K5 Touch & PaperWhite ScreenSavers Hack

[NiLuJe]

Hi

You'll find here the K5 (Touch/PaperWhite) port of the ScreenSavers hack, along with a Python 2.7.3 package .

Latest Updates (01/19/2013):

ScreenSavers v0.7.N (A few new features), Python v0.3.N (Updated binaries).

IMPORTANT NOTE REGARDING UPDATES:

Spoiler:

Here are general update instructions for this hacks:

• First of all, in most cases, there's no need to touch the jailbreak again. You already installed it the first time you installed hacks. Just forget about it now .
• Next, no need to run the update_*_uninstall.bin updates, ever.
• Then, you can apply the latest update_*_install.bin updates, one by one. You can safely chain both hacks installs.

INSTALL:

ScreenSavers:

Spoiler:

Note for Kindle Special Offers Users:

This doesn't, and won't ever, help you bypass something you agreed to (screensaver ads), so please stop asking.

First of all, make sure your device is JailBroken.

If you intend to use the cover feature:

It will use the cover of the last book opened as the current screensaver.
You'll need to first install the Python package attached to this post.
Download the kindle-python-0.3.N.zip file, and unpack it. In here, you'll find a couple of .bin files, and a couple of directories (src & build).

First, upload the update_python_0.3.N_install.bin file to the root directory of your Kindle.

Now, eject your Kindle, and go to [HOME] -> [MENU] > Settings -> [MENU] > Update Your Kindle. It should take a couple dozen of seconds.

Download the attached kindle-linkss-0.7.N.zip file, and unpack it. In here, you'll find a couple of .bin files, and a couple of directories (src & build).

First, upload the update_linkss_0.7.N_install.bin file to the root directory of your Kindle.

Now, eject your Kindle, and go to [HOME] -> [MENU] > Settings -> [MENU] > Update Your Kindle. It should take a couple dozen of seconds.

You now have a couple of choices to make:

Do you want to use the cover of the last book opened as a screensaver? Make sure you've installed the Python package first, then just drop a blank file named cover in the linkss folder. Restart your Kindle ([HOME] -> [MENU] > Settings -> [MENU] > Restart), and you're done .

Dou you prefer to just show the last thing that was on screen, with an overlay indicating when the device's alseep? Just drop a blank file named last in the linkss folder. Restart your Kindle ([HOME] -> [MENU] > Settings -> [MENU] > Restart), and you're done .

A couple of things to note on these two modes: the cover mode will always take precedence (so, yeah, enabling both last & cover really doesn't make much sense).
The autoreboot feature is probably useless to you in these two modes, so you should also delete the autoreboot file in the linkss folder.

If you simply want to use a set of custom screensavers, like usual, keep on reading .

To change your custom screensavers, plug your Kindle to your computer via USB, and upload them to the linkss/screensavers folder that has been created by the hack. You'll have to restart your Kindle in order to take your new screensavers into account and prevent the framework from going crazy. To that effect, you can either use the autoreboot feature, or simply do a full restart of your Kindle.

A small reminder of the file format & size you have to use:
One the Touch: PNG files, 600x800. Grayscale if possible, but color works too (you can even play with an alpha channel if you like).
One the PaperWhite: PNG files, 758x1024. Grayscale if possible, but color works too (you can even play with an alpha channel if you like).
You NEED to follow these directives: non-PNG files will be discarded by the hack, and broken files or files in the wrong resolution will confuse the framework and trigger weird issues.

To use the autoreboot feature: Just drop a blank file named reboot in the linkss folder (by copying and renaming the already existing "autoreboot" blank file, for example), and your Kindle will do a quick reboot 10s after you've unplugged it (there's minimal visual feedback during that time, just wait until your list of books reappear)!

If you want to randomize the sequence in which your screensavers will be shown, create a blank file named random in the linkss folder (right alongside the "auto" file), and then do a full restart of your Kindle! This will shuffle your screensavers around on each boot.

In addition to this, you can also shuffle your screensavers each time a framework restart is triggered through the autoreboot feature. Be advised that this may significantly (a few dozen of seconds) delay the framework restart procedure, depending on the number of screensavers you're using. To enable this feature, create a blank file named shuffle in the linkss folder (right alongside the "auto" file), and then restart your Kindle (either through the autoreboot feature, or a full restart).

NOTES:

Spoiler:

Don't try to force a custom update by rebooting your Kindle. You should always install custom hacks via the Settings page. If the 'Update Your Kindle' link is greyed out, you did something wrong, or you have an unknown Kindle model (in which case, contact me!). Don't try to force an install by rebooting. It'll, at best, fail.

If the cover mode seems to be behaving strangely, make sure the date and time is properly set on your device (check that, when sorting your Home screen by 'Recent', you get consistent & accurate results) and that the books you're using actually have a cover properly tagged & embedded. One other thing to keep in mind is that the switch is not done immediately on the opening of a book, but only a few seconds later, and that, when opening a book for the first time, the parsing & processing of the cover can take a noticeable amount of time (usually between 30s and a minute, depending on the CPU load).

