle and the choices (movies, music, etc.), I'd love to be able to able to show the catagories that I would customize. They would all be movies (with no need for music and other choices) but I'd love to have "drama", "comedy', etc. come up when front row is launched instead of the general choices. Any thoughts?

Front Row cannot be customized in that way now. You may have some more options with a third party media organizer like Media Central. Before I got an Intel-based Mac I was using it as my media player/organizer. But, I haven't used it for a while now, so I can't remember if you can set the Movies section to open by default. You can, however, put folders ("drama", "comedy", etc.) in your Movies folder and navigate that way.
-Doug

Front row in Lion 10.7 issue (-70012) and video_ts not playing issue -solved

Hi all,
thought I just post my solution to the front row issues in 10.7. I looked for a solution for days, and when I found it, I thought it would make other peoples live easier if I combine everything in one post.
I actually had a couple of issues:
PROBLEM:
first front row stopped playing VIDEO_TS files in 10.6.
the second issue occurred when I thought upgrading to 10.7 would solve the issue; Front row still couldn't play the VIDEO_TS, because FRONT ROW was gone...
SYMPTOMS:
both issues always showed the same symptoms:
when a dvd-back folder was selected, front row would show a black screen, and then, caused by my frantic pushing the ESC button, front row would give me the dvd player not valid -70012 error.
CAUSE:
so what happened? I chose to buy my MBP 17" with the smallest HDD (yep sorry, was cheap-s-ing). Then later that year, I decided to buy the HDD caddy and switch my internal superdrive for a SSD. I ended up placing the original HDD in the hdd caddy, which I then put in the Superdrive's slot, and I placed the SSD in the slot where the original HDD was residing first. I now had a MBP 17" late 2011, with vertex3 SSD. I forgot, I also put in 16 GB, replacing the 8 GB.
So, when I back-upped all my favorite DVDs as VIDEO_TS files, (no I did not download dvds through usenet), grabbed the popcorn, and started Front Row, the disappointment began. No VIDEO_TS file would play, always the same -70012 error message. So after a lot of internet research I stumbled upon a guy who said: yeah, you have to upgrade to 10.7. After the upgrade my FRONT ROW was gone.
SOLUTIONS:
In 10.6:
As Apple's DVD player is always looking for the internal dvd player as a prerequisite to start, Front Row, which uses Apple's DVD player as video player, will throw up the -70012 error. 'Cause it finds the HDD in the HDD Caddy instead of the SuperDrive. So in 10.6 (and in 10.7 also) you can use the following solution:
(I got this solution partial from http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-13727_7-20070591-263.html)
1: modify the DVDPlayback framework that the DVD Player uses so that it will recognize external drive as a valid DVD playback device. (The HDD Caddy came with an external casing for the SuperDrive)
2: download a hex editor (I used Hexedit 220 from http://hexedit.sourceforge.net/ )
3: Go to the folder /System/Library/Frameworks/ and back up the file "DVDPlayback.framework."
4: Open Hexedit_220 and use it to open the following file:/System/Library/Frameworks/DVDPlayback.framework/Versions/A/DVDPlayback.
5: Using the editor's find&replace through COMMAND-F, replace "Internal" with the text "External" and save the file. Note that Hexedit also saves a backup automatically.
6: Close the file once saved, and then run a permissions fix on the boot drive using Disk Utility. Then restart the system and you should now be able to play DVDs off the external drive using DVD Player. That is, If you use an external dvd player (which I don't use).
7: I inserted a very small USB stick in the MBP with no data on it, and Front Row and Apple DVD Player accepted this. I could now play my backupped DVDs.
ofcourse, I still wanted to upgrade to 10.7, so here's the solution to 10.7
10.7:
upgrading was a simple click with the mouse, worked like a charm, Office still worked, and some minor updates installed through software.
Front Row however, gone...
I used the steps outlined in http://osxdaily.com/2011/07/21/front-row-for-mac-os-x-lion/ to get Front Row back:
- first get the package from Madhatter: Download the free package installer by MacHatter
- install, or customize the install
- all done.
Then I used the steps from step 3 through 7 outlined above in solution 10.6.
Catch:
So I did not find a solution to fooling the DVD Player / Front Row with the USB stick. So everytime I watch VIDEO_TS in Front Row the USB stick must be inserted. But, the good news, I can still use my remote control for something.
Hope I helped some guys out there with this solution.
Regards,
Johnno

