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 Legend :

"*"  = New
"+"  = Changed
"-"  = Fixed


What's new in Zoom Player v21 release candidate 2:


New :

  * New snap zones feature that allows you to instantly snap Zoom Player's
    window to 10 predefined screen positions and sizes.

    The snap zones feature uses a similar interface to the video position
    presets used in fullscreen mode. In fact, they share the same Zoom Player
    function and keyboard shortcuts.
    
    There is no conflict as snap zones only work in windowed mode while video
    position presets only work in fullscreen mode.

    There are two ways to set snap zones. The advanced options dialog under
    "Interface / Position & Size" or by using keyboard shortcuts. To use
    keyboard shortcuts, first position and size Zoom Player's window and then
    use the Ctrl+"0-9" keyboard shortcut to set one of the desired zones.
    
    For example, Ctrl+"5" will set the current window size and position to
    snap zone #5. To snap Zoom Player's window back to snap zone #5, all you
    need to do is press the "5" key in Windowed mode.

  * New Setting (Adv. Options / Playback / IPTV) that controls whether
    the stream/program filtering works when pressing enter or when typing
    in each key stroke.

    The new default is to require pressing enter. On older PCs or some
    laptops the experience of filtering on every key stroke was not optimal.

  * New right-click context menu "Help" usage guide images for the Media
    Server Browser and the new Modern UI control overlay.



Changed :

  + Replaced the Audio mode button with an Options button in the Control
    Overlay's title area.

  + Reduced CPU overhead when dragging Zoom Player's window with the
    control overlay visible.



Fixed :

  - Fixed an issue where the control overlay did not disappear automatically
    after the specified time period.

  - Fixed a bug after playing certain media files and then opening the
    media library would open the media library in the wrong mode
    (e.g. media scanner).

  - Fixed an issue where partially downloaded IPTV metadata was used instead
    of keeping the previously downloaded metadata, causing the IPTV stream
    list to disappear or appear partially with no error being reported in
    the IPTV settings section of the advanced options dialog.

  - Fixed some DPI scaling issues on the "please upgrade" window.

  - When fixing a unicode date issue with Japanese/Chinese languages in a
    previous beta, I accidentally broke the IPTV EPG's date listing.




What's new in Zoom Player v21 release candidate 1:


New :

  * As part of the Modern UI overhaul, I created a new color control overlay
    interface. It is accessible through the same color color keyboard shortcut
    (Shift+"O") and the right-click context menu.

    The new color control overlay is fully compatible with remote control
    devices using the left/right/up/down/enter navigation style and provides
    a more intuitive and less obtrusive interface.

    The color control overlay is now the default option when picking the color
    controls from the main home theater interface. You can change this under
    "Adv. Options / Interface / Fullscreen Navigation".

  * New Setting (Adv. Options / Playback / Video / Colors) that controls the
    size of the new color control overlay.

  * New Setting (Adv. Options / Interface / Control Overlay) to show the
    control overlay when opening a new media.

  * Updated Setting (Adv. Options / Interface / Fullscreen Navigation) to
    allow the selection of the new Color Control Overlay interface as an
    option when opening the color controls from the main Home Theater interface.

  * New Setting (Adv. Options / Playback / IPTV) that controls whether
    the stream list filter works when pressing enter or when typing in
    each letter (default).

  * The media library's Media Server (PLEX/Emby/Jellyfin) plugin now shows
    TV episode numbers next to the episode name.



Changed :

  + To make sure the new Modern UI's control overlay works well when upgrading
    from previous versions, the default skin has been applied. If you are using
    a custom skin, you will need to re-select it from the skin picker dialog.

  + The IPTV player window has been optimized for smoother scrolling while
    the stream's logo/image is being updated.

  + Pressing the ESC key in the Media Library's search window first clears
    any existing searches and then a second press closes the search window.



Fixed :

  - Streaming from the media library's "Media server" plugin did not respect
    the "Use libVLC Engine to stream Media Server content" setting.

  - Media Server paths are no longer displayed in the media library, they
    were basically just gibberish to a human and a distraction.