ChangeLog:

Spoiler:

• ScreenSavers:
  • v0.1.N:
    • First release .
  • v0.2.N:
    • Some more safety checks to disable the hack in case we can't use any of the screensavers provided by the user
    • Drop a specific file to help third-party tools ID the Kindle model
    • Enable the autoreboot feature by default
    • Implement a new setting: use the cover of the last book opened as the screensaver! (Drop a blank cover file in the linkss folder to enable this mode)
    • Implement a new setting: use the last page/menu shown as the screensaver (with a minimal overlay indicating that the device is asleep). (Drop a blank last file in the linkss folder to enable this mode)
  • v0.3.N:
    • Fix a few minor bugs
    • Allow users to choose not to conserve aspect ratio when in cover mode (Drop a blank stretch file in the linkss folder)
  • v0.4.N:
    • Resync our trimmed down Mobi Unpack stuff with v0.59
  • v0.5.N:
    • Updated binaries (updated tc, coreutils)
  • v0.6.N:
    • Tweak the processing settings in cover mode to generate higher quality images (sharper upscaling algo, better dithering).
  • v0.7.N:
    • Tweak the processing settings in cover mode to generate smaller files.
    • Implement a new cover mode setting: black letterboxing borders. (Drop a blank black file in the linkss folder to enable this mode)
    • Implement a new cover mode setting: a small banner with your personal infos at the bottom of the screen. (Drop a blank pinfo file in the linkss folder to enable this mode)
    • Implement a new cover mode setting: automatically crop the borders, to end up with a full screen cover. (Drop a blank autocrop file in the linkss folder to enable this mode)
    • Experimental support for overriding FW 5.3's custom screensavers (Drop a blank beta file in the linkss folder)
    • Updated binaries (updated tc, coreutils)
• Python:
  • v0.1.N:
    • First release .
  • v0.2.N:
    • Updated binaries (updated tc)
  • v0.3.N:
    • Updated binaries (updated tc)
• Doc: $Id: SS_MR_THREAD 9047 2013-01-27 18:19:26Z NiLuJe $

[NiLuJe]

*reserved*

[qlob]

Looks like youve got the top post down to a science now ;p

[NiLuJe]

It's even better when I don't forget to actually attach the file .

A couple of notes to the Touch users used to the simple_screensaver hack:

* No need to uninstall it, the install process will take care of it.
* No need to bother with naming the files properly, the hack will take care of it. The only requirements are valid, properly sized grayscale PNG files. (And the same 'max 100 files' limitation applies, although you can safely dump a shitload of stuff in the screensavers folder, the hack will take care of trimming down the fat . (The extra stuff will end up in the linkss/overflow folder, and the cruft will end up in the linkss/discarded folder. In random mode, the hack *will* look into the overflow folder to regen the pool of visible screensavers).

There *might* be some issues left in random mode, where it'll possibly delete some screensavers during the reboot, but, hopefully, I took care of it. (In 'normal' mode, there shouldn't be any issue).

[jscris]

Works great! Thank you so much!

[Excrucibo]

Working wonderfully! Thanks!

[mp3sii]

Thank you very much, It also worked seamlessly for me

[etiz]

Thank you! I was able to install my own screensavers on my Paperwhite, BUT they don't fill the entire screen... there is a border of whatever page I was viewing before going into sleep mode. The border seems to be 3/8" on the sides and 1/2" on the top & bottom.
My images are all png, and are all 600x800 (the same images I have used for all of my previous Kindles...)
Any idea why the images appear smaller/have been resized? I can't figure this one out...

[thomass]

Originally Posted by etiz

...on my Paperwhite...
...
...and are all 600x800...

instead try with 758x1024

[geekmaster]

The paperwhite is 758x1024, as documented in the Kindle User's Guide for the Paperwhite:
http://kindle.s3.amazonaws.com/Kindl...sers_Guide.pdf

Display — 6" diagonal XGA display, 758 x 1024 pixels, 212 dpi resolution, 16-level gray scale.

And yes, although it also says XGA, it is 10 pixels narrower than a real 1024x768 XGA display.

To fill the screen with no borders, you need images of that size (758x1024).

[Akirainblack]

Thank you NiLuJe installed perfectly on my Paperwhite, hoping to help Jackie_w (if she has time and is still willing to) update the "copy cover to device" plugin for Calibre to support this hack.

[NiLuJe]

@Akirainblack: It's the exact same paths as the K2/3/4 hack, so, provided the autoreboot feature is enabled (and working), it should work without changes to the plugin .

[Akirainblack]

I didn't think they had the same resolution as the Paperwhite NiLuJe
Knowing Jackie_w she'll be willing to make it resize the images so they display properly.

[NiLuJe]

@Akirainblack: Heh. Of course!

Remind me not to post before breakfast next time ^^.

I can make the hack do something (like create a specific file?) to help ID a PW if she wants, or she has a few other choices:

* Checking the name of the existing files in the linkss folders: bg_xsmall_ssNN.png on the Touch, bg_medium_ssNN.png on the PW.
* Go the whole S/N detect way like I did in the Collections plugin tweaks.
* Provided that 5.2.x never gets ported to the Touch, for now, there's a version.txt file in the system folder that's not there on the Touch.

On a sidenote, I'm looking at actually implementing this on the Kindle side... No promises for now, but I'm looking at ways to do it...

[Akirainblack]

Cool, thanks for the info and the offer.
Can't wait to get all my covers onto my new kindle.
Is there a way to get some of the stock pictures as well as your screensaver?