Media Streamer?

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773 posts

Ultimate Geek

# 1008582 18-Mar-2014 23:26

ADKM: Thanks robjg, that's pretty much what the link from farcus showed too. I'm getting a 4GB SD card with it and don't envisage any problems setting it up. (Think positive... hoho!)

Can you get a remote to start, pause, rewind etc. media you're streaming over the LAN from a PC - or do you have to use the keyboard?

JWR - do you know if it can get the NZ on demand channnels ? Farcus mentioned an APP, have you got that?

Sorry I haven't installed XMBC.. just been playing with Raspbian and RISC OS.

I'd think there would be a lot of remote control or wireless keyboard options.

Apparently, you can also use a smartphone or tablet as a remote i.e. http://asliceofraspberrypi.blogspot.co.nz/2013/07/xbmc-raspberry-pi-remote-control-using.html

ADKM

750 posts

Ultimate Geek

# 1008603 19-Mar-2014 00:04

Thanks JWR that's a cool idea for a remote - will certainly try it out

farcus

1016 posts

Uber Geek

# 1008617 19-Mar-2014 02:34

ADKM: Thanks robjg, that's pretty much what the link from farcus showed too. I'm getting a 4GB SD card with it and don't envisage any problems setting it up. (Think positive... hoho!)

Can you get a remote to start, pause, rewind etc. media you're streaming over the LAN from a PC - or do you have to use the keyboard?

JWR - do you know if it can get the NZ on demand channnels ? Farcus mentioned an APP, have you got that?

I mostly use my phone -
there is an official XBMC remote on google play

I also have one of these for when my phone isn't handy

on top of this, if your TV is HDMI CEC compliant then your TV remote control can also be used to control XBMC

Looking here, it looks like the NZondemand app doesn't work any more simply because it hasn't been updated in such a long time.
I wouldn't worry too much though - there are much better addons for xbmc than NZondemand. I can't post the names of them here but just google something like "best xbmc addons"

MikeAqua

5385 posts

Uber Geek

# 1008898 19-Mar-2014 12:11

So does rasbpmc support a browser that would let you watch on demand content via e.g. the TV3 website?

Mike

ADKM

750 posts

Ultimate Geek

# 1008943 19-Mar-2014 13:01

MikeAqua: So does rasbpmc support a browser that would let you watch on demand content via e.g. the TV3 website?

That this isn't clearer puzzles me too, does it have a browser or not? If not how can it be a device that makes your TV "smart" (or doesn't it?). If yes, how can it not work on any site? Perhaps the answer is it'll support any software written for it's OS.

Someone says it runs linux. That has a browser. Does it depend on what OS you load it with e.g. Gotham or that XB?? thing and that isn't linux. Guess all will be revealed eventually! Using it as a media streamer may be small and insignificant compared to other things it can do.

robjg63

2967 posts

Uber Geek

# 1008944 19-Mar-2014 13:03

farcus:
ADKM: Thanks robjg, that's pretty much what the link from farcus showed too. I'm getting a 4GB SD card with it and don't envisage any problems setting it up. (Think positive... hoho!)

Can you get a remote to start, pause, rewind etc. media you're streaming over the LAN from a PC - or do you have to use the keyboard?

JWR - do you know if it can get the NZ on demand channnels ? Farcus mentioned an APP, have you got that?

I mostly use my phone -
there is an official XBMC remote on google play

I also have one of these for when my phone isn't handy

on top of this, if your TV is HDMI CEC compliant then your TV remote control can also be used to control XBMC

Looking here, it looks like the NZondemand app doesn't work any more simply because it hasn't been updated in such a long time.
I wouldn't worry too much though - there are much better addons for xbmc than NZondemand. I can't post the names of them here but just google something like "best xbmc addons"

That USB remote looks like $10 well spent. I have used the remote web control on my mobile - but using a dedicated remote would be easier.
I could never get the HDMI CEC thing working - I have a panasonic plasma that I was using the pi on and it has vieralink which is 'supposed' to be HDMI CEC compliant - but I did have the pi hooked into the Home theatre box - I couldnt get it to work.

Regarding the question above about TVNZ on demand via a browser - would depend if they use flash etc - if they do, then I dont think it would work. Sorry - dont have my pi set up and working at the moment to test it. Yes the pi has a web browser - from memory the linux OS can install firefox and some other browsers as well.

Nothing is impossible for the man who doesn't have to do it himself - A. H. Weiler

farcus

1016 posts

Uber Geek

# 1009052 19-Mar-2014 15:34

ADKM:
MikeAqua: So does rasbpmc support a browser that would let you watch on demand content via e.g. the TV3 website?

That this isn't clearer puzzles me too, does it have a browser or not? If not how can it be a device that makes your TV "smart" (or doesn't it?). If yes, how can it not work on any site? Perhaps the answer is it'll support any software written for it's OS.

Someone says it runs linux. That has a browser. Does it depend on what OS you load it with e.g. Gotham or that XB?? thing and that isn't linux. Guess all will be revealed eventually! Using it as a media streamer may be small and insignificant compared to other things it can do.

Raspbmc has a basic browser in beta testing.
It only works via a lan connection (doesn't work over wifi) and doesn't support flash - so cannot be used to view tvnz or tv3 content.

Raspbmc makes your TV a smart tv through addons. There are hundreds (if not thousands) available to download.
e.g. Just one example is the World News Live addon that lets you watch almost any 24 hour new channel from around the worl - including CNN, BBCWorld, BBC UK, Australia ABC, Sky News UK, Aljazeera etc etc.

