VOD no video length & timeshifting (pause/resume/rewind/ff)

[my2sense]

I posted this in the Windows VLC forum but realized it should've been posted here instead.
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I tried searching but didn't find anything recent on this so apologies if this is a repeat.

I'm using VLC 1.1.6 as a VOD server to my phone and everything is working great except for the ability to timeshift (pause, resume, rewind, fast forward). I noticed that my phone is showing the video length as 00:00:00 and I believe that this is the reason why I can't timeshift.

I have tried various versions of VLC and noticed that v.1.0.5 shows the video length correctly and I am able to pause and resume. However, v1.0.5 doesn't seem transcode MKVs correctly (audio but no video) and therefore unusable to me. VLC versions greater than v.1.0.5 shows 00:00:00, including nightlies.

DId I miss an option in later versions of VLC or do later versions just don't send out the video length period? Anyone else having this issue or am I the only one?

On a side note, I noticed that in v.1.0.5, rewind and fast forward semi works as VLC pauses the video moves the video to the correct time but stays paused and does not automatically play. However, I'm not sure if this is due to my crappy dumb phone not sending the correct but I can fast forward and rewind fine with youtube videos.

I'm using the following command line:

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vlc.exe --ttl 12 -vvv --color -I http --rtsp-host 0.0.0.0:5544

and VLM commands (from export function in http interface):

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new The_Last_Airbender vod enabled setup The_Last_Airbender input "C:\Movies\The Last Airbender (2010)\The.Last.Airbender.2010.mkv" setup The_Last_Airbender output #transcode{vcodec=mp4v,vb=230,fps=24,width=160,acodec=mp4a,ab=32,channels=1,samplerate=32000,threads=2}

Other than that, VLC is working great and I want to thank everyone connected with VLC for giving us such a great product!

[charlielj88]

Hi my2sense,

May I know which phone are you using? I try to stream VoD video to Android 1.5(G1) phone. But unfortunately it does not work. The commands I use are:

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Server: vlc -I telnet --telnet-password videolan --rtsp-host 0.0.0.0:5554 Client: new Test vod enabled setup Test input /home/superuser/Desktop/toystory3.3gp

Do I miss some commands for streaming VoD into phone? By the way, I use VLC 1.1.4 in Ubuntu.

For the timeshift, I correctly receive the VoD stream from a VLC client and try to control the stream from the telnet interface, i.e, using "control" command but it only works for broadcast video. So I am also looking for options to timeshift. I hope we can share any information on the issue and someone can give constructive suggestions. Thanks.

Charlie

[my2sense]

I have a really dumb phone that accepts mp4 video and audio so I'm doing transcoding on the fly, thus

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setup The_Last_Airbender output #transcode{vcodec=mp4v,vb=230,fps=24,width=160,acodec=mp4a,ab=32,channels=1,samplerate=32000,threads=2}

Not sure if it's needed if you're streaming .3gp files but you could try it transcoding it to see if it will work for you. I had to transcode not just for mp4 but my phone would only play video with 160px width.

As for the timeshifting, I'm still curious why it semi-worked in v1.0.5 but not later. It's almost like the devs removed the feature in later releases.

[charlielj88]

Thanks for reply. I doubt it is not due to transcoding issue, because I have succeeded in streaming the same .3gp file to my Android phone through broadcasting with the same rtsp protocol. The vod problem seems very weird. =(

[my2sense]

Then I'm out of ideas As you can see I'm just a VLC noobie myself . Hopefully one of the more experienced users can show us the way.