M3U or PLS Files with UbuStream

[Captain-DJ]

Hello! I want to use a m3u or a pls file with ubustrem. The file include more than one entries, but how can ubustream use this? I have made a station with a m3u file. Only the first entries will be played. Can ubustream "look" in the m3u or pls file and view the files (Video streams) in a list, so i can select one an play them ?
Can ubustream autoupdate the list, so when i update the m3u file new entries are viewed in the list in gbpvr?


P.S.: I hope you understand my "google" english :-)

[ubu]

Hello! I want to use a m3u or a pls file with ubustrem. The file include more than one entries, but how can ubustream use this? I have made a station with a m3u file. Only the first entries will be played. Can ubustream "look" in the m3u or pls file and view the files (Video streams) in a list, so i can select one an play them ?
Can ubustream autoupdate the list, so when i update the m3u file new entries are viewed in the list in gbpvr?


P.S.: I hope you understand my "google" english :-)

There's a couple of ways to use playlists with UbuStream:

One approach is to import the m3u or pls playlist file into UbuStream. The playlist items will then show up as UbuSteam "stations".

For instance, you can set up a group to contain the playlist items (just create a new, empty group using the UbuStream config app) and then use the Import panel (select Import under Options in the tree control in the config app) to import your playlist into that group. Then you can use the Play Group button on the UbuStream menu to play the whole playlist (using your remote's SkipFwd and SkipBack buttons to move between items) or you can play the individual stations using the Play menu button. To reflect changes in your playlist file, simply re-import it.

But UbuStream should also be able to use a playlist file as the "URL" of a single station (which is what it sounds like you are doing). That way you can still use the SkipFwd and SkipBack buttons to move between items but you won't be able to play individual items (because they won't be defined as separate stations). However, UbuStream will automatically reflect any changes you make to the playlist file (since it is actually passing that file to the target player).

As to your problem of only the first item in the playlist being played, the only case I know of where that would happen is when using Timeshift Play (if you're using UbuStream 2.1 Beta). That's a problem with the VLC transcoding process and I don't expect to be able to fix it any time soon. The other play modes should handle playlist files correctly though.

To figure out why only the first item is played, I'd need to know a) which version of UbuStream you are using, b) which player you are using for the playlist and c) what's in the playlist file. If you could attach an example m3u or pls file, that would be helpful too.

[Captain-DJ]

There's a couple of ways to use playlists with UbuStream:

One approach is to import the m3u or pls playlist file into UbuStream. The playlist items will then show up as UbuSteam "stations".

For instance, you can set up a group to contain the playlist items (just create a new, empty group using the UbuStream config app) and then use the Import panel (select Import under Options in the tree control in the config app) to import your playlist into that group. Then you can use the Play Group button on the UbuStream menu to play the whole playlist (using your remote's SkipFwd and SkipBack buttons to move between items) or you can play the individual stations using the Play menu button. To reflect changes in your playlist file, simply re-import it.

But UbuStream should also be able to use a playlist file as the "URL" of a single station (which is what it sounds like you are doing). That way you can still use the SkipFwd and SkipBack buttons to move between items but you won't be able to play individual items (because they won't be defined as separate stations). However, UbuStream will automatically reflect any changes you make to the playlist file (since it is actually passing that file to the target player).

As to your problem of only the first item in the playlist being played, the only case I know of where that would happen is when using Timeshift Play (if you're using UbuStream 2.1 Beta). That's a problem with the VLC transcoding process and I don't expect to be able to fix it any time soon. The other play modes should handle playlist files correctly though.

To figure out why only the first item is played, I'd need to know a) which version of UbuStream you are using, b) which player you are using for the playlist and c) what's in the playlist file. If you could attach an example m3u or pls file, that would be helpful too.

a) UbuStream Version 2.0
b) MediaPlayer / RealPlayer
c) see file

MediaPlayer 11 dont play anything of the pls file, so i used the RealPlayer.
I configured UbuStream again with single Station, but i dont can see the second item in the pls file. Skip forward or back dosnt work. When i import a group, ubustream config crached. (See image)

When i import a group (ok, first it must work) can i see the single items of the pls or m3u file in UbuStream with the name it was in the pls/m3u file ?
Can UbuStream automatik refrech the pls/m3u file when it was startet in GBPVR ?
Or can i make a Folder with pls filse limke "1.pls" "2.m3u" .... so i can select the items in UbuStream ???

