Channel Issues & Questions

[russws]

Thanks!
I got it to work fairly quickly - can't seem to get Mongoose starting correctly as an install, but worked fine for me in console, so that's ok.
Looks nice and professional when done.
One question - what's the minimum XML information needed? For example, I downloaded the Avatar trailer. If I just wanted to do a quick XML file to get that up, what would it look like?

[pjoshua5000]

For those that might be having a problem try this.

My IP address is 192.168.1.101

I did not know why it was not working, but had a hunch of why, however I had to do my Work, and could not test my idea out. At first I thought it was that it did not see it. But then I try, taking away the ":80:80" and it work. SO instead of the

192.168.1.101:80:80

I change it to

192.168.1.101

And 1'm able to see my content. However it will not play it. It must of not be encode right despite it being a mp4. But I did encode it along time ago. Now I can have all my video on my computer. I guess I know what I'm going to do when I get my new laptop/table. I turn this old computer into a media sender. Or go out and get a NAS. I wounder. can the xml file point to videos out side of the WWW folder so you can have video across many partition.

Also the interface is quite buggy. It jumps around alot do to the delay in commands from the remote. Also some times you have to exit out of the channel and reenter it to open one of the sub folder/settings. I just noting it, as I know this is a beta channel.

I also had an idea. That when you select one of the sub channels like Videos, Music, or Photos that you are able to inter into even if you don't got any content or xml files. Or something to yet the user know that the Roku can see the web server even if their is no files to play or view or listen to.

[pjoshua5000]

Also a quick reboot of your computer, Roku, and/or Roku might also do the trick.

[WilDD]

russws -

I'm glad you got it working.

I assume you mean you want to generate the xml file manually. It can be done, but it's not recommended because of it's complexity. Here is the XML generated from Personal Video Database for tha Avatar trailer.

<xml>
<viddb>
<movies>1</movies>

<movie>
<num>0</num>
<title>Avatar</title>
<origtitle>Avatar</origtitle>
<aka></aka>
<year>2009</year>
<genre>Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi</genre>
<country>USA, UK</country>
<studio>Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation</studio>
<release></release>
<mpaa>
Rated PG-13 for intense epic battle sequences and warfare, sensuality, language and some smoking.</mpaa>
<tags>Friendship, One Word Title, Title Spoken By Character, Paraplegic, Marine, Colonel, Natives, Military, Battle, Soldier, Avatar, Epic, Moon, Planet, Alien, Epic Battle, Future, Tribe, Invasion, Twin Brother, Initiation Rite, Bulldozer, Bioluminescence, Tree Of Life, Twin, Animal Killing, Rebellion, Air Battle, Subtitled Scene, Foreign Language, Bow And Arrow, Hunt, Deity, 2150s, Scientist, Female Soldier, Shot In The Stomach, Exploding Ship, Hunter, Human Monster, Outer Space, Space, Fish, Space Western, Divine Retribution, Social Commentary, Attack, Prayer, Space Travel, Corpse, Young Man, Machine Gun, Motion Capture, Conscience, Biologist, Arrow In Chest, Giant Tree, Death, Survival, Death Of Twin, Interracial Romance, Energy, Jungle War, Torch, King, Fall From Height, Repeated Line, Mushroom, Shot In The Chest, Destruction, Martial Arts, Slow Motion, Creature, Cryogenics, Tree, Betrayal, Alien Lifeform, Honor, Warrior, Redemption, 3 D, Culture Clash, Pistol, Jumping Off Cliff, Arrow, Cremation, Ambush, Fictional War, Warrior Race, Righteous Rage, Grenade, Weightlessness, Logging, Hybrid, Corporate Executive, Violence, Shot To Death, Underwater, Scar, Punched In The Face, Human Versus Alien, Suffocation, Environment, Suspended Animation, Monster, Mysticism, Divine Intervention, Shot With Arrow, Corporate Greed, Male Female Relationship, Shot In The Shoulder, Savior, Power Suit, New Age, Going Native, Ancestry, Bravery, Shaman, Laboratory, Blood, Extraterrestrial, Queen, Alien Planet, Forced Perspective, Soul, Racism, Mercenary, Soul Transference, Swimming, No Opening Credits, Rainforest, Noble Savage, Loyalty, Explosion, Alien Contact, 3 Dimensional, Native, Unobtainium, Engine, Shot Through Window, Bare Chested Male, Cyberpunk, Intercut, Supernatural, Blockbuster, Botanist, Dance Ritual, Saga, Cryonics, Insect, Crushed To Death, Death Of Brother, Genetic Engineering, Alien Sex, Weapon, Smoke, Wheelchair, Jump From Height, Robot, Helicopter, Virtual Set, Leader, Body Swap, Ritual, Threatened With Knife, No Title At Beginning, Goddess, Allegory, 22nd Century, 3D, War Paint, Waterfall, Death Of Father</tags>
<director>James Cameron</director>
<producer>Brooke Breton, James Cameron, Laeta Kalogridis, Jon Landau, Josh McLaglen, Janace Tashjian, Peter M. Tobyansen, Colin Wilson</producer>
<scenario>James Cameron</scenario>
<music>James Horner</music>
<actors>Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Joel Moore, Giovanni Ribisi, Michelle Rodriguez, Laz Alonso, Wes Studi, CCH Pounder, Dileep Rao, Matt Gerald, Sean Anthony Moran, Jason Whyte, Scott Lawrence, Kelly Kilgour, James Pitt, Sean Patrick Murphy, Peter Dillon, Kevin Dorman, Kelson Henderson, David Van Horn, Jacob Tomuri, Michael Blain-Rozgay, Jon Curry, Julene Renee, Luke Hawker, Woody Schultz, Peter Mensah, Sonia Yee, Ilram Choi, Kyla Warren, Chris Mala, Nicole Dionne, Jamie Harrison, Dean Knowsley, Justin Shenkarow, Nikie Zambo</actors>
<description>A paraplegic marine dispatched to the moon Pandora on a unique mission becomes torn between following his orders and protecting the world he feels is his home.</description>
<comment></comment>
<tagline>Enter the World</tagline>
<url>http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0499549/</url>
<imdbrating>8.6</imdbrating>
<rating>0</rating>
<orating>0</orating>
<dateadded>2/16/2010 5:19:44 PM</dateadded>
<path>Z:\WWW\WWW-pub\Media\Videos\Avatar.mp4</path>
<count>0</count>
<type></type>
<rip></rip>
<length>3</length>
<size>24</size>
<langs></langs>
<subs></subs>
<translation></translation>
<resolution>640x266</resolution>
<framerate>23.97</framerate>
<videocodec>AVC</videocodec>
<videobitrate>814</videobitrate>
<audiocodec></audiocodec>
<audiobitrate></audiobitrate>
<label>Public</label>
<features></features>
<viewed>-1</viewed>
<viewdate></viewdate>
<wish>0</wish>
<bookmark>0</bookmark>
<poster>images/Avatar.jpg</poster>
</movie>


