Total noob question - Need advice on VIDEOLAN !!!

[Biomanniax]

Hi i just discovered this board and software today, and i must admit it looks quite cool! I couldnt really find out one thing: The problem i am facing is that a client (a bar in this case) wants to broadcast sat TV inside the bar on 2 plasma screens, but they want to be able to schedule an commercial to show up every hour (let's say its an mpg2 or a jpg image)
Is this in any way possible with VideoLAN ! or should i look out for something else!?

Any advice appreciated !!!

[markfm]

You may be able to do this using the VLM interface (do a search in the forum for info on it -- it's also called the Telent interface).

Otherwise, you can do it with a batch program, use Windows' scheduler service or *nix' chron capability. Windows has available several freeware process killing tools, from places like sysinternals.

(If you run XP, use schtasks to schedule things, and XP includes taskkill in the OS)

Mechanism:
Small batch file, set to run at :00 each hour:
pskill "vlc.exe"
"C:\program files\videolan\vlc\vlc.exe" command_to_play _the_ad

If the ad is just a still image jpeg, use the vlc:loop to keep it displaying for a while, else it will automatically close after just a few seconds.

For instance: vlc grtrm.jpg --intf="dummy" --dummy-quiet vlc:loop
will display grtrm.jpg until I do a pskill "vlc.exe" to terminate it.

Second small batch file, set to run at :02 each hour (if it's a 2 minute commercial):
pskill "vlc.exe"
"c:\programfiles..." (command to stream the normal program)

[Biomanniax]

is this hard to write? i have no prior experience of coding. just basic windows knowledge !!

and what about a locense of videolan !? can i use it if i want to sell it to a client!? do i have to pay something ?

[markfm]

Under windows xp, literally:
file1.bat:
taskkill "vlc.exe"
"c:\program files\videolan\vlc\vlc.exe" my_ad.jpg rest_of_the_stream_command --intf="dummy" --dummy-quiet vlc:loop

file2.bat:
taskkill "vlc.exe"
"c:\program files\videolan\vlc\vlc.exe" command_to_stream_the_regular_show --intf="dummy" --dummy-quiet

(the "dummy" stuff is just to suppressany control interface for vlc. That way you just get the display window)

Do a "help" in Windows, look up schtask, else you can run Scheduler through the Control Panel. Set file1.bat to run on the hour, file2.bat to run at :01 or :02, whatever you wish.