[hello2000]

The problem still persists, just checked today with version 1.3.3. I can compile WiiMC, I’ll see if there’s anything I can do to fix the problem.

[hello2000]

In my case, it’s a Linux-based media center from 02media which is hosting the SMB share, so I don’t think that’s the problem…

[hello2000]

USB and SD listings are OK. I only have one SMB share to test.

[hello2000]

Except that the Internet Browser sucks at playing video. It only supports very-low-res and very-bad-sound FLV and MPEG4 (I believe it’s what is used on Wii’s Internet Channel YouTube). Unless the developers of that plugin already found a way to bypass that?…

[hello2000]

And if WiiU comes out as limited as Wii (no HD YouTube or other media center functions, for example), I would (possibility) only buy it when homebrew has been brought to it.

It makes no sense that a device that does 1080p and is a bit above PS3 and sits behind or below your TV doesn’t have multimedia capabilities as good or better than the PS3. (although I don’t like very much comparing consoles of different brands, but if we’re going that way…)

[hello2000]

Sorry but this: http://e3.nintendo.com/hw/#/introduction doesn’t seem like being simply a controller…

More of a new gaming console that also does HD, right? Do some research before you post 😉

And by outdated I mean that it’s not the latest gaming console by Nintendo with the same purpose as the Wii (DS, DSi and etc. don’t have exactly the same goal as the Wii, I hope you understand me). The Wii is already outdated and MUCH when compared to other consoles.

[hello2000]

You can add it easily if you know the URL of the streams for TED talks (which should be easy to get, seeing as how many popularity TED has), by editing the onlinemedia.xml file. You need to add stream per stream manually if you don’t find a feed that returns the latest media in M3U (playlist) format (like if it was a RSS feed).

[hello2000]

I decided to take some time to see how Windows was working, and found out I didn’t uninstall TortoiseSVN (thank you error in uninstaller!). So I followed your WiiMC extensive compile guide for Windows, installed the needed software (OMG! How devkitPro installation is so easy in Windows when compared to Linux!) and after some fiddling with the needed libraries (your guide doesn’t say that libntfs was needed, and I didn’t remember the official instructions did, so finding that and that fribidi needs to be compiled with one additional parameter, –build[something], search the forums) I managed to compile WiiMC and now I have a DOL of the latest SVN revision which works on my Wii!

Now, to get WiiMC+, I need to PM you my email, right?

EDIT: I have successfully patched and compiled WiiMC+. I sent jhb50 an email with more details. Thank you!

[hello2000]

All the Windows XP setups I used in my life during long periods of time were Professional editions, so I don’t know about Home. But, I can suggest this: is it possible that SMB is a feature of the Pro version and the Home version has it disabled somehow (like the restrictions between Vista/7 Basic and Ultimate), however as the SMB code is still in the system there’s a bug that gets SMB turned on on safe mode?

[Linux blah blah]Oh, how I love the majority of Linux distros: having Samba working right out of the box (or after a quick install) and no stupid firewalls to turn off![/Linux blah blah]

[hello2000]

I think that any kind of controlling interface should control the WiiMC interface and not directly MPlayer, because if it controlled MPlayer directly, it would override any playlists and even certain options. The only result of controlling MPlayer directly is random crashes and MPlayer unexpectedly switch, for example, from a YouTube video to a music file “because someone on your LAN wanted to listen to a music file while you were vieweing YouTube” (that’s another thing that could be implemented in the future: permissions control and priorities from one user to another).

About the web server to use if the solution adopted is to use a complete HTTP server (and not just a port listener for a specific protocol), I fear there isn’t anything developed and stable well enough for the Wii. WiiWebServer is still in alpha stage and I don’t think it’s being actively developed, or that it’ll ever be again. And even if WiiWebServer is stable serving static HTML pages, then how would the static HTML files control WiiMC? And how would the page display, for example, the playlist (or at least the now playing information)? It would need, at least, CGI, but WiiWebServer has no CGI AFAIK. Plus, lets imagine all these problems were solved, but one thing remains: the Wii has low RAM, and a http+cgi server would take a great amount of RAM to function properly – and that amount varies, so it can’t be a static buffer allocated in RAM. Again, all I can imagine with an http server embedded in WiiMC is either a very small buffer for video and audio playback, or random lockups.
And I was just writing this when I remembered of other factor: the Wii’s wireless card is not the fatest and stablest of things, and serving rich HTML pages while, at the same time, downloading online media can draw both operations (download and upload) very slow. But that’s something a more experienced person can confirm.

In fact, this is a pretty ambitious thing for anyone: too much projects and no work (neither experience!). Plus, I can’t manage to compile WiiMC on Linux, and I just put my Windows install to work, doing a massive uninstallation of things, and I don’t want to lock up the Windows again by having to install Tortoise SVN, devkitpro, and another handful of things that will most likely put my Windows install slow and unusable again – for some reason I switched to Linux…

I also have few experience in C nor C++, since I switched to Linux (and left .NET on Windows) I haven’t really restarted to code anything. That, plus the fact of not managing to setup the build environment for WiiMC…

Cheers
Gabriel

[hello2000]

I haven’t tried your scripts yet, but they look very promising. If you give permission, I might replace the YouTube and Shoutcast scripts I have on my server by yours and yours seem to have much more features. This would increase a lot the online media universe of WiiMC (Advanced YouTube, Advanced ShoutCast, Jamendo, the usual Navi-X and even Google Weather – this last one still not working very well).
Obviously I’d give you credit like I’m doing actually.

