| Allan Steed aedigital on 9 Jan 2001 04:26:38 -0000 |
[Date Prev] [Date Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Date Index] [Thread Index]
| [Nettime-bold] Re: <nettime> Frictions.. (fwd) |
Greetings from Black Ball Radio.
Mike Weisman forwarded me this email. I thought I'd reply, sharing what
little I've learned on ths subject of playlist files for mpeg1 distribution.
Most of this info is sitting up on our web server at
http://www.blackballradio.com/test/tv/ Here I call this the (/tv)
directory.. Since that server allows directory browsing, you should be able
to access all relevant files there.
On the subject of playlists, I have come to believe that more is actually
better. While it's simple to just list a bunch of URLs in a text file, and
call it a playlist - most of the applications that will stream mpeg1 REQUIRE
extended information in order to process it correctly. Here is an example
of a .M3U file that will play quite seemlessly in Winamp, Real, and Windows
Media players.. And presumeably on Real Player under Macintosh.
#EXTM3U
#EXTINF:63,Black Ball Radio
http://www.blackballradio.com/test/tv/Black_Ball_Radio.mpg
#EXTINF:138,Fritz Donnelly - Blue Lobster 1
http://www.blackballradio.com/test/tv/Fritz_Donnelly_-_Blue_Lobster_1.mpg
#EXTINF:47,Black Ball Lotto - 1
http://www.blackballradio.com/test/tv/Black_Ball_Lotto_-_1.mpg
#EXTINF:173,Fritz Donnelly - Blue Lobster 2
http://www.blackballradio.com/test/tv/Fritz_Donnelly_-_Blue_Lobster_2.mpg
#EXTINF:58,Piratez001
http://www.blackballradio.com/test/tv/piratez001.mpg
.. The extended information is really quite simple to enter. The first line
identifies the file to the player as an extended .M3U file. The next line
provides the player with the clip length in seconds, and the clip title.
The URL provided in the third line must be fully qualified for this file to
work.
You can launch this playlist now by clicking here..
http://www.blackballradio.com/test/tv/bbtv.m3u
Note the following points, they are important..
File names must not contain blank spaces, or Real Player will usually kick
them out (depends on version). Windows Media Player requires all extended
info be included, or it will not know what kind of stream it is fetching,
Winamp will play this file nicely, with the addition of the in_video plugin,
available on the Winamp Web site, and also in the aforementioned master
(/tv) directory. Using Winamp exclusively during testing will assure that
both Real and Windows Media players will choke on the results - TEST ALL
PLAYERS! Winamp will write an M3U file that can be easily modified to point
to http:// serviced media.
On the subject of encoding, note that these are all (roughly) 256kbps files.
Imagine our surprise when we discovered that these were THE SAME SIZE as the
256kbps Real Media files we generated for the same clips! They were all
produced with the freeware TMPG encoder for Windows. You can download the
TMPG mpeg encoder for windows from the (/tv) directory also. This nice
Win32 application allows custom setting of almost every variable - it's a
dream.
I would be interested to hear any bug reports, especially from Mac platform
users, as we are continuing development of our mpeg1 programming. Please
address any replies to info@aedigital.com
I hope this helps.
Allan Steed
AEDigital Media Networks
info@aedigital.com
----- Original Message -----
From: Mike Weisman <popeye@speakeasy.org>
To: <info@aedigital.com>
Sent: Monday, January 08, 2001 8:20 AM
Subject: <nettime> Frictions.. (fwd)
> Allan, FYI. I have not checked the program to see what it looks like.
>
> Michael J. Weisman
>
> Seattle WA
> please respond to popeye@speakeasy.org
>
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> Date: Mon, 8 Jan 2001 13:47:18 +0100 (CET)
> From: Heiko Recktenwald <uzs106@IBM.rhrz.uni-bonn.de>
> To: "nettime-l@bbs.thing.net" <nettime-l@bbs.thing.net>
> Subject: <nettime> Frictions..
>
> I elaborated this here, in responses to B92s suggestions for streaming
> networks. Many ways lead to Rome. And the aspect of simplicity, you can
> write those filelists without knowing any special syntax on every notpad
> or whatever simple plain text editor. Without a special application
> between, that must be mastered, which is bad for the occasional user.
> Might fit into what Geert observed.
>
> Anyway, this is how it looks in lynx today, BlaTV at
> http://www.uni-bonn.de/~uzs106/ ,
>
> Critics are most welcome !!
>
> H.
>
> Et voila:
>
>
> Video/vnd.mpegurl and a shellscript and blatv.mgu. Much ado, still
under
> construction, about special MPEG video metafiles. With certain extensions.
That
> might cause problems, who knows without central registry, if browsers
ignore
> MIME. "Personal computers" and the net....
>
> You are welcome ! If you dont understand all, dont mind. If it makes
> you start thinking about Netscape, Edit, Preferences, Navigator,
> Application, the menu in the browser, or 2001 digital life and the
> internet in general, this page has allready had some use. Special
> thanks to my webadmin, who did support video/x-mpegurl and mgu before.
