my first project - a media player
 

Hi all,

Ok - there's nothing like a BIG challenge to start off my exploration into programming. Given that I'm a complete newbie with more build errors than a builder having a bad day (bad pun!), what I'm really looking for is someone to hold my hand a bit and give me a 'janet and john' step-by-step explaination of how to do this project.

I know its asking a lot but if someone could take me under their wing? Thanks.

The project is to create an AVI media player. I need it to do much more, but this is the starting phase of the project. Language? I'm really not fussed. I know some VB and find Java difficult, also haven't used C# or C++ before, but hear that they are fast.

The play needs to be pretty slimline and only do certain things. I need a Windows form with no pull down menus. There needs to be a player timeline at the bottom of the form.

I know that a Dev C++ code snippet already exists on this site, but I couldn't get it to build in Visual Studio express C++ ed'n.

I'd want to step through the project and learn why each line of code is needed.

Once done, I need a counter to track the frame count, and for this to be stored as a variable.

Next, I need to actually use the pixels from the video, not just show it as I want to manipulate the actual video footage. Can this be done in standard libraries?

As an aside, I now have installed both the DirectX SDK and Intel's open computer vision library. Would any of these be helpful?

Finally, I need to connect the player to a pretty powerful SQL database containing vector information I will be using to alter the picels in each frame, seperately. Wish me luck! Naturally, this may have an impact on the language I use.

So that's the plan. Unfortunately, how I proceed from here is something I just don't have a clue. Not even sure which language to use.

Any helpers?

Best regards,

Matthew Bennett

Re: my first project - a media player
 

Why are you tackling a big project if you haven't used C++ at all and even find Java difficult?

Re: my first project - a media player
 

>>Ok - there's nothing like a BIG challenge to start off my exploration into programming
HaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHa HaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHa HaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHa

Sorry, but I can't stop laughing! You don't know a thing about programming, yet you want to do WHAT! HaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHa

I really should move this into Geek's Lounge because its so funny -- you got to be joking, right? HaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHa HaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHa

Re: my first project - a media player
 

I take offense to this.

Please retract your statement.

Re: my first project - a media player
 

Simple - because I must.

I have been designing the application in question on paper (process and maths side) but recognise that I am weak on programming. That doesn't mean that I should not attempt it.

Re: my first project - a media player
 

everyone gets heckled a bit from time to time, don't let it bother you.

Now, per your request regarding the program.

I will try to convince you that it is a bad idea for a beginner.

1st. 6month old babies don't learn to drive on the autobahn (take the analogy)
2nd. Notice EVERY tutorial on "Your very first [insert language here] script" is a "Hello World" and not Halo 3, there is a definite reason for that

You've gotta start somewhere, it's true, but try crawling (Hello World) before flying. Should you embark on this project anyway, you will find that you will not learn much (if anything) because without a good foundation in the basics and even intermediate concepts, it will be baffling.

Take the advice of someone who's been coding for 7 years that this is too much for you.

I can make an awful lot of very nice things on paper (like an anti-gravity machine for example), but that's essentially saying the same thing as "Hey I drew a picture!" the implementation is always the tricky part.

~J

Re: my first project - a media player
 

>>I take offense to this.
You are supposed to :) Would you start building a house if you don't know the difference between a hammer and a screwdriver ?

Start at the beginning, learn to crawl before you walk. Buy an introduction to c or c++ book and start reading from page 1. There are many suggestions for good books in one of the Read Me threads at beginning of this c++ board. Read those threads, buy the book, then begin studying. After a couple years of studying you will probably be ready to tackle that project of yours.

Re: my first project - a media player
 

You're tackling a huge project without having the fundamentals. I'm not saying don't attempt it. I'm saying attempt it in stages. First program to attempt. Simply play a sound through the speakers. Second program. Build a simple GUI for the player. Third program. Have the GUI "do stuff" (i.e. play a sound when a button is pressed, control the volume of the sound when the user adjusts the volume bar). These three programs are not trivial and will be plenty challenging. They will take several attempts and may help help you ease into C++. But they're easier than the project you are talking about.

But before even doing stuff like that, I'd try to display "Hello World" to the console, then ask the user for his/her name and display it, then display it ten times, stuff like that, which is the traditional way to learn. Sure, keep the AVI player project in mind as the goal down the road, but I don't think it's realistic to tackle it as a first project.

Re: my first project - a media player
 

You must? Was it assigned to you for your job or something? I don't have any industry experience, but I'm pretty sure a decent boss wouldn't give a huge project like this to a single person with limited programming experience.

VernonDozier's suggestion of breaking up the program is smart - but you're going to have to do so much learning each step it might even be faster to just put the whole idea of your current project aside now, and work on getting the basics down.

Re: my first project - a media player
 

Hang on there:-

I'm NOT a complete newbie, just a little out of touch.

In fact I learned BASIC in 1982, hacked 8-bit machine code in the mid 80's, focussed on networking during the 90's, ran my own web company in 2000 - 2004, have a PostGrad degree in rich media and used to build shockwave and flash sites and have been teaching IT for 8 years.

With that said I still consider myself a newbie and after coming fresh to Visual Studio Express only this month, have done 'Hello World' in each language and have just got my head around the differences.

For Java, which I am being told is the better language to try, I'm using Eclipse Ganymede IDE and have the hang of this.

So - not such a newbie.

Its just that I don't just want to frop an activeX control onto a form, but actually need to do some high level image processing on each frame. To this end I'm looking into Intel's Open Computer Vision library which is pretty hard going, but will do what I want to do. I just need to understand how to use it propertly.

Hope this helps clarify. And again - please help.

Best regards,

Matthew