Roku Developer Program

[el_wubo]

"renojim" wrote:

I will look into it. I'm sure I'll have some questions for you (especially since I'm clueless when it comes to Python). Would you prefer I ask them here or via PM? I'm currently experimenting with a feature I'd like - the ability to resume a video where you left off instead of starting from the beginning all the time, like how the Netflix channel offers. The client side looks pretty easy, but the server side may be tougher mostly because of my ignorance of Python, but also because I can't decide on the best way to keep track of where the user stopped the video.

You won't have to change any server code to implement either of those features. The error that occurs when the client can't connect to the server is detected by the client. You can use the Roku registry storage area to store time offsets for where you are in the video. I don't know if it's the best way... you could certainly also store that information on the server but that strategy is a bit more complicated.

Let's move this discussion to the newly created developers/contributors group to keep the general channel from getting too noisy.

http://groups.google.com/group/mymedia-roku-developers/

All are welcome to join and the discussion will tend towards being highly technical. This board is still the place to report bugs, talk about future directions or features, and report successes and failures.

[dellsweig]

"el.wubo" wrote:

"renojim" wrote:

I will look into it. I'm sure I'll have some questions for you (especially since I'm clueless when it comes to Python). Would you prefer I ask them here or via PM? I'm currently experimenting with a feature I'd like - the ability to resume a video where you left off instead of starting from the beginning all the time, like how the Netflix channel offers. The client side looks pretty easy, but the server side may be tougher mostly because of my ignorance of Python, but also because I can't decide on the best way to keep track of where the user stopped the video.

You won't have to change any server code to implement either of those features. The error that occurs when the client can't connect to the server is detected by the client. You can use the Roku registry storage area to store time offsets for where you are in the video. I don't know if it's the best way... you could certainly also store that information on the server but that strategy is a bit more complicated.

Let's move this discussion to the newly created developers/contributors group to keep the general channel from getting too noisy.

http://groups.google.com/group/mymedia-roku-developers/

All are welcome to join and the discussion will tend towards being highly technical. This board is still the place to report bugs, talk about future directions or features, and report successes and failures.

Dont you sleep 🙂

Thanks again for all your work on this..

I hope you get a build with the directory issues (nemerics) done soon - The current partition build works pretty well except for the folders I cant access (numerics)

Dan

[el_wubo]

"dellsweig" wrote:

Dont you sleep 🙂

Thanks again for all your work on this..

I hope you get a build with the directory issues (nemerics) done soon - The current partition build works pretty well except for the folders I cant access (numerics)

Dan

I see you're a fellow EST'er. Yeah -- I sleep. It's one of my favorite things.

I'm going to try to get the partition branch working with folders that start with numbers tonight (after work.) If time/real-life allows you could see an announcement tomorrow morning.

[hebertj0194]

"el.wubo" wrote:

"hebertj0194" wrote:
Also, album art? Another issue trying to resolve? Just curious, sorry if it has already been addressed, I will go back and read if it has.

Album art will be displayed in the channel if the server can find a JPEG (ending in jpg or jpeg) in the same directory as the audio files for the album. Does this fit the iTunes model? Does it store album art in the folder or some other predictable place that we can access?

For OSX, not it does not. When you add album art in iTunes, it embeds the image into the file. I think that explains it best. When looking at a mp3 or m4v file in finder, if you have added album art to it, the file will show the art as its icon. Not sure how you would handle that.

There also is an album art folder in the file structure for iTunes, so maybe its a linking process. Not totally sure. Hammerpocket?

Sorry, hebertj0194, I didn't look at this thread all day. Glad to see you've got it sorted with OS X. BTW, there's no need to open Terminal if you don't want to. If you right-click on springboard.py you can choose Open with...>Python Launcher to start it. (Double-clicking defaults to opening in the IDLE Python development environment, in which case you can go to Run>Run Module to get it going.)

Another note to future testers on Mac OS X: I'll test to confirm, but it appears that if you designate your iTunes music folder as your media path, the server cannot access the media when iTunes is running. (Roku client hangs on "retrieving...".)

No worries, glad I could get it working. I had a feeling there might be an easier way to get it to open. I was going to create an automater to go through and open it through terminal, but your suggestion would be just as quick I presume.

[mkolby]

Been playing around with this a bit, and so far I really like what I'm seeing. Regarding the album art, the current method works great for music albums, but is there a way we can create album art with the same file name as the title, but with different extensions, and have that show as the default thumbnail image for that title (GI-JOE.m4v and GI_JOE.jpg)? This is the way I have my collection for XBMC. I really appreciate all your hard work on this project, it's great to finally be able to stream my local content.

[el_wubo]

"mkolby" wrote:
Been playing around with this a bit, and so far I really like what I'm seeing. Regarding the album art, the current method works great for music albums, but is there a way we can create album art with the same file name as the title, but with different extensions, and have that show as the default thumbnail image for that title (GI-JOE.m4v and GI_JOE.jpg)? This is the way I have my collection for XBMC. I really appreciate all your hard work on this project, it's great to finally be able to stream my local content.

Great idea! Sure. We can support that. Hopefully we can work that in to the next release.

[canaws]

For el.wubo...

1. Still awesome! It's been my most used channel since I added it.

2. Feature request: pause function for the music.
There's pausing for the video, but not the music. Right now, the only option I have to stop the music is to completely exit the channel. 😞

3. Bug? Sometimes when I push the up button from within a folder it will take me all the way to the home/channel menu for a second, but it pops back into the appropriate mymusic channel by itself.

ETA:
4. Personally, I was a little confused by the installation instructions. I did fine with getting python and putting the box into developer mode, but I'd never downloaded anything from github before. It took me a minute to figure out how to get the files! It might be a good idea to add a line about downloading & unzipping the roku_media_server files from the 'download source' link to your instructions for the more computer illiterate among us. 😃

Thanks again!

[calicommando]

"canaws" wrote:
4. Personally, I was a little confused by the installation instructions. I did fine with getting python and putting the box into developer mode, but I'd never downloaded anything from github before. It took me a minute to figure out how to get the files! It might be a good idea to add a line about downloading & unzipping the roku_media_server files from the 'download source' link to your instructions for the more computer illiterate among us. 😃

+1

I actually had trouble with that too.

[renojim]

Me too, and I doubt you could find anyone who would consider me compute illiterate. 😄

-JT

[el_wubo]

Agreed.

As a short term solution I've updated this thread's first post with a direct download link.

Long term we really need to start establishing a friendly "new users" web presence. A simple site with the README, direct download link, and links back here for troubleshooting help would perhaps be less intimidating than the github page. Anyone have a burning desire to churn out said page? I have webspace ready to go.