> As your webadmin might support you, maybe, one day with
> video/vnd.mpegurl and mgu or whatever, see below. If you have your own
> server, hi anyway.
>
> You should have UNIX and mtvp or some other MPEG video player
> installed for the shellscript below and blatv.mgu or Windows 95 or
> better with the MS Mediaplayer to fake it with blatv.m3u. Macusers can
> play the blatv.ram or blatv.smi with Real or Quicktime. Quicktime 5
> for Wintels can play blatv.smi too. How MPEG is Real ? Users of
> PocketTV are not yet supported on this server.
>
> There are fancy Microsoft, Apple etc solutions for streaming media
> content. Ready or in the making. Special metafiles for a magnitude of
> codecs. But there is also currently no such multi codec multimedia
> system on Unix. Maybe this will change. But it is also a matter of
> fact, and this fact will remain, that MPEG is simple. It is, even more
> than Real, a true multiplatform format. Real cinema sotosay. 25
> frames/second, not just a lookalike. And there is also allready MPEG 1
> on VCD and MPEG 2 on DVD. Etcpp. Blabla. More bandwidth coming soon.
> Users of PocketTV might have it allready today.
>
> You might say, that the future of digital MPEG internet TV will be
> completely different in some years. Most likely broadband streaming
> will use protocols that are more advanced than http and involve QoS,
> bandwidth reservation, multicast etc. But there might be niches.
> Certain network situations, where such things are not available. MPEG
> video filelists are simple to create, you dont have to learn any
> special syntax or to understand a special editor, which is more or
> less the same. Perfect for the occasional user, who just wants
> something simple, that works. And they are open wide for all kind of
> URLs. Whatever the future might be.
>
> A special metafile for MPEG video, as there is allready one for MPEG
> audio, means less frustration on platforms, that dont support all
> codecs, for which certain other metafile might be designed. Single
> platform solutions are like WAP. Or: what doesnt run on Unix isnt in
> the world.
>
> Wintels can fake it with audio/x-mpegurl and blatv.m3u.
>
> IANA did register a new MIME type: video/vnd.mpegurl. The extension is
mgu.
>
> [fff.gif]
>
> "Open Location" ?
>
> We had had allready, thanks to www.mp3.com etc,
>
> MPEG audio filelists,
>
> audio/x-mpegurl and m3u, now we do have, thanks to IANA, who did put
> the request on its server and included it in its list of registered
> MIME types and provided numerous other help,
>
> MPEG video filelists too.
>
> Www.pockettv.com/stream/ suggests video/x-mpegurl and m1u (hardcoded).
> Mgu is allready in use by another application.
>
> Well, I asked IANA to change the extension to mxu. Most freedom for
> everybody. But such things take time. Meanwhile, and while mxu isnt
> yet supported here, this text still speaks of the currently registered
> mgu. You'll need bandwidth anyway, example movies are MPEG 1 Pal with
> the screensize of 80x48 for streaming over modern modem lines or
> better:
>
> What is MIME ?
>
> [bt.gif]
> 1. Take it as a way to invoke remotely a display programm by an
> extension.
> In other words: It is on the server side, where the extension is
> important. Localy, the extension means nothing. Only if your OS
> wants it and your browser ignores MIME, as some browsers do,
> you'll need the extension localy too. Sotosay remote versa local
> clicking. All about clicking anyway. Instead of opening the file
> from within its program ("Open file" or "Open location").
> 2. Blatv.mgu is a textfile with URLs of MPEG video files. The
> extension mgu makes the server send the MIME type
> video/vnd.mpegurl to the browser. After the download of the
> textfile, the browser runs a certain display program for this MIME
> type. This program reads the textfile and plays the URLs.
> "One-click-streaming" and the ability to "cut" movies by editing
> filelists.
> Adding, moving, deleting URLs in lists.
> Other "metafiles" with known MIME types were unusable.
> Application/smil is to complicated, if you dont want the bells and
> whistles. Players that support MPEG are rare. Etcpp.
> Video/vnd.rn-realvideo is useless if you just want MPEG video.
> Audio/x-mpegurl is audio.
