Roku Developer Program

Join our online forum to talk to Roku developers and fellow channel creators. Ask questions, share tips with the community, and find helpful resources.
cancel
Showing results for 
Show  only  | Search instead for 
Did you mean: 
dcringo
Visitor

New developer struggling with videoplayer template

Hello.

I am trying to work through the example code provided in the SDK to make my own channel. I was able to conquer the "hello world" program and even able to swap out a video feed with no issues on the customVideoPlayer example.

But on the videoPlayer example, I have tried everything and I still get bounced back to the poster screen after the video attempts to load.

I get this in the console -

ButtonPressed
showHomeScreen | msg = Unspecified or invalid track path/url. | index = 0
Video status: 0 0
showHomeScreen | msg = | index = -5
Video request failure: -5 1
showHomeScreen | msg = | index = 0
Screen closed

Any ideas on where I should start looking for the issue? I have tried adjusting the contentQuality and the streamQuality in the XML to match my TV, I have tried changing the TV to match the XML, and I have tried to host the XML files on my own server to no avail as well.

Thank you.

Ringo
0 Kudos
4 REPLIES 4
RokuJoel
Binge Watcher

Re: New developer struggling with videoplayer template

best bet is to print out the Associative Array of data that is being fed to the roVideoScreen component. That way you know what values are being set, for example if the StreamFormat is HLS and you are handing roVideoScreen an mp4 file, that might not work, and vice-versa.

- Joel
0 Kudos
dcringo
Visitor

Re: New developer struggling with videoplayer template

Joel,

Thank you for the reply. I am using the Roku SDK example with no alterations, thus I assume it must be built correctly. That said, here is the information being passed in. It is coming from an XML file hosted here http://rokudev.roku.com/rokudev/example ... gories.xml

<item sdImg="http://rokudev.roku.com/rokudev/examples/videoplayer/images/ElizabethGilbert.jpg" hdImg="http://rokudev.roku.com/rokudev/examples/videoplayer/images/ElizabethGilbert.jpg">
<title>Elizabeth Gilbert on nurturing creativity</title>
<contentId>10051</contentId>
<contentType>Talk</contentType>
<contentQuality>HD</contentQuality>
<streamFormat>mp4</streamFormat>
<media>
<streamQuality>HD</streamQuality>
<streamBitrate>2000</streamBitrate>
<streamUrl>http://video.ted.com/talks/podcast/ElizabethGilbert_2009_480.mp4</streamUrl>
</media>
<synopsis>Elizabeth Gilbert muses on the impossible things we expect from artists and geniuses -- and shares the radical idea that, instead of the rare person 'being' a genius, all of us 'have' a genius. It's a funny, personal and surprisingly moving talk.</synopsis>
<genres>Creativity</genres>
<runtime>1172</runtime>
</item>

I get the error on ALL videos provided in the example. FWIW, I am a programmer but I am new to BRS, although I am learning it quickly. When you say "print the associativeArray," you literally mean I need to add a print command to the function so that I can see what the array really looks like in console, correct? Can you tell me the syntax for that?

Ringo
0 Kudos
dcringo
Visitor

Re: New developer struggling with videoplayer template

UPDATE - I figured out how to print the AA. It's not a problem with the wrong type of stream.

---- AA ----
starrating: 90
hdbifurl:
shortdescriptionline2:
shortdescriptionline1: Jim Fallon: Exploring the mind of a killer
contentid: 10001
sdbifurl:
categories: (list of 1)...
List(0)= Clip
sdposterurl: http://www.xxxxxxx/roku/sdGraphic.jpg
description: Psychopathic killers are the basis for some must-watch TV, but what really makes them tick? Neuroscientist Jim Fallon talks about brain scans and genetic analysis that may uncover the rotten wiring in the nature (and nurture) of murderers. In a too-strange-for-fiction twist, he shares a fascinating family history that makes his work chillingly personal.
ishd: false
genre: Clip
hdimg: http://www.xxxxxxxxx/roku/hdGraphic.jpg
streamformat: mp4
length: 1260
contentquality: HD
streamurls: (list of 1)...
List(0)= http://www.xxxxxxxx/roku/1507seabees_yt.mp4
runtime: 1260
synopsis: Psychopathic killers are the basis for some must-watch TV, but what really makes them tick? Neuroscientist Jim Fallon talks about brain scans and genetic analysis that may uncover the rotten wiring in the nature (and nurture) of murderers. In a too-strange-for-fiction twist, he shares a fascinating family history that makes his work chillingly personal.
streamqualities: (list of 1)...
List(0)= HD
sdimg: http://www.xxxxxxx/roku/sdGraphic.jpg
streambitrates: (list of 1)...
List(0)= 2000
hdposterurl: http://www.xxxxxxxx/roku/hdGraphic.jpg
playstart: 0
title: Jim Fallon: Exploring the mind of a killer
contenttype: episode
hdbranded: false
actors: (list of 1)...
List(0)= Clip



For just a moment, one of the sample videos did play, but it only played one time. At my wit's end!

Here, again, is the error I keep getting

showHomeScreen | msg = Unspecified or invalid track path/url. | index =  0
Video status: 0 0
showHomeScreen | msg = | index = -5
Video request failure: -5 1
showHomeScreen | msg = | index = 0
Screen closed
Button pressed: 2 0


The odd thing is that the time it worked, I got this

showHomeScreen | msg =  | index =  1
showHomeScreen | msg = | index = 0
showHomeScreen | msg = | index = 0
list item selected | index = 0
only 1 category
created feed connection for http://xxxxxx/roku/themind.xml
url: http://www.xxxxxxxxx/roku/themind.xml
Request Time: 81
Show Feed Parse Took : 1
showPosterScreen | msg = | index = 0
list item selected | current show = 0
created feed connection for http://www.xxxxxxxx/roku/themind.xml
url: http://www.xxxxxxx/roku/themind.xml
Request Time: 4
Show Feed Parse Took : 1


so it seems to be something with showHomeScreen not working right
0 Kudos
meriza3241
Visitor

Re: New developer struggling with videoplayer template

dcringo,

did you find the solution? I have the same problem with the same message error.

thks
0 Kudos