How to use VoD in VLC?

[AlexY]

Hi!

I am trying to setup a VoD system for my movie collection at home, probably using HTTP. I read through the *new* VLC streaming guide but somehow the section about VoD is missing!!! I have three main questions:

1) Is there any major difference, in term of parameters, between VOD and Broadcast setting?
2) What do you put on the web page for each link?
3) How will the client call a video "on demand"? For example, can it be used with IE and Windows Multimedia Player?

Thanks in advance!!

Alex

[The DJ]

http://www.videolan.org/doc/streaming-h ... /ch05.html

[AlexY]

Thanks DJ,

But if you read to the end, you will find that there is no example for the VoD part of the system.

Also if possible can anyone give me some pointers for the other 2 questions of mine? Namly what should be on a "Video on Demand" web page so client can select which video to play? I think this information shoule be included in the document as it will prove useful to others too.

[cartola]

I am implementing VOD with vlc only on the client side. The vlc plays http:// links by now, but under windows clients there will be a .reg file to install "vlcstream" as a protocol, so the IE will open the vlc and play the movies while they are downloaded.

There is another message in this forum that gives the way to configure the registry on windows this way. By now I am trying to find it again, I saw it once .

Abs

[The DJ]

You can also use a renamed .m3u playlist.
name it .vlc and it will play it as well.
Also allows you to set some VLC specific options on the clientside.

look for forumposts with VLCEXTOPT

[AlexY]

Hi!

From what I read in this and the streaming forum, it seems people can be divided into 3 groups - 1) Those who don't care about Video on Demand 2) Those who said they have done VoD 3) Those like me who despreately need help on setting up VoD. Wondering can those who have done it please please please share some thoughts with me (us)?

The main problem is the VLC documentation - even the latest version on VLC is not complete.

There is no concrete section on VoD, lots on Broadcast but none on VoD, and definitely no examples on how to set it up. For example, if it is a VoD, should the media be setup to be playing already? or just enabled?

More importantly is so far there is no discussion on how VLC can be linked to the real world - In my mind a VoD system probably will have a web page (probably PHP generated in real time) to show the list of video "for request", but then what are the URL of those links? i.e. How can each media file be distinguished when a client is connecting to the server? I have already tried "http://server:port/media1", "http://server:port/media2" etc. and it doesn't work.

Appreciate any suggestion, thanks in advance!

[Baritone]

Hi,

My advice: do a search on the threads before you go desparate. If you would have done that you would have been happy with what Firew0lf and I recently found out:

viewtopic.php?t=7071&highlight=

Regards,

Baritone

[dionoea]

small vod example using vlm :

launch vlc with :
vlc --ttl 12 -vvv --color --vlm-conf /home/videolan/vlm.conf -I telnet --rtsp-host 0.0.0.0:5554 --sout-rtp-ttl 12 --sout-udp-ttl 12 --sout-all

enter the following vlm commands :
new test vod enabled
setup test input file:///path/to/my/movie.mpg

Users can access this stream by using the following url : rtsp://[serverip]:5554/test

[AlexY]

Hi!

Thanks Baritone for his link, I read through it but unfortunately don't think it really answer my questions.... Thanks anyway.

Thanks dionoea for the instructions, definitely will give it a try when I get home!

I am already following a number of links that may eventually prove useful, I think I should share some of them here:

Scoutice posted a full message regarding linking VLC with a web page, he also published a set of scripts that he tried. Although it is not using the VOD settings: viewtopic.php?t=7065

Markfm has written a brief step by step guide on setting up a VoD system by starting VLC on server side in real time - although it is not using the VOD setting of VLM: viewtopic.php?t=3112

This is the first link on VoD that I joined, from there you will see this is not just my own problem but quite a number of people are interested in VoD and feel the same way: viewtopic.php?t=6773

[jofficer]

I think that we can all agree that VoD documentation (or lack thereof) is rather short.

That being said, in an earlier link : viewtopic.php?t=7071&highlight=

It did provide some useful documentation on how to setup the VoD link. What I think needs to occur, is having to have the back-end scripting to let the client know what VoD files are available, essentially the library front-end needs to be created.

I am working on something similar, using the database that is IMDB (available for personal license free of charge, from IMDB) ... using this as a front-end, you should be able to add a link with essentially the following

Movie pages
blah blah -- details of movie and etc...

link: rtsp://server.ip.address/VoDMovieName <-- this is defined in the vls configuration ...

and then from the client side, when you click on the link, VLC fires up, and begins streaming the movie.

I will be continuing on with my testing this evening, and will be happy to share the results later...

joey