  - Media Server TV show listings did not show their duration in the
    TV jukebox area.




What's new in Zoom Player v21 beta 3:


New :

  * New media library search feature that works by filtering the
    currently listed items. This feature will be expanded in future
    releases to make it accessible using a remote control.

  * You can now drag Zoom Player's window by dragging the title area
    of a Home Theater interface. If you are not using the default
    home theater skin, you may need a new version of the skin that
    support this feature.

  * New "/subtitle:[filename]" command line parameter that specifies an
    external subtitle file that should be loaded when opening a media
    file from the command line.

  * Now showing the seek mouse cursor when the mouse is hovering over the
    timeline area (can be disabled in the control overlay options).

  * New keyboard shortcuts to switch between Classic & Modern user interfaces:
    Ctrl+Shift+"F10" - Switch to Classic mode
    Ctrl+Shift+"F11" - Switch to Modern mode

    Classic mode :
    - Fully skinned user interface with lots of buttons
    - Control overlay interface is disabled
    - Control bar appears when moving the mouse to screen-bottom (fullscreen)
    - The space key shows the control bar
    - Hot corners are enabled at 5%

    Modern mode :
    - Small frame user interface, no buttons whatsoever
    - Control overlay interface appears over video area on mouse movement
    - Control bar is disabled
    - The space key performs a pause/play action
    - Hot corners are disabled (feature conflict with control overlay)



Changed :

  + Opening a Home Theater interface while the control overlay was visible
    now restores the control overlay when closing the home theater interface.

  + The control overlay's timeline position-hint now appears above the
    current time/duration time display area, no longer obscuring the text.

  + The audio tag display position has changed from "Bottom" to "Center" in
    order to make sure it's not obscured by the control overlay.

  + Moving between screens instantly redraws the control overlay with button
    sized to match the screen's resolution.



Fixed :

  - Upgrading from previous versions using the default skin now resets the
    skin to the new default mode.

  - The control overlay's button sizes should now appear reasonable on
    ultra-widescreen monitors.

  - Fixed a bug that caused some of the Modern UI buttons to randomly
    appear as white boxes.

  - The "Prevent mouse actions from moving or resizing the main window"
    feature no longer blocks regular mouse clicks.

  - One of the code optimizations I've made in v21 beta 1 broke some
    command line parameter parsing.

  - Fixed a crash trying to resize the player window to minimum size
    on a 4K display.




What's new in Zoom Player v21 beta 2:


New :

  * New Setting (Adv. Options / Playback / libVLC) allowing you to control
    whether the libVLC media engine should be used to stream IPTV archived
    (catchup) programs. This setting does not affect VOD playback.
    
  * New feature to automatically resize the player window to hide aspect
    ratio black bars, showing only the video. By default, this feature
    is assigned to the Shift+"`" (~) keyboard shortcut.

  * New feature to add the currently playing media to the favorites list. By
    default, this feature is assigned to the Ctrl+Shift+"F" keyboard shortcut.

  * New "Add to favorites" option on the Playlist Home Theater interface.

  * New "Add to favorites" option on the Play History Home Theater interface.

  * You can now add the "Add to favorites" button to the control overlay.

  * New feature to show a pop-up Stream Selection menu. By default this
    feature is assigned to the control overlay's stream selection button.

  * When using IPTV's Xtream Codes API, icons (Live, Movie, Series) are now
    displayed next to group names.



Changed :

  + It took nearly 3 days of optimization work, but now the advanced options
    dialog should open almost twice as fast.

  + Added a lot more control overlay button options including Play History,
    Streaming Stations, Seek by duration percentage, DirectShow Zoom in/out
    and many more (63 button options so far).

  + Zoom Player now saves the current play rate (speed) on exit. So if you
    disabled the settings that automatically reset the play rate, reopening
    Zoom Player now restores the previous play rate when playing the next
    track.

  + Rephrased Zoom Player's function descriptions to make them more logical
    and easier to find when sorted alphabetically.

  + Pop-up OSD messages are now shown below the control overlay's title
    area when the control overlay is visible.