> [fl.gif]
> 3. To make a MIME type work, there must be a line for this type in
> the servers mime.types file, everybody runs apache, and the
> clients .mailcap or equivalent. See
> Netscape, Edit, Preferences, Navigator, Applications. In many cases
> this is done automatically during installation, but it can also be
> done by hand, see for example this .mailcap file. The lines for
> audio and video/x-mpegurl and video/vnd.mpegurl were added
> manually:
> ##########################################
> #mailcap entry added by Netscape Helper
> application/x-shockwave-flash;;\
> x-mozilla-flags=plugin:Shockwave Flash
> #mailcap entry added by Netscape Helper
> application/futuresplash;;\
> x-mozilla-flags=plugin:Shockwave Flash
> ##########################################
> #mailcap entry added by Netscape Helper
> application/pdf;xplaygizmo /usr/local/bin/acroread %s &
> audio/x-pn-realaudio;/usr/local/lib/RealPlayer7/realplay "%u"
> audio/vnd.rn-realaudio;/usr/local/lib/RealPlayer7/realplay "%u"
> application/smil;/usr/local/lib/RealPlayer7/realplay "%u"
> text/vnd.rn-realtext;/usr/local/lib/RealPlayer7/realplay "%u"
> video/vnd.rn-realvideo;/usr/local/lib/RealPlayer7/realplay "%u"
> image/vnd.rn-realflash;/usr/local/lib/RealPlayer7/realplay "%u"
> application/x-shockwave-flash2-preview;/usr/local/lib/RealPlayer7/realplay
"%u"
> application/sdp;/usr/local/lib/RealPlayer7/realplay "%u"
> application/x-sdp;/usr/local/lib/RealPlayer7/realplay "%u"
> application/vnd.rn-realmedia;/usr/local/lib/RealPlayer7/realplay "%u"
> image/vnd.rn-realpix;/usr/local/lib/RealPlayer7/realplay "%u"
> audio/wav;/usr/local/lib/RealPlayer7/realplay "%u"
> audio/x-wav;/usr/local/lib/RealPlayer7/realplay "%u"
> audio/x-pn-wav;/usr/local/lib/RealPlayer7/realplay "%u"
> audio/x-pn-windows-acm;/usr/local/lib/RealPlayer7/realplay "%u"
> audio/basic;/usr/local/lib/RealPlayer7/realplay "%u"
> audio/x-pn-au;/usr/local/lib/RealPlayer7/realplay "%u"
> audio/aiff;/usr/local/lib/RealPlayer7/realplay "%u"
> audio/x-aiff;/usr/local/lib/RealPlayer7/realplay "%u"
> audio/x-pn-aiff;/usr/local/lib/RealPlayer7/realplay "%u"
> #########################################
> #mailcap entries added manualy:
> audio/x-mpegurl;/usr/X11R6/bin/xterm -iconic -e
/usr/local/bin/xaudio -input=m3
> u %s &
> video/x-mpegurl;/usr/X11R6/bin/xterm -iconic -e
/usr/home/uzs106/bin/mgu.sh %s
> &
> video/vnd.mpegurl;/usr/X11R6/bin/xterm -iconic -e
/usr/home/uzs106/bin/mgu.sh %
> s &
> ##########################################
> #"Progressiv download":
> video/mpeg; /usr/local/bin/mtvp -; stream-buffer-size=20000 &
> ##########################################
> (This .mailcap file is not perfect. If your browser ignores MIME,
> get another browser or take care, as your OS might want, of the
> extension mgu, localy, somewhere else.)
>
> "One-clip-streaming" without metafile: "Play from Network" or "Save
> First" ? Not all browsers and applications support this.
>
> What do I have to do ?
>
> 1.
>
> Write movies in the mgu way.
> Files can be everywhere in the world.
>
> Give those filelists the extension mgu.
> [metafile.gif]
> Mgu and mpg are like m3u and mp3, Real needs the extension mpg (or
> mpv) for MPEG video files, errors with the usual m1v.
> URLs must be complete. You may not just write bla.mpg, there must
> be lines like http://foo.bar/path/bla.mpg. Just click on a link
> with blatv.mgu, and you'll see, if your browser still shows it as
> text/plain.
> 2. Ask your webmaster to support video/vnd.mpegurl. He might want to
> update his mime.types file. There must be a line video/vnd.mpegurl
> mgu.
> 3. Get yourself a decent display program and configure your browser.
> You must do this anyway. The best would be something like the MS
> Media Player.
> This thing can fake it, if you disable Real Player's file
> association. Yes, you can use audio/x-mpegurl and m3u instead, no
> artificial restriction. But this world work only in the Wintel
> world. And is more a misuse than a path to follow. A player for
> Unix is at
> ftp://ftp.isi.edu/in-notes/iana/assignments/media-types/video/vnd.
> mpegurl.
> Oliver Fromme suggests:
> #!/bin/sh -
> exec xargs -n 1 mtvp < "$1"
> Have fun !
>
> How MPEG is Real ? Apple.
>
> Top of the Page. More friction.
>
> [dodoanim.gif] [dodoanim.gif]
>
> Blatv is Godard, CNN, Pop2000, Sivan/Brauman and blender. Thanks to
> IANA, RHRZ, Andy Warhol etc. "Apple", "Band in a Box", "MicroSoft",
> "PocketTV", "Quicktime" and "Real" are registered trademarks. (C)
> 2000.
>
> # distributed via <nettime>: no commercial use without permission
> # <nettime> is a moderated mailing list for net criticism,
> # collaborative text filtering and cultural politics of the nets
> # more info: majordomo@bbs.thing.net and "info nettime-l" in the msg body
> # archive: http://www.nettime.org contact: nettime@bbs.thing.net
>
>
_______________________________________________
Nettime-bold mailing list
Nettime-bold@nettime.org
http://www.nettime.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/nettime-bold