Raspbmc isn't a linux OS. It is a version of XBMC (X-Box Media Center) built to run on Raspberry Pi. The core backend of Raspbmc is Crystalbuntu (a linux operating system ported to raspberry pi)
You don't have any access to usual OS features - it works solely as a media center.

If you want to use the Raspberry Pi as a computer in the traditional sense then you would instead install an OS like Raspian (another debian port to raspbpi), Pidora (a fedora port) or Arch (Archlinux port)

Just to clear the whole gotham thing up - Gotham is the next version of XBMC currently in Beta testing due for release about midyear. The current stable version of XBMC (and the one you will get with Raspbmc) is Frodo.

You can install a Gotham version of Raspbmc but I'd recommend staying away from it. One of the great features of Raspbmc is that it does automatic updates so once Gotham becomes stable you will get that in an automatic update from Raspbmc.

farcus

1016 posts

Uber Geek

# 1009065 19-Mar-2014 15:40

robjg63:
I could never get the HDMI CEC thing working - I have a panasonic plasma that I was using the pi on and it has vieralink which is 'supposed' to be HDMI CEC compliant - but I did have the pi hooked into the Home theatre box - I couldnt get it to work.

some TV manufacturers don't adhere to CEC standards which is where raspbmc runs into trouble.
My Toshiba (Regzalink) works perfectly.

You can re-map CEC in raspbmc / XBMC to match your TV but I've never done it so I'm not entirely sure how difficult it would be.

ADKM

750 posts

Ultimate Geek

# 1009116 19-Mar-2014 16:45

Thanks again farcus, more very informative details.

farcus: Just one example is the World News Live addon that lets you watch almost any 24 hour new channel from around the world - including CNN, BBCWorld, BBC UK, Australia ABC, Sky News UK, Aljazeera etc etc.

Now *that* is a real bonus ! BBCWorld was the only thing we ever watched on TVOne and they replaced it with infomercials! However do they spend a lot of time buffering? We're getting 18 MB/s in with VDSL.

farcus

1016 posts

Uber Geek

# 1009136 19-Mar-2014 17:00

ADKM: Thanks again farcus, more very informative details.

farcus: Just one example is the World News Live addon that lets you watch almost any 24 hour new channel from around the world - including CNN, BBCWorld, BBC UK, Australia ABC, Sky News UK, Aljazeera etc etc.

Now *that* is a real bonus ! BBCWorld was the only thing we ever watched on TVOne and they replaced it with infomercials! However do they spend a lot of time buffering? We're getting 18 MB/s in with VDSL.

I get no buffering so should be fine. The stream quality isn't HD.
I think World News Live addon works by scraping the stream from their websites.
Not great quality but perfectly watchable.

MikeAqua

5385 posts

Uber Geek

# 1009142 19-Mar-2014 17:05

Farcus, thanks for your reply, very clear. Rasbpmc not for me until it has a fully functional browser.

Mike

ADKM

750 posts

Ultimate Geek

# 1015735 30-Mar-2014 23:14

My unit should be here in about 10 days and while initially playing around I'd like to use a standard VGA monitor (with 15 pin plug) ?

I found a YouTube clip explaining how to do this but I need a "Black HDMI input to VGA adapter converter for PC laptop".

They're on Amazon.. but does anyone know if I can get one in NZ ?

Thanks

JWR

773 posts

Ultimate Geek

# 1015762 31-Mar-2014 00:56

ADKM: My unit should be here in about 10 days and while initially playing around I'd like to use a standard VGA monitor (with 15 pin plug) ?

I found a YouTube clip explaining how to do this but I need a "Black HDMI input to VGA adapter converter for PC laptop".

They're on Amazon.. but does anyone know if I can get one in NZ ?

Thanks

You can certainly get HDMI to VGA adapters in NZ.... e.g. http://www.pbtech.co.nz/index.php?z=p&p=ADP8WR1012

If you could use DVI rather than VGA on your monitor. I would go for that instead. The adapters for that are very cheap $5-00 approx.

If you have bought a few graphics cards over the years, you might find find you even have HDMI-DVI adapter. They were often given away with the graphics card.

ADKM

750 posts

Ultimate Geek

# 1015763 31-Mar-2014 01:07

Thanks JWR. After I wrote my message I found a few via Google - at incredible prices considering they're $4.70 on Amazon - but they won't ship to NZ.

Is DVI-HDMI just a straight cable? I know DVI out to HDMI in is, but not sure about the other way around.

If it is I could use another monitor. But are any changes to raspberry's config.txt required ?

JWR

773 posts

Ultimate Geek

# 1015765 31-Mar-2014 02:01

ADKM: Thanks JWR. After I wrote my message I found a few via Google - at incredible prices considering they're $4.70 on Amazon - but they won't ship to NZ.

Is DVI-HDMI just a straight cable? I know DVI out to HDMI in is, but not sure about the other way around.

If it is I could use another monitor. But are any changes to raspberry's config.txt required ?

Usually, you use standard a HDMI-HDMI cable and purchase the HDMI-DVI adapter. It's a simple and small adapter e.g. http://www.wavetech.co.nz/HDMI-DVI-1.html

I guess you could also buy a HDMI-DVI cable instead.

If you use an HDMI-DVI adapter, then you don't need to change anything in the Raspberry PI setup. It just worked for me.

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