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Vinch @ 4th Nov 03:17PM:
Re: Blade servers
You mentionned that one server sometimes jams up when you reboot it. The disks should not be stopping and should not have to spin back up again. I'm thinking you have another issue with the machine. BTW, a test you could do is to pull a disk or two out and see if it consistently starts up propoerly.
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milnoc @ 4th Nov 03:25PM:
Re: Blade servers
Read the last few posts. I've already confirmed it was the power supply all along.
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Guspaz @ 4th Nov 03:44PM:
Re: Blade servers
I'm sure you intend to continue discussing with Asus why this is not an acceptable response? Insist that you want them to cross-ship a replacement part (you'll have to give them your credit card info as collateral, this is standard practice).
This is clearly not an acceptable situation, and you need to continue pursuing it.
BTW: If the redundant PSUs are identical to the primary PSUs (and they should be), and they're still manufacturing/selling new servers, then the whole "backordered" thing is bullshit. They're putting the PSUs into new machines, so they can damned well send you replacements. They exist, they're available, they just don't want to give them to you.
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milnoc @ 4th Nov 04:03PM:
Re: Blade servers
Unfortunately, the two PSUs are NOT exactly the same. The first PSU has a slight "hump" on top that prevents it from fitting inside the second PSU's slot. However, it's possible the second PSU will fit perfectly into the first slot since the hump serves no other purpose than to segregate the first PSU from the second slot.
But since all the second PSUs are back-ordered, there's none available for either PSU slot. And the first PSUs are most likely all allocated to the retail server production run.
I have no idea why they built two different sized PSUs when internally they're exactly the same. I might do a video just to point that out. One of my friends also pointed out that due to the recession, it's possible Asus may have cut back production on certain items and simply ran out of power supplies.
Don't worry, I'll keep nagging them until they get this issue resolved to my satisfaction. To their credit however, they weren't too difficult to reach by phone, and everyone spoke proper English with only one person having a recognizable but not too thick non-English accent.
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milnoc @ 6th Nov 01:00AM:
Re: Blade servers
Asus found a power supply. I'll send them the paperwork in the morning.
Great timing! I just launched a test broadcast yesterday which after a few tweaks should look like a proper cable television broadcast by the end of next week.
Things are moving VERY fast these days!
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milnoc @ 9th Nov 03:14PM:
Re: Blade servers
Arg. Received the replacement power supply. It didn't resolve the problem. I might have been misled by the origins of the problem, which I now suspect may simply be my dual OpenVPN connection used in conjunction with the ASMB4 remote module.
I'll still keep the power supply they've sent me and cancel the RMA. Until those two redundant PSUs are shipped, this PSU will be the only backup I have readily available.
This problem is EXTREMELY annoying!
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milnoc @ 9th Nov 07:39PM:
Re: Blade servers
Arg again. It appears that's exactly the problem. If you try to reboot a Linux computer using the ASMB4 interface via an OpenVPN connection to that same computer, the computer will freeze up completely after the shutdown and will NOT reboot no matter how many power cycles or resets you issue either through the interface or in person.
If however you use the ASMB4 interface to reboot the computer from the local network (i.e. not on OpenVPN), or if you reboot the computer from an SSH session via an OpenVPN connection, the computer will reboot normally.
It's ONLY when you use the ASMB4 interface and an OpenVPN connection TOGETHER that the computer will freeze up to the point you have to PHYSICALLY unplug the computer in order to reset it.
I was misled into believing the problem was with the power supply because of the connection sequence of the OpenVPN connections. The last connection established was for server Tuesday, the one that always jammed up. that connection became the dominant one of the two. But when I swapped the power supplies, the startup sequence caused server Monday to be the last one connected and become the dominant one. So when I tried to reboot Server Monday...
Jammed solid.
How the heck can a combination of separate and unrelated physical and virtual devices successfully deadlock a computer? This is really weird!
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oxymoron69 @ 17th Nov 05:16PM:
Re: Blade servers
"The WMP encoder is working on 11089, but not on 11084. These are two different servers that are SUPPOSE to be identically configured, so there must be a (stupid) problem with the first server. I also managed to break the WMP on one of my Windows 7 RC computers, so the testing of the stream MIGHT be hazardous to your WMP installation."
