Background

I wanted the TV to feel alive when nothing is playing. The default Android TV screensaver shows random landscapes, so I built a small one that cycles through artwork from my own Plex library, the way Netflix previews titles on its home screen.

Getting great artwork

Plex stores transparent title logos for most media. They are not part of the default response, but adding includeImages=1 to the request exposes them as <Image> elements.

response.xml 
1<Video>2  <Image type="clearLogo" url="/library/metadata/1024/clearLogo/2048" />3</Video>

For backdrops I prefer images in this order:

  • Text-free images first
  • Highest resolution available
  • Most liked by the community

Making it look great

Instead of darkening the corner behind the logo, a soft radial gradient is tinted with a colour sampled from the artwork itself. A slow Ken Burns pan adds just enough movement to separate the logo from the image.

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