The most notable reform here is the adding of a standard 'options' dialog, making the GUI much less confusing, especially for new users. A bunch of other nice stuff is added too, here's list from the readme:

* Device/Integration/Miscellaneous/Plugins panels removed, and...
* ...replaced by a single integrated "Options and stuff" window
* Enhanced search option (matches listed as you type)
* DSP volume & balance option
* Mono tracks are played in stereo if output is set to stereo
* "Always in tray" option
* "Restrict rendering" vis option
* "Stop at dead track" option
* "Clear queue" option
* File selector "Folder history"
* External encoder "resolution" setting
* Amplification display unit changed to "db"
* Maximum buffer length increased to 2.5 seconds
* Faster skin loading
* Skinning changes (see skinning kit)

http://www.un4seen.co.uk/files/xmplay28.zip

Homepage: www.un4seen.com

(Oh and btw, I'm not the author of this player, just an enthusiastic user . The author is Ian Luck.)

now these are some really interesting changes!!

Downloaded it and played around with it for an hour.

Since i'm a Foobar2000 user (and ex-xmplay-user *g*) I'll compare xmplay 2.8 to foobar 0.7beta28.

First, congratz - IMHO xmplay got a huge step forward with this release.
Here are some other things i noticed:

- you may want to increase the eq to at least 8 bands
- i never liked it, and i still dont like it: the xmplay-layout.... using horizontal drawers for options and PLAYLIST(!!!) simply doesn't work. I'd really propose you to do a complete redesign of the GUI and call it XMPlay 3.0 (maybe do a beta before): vertical drawers - that is, make an option in the preferences wether ALL drawers should either open upwards or downwards(up OR down, not both). Then make it possible to switch between these drawers (gui button or something), and make them vertically resizable(very important i.e.) for playlist-drawer.
Voila - you can now forget all those popup windows except of vis.... everything you need already build in in a USABLE way. Modders could maybe even add new drawers as plugins.

Of course this would break all available plugins (and as we know, it took xmplay quite a while to even have a basic collection of skins available). But IMHO the current layout is a dead end!

over and out,
- Lyx

should read "of course this would break all available SKINS..."

sorry

That's why there's the handy little edit button right to the top-right of your post.

A dead end, this layout? Whoa, I don't see it like that at all. Yes, the vertical panels are kinda futile now that there's the options dialog, but the playlist in the info window works just fine! It's just like in Winamp for example, except that it doesn't attach to the main player part. The vertical drawers can perhaps be removed in future, but I don't see then why there would be need for any drawers at all. I've said it a couple of times before and I'm saying it once more: use the info window for playlist !

The exe file is now updated with a couple of minor improvements and some issues solved.