Media specs?

[+smthng]

Another n00b question... what are the appropriate media specs and formats that are available for us to use?

 

Gif, jpb, whatevers? Preferred sizes for PPC and Colorado? Audio bit rates and formats for PPC? Any way to create whatever the funky "beep" file that the Colorado uses?

 

I tried going through the wizard to create the three lackey coin quests, but when I played it on my Colorado, even some of those screens were a bit "funky", so I'm afraid to use them as a reference.

[+cknigge]

Here is a standardized list for imagery that the Wherigo Media Group follows as much as possible.

 

For both the PPC and the Garmin device, we hold to a 230 pixel width. However, we use different lengths to make the most out of the use of the media while playing nice with possible words and hopefully your eyes.

 

MEDIA SIZES:

(height focused)

[Width is always 230 pixels]

 

GARMIN:

Zones : (all 1 size) NAME: zone(zone name)_garmin.jpg

W/ Text : 180 (preferable, meaning we mostly use this size, regardless of text)

or W/out Text : 230

Object details : 250 NAME: (media object)_garmin.jpg

Messageboxes : 230 NAME: (media object)msg_garmin.jpg

Tasks : 230 NAME: task(task name)_garmin.jpg

 

PPC:

 

Zones : (all 1 size) NAME: zone(zone name)_ppc.jpg

W/ Text : 130

or W/out Text : 174 (pref)

Object details : 174 NAME: (media object) _ppc.jpg

Messageboxes : 130 NAME: (media object)msg_ppc.jpg

Tasks : 130 NAME: task(task name)_ppc.jpg

 

Icons : 32x32 NAME: icon(media object).jpg

Posters for Web : 120x150

Cartridge Detail Image : 230x130 (this is the image used on the detail screen in when you click on a cartridge from your list)

 

SAVING DETAILS:

Save for Web

High, Optimized JPG

70 quality

 

I hope this helps. We're still developing an audio standard. Feel free to let us know what you come up with.

Edited February 21, 2008 by cknigge

[a_snail]

A very good summery.

 

The only thing I would like to add is that I've found if you have a picture and a reasonable amount of text to go under it e.g. a description of a location, Oregon users don't always remember to scroll down, especially if say you have two paragraphs (or even sentences) and the first paragraph ends at the bottom of the viewable screen. So try and make the text look like it continues off the bottom of the screen, or try to fit it into the space available. I've not watched someone use a PPC, so I don't know if that has the same user behaviour.

Edited August 29, 2009 by a_snail

[+fahrner]

I found that Garmins don't like JPEGs in grayscale mode. The emulator was showing them correctly, but they were totally distorted on my Oregon.

After converting them to 32bit RGB they were displayed ok on my Oregon.

 

So be cautious: don't use grayscale mode.

[+cantuland]

I just watched someone test out one of my test files on a Garmin Nuvi and discovered that the Nuvi layout is "landscape" rather than "portrait". I had lots of images that were supposed to look cool, but the landscape orientation just blew it.

[+JohnE5]

Few questions.

 

So what are we expected to do here? Include every picture twice and label them with the*_garmin and *_ppc? Which one do I load into the builder? Because I can only select one picture per screen.

 

Also will the player always stretch the picture to 230 pixels wide?

 

And last, is anyone using .png images? They just look better to me than .jpeg

[matejcik]

So what are we expected to do here? Include every picture twice and label them with the*_garmin and *_ppc? Which one do I load into the builder? Because I can only select one picture per screen.

not really - you can select one media per screen. but you can put both images as resources for the same media. If you do this, then the compiler will automatically pick whichever image is appropriate for the target device.

 

And last, is anyone using .png images? They just look better to me than .jpeg

the "looks better" depends on what kind of image you have and what kind of compression settings are on the jpeg. but yes, some people are using png's and they work fine

[+sTeamTraen]

So what are we expected to do here? Include every picture twice and label them with the*_garmin and *_ppc? Which one do I load into the builder? Because I can only select one picture per screen.

not really - you can select one media per screen. but you can put both images as resources for the same media. If you do this, then the compiler will automatically pick whichever image is appropriate for the target device.