[ubu]

MediaPlayer 11 dont play anything of the pls file, so i used the RealPlayer.

Windows Media Player doesn't support pls files. RealPlayer, Winamp and VLC will play them fine, however. The only playlist format that pretty much all players support is m3u.

fyi - I don't test UbuStream with WMP 11. A lot of problems have been reported with it so I still use WMP 10.

I noticed that there is actually an error in your pls file. Both title fields say "Title2=". The first one should be "Title1=". Luckily, UbuStream (and the players) seemed to figure out what was meant.

I configured UbuStream again with single Station, but i dont can see the second item in the pls file. Skip forward or back dosnt work.

I added your pls file as a single station and it played OK for me in the three players above. With VLC, I had to use Skip Forward to get it to play the second stream. I did uncover a bug when using RealPlayer - it has a problem if you have "Start player in fullscreen mode" set on the UbuStream Options panel (it doesn't like the fullscreen option on the command line with a playlist). Winamp worked fine.

If you want to have a single station playlist that will work with WMP, you need to convert it to an m3u file (or download it from kino.de in that format).

When i import a group, ubustream config crached. (See image)

I can't reproduce this (either with UbuStream 2.0 or 2.1) when I import your file. If you click the Details button, it will display more info about the problem you're experiencing which might give us a clue.

When i import a group (ok, first it must work) can i see the single items of the pls or m3u file in UbuStream with the name it was in the pls/m3u file ?

I created a group called "CaptainDJ" and then imported the pls file into it (using WMP as the default player). The group then contained two stations: "Born to be wild" and "300". I could then either use the Play button to play either of the stations or the Play Group button to play the "CaptainDJ" group. (When you use Play Group, UbuStream actually builds an m3u file on the fly, so WMP recognizes it as a playlist.) I tried Play Group using both UbuStream v2.0 and v.2.1 (External Play) and WMP played both clips in sequence. I could use both SkipForward and Skip Back sccessfully. In v2.1, I was able to use Preview Play and the group played fine in the internal WMP player.

Can UbuStream automatik refrech the pls/m3u file when it was startet in GBPVR ?

Not sure what you are asking here. If you are using the single station approach, it will automatically reflect any updates to the playlist file (since it is simply passing the filename to the player). If you are importing the pls file, you'll need to re-import it to pick up any updates.

Or can i make a Folder with pls filse limke "1.pls" "2.m3u" .... so i can select the items in UbuStream ???

You can certainly create a group (if that's what you mean by "Folder") to contain stations, each of which points to a playlist file. Once you've created a station (whether it's pointing to a playlist or a URL) you can choose to leave it "ungrouped" or you can add it to a group.

One more thing: I am no longer doing any bug fixes for UbuStream 2.0. I view v2.1 as being the "current" release (even though I haven't got around to updating the wiki to reflect that so it still shows up as "Beta"). So, you might consider upgrading to v2.1

[Captain-DJ]

Hello!

Ok, Single Station works, but i will test the VLC Player, with Realplayer, Winamp or Mediaplayer Skip forward or back don´t work.
So i think skip forward an back is an feature of the vlc player ?!?
EDIT: I have tested the vlc player but Skip forward or back dont work !
I used the key "CTRL + ->" the video will skip forward, but not the second file will be played directly ???
EDIT2: Ok, i can make individual settings in the player :-)


Can UbuStream automatik refrech the pls/m3u file when it was startet in GBPVR ?

I want to now what files are in the Playlist, i want to select and play individual items.
Import a group works now, but i dont want to import until the m3u file is shanged.
a) Is there a way to import an changed m3u file automatically to a group ?

Or can i make a Folder with pls filse limke "1.pls" "2.m3u" .... so i can select the items in UbuStream ???
You can certainly create a group (if that's what you mean by "Folder")

No, i mean a realy folder on the Harddisk like "Windows" or "Program files"
b) So i can make automatically many m3u files and save it in one folder.
Ubustreams "look" into this folder and add (import) automatically all playlists from here, or makes single stations, so when i make shanges in one file or i delete or add a file ubustream get always the new items of all playlists.