The issue has previously hit Apple TV owners. I think people came to the conclusion that it was a HDMI handshake problem. Basically the process where the device and TV greet each other, make up some rules about communicationg and what their secret key is and so on.
I haven't tried this yet, but my local service center says that basically I can do one of two things:
- Downgrade to 10.7 and then download the 10.7.1 update from Apples website. To do this without having a Mac OS X Lion disc, you can hold down CMD + R when the computer boots to be able to access the recovery partition on newer Macs that come without the OS disc.
or..
- Put something in between the computer and TV. For example, if you're using an amplifier as a part of your home theather set up, this will probably work. The service guy said he has his Mini connected to the amplifier, which in turn is connected to speakers and a projector. The inverted colors still appear, but only once per night (i.e. after the first problem is reset by resetting the link then it's fine).
For now, I'll do my little dance of changing the source on the TV from HDMI 1 to HDMI 2 and then back again to reset the link... But, I'll probably try downgrading in a few days.

Front Row is GONE!! Why, Front Row, why?!

I haven't used Front Row in a long time (I lost my remote, oops), but on my recent trip home I found my remote again. When I used it on my MacBook, it worked fine. Suddenly though, it controls iTunes and the volume of the computer but hitting menu does nothing. The second screen doesn't show up. I checked the remote using my iSight and it's working, and the "Unpair" function is not available. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Can you open Front Row using the keyboard? Pressing Apple-esc together should open Front Row. You can then use the arrow keys and the return key to move around. If you can't run Front Row with the keyboard, you might look to see if it's still installed. It should be in this path:
<Macintosh HD>/System/Library/CoreServices/Front Row.app
If it's not in there, you'll need to re-install it from your original Mac OS X install disk. You can do this by running the "Install Bundled Software Only" option on the disk. There's no need to boot from the disk. On the "Installation Type" screen, there should be a "Customize" button where you can uncheck all the other options but make sure Front Row is checked "on" and then run the installer.
-Doug

Front Row is missing

Who can tell me how to get front row back.. the remote or command-esc won't open it.
I think I lost it after reinstalling Mac OS X (on the advice of the apple helpline, to solve some problems I had)
Thanks

If you re-install Mac OS X, then you might lose Front Row. After you startup and log in, you should be able to put your Mac OS X install disk in the drive and you'll see an "Install Bundled Software Only" option. When you get to the Installation Type window, you should be able to customize the installation and uncheck everything except Front Row.
-Doug

Can't Get To Front Row...

Help! I know my Remote is working because pushing play/pause will start/stop an iTunes song. But when I press Menu, it will not bring up Front Row. I checked my mouse/keyboard shortcuts as well, and it's set to bring up Front Row with Command + Escape. That is not working either. How can I check if it got accidentally un-installed or turned off somehow?? Two weeks ago I had to do an archive & install back to 10.4.4 (I believe), but would that have affected Front Row?
Please help! Thanks!!!

Unfortunately, I don't have an iMac G5 with a built-in iSight at home. I did a search here in the Front Row forum looking for a report from someone else with one of those Macs who needed to re-install Front Row, but I didn't find one.
If you had an Intel-based Mac, you can use the "Install Bundled Software Only" option on the original Mac OS X install disk to re-install Front Row. But, from previous topics I've read here, Front Row does not appear in the "Customize" screen for the G5 iMacs.
If I had to guess, there'd be an option in the Mac OS X installer itself. But since I don't have one of those Macs, I couldn't test it myself to find the screen or check box. We do have one at work, but I'm not sure I could find the install disks for it and test it there. (I'd have to interrupt someone at work too!) We install all our Macs from a FireWire hard drive that has a standard bundle of software and Mac OS X. So, the install disks themselves are not usually important. I may have time on Monday to do a little search for it if no one else responds here.
-Doug

FRONT ROW PROBLEMS

My FR is missing. I have checked CoreServices folder in the System folder and there is nothing that appears to ressemble FR. My IR is working and Apple-Escape key-combo does not invoke FR. IR appears listed as USB in the System profiler. What else can I do to recover FR?