It depends on how much information you want to see on the screen. I guess the minimum would probably be <Title>, <Path>, and probably <Poster>, although it will run without a poster. This is a good example of why I like to use third-party software to generate the XMLs. You get all of this good information, and it does it for you automatically. Some people have complained about having to install third-party software, but I think the benefits are worth it.

You could probably get by with this, but I haven't tried it.

<xml>
<viddb>
<movies>1</movies>

<movie>
<num>0</num>
<title>Avatar</title>
<origtitle>Avatar</origtitle>
<path>Z:\WWW\WWW-pub\Media\Videos\Avatar.mp4</path>
</movie>

</viddb>
</xml>


I've made a few bug fixes to roksbox, and I'm getting ready to release a live demo with several movie trailers, some music, and some photo slideshows. Hopefully I will get that ready this evening. First I have to figure out how to deploy a version update to the private channel.

I'm also making it so your media files can reside almost anywhere.

If you have any more questions, please ask.

[pjoshua5000]

I also notice that if you don't put in a thumb nail picture that the data will not show up on the roku. Maybe it was mention in the tutorial, but I thought it was worth mention any way in case anyone was having trouble.

[WilDD]

pjoshua5000

I don't know what you mean here. Where do you need to put in the thumb nail picture? If you don't have any poster art, it will say retrieveing for the poster, but it should still work.

[pjoshua5000]

"WilDD" wrote:
pjoshua5000

I don't know what you mean here. Where do you need to put in the thumb nail picture? If you don't have any poster art, it will say retrieveing for the poster, but it should still work.

What I mean was I try to get a video to show up, but their was not thumb nail picture add, and I did not see the title of the video, but when I when in and added one, it show up. Maybe it was just something else. Like the XML needing up dated.

Also have do we make sub categories. Like I can have TV, then under TV have Stargate, then under that the episodes.

[WilDD]

pjoshua5000

Categories are created by adding genres. Each genre will show up as a category in roksbox. If you are using Personal Video Database, after you open your video file, click on the pencil icon at the top of the screen, then put something in for genre. Whatever you put for genre will appear as a category in roksbox. Then your video with any poster art will appear under that category (genre). You can also have multiple genres for one video seperated by commas. Like Action Adventure, Fantasy, SciFi. This would show up as three seperate categories in roksbox. In your case, unfortunately, you can only have one level of category. I would just use Stargate as a genre (you know it is TV anyway, or you could call the genre TV-Stargate). That would create a category in roksbox called Stargate, and your episodes would be under that. If you have five different episodes, code each one with a genre of Stargate, and they will all show up in roksbox under the category Stargate. If you can find some poster art for them you can add that to PVD, and it will show up in roksbox. That would look real nice. Try to google poster art stargate.

Actually, I just tried this in PVD. When you open your video in PVD, type Stargate for the Original Title, and PVD will find a lot of stuff for it. You can choose the episode you want.

[pjoshua5000]

"WilDD" wrote:
pjoshua5000

Categories are created by adding genres. Each genre will show up as a category in roksbox. If you are using Personal Video Database, after you open your video file, click on the pencil icon at the top of the screen, then put something in for genre. Whatever you put for genre will appear as a category in roksbox. Then your video with any poster art will appear under that category (genre). You can also have multiple genres for one video seperated by commas. Like Action Adventure, Fantasy, SciFi. This would show up as three seperate categories in roksbox. In your case, unfortunately, you can only have one level of category. I would just use Stargate as a genre (you know it is TV anyway, or you could call the genre TV-Stargate). That would create a category in roksbox called Stargate, and your episodes would be under that. If you have five different episodes, code each one with a genre of Stargate, and they will all show up in roksbox under the category Stargate. If you can find some poster art for them you can add that to PVD, and it will show up in roksbox. That would look real nice. Try to google poster art stargate.

Actually, I just tried this in PVD. When you open your video in PVD, type Stargate for the Original Title, and PVD will find a lot of stuff for it. You can choose the episode you want.

SO only one level deep for the Categories. Maybe that will change some day. PVD gives me tones of art work for Stargate. Also I hope one day there will be a dedication app for steaming content from the Computer. One that acts like a web server but allows a GUI so you can organized your videos they you want.

[wizzy1291]

I love the interface, but have had no luck getting the server and client to talk to one another. (Constant "invalid IP/XML file" error.)

I was able to play around with the live demo and liked it a lot. I will check out future versions, but I must reluctantly agree with those that have commented that the set-up is still a click or two too cumbersome in this release.