Both streams were working and showing video here using WMP in windows 7 ultimate until the video switched from you building servers to democracy now, at that point 11084 crapped out to just audio.
The other stream at 11089 scaled down the video when the file changed and continued on just fine.
BTW, great video quality on that self shot server building video.
edit:
I posted here because it's more topical than the other thread.
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milnoc @ 17th Nov 05:47PM:
Re: Blade servers
I may have found the problem. I believe I need to reset the VLC Media Player's configuration whenever I start it. If the --sout-keep option is left active by mistake, it'll prevent the transition from one video to another from happening within WMP.
Once DN is over, I'll reboot the servers (gotta perform a clean-up). The streams will restart at the next video.
The video won't break up anymore. I cut the frame rate back to 15. Enjoy the slide show! :)
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milnoc @ 17th Nov 07:05PM:
Re: Blade servers
Weird. If you boost the resolution past 240x180, it goes crazy on you. I may have to find another solution, such as Firefox's video tag. I'd rather use that knowing it should work on all platforms.
Both streams are working now.
Server Monday: »38.104.152.86:11084
Server Tuesday: »38.104.152.86:11089
Requires Windows Media Player.
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Guspaz @ 18th Nov 09:01AM:
Re: Blade servers
Low-bitrate low-res video looks bad ;)
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milnoc @ 18th Nov 01:18PM:
Re: Blade servers
Check out port 11084. I just made a few changes. I'll port them over to port 11089 later this afternoon. So whenever one feed isn't working, try the other one.
I also found out why I was having so many problems yesterday. Whenever you launch multiple instances of the VLC Media Player each with its own configuration parameters, you must assign each instance its own configuration file otherwise the player will use the default configuration file and screw everything up.
As expected, it WAS one stupid little detail that was the root cause of all my problems.
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Guspaz @ 18th Nov 02:34PM:
Re: Blade servers
I'm at work, and so I won't be able to check it out for a while.
What's your target stream format eventually? This morning, it was 240x180 (roughly one third of SD) at 310kbit (for both audio and video, I believe); not terribly watchable. Well, audio quality wasn't that bad, although I'm not sure why you were using MP3; virtually anything (WMA, AAC, Vorbis, etc) would be more efficient.
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milnoc @ 18th Nov 02:56PM:
Re: Blade servers
For now, I'm limited by the capabilities of both VLC and WMP. And VLC is a bitch to figure out! A ton of options, but no comprehensive instruction manual!
Just like Linux! :D
I still have to check out the video tag option in Firefox. If VLC supports it, I'll set up an encoding stream compatible with it, and set up a dummy Web page where we can test it out.
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Guspaz @ 18th Nov 03:15PM:
Re: Blade servers
I believe HTML5's VIDEO tag is targeted at progressive downloads rather than live streaming.
There is also the big codec snafu when it comes to the VIDEO tag. None of the browser manufacturers could agree on what codecs to support, so the W3C just threw up their arms and left it undefined.
In other words, browsers may have mutually exclusive support for codecs!
VLC should support arbitrary resolutions and bitrates. Codecs might be restricted by various things, but bitrates and resolutions should be independent of that.
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milnoc @ 18th Nov 07:37PM:
Re: Blade servers
Starting at 8 PM:
- Democracy Now for November 18, 2009 (launched at 8 PM on 11084)
- Bleeding Ears: Paxton Bachman Band
- Hi-Fi Expo 2008
- Short: Make Mine Freedom (launched at 8 PM on 11089)
- Movie: Suddenly
- Movie: Dishonored Lady
Both streams at ports 11084 and 11089 should be available all night long. Tomorrow however, I'll be working on server "Tuesday" (port 11089). So the stream will be interrupted on that channel.
Next in the system development: automating all of this crap! :)
EDIT 1: 11089 will be restarted later. I just discovered that even though VLC can play Ogg files, apparently it can't stream them. Very annoying.
EDIT 2: No movies tonight. The Internet Archives crashed. I can't download alternate versions.
