[mythtv-users] Way out idea on watching same thing in multiple rooms

[Christopher X. Candreva]

I've seen it asked a few times how to 'stream' content from one room to 
another, and the answer is always "You can't". And rightly so I would think, 
trying to synchronize two streams is usually very difficult.

But, it can't be impossible. It hit me today: Internet game servers manage 
to synchronize multiple players in real-time games. The lowly Wii can have 
people in different countries race Mario Kart against each other. Certainly 
it can't be impossible to have two players on the same LAN stay in sync ?

Now, let me say up front I have no idea how to actually program this, and 
that's my answer to "Patches accepted" right here. :-)  But, if someone who 
DID know how to program it had an interest, there is probably code to be 
stolen from any GPL game with Internet play.

Conceptually then: A frontend decides to play something back (Video, TV, 
music playlist) and make "Syncable". The frontend would have to send it's 
position updates to the backend: Maybe it's frame number, time code, that I 
don't know.

Other frontends would then have the option of browsing what was currently 
being watched elsewhere, and joining them. That frontend would read the 
media however it normally does (NFS, SMB, etc), but also receive the 
position updates from the backend, so it can stay in sync. If the 'master' 
frontend for that content pauses, so does every other frontend.

So what can you do with this ?  How about a co-ordinated whole-house 
jukebox  system. Everyone wants to listen to the same think and have the 
same music playing as you walk from room to room, and also be able to add 
songs to the playlist from any room.

Or in my case, have a movie playing in both the living room and the 
basement gameroom. 



==========================================================
Chris Candreva  -- chris at westnet.com -- (914) 948-3162
WestNet Internet Services of Westchester
http://www.westnet.com/