In any case to put it back in you will need to perform and Archive and Install...
No, you can install Front Row only with the "Bundled Software" installer without going through the whole Mac OS X install. Just insert your Mac OS X Install Disk 1 and double-click on the "Install Bundled Software Only". You can customize the installation at the "Installation Type" window by clicking on the "Customize" button. You can uncheck every other option besides Front Row and continue.
Of course, it's always a good idea to have a backup, but this should be a much simpler method of getting Front Row back. You will want to run the Software Update afterwards to make sure your "old" version of Front Row is up-to-date with the rest of your software.
-Doug

Front row not functioning

I have problems to use front row and the apple remote control. This has just happened over the last few days. Has anybody experienced this problem and how was it resolved. Please help! Also I have identified that when you open the securities settings, this takes a very long time to load. Infact it goes on for ever - has anyone noticed this on their Macbook?

Why would it leave this file out when installing new system and how do I replace it without reinstalling?
Front Row, for now, isn't specifically included in a Mac OS X install. You need to install it after installing Mac OS X. You can put your OS X install disk in and double-click on the "Install Bundled Software" icon. On the "Installation Type" screen, there a button to "Customize" the install. Then you can be sure to check on "Front Row". There might be some of the other software, like the iLife suite, you could install from there as well. Be sure to run the Software Update afterwards to make sure you're up-to-date.
-Doug

Front Row Crashing when Trying tpo play video

I just picked up m new iMac 20" and have been trying to play my videos on Front row.
I have tried every category - they are all authorized - but still, before even a second of video play s - Frontrow crashes. Please help!

There are several steps. Note that this is invading your main System folder which can be dangerous. You should have a complete backup of all your files before poking around like this!
1. Delete Front Row (and Front Row only) from this path by dragging it to the Trash:
/System/Library/CoreServices/Front Row.app
Then empty your Trash.
2. Delete the records that indicate Front Row has already been installed by deleting the receipts. If you've installed the 1.3 update, there will be two files to delete in this path:
/Library/Receipts/FrontRow.pkg
/Library/Receipts/FrontRowUpdate1.3.pkg
Drag both of those files to the Trash and empty it.
3. Put in your Mac OS X install DVD (you don't have to boot from it) and run the "Install Bundled Software Only" installer. At the "Install Type" window, there should be a "customize" button. Click on that and uncheck every other option besides Front Row. The continue and finish installing Front Row only.
4. Run the Software Update and your computer should recognize you need the Front Row 1.3 update. Install the update. Now might be a good time to restart.
That should completely replace Front Row and update it to the current version (which is needed if you're using the up-to-date version of iTunes and QuickTime).
-Doug

Front Row disappeared? Re-installing Front Row?

My Macbook came with Front Row installed, but I haven't used Front Row in a few months. Today, as I wanted to use it, it wasn't there anymore in my applications folder. When I searched for it in Spotlight, I found two files:
1. FrontRow.pkg
2. FrontRowUpdate1.3.pkg
Both are located in the Library\Receipts Folder.
When I tried to reinstall FrontRow using either of these files, the installer starts and leads me through the installation process. However, it doesn't complete the installation citing "errors".
Can anyone explain what might have happened? Is there a way to re-install FrontRow from the OSX CDs or to download it from the website? Thanks for any help.
Macbook 2.0GHz Mac OS X (10.4.8) 2GB RAM, 120 GB HD