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Guspaz @ 19th Nov 03:38AM:
Re: Blade servers
Looks like it's at 320x240 (quarter VGA, my bad, the previous res was much lower than one third SD/VGA) at 783kbit for the stream.
That bitrate *should* be almost sufficient for SD, but it looks like the current program was recorded on a cellphone/digicam, so the source is too low quality to judge.
You may be better off trying to use a real streaming suite rather than VLC... Something like Windows Media Services, QuickTime Streaming Server, Helix Server, etc.
All three support HTTP, WMS and Helix both support Windows Media codecs, Helix and QTSS both support generic MPEG-4 and h.264 and other codecs.
EDIT: Now it's on the audio convention, which is much better quality source. It looks like the video is "pulsing" every second or less (on a fixed interval). It's almost like it's sending out keyframes crazy frequently, which would waste a ton of the limited bandwidth. It'd make sense; it should look much better than this consider the bitrate.
EDIT2: That bit where you apologize for the room being so long because you like the soundtrack... The soundtrack sounds REALLY similar to the soundtrack of Star Trek II (composed by James Horner). At times, I almost thought it WAS a medly of the soundtrack, but it wasn't.
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milnoc @ 19th Nov 06:42AM:
Re: Blade servers
said by Guspaz :
EDIT2: That bit where you apologize for the room being so long because you like the soundtrack... The soundtrack sounds REALLY similar to the soundtrack of Star Trek II (composed by James Horner). At times, I almost thought it WAS a medly of the soundtrack, but it wasn't.
Translation: "I watched your channel." :)
Time to start inserting a few ads! :D
I might not use WMP at all; it's simply too restrictive. I'm searching for a "universal" low-res, low bandwidth streaming technology that's not only supported by multiple platforms at the receiving end, the server components must also work under Linux. Windows Server is not only an expensive and needlessly complicated proposition, I'm really worried its licensing and copy protection technology may accidentally shut down the broadcast.
On the high end however, VLC is perfectly suited. The picture quality of the 2.5 Mbps h.264 stream is simply astounding, and the load on the servers is much lower than originally expected. The only item that needs to be fixed is the inconsistent transition from one video to another during the transcoding process. That's the only area where VLC is causing major headaches.
Thanks for the feedback! Once The Internet Archives is back up, I'll start adding a few movies to the schedule.
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milnoc @ 19th Nov 12:32PM:
Re: Blade servers
BTW, not only did you watch my channel, you were also watching one of my shows. A CANADIAN show!
You will be assimilated. :D
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Guspaz @ 19th Nov 01:21PM:
Re: Blade servers
I had already watched the program on YouTube ;)
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Oinktastic @ 19th Nov 02:38PM:
Re: Blade servers
Sorry, how and where can I watch these streams?
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milnoc @ 19th Nov 02:58PM:
Re: Blade servers
Server "Monday": »38.104.152.86:11084
Server "Tuesday": »38.104.152.86:11089
Requires Windows Media Player.
If one stream doesn't work, try the other one.
If BOTH streams don't work, I screwed up. Wait a few minutes while I'm in Panic mode. :)
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Oinktastic @ 19th Nov 03:26PM:
Re: Blade servers
I should just be able to "Open URL" and then past your server's IP address and port in there, right?
I haven't been able to access them yet with WMP or VLC. Not sure if I'm doing something wrong.
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milnoc @ 19th Nov 05:24PM:
Re: Blade servers
And the "http://" at the beginning as well.
Under VLC, it has to start with "mms://". Or is it "mmsh://"?
Tonight and tomorrow, the stream will be available only on port 11084. I'll be trying out a few things on 11089 today and tomorrow, so the stream will crash constantly on that one.
I'm hoping to reroute the input through an equivalent of the "display" interface, then pass the output through the transcoder. VLC has a lot of trouble transcoding and streaming certain file formats, which is a big problem for me since I'll be dealing with an assortment of very bizarre file formats. I won't have time to convert everything.
At least my videos work! :)
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Oinktastic @ 19th Nov 05:36PM:
Re: Blade servers
Awesome. Video quality is a bit...
but I'm not really sure what to expect for a 800Kbps stream. I'll check it out from time-to-time. Neato!
Thanks.
