[WebService] General Media Access Webservice (2 Viewers)

[Oxan]

The new progress looks really great

I've already talked to Oxan and when the backend of MP Webstream supports streaming of generic content i will integrate this in the above shown webinterface

I've done the refactoring needed for this and I've got a version that more or less works, but I broke the transcoding in the process. You can grab the source here if you want to try. I hope to have a working version for you next week.

Quick question: this webservice is mainly meant for the things that run at the client (MediaPortal) instead of the server (TVEngine), right? So how are you going to fit TV into this: just as a small frontend for TV4Home/MPWebStream/etc or as a full replacement for it?

But, the most important thing about all this stuff is... when are we going to see this released? All the projects you guys are working on are amazing: TV4Home, GMAWebService (Oxan), MPWebStream, WifiRemote (Shukuyen), TVViewer... I can't wait to see them working hand by hand and completely integrated into Android, PC, iPhone, WinPhone 7,... applications. Absolute control of Mediaportal at home and in any place of the world, the future!

Well, the problem is mainly that we're all volunteers here and sadly we don't have unlimited free time, but we're doing our best. I'm still intending to look at how the projects can be integrated and talk with the other developers, but that needs time too and I'm short on it already

 

[winniwinter]

AW: [WebService] General Media Access Webservice

Hi Mike, thats a really interesting project.

I also started to create a webpage for myself to get more involved into HTML5,CSS3. For backend processing I wanted to use JSP. Since I'm a liiiiiiiittle bit familiar with the language.

My first goal is just to read the MovingPictures database, display the data on my page.
When I click on a movie, I want a detailed view with cover, movie details etc (stuff that you already have implemented) and buttons for watch movie or even "watch trailer"(which searches for trailers")

My current setup is:
HTPC - only MP Client installed
Server - Fileserver, MP TVServer

Since the MovingPictures database is locally stored on the client, in some point in the future I want to create a client plugin which is able to sync the database with eather a SQLite db on the server or use directly the MySQL db which is already existing.
Therefore I would have to write a client plugin in .NET first...

This should also work with other sections like tvseries,music, etc..

What I want to achieve is to be able to watch movies,tv seriesn, live tv on my laptop (wich is non windows) without having mp installed and without having my HTPC client turned on...


What I did so for (remember I'am a beginner at this stuff so this doesn't seem to be very much, but still took me quite some time :
For the beginning I copied the SQLite db on my server, played around with java. And at the moment I'am able to read the information from the db and transform it into a XML file.
On the frontend side I'm using AJAX to receive the xml and transform this file into a table.
What is missining: select details and whatch movies directly.

When I achieved that I want to have a look at the TV4Home WebServices and also implement some functionalities to the page(like schedule recordings). And after that I want to check if and how I can realize the syncing plugin for the client

Since I'am a fulltime ABAP developer, this is going to take some time for me


It would be also very cool to edit movie data with IMDB support and sync it back to the server

 

[Mike Lowrey]

winniwinter
Hi,

since i'm using MVC only it would be possible to skin the webinterface the way you want without using JSP

Oxan
Thanks for this update I will check the code as fast as possible

Quick question: this webservice is mainly meant for the things that run at the client (MediaPortal) instead of the server (TVEngine), right?

Correct!

So how are you going to fit TV into this: just as a small frontend for TV4Home/MPWebStream/etc or as a full replacement for it?

That's a good question and i'm not really sure about how to do this. One idea for multi seat(with server) installations is to sync the db files to the server another idea is to add the scrapers in the service(not my favorite^^)

 

[Oxan]

@Oxan
Thanks for this update I will check the code as fast as possible

You probably already read it, but I've posted the final version in the MPWebStream thread

That's a good question and i'm not really sure about how to do this. One idea for multi seat(with server) installations is to sync the db files to the server another idea is to add the scrapers in the service(not my favorite^^)

I think it's the best to provide some kind of proxy for the TV4Home WebService so that you can have 'real' multiseat installations with a single webinterface (on the client) but also use the TV part when the client is off, using the TV4Home Web Service. But I'm not sure if this is technically possible.

 

[winniwinter]

AW: [WebService] General Media Access Webservice

mike

ok that's fine by me. But since there are already. So where do you see your developments regarding the TV4Home WebServices. Are your developments an enhancement of non-existing parts of the WebServices or do you have overlapping implementations?

The main problem I have with all implementations of displaying/streaming/editing movie/series data etc is that the actual "client" has to be available to access the databases.
My most common use case of such a WebInterface is that I want to use it when I'm in front of another computer which means mostly that my htpc client is off while my server with the actual data is running. So I need a central database which grabs data from the client and even replicates data back to the client

 

[Mike Lowrey]

The TV4Home Core Service is TV Server dependent and nothing more... The current webitnerface i've presented before is based on the GMA Webservice which is ONLY dependent on the database files of the MediaPortal frontend.

There is and there will be no overlapping of features. The only thing which may be happens is that also the gmawebservice will become part of TV4Home. But that's a decision which isn't only mine

Regarding the problem with the clients i've already described two of the ideas to Oxan... Since the database problem is not only a problem for this project but also for every multi seat setup may be someone is interested in creating a tool to sync all databases?

 

[winniwinter]

AW: [WebService] General Media Access Webservice

I would love to do this. But I think it would take me like forever to implement this since I'm not really familiar with .NET

I have written down what I want to realize, but when I'm sitting in front of my eclipse I feel like a grown man how has to learn to walk again. Things that I do in ABAP in 5mins takes up to half an our and more

 

[Mike Lowrey]

Well for syncing databases you don't need .Net... The databases are plain SQLite and i'm sure there are SQLite provider for Java


But back to topic

I've added basic methods to access pictures which are on the filesystem. Only the methods to read which folders the user has selected in his configuration are missing...

I also added a picture view to the above shown webinterface in which the user can navigate based on the local folder structure.
Since this is based on high def images(my test setup) it needs a bit work to get this faster than it currently is.

 

[winniwinter]

AW: [WebService] General Media Access Webservice

yes of course. But as far as I know all plugins of MP have to be developed in .net or am i wrong?!

A really nice feature would be to toggle the watched/unwatched flag. Or to rate a movie within a webinterface. As far as I saw at the moment the services prodives only read access to the data right?

 

[Mike Lowrey]

Yes of course plugins have to be .Net but such a sync service could also be a standard windows service/application... so no need for .Net

Yeah you are right... it's currently read only access but i'm thinking of implementing more interaction... but since i'm not sure how much interest is out there i have to evaluate how deep i will dive into this project.
Main reason is that it seems that we have to much different projects with the same aspects(like iPIMP, this one and also krokos Android app seems to use it's own server) and i think only a few user like to install up to 3 different server apps for the same purpose