I'd be interested to know the algorithm here...

 

And last, is anyone using .png images? They just look better to me than .jpeg

the "looks better" depends on what kind of image you have and what kind of compression settings are on the jpeg. but yes, some people are using png's and they work fine

My rule of thumb (on any platform) is to use PNG (lossless compression) unless it's a photo.

[matejcik]

I'd be interested to know the algorithm here...

i'd guess it goes like this:

if target==PPC and we have a resource ending in _ppc.*, use that

else if target==garmin and we have a resource ending in _garmin.*, use that

else use first resource

 

or maybe:

if target==PPC:

if we have a resource ending in _ppc.*, use that

else if we have a resource not ending in _garmin.*, use that

else use first

else if target==garmin:

(same thing)

[+Edmondo]

Hi there.

I'm about to build my first cartridge and I read that the pictures used should be 230 pixels wide.

On my Smartphone (Motorola Defy) such small pictures look really awful.

If I was to use pictures with a width of, say, 500 pixels, how would they be displayed on a Garmin device, for example?

Would they be downsized by the player or will it be possible (on a Garmin, that is) to at least slide them around to see them whole?

I really would like to have my pictures in a better quality, first of all because I'd like them to have Speech Bubbles (like in a Comic book).

Would that be possible?

Thanx in advance for your help.

 

Edmondo

 

Edit: Forget it. I was too fast for my own good.

The Earwigo Tutorial answered my question.

Sorry.

Edited April 25, 2011 by Edmondo

[+jolla]

Using the urwigo builder I discovered that the images dont show at all on iphones. But they show up nicely on both my Android and a friends Garmin Oregon.

 

Any idea of the reason for this?

 

I have still to redo my images according to the above spec and test.

 

johan

[+Nezzmuk]

Using the urwigo builder I discovered that the images dont show at all on iphones. But they show up nicely on both my Android and a friends Garmin Oregon.

 

Any idea of the reason for this?

 

I have still to redo my images according to the above spec and test.

 

johan

I can't find the post that I read this in, but I read to make sure all the pictures were in jpg format. And I would also make sure all your pictures meet the width specs at the top of this thread.

[+jolla]

I reformated all images according to the media specs in this thread and compiled the cartridge again. And now it sees to show images ok on the iphone. I don't have one myself but it looks ok on my ipad and a friend with an iphone tested and says it is ok.

 

johan

 

http://coord.info/GC4RN8T

[+jukis&prusak]

I am building a cartridge in Urwigo and I have a question(s).

 

When uploading medial I can choose type: Image, Audio or Text. What is Text used for?

 

And another question, related, perhaps. If at the end of the game I want to give a player a formula for calculation final geocache coordinates, what is the best way to do that. I figured - an Item with description but perhaps there are better ideas?

[Geo-Magician]

When uploading medial I can choose type: Image, Audio or Text. What is Text used for?

 

I have never seen that but you are right. As far as I can see (tested it with Earwigo and the Groundspeak Emulator) it does nothing. I can also see no application for this feature. Any Object that accepts media is already fitted with a text field. I would not use this functionality.

 

And another question, related, perhaps. If at the end of the game I want to give a player a formula for calculation final geocache coordinates, what is the best way to do that. I figured - an Item with description but perhaps there are better ideas?

 

I do normally open a larger zone (10m x 10m ; 30' by 30') to guide the player to the final. I also give the player a treasure map or a story related item that has the detailed coordinates in the description (as you suggest).

 

If you are concerned about someone hacking your cartridge I love to geocrypt my final coordinates. Use a permanent, real feature close to the final location and derive a number from it. Use this number to encrypt the final coordinates. Example

• 
   
  
• a=number of concrete blocks under bench
  
• final coordinates: 42° 26.(a+3)(a-2)(a+1) 8° 22.(a)(a-1)(a-1)
  

[K-and-K]

Monterra GPS 272 wide, 480 high

Garmin GPSmap 160 by 240

iphone 1125 by 2001 (prnt scrn)

tablet 1920 by 1080 (windows 8.1)

4K 3840 by 2160

 

Windows XP

1024 by 768

Edited May 21, 2021 by K-and-K