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milnoc @ 19th Nov 05:43PM:
Re: Blade servers
Don't trust the quality of the video currently playing on port 11084. You see that light on the ceiling? That's the only lighting in the room! You can imagine the amount of noise in the original recording. :)
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milnoc @ 19th Nov 06:17PM:
Re: Blade servers
Tonight's schedule starting at 6:30 on port 11084 (if everything works properly -- cross fingers) :)
Democracy Now
Girls Beware - (Ephemeral series)
Salon Son & Image 2009 (The Trade Show Show)
Make Mine Freedom (Ephemeral series)
Private Snafu - Booby Traps (pre-movie cartoon)
Movie - Suddenly, crime drama with Frank Sinatra
Movie - Night of the Living Dead by George Romero
And commercials. :)
As previously mentioned, port 11089 will be unavailable until further notice. All you'll see is the channel's test pattern, or an experimental broadcast.
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dandin1 @ 19th Nov 06:31PM:
Re: Blade servers
Nice! I can see!
For others: I used VLC, went to Media>Open Network Stream>pasted 38.104.152.86:11084 into the box, and selected MMS from the dropdown.
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Guspaz @ 19th Nov 07:22PM:
Re: Blade servers
They're coming to get you, Barbara!
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milnoc @ 19th Nov 07:46PM:
Re: Blade servers
What do you think? Should I put on "Boys Beware" tomorrow? :)
EDIT: Crap. The commercials aren't working.
EDIT 2: Hold on. I gotta fix that. I'll increase the bitrate.
EDIT 3: It's working again. At this rate, I'll probably tell people to simply use the VLC Media Player. The bitrate for the WMP feed is already at 1 Mbps! I can get ten times better results on the 2.5 Mbps H.264 feed!
I'll work on this on Tuesday. Not the day of the week, but the server. :)
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Guspaz @ 19th Nov 09:22PM:
Re: Blade servers
1Mbps should be enough bandwidth for SD, and you're blowing it on one quarter the resolution! I really think you need to rethink your general-public-distribution...
Why aren't you using 1Mbps h.264 SD video for the public stream too? WMP should play that just fine in Windows 7, and it'll play it just fine in other Windows that have an h.264 decoder installed. Or, they can use VLC.
You're burning bandwidth at this point :(
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milnoc @ 19th Nov 09:38PM:
Re: Blade servers
There's a reason I'm using the DIV3/mp3 codecs. It's the only combination I could find that was compatible with WMP. I've tried many different combinations without success until I found the right one documented in the VLC Wiki.
Don't worry about the bandwidth. Only three people are connected including me (I'm watching the movie).
Night of the Living Dead will be slightly delayed. The file wasn't transferred to the right server. It's still at the office.
On the plus side, I found the problem with the commercials. Wrong paths! :D
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Guspaz @ 19th Nov 09:51PM:
Re: Blade servers
said by milnoc :
There's a reason I'm using the DIV3/mp3 codecs. It's the only combination I could find that was compatible with WMP. I've tried many different combinations without success until I found the right one documented in the VLC Wiki.
Wait... MS-MPEG3... DivX 3... WTF are you using this for?!? No wonder it looks so bad for this bitrate!
Is compatibility with WMP really so important?
Don't worry about the bandwidth. Only three people are connected including me (I'm watching the movie).
I'm not worrying about bandwidth, I'm worrying about quality. It looks pretty bad, and I'm trying to watch it :P
Why not offer both? You did say that CPU usage wasn't very high. Why not have three streams:
1) Broadcast stream, 2.5Mbps h.264
2) High-quality public stream, 1 Mbps h.264
3) High-compatibility public stream, 1 Mbps h.264
I have trouble believing that WMP will play DivX 3, but not WMV 8 (codec name WMV2). I mean, WMV 8 is Microsoft's own codec :P
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milnoc @ 19th Nov 09:55PM:
Re: Blade servers
I've been having a lot of trouble with VLC and WMP interoperability lately. But that's okay. The purpose of these test runs is to iron out all the bugs and dump what doesn't work.
WMP support isn't absolutely essential, but it would be a nice feature to have for Joe and Jane Six-Pack. :)
Next movie in about fifteen to twenty minutes.
