Telnet Video Player

[David Duffy]

Progress on MultiPlay is continuing (don't panic!), but I'm working on some companion software to use with it.

 

One of them is a video playback app that uses a Telnet interface for control. The idea is to trigger playback of a video file on a PC (either local or remote). This may allow an older, less powerful PC (or maybe a netbook) to be used for the control, and a higher spec'd one for the CPU intensive playback.

 

To this end, I've started work on a basic application. When started, it takes up residence in the system tray waiting for a connection from the control PC. It has no user interface, apart from a pop-up menu to shut it down.

 

So far, it has some basic functionality:

• Open (loads the specified file name)
  
• Play (starts playback and makes video visible)
  
• Pause (still image stays on screen)
  
• Resume (resumes from where previously paused)
  
• Stop (stops the video and blanks the video)
  
• Close (unloads the current video file)
  
• Display show (makes the video visible)
  
• Display hide (makes the video invisible)
  
• Display full (makes the video full screen)
  
• Display position and size set
  
• ? (displays command list)
  
• quit (exits the telnet session)
  

The display setting options work even when the display is hidden, so you can set them before making the video visible and avoid seeing the image shifting around.

 

At present, it only supports playing a single video file at a time. Anyway, feature suggestions would be appreciated.

[bruce]

Hi David,

 

VLC already has a telnet interface with these facilities...

[David Duffy]

Bruce, where's the fun in that? ** laughs out loud **!

 

From a quick look at the VCL telnet interface, you can do some of what I'm proposing, but perhaps not all.

 

I plan to add some other functions (looping, monitor choice, etc), that are a little more "show specific" and easier to use.

[blueacid]

Bruce, where's the fun in that? ** laughs out loud **!

 

From a quick look at the VCL telnet interface, you can do some of what I'm proposing, but perhaps not all.

 

I plan to add some other functions (looping, monitor choice, etc), that are a little more "show specific" and easier to use.

 

Why not add some of those facilities to VLC? It'll surely take less time, and more people will notice it (How many people have VLC already installed, compared to the number of hits your site gets?)

[David Duffy]

Why not add some of those facilities to VLC?

I have no interest in working on open source projects. Sorry if that sounds bad, but it's just the way I am! ;)

 

It'll surely take less time, and more people will notice it (How many people have VLC already installed, compared to the number of hits your site gets?)

I'm not in this for the popularity vote. This is an add-on for MultiPlay, not a VLC replacement. I mean, how many VLC users would even use the Telnet interface? 0.001% ?

[back_ache]

Anyway, feature suggestions would be appreciated.

 

How about web and webservices interfaces?

[pritch]

The ability to display static images (JPG, PNG, TIFF, etc) would be a nice addition, especially if there was a couple of simple effects in there too, such as fades in and out.

[David Duffy]

How about web and webservices interfaces?

Sounds like that would be something VLC would provide? ** laughs out loud **!

 

A concurrent post has been automatically merged from this point on.

 

The ability to display static images (JPG, PNG, TIFF, etc) would be a nice addition, especially if there was a couple of simple effects in there too, such as fades in and out.

It does actually display jpg images already and I'll look at what other types can be supported.

 

The fade in/out idea is good. I'll check into it.

[sleepytom]

hmm telnet? not exactlly user friendly is it?

 

I woud suggest that you implerment remote control using either the MSEX protocol (DMX media server extension which is supported by a lot of lighting desks) or OpenSoundControl (UDP based protocol - supported by some music hardware and quite a lot of music / video software.

 

You can the code you remote GUI app to use one of these protocols, which would allow your users to not only have the benifit of remote control from your software but also to be able to interface with tons of existing controller systems.

[David Duffy]

Sending a message to the app is as simple as typing the command ("open", "play", etc) into the Telnet cue in MultiPlay.