  + Added buttons to the Control Overlay setup page to make it easier to
    reset only some of the settings to default, allowing you to more easily
    experiment with custom designs.

  + The stream selection button on the default control overlay layout now
    opens a pop-up menu instead of the Home Theater stream selection interface.

  + Updated Home Theater icons (media library, play history & color controls).

  + The multi-playlist manager can now be resized to a smaller window.



Fixed :

  - Fixed a case where the pop-up OSD message would appear in the wrong
    screen position.

  - A pop-up OSD message (e.g. changing the volume level) would reset the
    Control Overlay's auto-hide timer, causing it to show for longer than
    specified.




What's new in Zoom Player v21 beta 1:


New :

  * Introducing : Modern UI

    Zoom Player's user interface has remained more or less the same over
    many years and now it's finally time for a fresh new look.

    Gone is the skinned user interface, replaced by a simple frame.
    Hovering with the mouse cursor (or pressing the Ctrl+"Space" keyboard
    shortcut) now brings up a new Control Overlay, a semi-transparent user
    interface that appears over the video area.

    I tried to setup the default control overlay layout similar to the
    previous skinned layout to make the transition to a new interface as
    seamless as possible, but at the same time maintained the option to
    easily revert the user interface to the old design.

    Since the control overlay replaces both the skin and the control bar,
    some of the default settings related to the control bar have been
    reset in favor of control overlay features. If these changes are not
    suited to your setup, you can easily return to using the control bar
    instead.

    While designing the new Control Overlay interface, I took your feedback
    on Zoom Player's reddit forum and made sure the Control Overlay is the
    most customizable media interface ever created.
    
    You can customize nearly everything:
    + Button selection across 4 different button zones.
    + Button sizes for each button zone.
    + Text fonts, colors, sizes and transparency.
    + Volume and Timeline color, size and transparency.
    + Element visibility (button zones, volume bar, widgets, etc).
    + Lots and lots of settings to manage the Control Overlay behavior.
    
    The Control Overlay feature can be customized through the advanced
    options dialog under "Interface / Control Overlay".

  * The default skin modes have been updated. You can access the new modes
    from the right-click context menu or using these keyboard shortcuts:

    F3 = No user interface at all, just a floating video window.
    F4 = The new default, just a thin frame around the video area.
    F5 = Slightly larger frame with a title area and system buttons.
    F6 = Charcoal UI using small buttons.
    F7 = Full Charcoal UI (the previous default).
    F8 = Show bottom bar with more buttons.
    F9 = Show bottom bar with more buttons.

  * New Setting (Adv. Options / Interface / Control Overlay) to automatically
    show the Control Overlay when hovering with the mouse (enabled by default).

  * New Setting (Adv. Options / Interface / Control Overlay) to automatically
    show the Control Overlay when hovering with the mouse even when Zoom Player
    is not the active application. This feature is not perfect and can cause
    a cosmetic issue where the overlay appears in between Zoom Player's video
    window and a window from another application.

  * New Setting (Adv. Options / Interface / Control Overlay) to automatically
    show the Control Overlay when the mouse cursor reaches the screen's bottom
    in fullscreen mode.

  * New Setting (Adv. Options / Interface / Control Overlay) to automatically
    show the Control Overlay when the mouse cursor reaches the screen's top
    in fullscreen mode.

  * New Setting (Adv. Options / Interface / Control Overlay) to automatically
    show the Control Overlay when performing a forward/backward seek action.

  * New Setting (Adv. Options / Interface / Control Overlay) to automatically
    show the Control Overlay when pausing.
    
  * New Setting (Adv. Options / Interface / Control Overlay) to automatically
    show the Control Overlay when using fast forward or rewind.

  * New Setting (Adv. Options / Interface / Control Overlay) to automatically
    hide the Control Overlay when idle (3 seconds by default).

  * New Setting (Adv. Options / Interface / Control Overlay) to automatically
    hide the Control Overlay when clicking the video area.

  * New Setting (Adv. Options / Interface / Mouse / Settings) that prevents
    the first mouse click on the video area from triggering the assigned
    functions if Zoom Player was not the active application. This setting
    is enabled by default to allow you to switch to Zoom Player's window
    now that the user interface is embedded within the video area.