If you have VLC, check out port 11083.
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milnoc @ 19th Nov 10:04PM:
Re: Blade servers
Just restarted VLC. I switched over to WMV2 instead of DIV3. It's the first time I see it work.
EDIT 1: Just tried WMV3. Nothing's happening. Going back to WMV2.
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Oinktastic @ 19th Nov 10:13PM:
Re: Blade servers
I'm just getting the of-the-air screen right now. Is that what I'm supposed to be getting?
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Guspaz @ 19th Nov 10:14PM:
Re: Blade servers
I'm not getting anything; WMP won't play it anymore (»38.104.152.86:11084/)
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milnoc @ 19th Nov 10:17PM:
Re: Blade servers
Stand by. Something's screwy here.
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milnoc @ 19th Nov 10:20PM:
Re: Blade servers
Rebooting the server. Somehow, the codec support got severely corrupted. I couldn't even restart the original WMP configuration.
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milnoc @ 19th Nov 10:30PM:
Re: Blade servers
This might take a while. I really don't understand what's happening. It's like something broke.
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Guspaz @ 19th Nov 10:35PM:
Re: Blade servers
I'll note that the reason why Otakuthon and Otaku Anime never use VLC for screenings is that it is notoriously buggy and unstable. When we did try to use it, it could not be trusted to be left unattended and run through the playlist; something was bound to be broken or crash.
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milnoc @ 19th Nov 10:41PM:
Re: Blade servers
I see what you mean. However, it is capable of running for days with the h264/a52 codec. I've yet to lock myself out of that one.
I'll keep trying to fix it. It has to be something stupid.
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milnoc @ 19th Nov 11:04PM:
Re: Blade servers
It's working again. Somehow, it no longer likes to be run in multiple instances. The WMV version was the second in the list, and it kept crashing. I killed the high bandwidth version, leaving the WMV version the only instance running.
I'm restarting it near the end of the first movie. That gives you TWO MINUTES to catch the beginning of Living Dead.
I'll investigate this bug tomorrow. I'm going to bed.
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Guspaz @ 19th Nov 11:42PM:
Re: Blade servers
It looks much better, but still QVGA. Have you tried 480p at 1Mbps?
Randomly: Your source for this movie is this, right?
»www.archive.org/details/Night.Of···ad_1080p
That's a raw BluRay rip.
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milnoc @ 20th Nov 12:01AM:
Re: Blade servers
Actually, it's this one. »www.archive.org/details/night_of···ing_dead More specifically, the Mpeg4 512k file.
The video's resolution is exactly the same as the stream's. 320x240. :)
I'll try different things tomorrow on port 11089. I want to cut the bitrate well below 800 kbps. However, I might fix the multiple instance failure issue first, followed by the design of a smarter processing chain that will allow me to properly support multiple source overlays.
So much work left to do. But I'm definitely making progress! Two weeks ago, I was barely getting started. Now I have enough knowledge to start designing the support software that will directly control the VLC.
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Guspaz @ 20th Nov 12:15AM:
Re: Blade servers
Generally, you'll want as high quality a source as possible. Even if you're encoding at low-quality. This is because if you re-encode a low-quality source, you're spending bandwidth compressing the artifacts and such.
It's generational loss taken to the extreme, like a copy of a copy of a copy of a VHS.
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milnoc @ 20th Nov 12:21AM:
Re: Blade servers
That's why I love to use material from archive.org so much. If I can make that crap look good, everything else will be fine. :)
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milnoc @ 20th Nov 11:34AM:
Re: Blade servers
If all goes to plan, tonight's schedule will include a ten minute short called "Cliché Family in Televisionland", and the movie "Beast from Yucca Flats" starring Tor Johnson.
Be advised that both features are rated 14+.
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milnoc @ 20th Nov 03:47PM:
Re: Blade servers
Two more movies in the rotation: "My Man Godfrey" and "Renfrew of the Royal Mounted."
Any preference for tonight?
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AkFubar @ 20th Nov 05:56PM:
Re: Blade servers
+1 for Renfrew! Where can i pick up your broadcast milnoc?
