(Original Post) *Picture Update 11-06-2012* : 'EVE' (2 Viewers)

[larsbln]

Hi guys,
You will probably take me for a crazy, but knowing that the iPad 3 will probably be a double definition that the 2. Do you plan to implement that resolution?
Thanks for your work.

Double the resolution is never a problem. You could guess how existing apps on the appstore will be modified for a higher resolution. Theres a reason why there are HD versions of some apps but even the non HD apps are still running full screen

 

[joostzilla]

Hey Joost, what about that graphical progress report you promised us?

Oh, and another question:

In a german thread someone asked for the possibility to set an iPad client up. I told him that EVE might be a good idea for that, at least in terms of long term evolution.
I just want to know if my thoughts are right:
If EVE is somewhen able to stream all media and browse databases it might be possible to connect EVE to a MPServer also running the client program. That way it might be possible to browse all media and to stream everything. If EVE then might be set up just to be a client - meaning without the buttons to play media on the client rather than on the iPad itself - EVE would be an MPClient, or is there something I didn't think of.

The progress report will take a bit longer since we are working on multiple sections throughout Eve at the same time.
So not one section is really finished yet.
About the iPad client setup i cannot give you an answer because that way out of my league. Perhaps Johan or Patrick can answer that question. You could pm them.

 

[johanj]

Hey Joost, what about that graphical progress report you promised us?

Oh, and another question:

In a german thread someone asked for the possibility to set an iPad client up. I told him that EVE might be a good idea for that, at least in terms of long term evolution.
I just want to know if my thoughts are right:
If EVE is somewhen able to stream all media and browse databases it might be possible to connect EVE to a MPServer also running the client program. That way it might be possible to browse all media and to stream everything. If EVE then might be set up just to be a client - meaning without the buttons to play media on the client rather than on the iPad itself - EVE would be an MPClient, or is there something I didn't think of.

EVE can today control several MP clients where each client need to have MPExtended installed. Patrick, Joost and I have each one client defined in the setup with different settings for ip, ports and user name.

One can not yet stream media to the iPad, this will work when MPExtended can stream an iDevice compatible stream. What one can do is to browse media on the ipad and start it one the client pc.

 

[larsbln]

The biggest problem I see is the lack of video compatibility on iOS devices.

Here's a part of apples developer knowlegdebase concerning HTTP streaming:

Stream format for the stream segmenter must be MPEG elementary audio and video streams, wrapped in an MPEG-2 transport stream, and using the following encoding.

Encode video using H.264 compression
iPhone 3G and later, and iPod touch, 2nd generation and later, support H.264 Baseline 3.1. If your app runs on older versions of iPhone or iPod touch, however, you should use H.264 Baseline 3.0 for compatibility.
For iPad, Apple TV 2 and later, and iPhone 4 and later, you can use Baseline profile 3.0, Baseline profile 3.1, or Main profile 3.1.


We have a MPEG-2 transport stream but as far as I know no H.264 compression. This must be done either on the TVServer machine or on the iDevice.

johanj
What about the VLC app that was around for some days. I still have it and could watch the rtsp stream from the TV Server with that. Would that be possible to develop EVE with VLC as a prerequisite (unmodified .ts output) until a better way has been discovered?

 

[maciste]

 

[Oxan]

The biggest problem I see is the lack of video compatibility on iOS devices.

You are overlooking quite a few things here:

• The part of the Apple documentation you quote speaks about the input format of the stream segmenter. This is a program that manipulates the stream so that it actually works on iOS devices - you can't use a standard MPEG-TS stream. Support for running this segmenter has to be implemented in a server application to get the streams to play.
• What's in the stream from the TV server depends a lot on the used tuner and sometimes also on the channel. Most channels here use MPEG2, others use H.264 and I've even spotted XviD.
• The VLC app isn't available anymore and probably won't be available ever again. A lead developer and major copyright holder of VLC (imo rightly) prevents it from entering the App Store because the App Store violates the terms of the GPL, under which VLC is licensed. Thus, your option won't work for the 95% of users who don't have the VLC app installed.

I still think the easiest solution is to implement HTTP Live Streaming (the protocol iOS uses for streaming) in MPExtended. Now that VLC 1.2 is around the corner and ffmpeg 0.9 already released, which both support the protocol, it should be quite easy to incorporate it. I don't have time for it yet, but that doesn't mean someone else can't do it...

 

[illiloh]

AW: Re: *Picture Update 07-01-2012* : 'EVE' - iPad Mediaportal & Home Automation cont

The biggest problem I see is the lack of video compatibility on iOS devices.

You are overlooking quite a few things here:

• The part of the Apple documentation you quote speaks about the input format of the stream segmenter. This is a program that manipulates the stream so that it actually works on iOS devices - you can't use a standard MPEG-TS stream. Support for running this segmenter has to be implemented in a server application to get the streams to play.
• What's in the stream from the TV server depends a lot on the used tuner and sometimes also on the channel. Most channels here use MPEG2, others use H.264 and I've even spotted XviD.
• The VLC app isn't available anymore and probably won't be available ever again. A lead developer and major copyright holder of VLC (imo rightly) prevents it from entering the App Store because the App Store violates the terms of the GPL, under which VLC is licensed. Thus, your option won't work for the 95% of users who don't have the VLC app installed.

I still think the easiest solution is to implement HTTP Live Streaming (the protocol iOS uses for streaming) in MPExtended. Now that VLC 1.2 is around the corner and ffmpeg 0.9 already released, which both support the protocol, it should be quite easy to incorporate it. I don't have time for it yet, but that doesn't mean someone else can't do it...

The License has changed in VLC 2.0 RC on OS X...

 

[johanj]

EVE is developed in the Command Fusions guiDesigner software and we use MPExtended as the MediaPortal backend. It is not likely that we will use one additional backend for streaming. It is also not likely that we will use another iPad app for playing the stream.

So if someone wants to have streaming in EVE, please help Oxan with the implementation in MPExtended

 

[Oxan]

Re: AW: Re: *Picture Update 07-01-2012* : 'EVE' - iPad Mediaportal & Home Automation

The License has changed in VLC 2.0 RC on OS X...

While libvlc itself is LGPL instead of GPL now, most of its dependent libraries and codecs are still GPL, so it won't change much for distribution through the AppStore.

 

[larsbln]

There are some Players in the AppStore available which can be used for streaming. I think i speak for alot of users if I say that LiveTv on idevices is a highly demanded feature. If I only could write the code ...