The source code for my scripts (and the jhb50’s and boondoklife’s ones too) is available for download at:
http://213.229.73.233/wiimc/wiimc-scripts-by-gbl08ma.zip

As obvious, no warranty is provided for this scripts and they are all configured for my server, you need to edit this to run them on your server. The scripts are all licensed under GNU GPL v2 – I hope jhb50 and boonondok life don’t mind. If you detect any licensing issues, please inform me as the ZIP file was packaged and everything was prepared when I was in a hurry.

Now, I can add: with this alternative to the default server, not only more services are added, as you’re also using a more open source alternative… not that it matters much, at least, that’s what some say 😉

[hello2000]

So there’s already a solution in WiiMC+ which allows you to control WiiMC+ withtin a distance of 10 meters from your Wii… not the perfect solution if your home is big, but eliminates the need for coding a server to run along with WiiMC and possible clients depending on the server implemented.

And hey, you can just buy a small LCD with A/V in and connect the Wii to it while playing WiiMC instead of the less-power-efficient projector. And you can turn the LCD on/off at the click of a button, without waiting for the projector bulb to light up. That is, if you wanna buy a LCD just for that purpose 🙂

“Focus on the solution, not on the problem.”

[hello2000]

I think that remote interface in libmpg123 only works if it is compiled as a standalone app, for example, on a Linux package – not the case with WiiMC. Plus, at the very least, that remote interface would only control the files played by libmpg123.

About setting up a LAN share and put a file there… I don’t think that’d be the best protocol solution possible: IMO it’d more simple to just code a port listener that listens on e.g. 3.4.5.6:9000 (being 3.4.5.6 the Wii’s IP, and 9000 the port it listens in), and replies with simple commands to the client who made the request on that port.
Here’s a imaginative connection log between the client and WiiMC: 😀

CLIENT (192.168.1.2): Connecting to 192.168.1.3...

CLIENT (192.168.1.2): Connected, sending: 603 (CONTROL_NEXT_TRACK)

Reply from WIIMC (192.168.1.3): 200 (OK)

CLIENT (192.168.1.2): Disconnected.



... 5 minutes later...



CLIENT (192.168.1.2): Connecting to 192.168.1.3...

CLIENT (192.168.1.2): Connected, sending: 660 SD:/Music/Song 1.mp3 (PLAY_FILE SD:/Music/Song 1.mp3)

Reply from WIIMC (192.168.1.3): 200 (OK)

CLIENT (192.168.1.2): Sending: 660 SD:/Music/Song 45.mp3 (PLAY_FILE SD:/Music/Song 45.mp3)

Reply from WIIMC (192.168.1.3): 404 (FILE_NOT_FOUND)

CLIENT (192.168.1.2): Sending: 699 STANDBY (SHUTDOWN FORCE_STANDBY)

As you can see from my stupid example of communication log, the protocol looks like HTTP, but it’s not. And it would allow more than playing control: it could also tell the Wii to shutdown, to eject the disc, etc.

Basically, I have the idea for the protocol in my head but I don’t know how code it. Although not having enough knowledge to code the WiiMC server part, I could code the Windows client in .NET (probably the only language I have real experience with is VB.NET). But for that, someone need to code the server for WiiMC 🙂

jhb50, are you willing to deploy something like described in this thread in your extension pack? It could be a great addition if it’s not too much work (I guess it is).

Regards
Gabriel

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I updated my onlinemedia.xml alternatives with two new options for Jamendo that will let you play anything from the Jamendo library as long as you know the IDs. Read the first post for more information (section “Jamendo Details”, in smaller text).

Enjoy! And comment! 😀

[hello2000]

I think this would involve embedding an HTTP server into WiiMC, thus spending precious RAM and processor on a feature not everyone would use.

While I say a HTTP web/lan interface would be difficult, I think a simple protocol for controlling WiiMC remotely, and tell it to play files and such, like Apple’s AirPlay, would be good. Obviously, it wouldn’t work on every device with a browser: you’d need to code a client for that protocol for every device you wanted to control WiiMC from. That means: an app for Windows, other for Android, other for (jailbroken) iPhone, other for Linux Destkop, and perhaps even one for Wiis so people with two Wiis could control what one Wii is playing from the other.
This solution I propose, while putting less load on the Wii that’s running WiiMC (listening on a port for commands and replying with status takes less resources and is less difficult than a full HTTP server plus the web interface in CGI – because PHP would be “impossible”), leads to more work on every other device: we’d need to code for Windows, Linux, Android, iOS, Windows Mobile, and everything we wanted to control WiiMC from.

I’m also interested in controlling WiiMC remotely (no matter if it’s through browser or a dedicated app) and so I’m waiting for a reply from someone who knows better the WiiMC code and the Wii in general than me 🙂

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