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milnoc @ 20th Nov 06:12PM:
Re: Blade servers
Let's see if the sig works this time. The addresses are in there.
TONIGHT'S SCHEDULE STARTING AT 6:30 PM
• Democracy Now for Friday, November 20, 2009
• Dining Room Table Reviews - Fujitsu LifeBook U810
• Ephemeral - Boys Beware (definitely doesn't represent the channel's opinions :) )
• European Vignettes from Yet Another Travel Show
• My Messy Shorts - Cliche Family in Televisionland (rated 14+)
• Free Movie - Renfrew of the Mounted (look like a very decent print)
• PSA - Nuclear preparedness for farmers
• Free Movie - The Beast of Yucca Flats, featuring Tor Johnson (rated 14+)
Then it starts over in an infinite loop. Next week, I'll try to set up a timed schedule.
I might also add the more creepy pieces from my collection of ephemeral films to the rotation, more specifically the two sex education films "As Boys Grow" and "Molly Grows Up." But I must warn you, these films are really, REALLY creepy! :D
--
Watch my future television channel's beta test streams! Open one of the following links in Windows Media Player. Warning, might (will) crash.
Main feed: 38.104.152.86:11084 Auxiliary feed: 38.104.152.86:11089
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AkFubar @ 20th Nov 06:37PM:
Re: Blade servers
Hey so far this is pretty good! :)
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milnoc @ 20th Nov 06:41PM:
Re: Blade servers
I'll monitor the broadcast from my home. I also want to watch Renfrew. :)
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zacron @ 20th Nov 06:42PM:
Re: Blade servers
looking good milnoc!
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MaynardKrebs @ 20th Nov 06:42PM:
Re: Blade servers
said by milnoc :
WMP support isn't absolutely essential, but it would be a nice feature to have for Joe and Jane Six-Pack. :)
Just have a link to an installable PC/Mac VLC player on your website.
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MaynardKrebs @ 20th Nov 06:44PM:
Re: Blade servers
said by milnoc :
I'll monitor the broadcast from my home. I also want to watch Renfrew. :)
+1
How about 'Reefer Madness'? ;-)
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AkFubar @ 20th Nov 06:50PM:
Re: Blade servers
said by MaynardKrebs :said by milnoc :
I'll monitor the broadcast from my home. I also want to watch Renfrew. :)
+1
How about 'Reefer Madness'? ;-)
Now that's a creepy movie! :D
EDIT:
Nuclear preparedness for farmers sounds pretty good too.
--
If my online experience is enhanced, why are my speeds throttled??
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milnoc @ 20th Nov 07:09PM:
Re: Blade servers
said by MaynardKrebs :
How about 'Reefer Madness'? ;-)
Already showed it along with Sex Madness this week. I'll show it again next week.
I love ephemeral films! In their attempt to "educate" people, they became some of the most hilarious -- and sometimes most shocking -- material ever seen in pictures!
My next target: You Can't Do That on Television. I'd love to get my hands on that classic, hopefully with the infamous "Divorce" episode!
One more thing: I HAVE AN AUDIENCE! It might be an audience of only two or three, but it's a start! It'll be very difficult to fall below that!
Thank you all for your continued encouragement!
--
Watch my future television channel's beta test streams! Open one of the following links in Windows Media Player. Warning, might (will) crash.
Main feed: 38.104.152.86:11084 Auxiliary feed: 38.104.152.86:11089
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zacron @ 20th Nov 07:12PM:
Re: Blade servers
Can you post something better then "Domocracy Now" it really is an annoying programme. I seriously think that 55% of the content should be from CANADA. lol.
IMO that is.
So far so good.
Cheers,
Zacron
--
-----------------------------
OK EVERYONE REPEAT AFTER ME
Goosefrabah.
Ahhh, feel better now? ;)
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mlerner @ 20th Nov 07:12PM:
Re: Blade servers
I'll probably tune in and out during the weekend. The low picture quality kinda bugs me though, given I'm on dual 21" screens with DVI and a whole lot more res and clarity.
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mlerner @ 20th Nov 07:13PM:
Re: Blade servers
said by zacron :
Can you post something better then "Domocracy Now" it really is an annoying programme. I seriously think that 55% of the content should be from CANADA. lol.
