[mythtv-users] uPnP and VLC Passed MythTV Testing?

[Nick Rout]

On Sat, Aug 21, 2010 at 2:55 PM, Tortise <tortise at paradise.net.nz> wrote:
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Nick Rout" <nick.rout at gmail.com>
> To: "Discussion about MythTV" <mythtv-users at mythtv.org>
> Sent: Saturday, August 21, 2010 2:19 PM
> Subject: Re: [mythtv-users] uPnP and VLC Passed MythTV Testing?
>
>
> On Fri, Aug 20, 2010 at 8:32 PM, Tortise <tortise at paradise.net.nz> wrote:
>>
>> Looking at http://www.mythtv.org/wiki/UPnP
>>
>>
>> The data on VLC seems out of date now. In the Linux version of VLC 1.1.2
>> uPnP has available under the Playlists (Ctrl+L) screen "Local Network /
>> Universal Plug'n'Play".
>>
>> If I knew that I'd satisfied "Tested under Mythtv" I'd revise the page,
>> update the VLC entry and move it up under the "UPnP-client software:"
>> (From
>> the "not yet tested" category that it now enjoys)
>>
>> Suffice to say that to some brief testing it actually works impressively
>> well for me, with VLC acting as a media browser.
>>
>> VDPAU is also available for VLC with some mucking around, my mileage
>> varied,
>> for example it did not drop CPU use to circa 10% like mythtv does, but it
>> did seem to allow 1080i to be played smoothly when it previously would
>> not.
>> (!) YMMV too.
>
>
>> If you have a machine capable of running vlc you might as well just run a
>> frontend surely?
>
> Considering >= 720p / 1080i content a mythtv FE hardware requirement is
> really less than a VLC equivalent IMHO, which is consistent with your
> suggestion.  There are other reasons for running VLC though, e.g. Live TV
> from a HDHomerun when the mythtv BE is down or tuners maxed out etc.
>
> VLC uPnP seems just another way to play the BE content, and its user
> presentation is quite different to a mythtv FE.  The way to find files is
> probably more user friendly using VLC, as an example it has a number of tree
> options including All recordings, Title, Genre, Date, Channel and Group.
>  I've not tried to make a comprehensive list of respective merits, but I am
> sure they exist, and a myth FE is likely to have the majority of advantages
> still.   When I tried it recently there were lots of file duplications
> however these are no longer present, so some ironing out uPnP seems to have
> occurred in one or both enviros.

I still find the version of vlc in *buntu 10.04 very hairy in terms of
tree duplication. I will find somewhere to post a screenshot. Not a
member of picasa or whatever... (suggestions sought)

>
> I suppose one might ask why does myth offer uPnP at all and I suppose the
> answer is two fold, one that there maybe some (+/- economic) hardware that
> won't run as a mythFE but will still play uPnP,

Yes of course, but if you have a machine capable of running vlc, whats
the point?

> and secondly because some
> people saw some advantage or simply wished to explore the option, had the
> skills and had the option added.



>
> However that's off point, which is classifying the up to date uPnP
> opportunities correctly on the uPnP wiki that already is well detailed for
> reasons beyond hardware requirements.  I doubt you are saying the wiki page
> should not exist?

No of course not, change the wiki if you have something to report. Be
specific about versions and distros, as both are movable feasts as far
as what is compiled into vlc is concerned.