Custom Channel Launch for Videos?

[fttb]

Hello all you creative Wii Hackers – espcially those behind WiMC (very well done, by the way)…

I was wondering if anyone could comment on the possibility of coding a feature similar to the WiiMC Channel Launcher – a custom channel icon on the Wii System Menu that when launched and started would open WiiMC and play a specific video. This way there could be a group of channel icons, each with a different picture of a show, that when launched would start that show in WiiMC.

The reason I ask is that may 7 year old daugher is severly autistic – she is non-verbal (cannont speak or understand language) and still in diapers. We would like to give her the ability to choose what see wants to play on the TV, but need to use picture representations. Currently she brings us the Wiimote over and over until we finally play what she was thinking of – she can’t read the default WiiMC menu items, and they aren’t the easiest to point to, at least not like channels on the system menu…

This channel arrangement would be wonderful as it would give her some control over her environment.

Any guidance on who could do this or how would be great… I have coded GBA and DS – see http://www.mywiferocksproductions.com/ for projects) – so I may be capable with some assistance…

Thank you for your time…

Her favorite shows: spongebob; ed, edd, eddy; and teletubbies… FYI.

[cadbusca]

Are you looking to play specific videos or to autoplay a series of videos in a folder?
What do you want to happen when the playback is over?..I would guess you want to exit and return to the WIIMenu.
Do you want to be able to quit and return in the middle of playback?
Do you want to be able to play a YouTube playlist that you have created of appropriate videos?

[fttb]

jhb50 – thanks for the follow-up…

@jhb50 wrote:

Are you looking to play specific videos or to autoplay a series of videos in a folder?
What do you want to happen when the playback is over?..I would guess you want to exit and return to the WIIMenu.
Do you want to be able to quit and return in the middle of playback?
Do you want to be able to play a YouTube playlist that you have created of appropriate videos?

In it’s simplist form I want the ability to put a channel icon (I think the correct term is forwarder), that when clicked will open WiiMC and play the contents of a particular SMB network folder (customizable path for each channel = input path somewhere… maybe before .wad install? or ideally within in WiiMC – likely more difficult…?).

Currently video playback is set to auto – so it would play all the files in that folder as it does now, then return to the WiiMC menu (current behavior) or return to the Wii system menu. Currently you can quit playback with a press of the home button, then go to Wii system menu with a second press – a feature that should remain. I am confident that with time my daughter could grasp the role of the home button to cancel and get back to the selection screen (i.e. a section of the Wii system menu that will be populated with channel icons of all here favorite shows).

Not interested in YouTube playlist – have never played with that feature…

Thanks again for the reply – hoping to eventually figure out how to do this… or have the WiiMC guys add it to the to do list – maybe?

[cadbusca]

I think the problem is the channel forwarder is unique to an app called WIIMC and there is no source code to replicate it to initiate different copies of WIIMC named as different apps. If we could do this then each forwarder would have its own icon and open a modified WIIMC which would get the foldername from a file under that app, open it, play the videos and return to the WII menu. Home could also go to the WII menu with one press.

I can do the WIIMC mods and I’ve a query out to see if the forwarder source can be made available or better still a mod version that can open a specified app name. Perhaps others can help with that.

[fttb]

@jhb50 wrote:

I think the problem is the channel forwarder is unique to an app called WIIMC and there is no source code to replicate it to initiate different copies of WIIMC named as different apps. If we could do this then each forwarder would have its own icon and open a modified WIIMC which would get the foldername from a file under that app, open it, play the videos and return to the WII menu. Home could also go to the WII menu with one press.

I can do the WIIMC mods and I’ve a query out to see if the forwarder source can be made available or better still a mod version that can open a specified app name. Perhaps others can help with that.

Wow – that is an even more simplistic approach than I was thinking. If the forwarder source can be modified to look for differently named WiiMC instances, then a simple mod to each instance could tell it which file to start playing – brilliant.

Seriously, that would be beyond amazing if the code changes are actually possible. Thank you so much for the interest in this effort and hopefully the development community will respond to your query…

You made my day with that idea and glimmer of hope in terms of actually executing as envisioned – Thanks

[rodries]

The forwarder source is available at:

http://code.google.com/p/wiimc/source/browse/#svn%2Ftrunk%2Flibs%2Fforwarder

[cadbusca]

I’ll look at this when I get a chance

[cadbusca]

Working on this now but I can’t get the modified forwarder to work. I’d appreciate help from someone. See details at http://www.wiimc.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=1588

[fttb]

@jhb50 wrote:

Working on this now but I can’t get the modified forwarder to work. I’d appreciate help from someone. See details at http://www.wiimc.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=1588

jhb50 – you rock! I was thinking this post would be buried by now, but you are finding the time to tackle the custom forwarder. I looked at the code and am certain the issue is over my head – not as recognizable as the GBA/DS “spaghetti” code that is my trademark. Hopefully someone out there will hear the backstory to this effort and be able to assist you.

Thanks again for spending time on this…

freakyV

[cadbusca]

Hung up on how to insert modified forwarder code into the existing channel dol. I’ve posted question in development forum but no response. http://www.wiimc.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=1588

[cadbusca]

freakyv: see my pm. We need to test out WII Homebrew Launcher as the base with your sd card.

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