    This setting only ignores the first click in the video area. If you click
    the control overlay or other Zoom Player windows, the action is triggered
    as expected.

  * You can now show/hide the Control Overlay using the Ctrl+"Space"
    keyboard shortcut.

  * New "Control Overlay" entry adding to the right-click context menu.

  * New Setting (Adv. Options / Interface / Mouse / Settings) that disables
    Zoom Player from activating any function assigned to a mouse click when
    Zoom Player's video area is clicked when Zoom Player is not the active
    application, allowing you to switch to Zoom Player without activating
    any mouse button assigned function by accident.

    This new setting is enabled by default, otherwise switching to Zoom
    Player using the modern UI could trigger undesired actions.

  * In the previous version, I've added a feature that when you Zoom in
    using the mouse wheel, it zooms toward the mouse cursor. I have since
    listened to your feedback and made this feature optional. You can
    now turn it off under "Advanced Options / Interface / Mouse / Settings".

  * New "Create Shortcut" IPTV context-menu option that creates a shortcut
    file for the stream you've right-clicked, allowing you to launch
    Zoom Player directly into the stream.

  * You can now add and stream Xtream Codes TV Shows from IPTV favorites.
    If you previously added a TV Show as favorite, you have to recreate
    the TV Show favorite for this to work.

  * New "/referrer:[url]" command line parameter that specifies a referrer
    header when opening a URL from the command line, for example:
    zplayer.exe "/referrer:https://website.com" "https://website.com/v.m3u8"

  * New "/useragent:[text]" command line parameter that specifies a user-
    agent header when opening a URL from the command line, for example:
    zplayer.exe "/useragent:SpecialCode" "https://website.com/v.m3u8"

  * New "/exaudio:[media]" command line parameter that manually specifies
    an external audio file/URL for the currently playing media, for example:
    zplayer.exe "http://website.com/steam/video.mp4"
      "/exaudio:http://website.com/stream/audio.mp3"



Changed :

  + Since the new Overlay Control conflicts with the Hot Corner feature,
    Hot Corners have been disabled by default. If you previously used the
    Hot Corners feature, you can re-enable it in the advanced options
    (make sure to disable the Control Overlay).

  + Maximizing the video window now pops-up any visible Zoom Player windows
    such as the Playlist Editor, Equalizer, Media Server Browser, IPTV Player,
    etc.

  + The default value for the "Show the Mouse Cursor (pixels)" setting (that
    also determines the number of pixels the mouse should move to show the
    new Control Overlay interface) has been changed from 2 pixels to 16.
    If you've previously set another value, you will need to set it again.

  + The default function assigned to the space key is now "Play / Pause",
    replacing the previous default of showing/hiding the control bar.
    If you wish to return to the previous default, you can do so from
    the advanced options dialog under (Interface / Keyboard).

  + The user interface button hints are now showing the function names
    from the translations in combination with any hint text from the skin.
    This change will help with translations since the text that is currently
    embedded in the skin script is not accessible.

    The downside is that using non-default skins may show a double-hint.

  + Scrolling through the play history window should be smoother now.

  + The Control Bar menu entry has been moved under the "Controls" sub-menu.



Fixed :

  - The Media Server Browser and Media Library Media Server plugins failed to
    show any episode listing for Jellyfin servers.

  - Opening a media from the play history window and then as the media was
    being loaded quickly reopening the play history window would trigger
    a crash.

  - Eliminated a bit of flickering (two updates) in the IPTV window's stream
    list panel when re-opening the window.

  - Clicking the "Media Info" radio button on the information window got
    broken and didn't show any information.

  - Switching between multiple-playlists now properly stops the currently
    playing media.

  - When using MadVR or MPC-VR as the video renderer with the no-UI skin
    mode (F3 keyboard shortcut), you can now resize the video from the
    edges and not only from the corners.

  - Hopefully fixed cases where Chinese/Japanese time and date display
    would show invalid characters.

  - Adding IPTV Xtream Codes movie to the favorites did not show the
    movie's description when clicked in the favorites section.