Is there any way for a) or b) ???
Or do you now an other way ? ...thanks !

[ubu]

Ok, Single Station works, but i will test the VLC Player, with Realplayer, Winamp or Mediaplayer Skip forward or back don´t work.
So i think skip forward an back is an feature of the vlc player ?!?

All the players support SkipFwd/Back. I was able to skip through the clips in your file in all three players, both using a mouse and using my remote control. If you are still using UbuStream v2.0 (and are, therefore, using the external players) you have to configure your remote to send the correct keystrokes (in the irremote.ini file, for Hauppauge remotes, for instance). If you use Preview Play in UbuStream v2.1, the internal players use the same keystrokes as GB-PVR so the SkipFwd/Back buttons work without any configuration.

a) Is there a way to import an changed m3u file automatically to a group ?

There's no "built-in" way to do this. You might want to check out UbuStream's Dynamic Source feature, though. It would be very easy to write a small program to present the playlist as a DynSource PLX file (if you are comfortable writing a little code). Then you could use the DynSource auto-synch feature to automatically import it on a regular basis.

No, i mean a realy folder on the Harddisk like "Windows" or "Program files"
b) So i can make automatically many m3u files and save it in one folder.
Ubustreams "look" into this folder and add (import) automatically all playlists from here, or makes single stations, so wenn i make shanges in one file or i delete or add a file ubustream get always the new items of all playlists.

Again, you could easily write a DynSource app that would do this. The existing Podcasts DynSource does something very similar (looks through all the folders contained within a Podcasts folder and then imports all the podcast files it finds there). I could tell you how to do this, if you are interested.

If you don't feel comfortable writing a program to do this, then I'm afraid you are out of luck for now. However, your suggestion is a good one. Maybe I'll consider adding some feature to support this in the future. At minimum, I could "expose" the import function as a stand-alone exe file that you could call from a batch file. Ideally though, a "Playlists" DynSource app that works as per your b) suggestion would be good.

[Captain-DJ]

Thanks for your help !!!

I only can write programs in BASIC.
Can i use Basic (compiled to exe) for this ?
Where can i find help for DynSource ?

[ubu]

Thanks for your help !!!

I only can write programs in BASIC.
Can i use Basic (compiled to exe) for this ?
Where can i find help for DynSource ?

Yes. You can use BASIC (or any language you like) as long as you conform to a few simple rules. There's a couple of sections of the UbuStream wiki that you can read:

Using DynamicSources

[URL="http://gbpvr.com/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Plugin/UbuStreamDynamicSources"]Developing DynamicSource mini-plugins
[/URL]
and there's also several threads in this forum that discusses Dynamic Source apps, including this one..

If you've got questions (after reading the docs) you can post them here.

[Captain-DJ]

Yes. You can use BASIC (or any language you like) as long as you conform to a few simple rules. There's a couple of sections of the UbuStream wiki that you can read:

Using DynamicSources

[URL="http://gbpvr.com/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Plugin/UbuStreamDynamicSources"]Developing DynamicSource mini-plugins
[/URL]
and there's also several threads in this forum that discusses Dynamic Source apps, including this one..

If you've got questions (after reading the docs) you can post them here.

Hello!

I have read all docs, but i dont know what is to do ! I can write an program to convert an existing file to the plx format. Can i used an existing DynaSource plugin (with switches?) to only transmit this plx file to a Ubustream group...i only need this, the rest i make it myself

[Captain-DJ]

It works !!!

I have now the Ubustream V2.1
I used the "Podcast" plugin !!!

I have made an Folder on my HD like "Cinema"
In this folder i put my playlists with full Name of the Movie...one Stream in one plx file.
UbuStream import it as Stations an it works !!!!

One question (ok...two):

The description and the Website in the plx file will not transmit to the station in ubustream...why ???
I have add an large text directly in the ubustream setup, but i can not scroll the text in gbpvr, is this correctly ?

Can i put an image (jpg) or an link to an image on my HD in the PLX file so that i see the text and the image ???


THANKS !!!!


EDIT: Now i know why the description is not displayed....argh !... the Station name is now xxxxx.plx !
So no description and no website will be add to ubustream !
:-(