I posted a poll on the Billboard download page for a few feature ideas I have. You can help me prioritize which to implement by heading over and voting for your favorite. Been thinking it would be nice to put some of that empty screen space (above the track names) to use. Maybe allow for displaying personalized content like web pages or something.

Take the poll.

Again, thank you to everyone leaving feedback.

Today I’m releasing Billboard 0.8.5, a fullscreen iTunes status display (for Intel and PowerPC Macs running Tiger or better)

I’ve been getting some excellent feedback on Billboard 0.8.1. Thanks to everyone who let me know about problems and left suggestions! I really appreciate it.

Here’s a quick run-down of the changes:

* Fix: reduced CPU usage
* Fix: no more screen blanking on transition
* New: control over auto-flip delay and transitions
* New: improved support for RadioParadise.com internet radio station (play time, additional tags, link to song page and amazon page)
* New Advanced Options: prevent display sleep, show on all Spaces, and more

Starting things off, there are two major bug fixes to reduce the CPU usage and fix a problem introduced in 0.8.1 where the main screen would temporarily blank out during transitions if you had Billboard running on a second monitor. I’ve noticed a similar blanking issue happening when expose/spaces are open during transition and I’m looking at how to work around that issue. I also have a couple ideas for ways to reduce CPU usage even further.

There’s now an entire section of the preferences window dedicated to transitions. You can control the delay between them, set ratings to control frequency, and preview each one. Personally, I prefer the page flip, with a few others popping up every now and then for variety. You’ll need MacOS X 10.5 or higher to get all those nifty transitions listed (there’s a couple built-in fallbacks for Tiger users).

I’m particularly happy with the improved RadioParadise support. RP is a professionally mixed internet radio station I recommend everyone check out. If you’re listening to their stream in iTunes, Billboard will now go to their server and request an XML feed with additional information about the current song. And if you turn on Player Controls in Billboard’s preferences it will display the playtime and duration of the track. Pretty sweet! If you know of any other radio streams that publish song information like this then let me know.

So go check out Billboard 0.8.5 and leave a comment, or drop me an email. I’m mainly developing this to my own satisfaction, but I’m open to hearing any crazy-out-there feature requests.

Today I’m releasing Billboard 0.8. It’s a fullscreen iTunes song display designed to run on a second monitor, though you can run it on any available display. I wanted something simple and elegant that was readable at a distance. Perfect when DJing parties, hanging out with friends, or just lounging around the house. Put on Party Shuffle and open Billboard.

This started as just a quick personal project, the version number reflects that it may still have some rough edges. I’m open to any feedback and feature requests.

Get Billboard 0.8