Yes, Front Row does not live in the Applications folder. Because it lives in the "System" folder, Spotlight won't find it. Spotlight specifically ignores the System folder.
The two files you found, in the "Receipts" folder are indications that Front Row and the Front Row 1.3 update have already been installed. (The Software Updated looks in there to see if you're up-to-date or not.) They are just "receipts" for the previous install, they're not full installer files.
If you had needed to, you can re-install Front Row only by running the "Install Bundled Software" utility on your Mac OS X install disk. There's a "customize" window where you can manually turn on or turn off the additional software, like Front Row, that was included with your Mac.
-Doug

Front Row not functioning at all

I can't get Front Row to launch at all. I just got my machine back after having the motherboard replaced and everything seems to work except Front Row won't launch. Not with the remote, which works otherwise, nor using Command + Esc.
Help.

Why would it leave this file out when installing new system and how do I replace it without reinstalling?
Front Row, for now, isn't specifically included in a Mac OS X install. You need to install it after installing Mac OS X. You can put your OS X install disk in and double-click on the "Install Bundled Software" icon. On the "Installation Type" screen, there a button to "Customize" the install. Then you can be sure to check on "Front Row". There might be some of the other software, like the iLife suite, you could install from there as well. Be sure to run the Software Update afterwards to make sure you're up-to-date.
-Doug

Customizing Front Row

Hi,
I am trying to customize the menus in FR. I was able to remove certain menu items (e.g. podcasts) and change the "TV Shows" button to "Slide Shows" (allows me now to play .mov files created from slide shows under the 'appropriate' menu choice). I'd also like to get rid of the "iTunes Top TV episodes" or the "Theatrical Trailers" header in the "TV shows" or "Movies" menu lists, respectively, but simply can not find where this information is contained (.plists ?). Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

I don't think that's possible to re-arrange the menus. You can use Front Row Trailers to block access to the online items (the "iTunes Top TV episodes" or the "Theatrical Trailers" header in the "TV shows" or "Movies" menu lists).
-Doug

Customizing Front Row responses to IR remote

Apologies if this has been asked and answered, but I am looking to customize Front Row's response to the IR remote. I am not averse to programming if someone can provide pointers to where I should look. I know there's iRedLite, but it crashes when I try to customize it. Thanks.
Sri
MacBook Pro Mac OS X (10.4.8)

Thanks Doug. Remote Buddy is quite good, and it allows me to customize responses. I have exactly the response I am looking for, now. I wouldn't have minded learning how to program it myself, but this is a cinch.
Chris: thanks for your response. Yes, iRedLite is still in beta (& free), so I can't be too particular.
Sri

Front row doesn't work with both apple+esc and remote

My new macbook can't open front row, not with the remote, and with apple+esc, could it be a file that i have to delete and then restart the computer and that that file automatic comes back??

If, for whatever reason, Front Row isn't in that location, you'll have to re-install it. This shouldn't be a big deal except I'd be a little curious to know why it disappeared...
Insert your original Mac OS X install disk that came with your Mac. You do not need to startup from the disk. Double-click on the "Install Bundled Software Only" option on the disk. At the "Installation Type" window of this installer, click the "Customize" button. This will give you a list of software to check on or check off. Check on the option for Front Row but uncheck everything else (unless there's something else missing that you need!). Run the installer and this should put Front Row back in its proper location. Depending on which version gets installed, you may wan to run the Software Update to make sure Front Row is up-to-date.
-Doug

Still cannot get Front Row to work!!!!!!!!

I have tried holding Menu on the IR controller! I have tried holdin Apple + Esc! These do not work at all! Does any one have a solution?

Okay, calm down. Let us know a little bit more about your MacBook. Is it brand new? Have you had it for a little while? Did it ever work?
If typing Apple-esc does not invoke Front Row, then Front Row itself may be damaged or, if you reinstalled Mac OS X, it might not be installed. You might insert your Mac OS X install disk and double-click on the "Install Additional Applications Only" icon. You can customize this installer to install Front Row only. Does it work now?
-Doug
P.S. In the future, you might not post more than one topic at the same time about the same trouble. You may now have difficulty following suggestions from multiple people in multiple topics and two different people might not read both your topics and come-up with the same options...

Front Row customization

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for