Well see.. if more people from Canada would do home made shows maybe that can happen.. a custom produced news show. It doesn't take much to record a show these days.
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AkFubar @ 20th Nov 07:17PM:
Re: Blade servers
said by zacron :
Can you post something better then "Domocracy Now" it really is an annoying programme. I seriously think that 55% of the content should be from CANADA. lol.
IMO that is.
So far so good.
Cheers,
Zacron
LOL yeah.... even reruns of Tommy Hunter or Don Messer would be better than Democracy Now
--
If my online experience is enhanced, why are my speeds throttled??
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milnoc @ 20th Nov 07:31PM:
Re: Blade servers
said by zacron :
Can you post something better then "Domocracy Now" it really is an annoying programme. I seriously think that 55% of the content should be from CANADA. lol.
I tried to locate some Canadian CC/public domain material on archive.org, but couldn't find any. But with a bit of luck and plenty of contributions, I'll reach my Canadian content target of 90% within three years.
For now, you'll have to put up with my own TV shows. And Democracy Now. :D
Democracy Now will be scheduled for 5 PM on weekdays once I get more programming, and the automated broadcast system is in a reasonable and functional state. Right now, I'm still working out the bugs, which is the main reason behind these broadcast tests.
But I must admit, I'm impressed with how well it works up to now. All I have at the datacenter is a 10 Mbps connection and an Asus router loaded with Tomato. And it all works!
--
Watch my future television channel's beta test streams! Open one of the following links in Windows Media Player. Warning, might (will) crash.
Main feed: 38.104.152.86:11084 Auxiliary feed: 38.104.152.86:11089
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zacron @ 20th Nov 07:33PM:
Re: Blade servers
lol.
I just cannot handle democracy now, it's a horrible piece of American "treasure"... I'd be willing to come up with something like, "Canada Now" (oh wait, cbc has that in public domain right?)
Cheers,
Zacron
--
-----------------------------
OK EVERYONE REPEAT AFTER ME
Goosefrabah.
Ahhh, feel better now? ;)
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AkFubar @ 20th Nov 07:33PM:
Re: Blade servers
I'm getting a very good quality stream using WMP.
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milnoc @ 20th Nov 07:45PM:
Re: Blade servers
You know what's really unnerving about this film? It's the music! It's so cheery as if something really nice will happen! :D
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mike12806 @ 20th Nov 08:20PM:
Re: Blade servers
Not too bad quality wise....
I can get the stream (Full Screen View) to open in VLC under OS X, but I do still get these errors:
access_mms: invalid host
main: no suitable access module for `»'
access_mms: cannot connect to server
access_mms: cannot read data
I typed »mms://38.104.152.86:11089 into the Network box.
Why aren't you using a domain name?
reply
milnoc @ 20th Nov 08:40PM:
Re: Blade servers
Setting up domain name access is a bit complicated. A simple IP address is the easiest way for me to perform my tests and not have to worry about connection issues or learning too many things at the same time.
BTW, port 11089 is a test pattern. Port 11084 is the movie. :)
I'll have to find a better encoder module some day. I'll probably have to bite the bullet and set up a Windows box at the datacenter. All I hope is that Microsoft's encoding software won't require a server version of their operating system. I'm not interesting in paying huge licensing fees for essentially nothing.
Yes, I should go with something else, preferably open/free software. But if the encoder can't work under Linux or the decoder requires installing extra software (something most users will be too afraid or too lazy to do), I may not have much of a choice.
--
Watch my future television channel's beta test streams! Open one of the following links in Windows Media Player. Warning, might (will) crash.
Main feed: 38.104.152.86:11084 Auxiliary feed: 38.104.152.86:11089
reply
MaynardKrebs @ 20th Nov 08:45PM:
Re: Blade servers
Here's one from archive.org that all Long-Gun Registry foes would love....
Rifle Marksmanship with M1 Rifle, parts 1 & 2
reply
InvalidError @ 20th Nov 09:37PM:
Re: Blade servers
said by milnoc :
Setting up domain name access is a bit complicated.
Go to dyndns.org, register a user name, create a domain name, enter the IP address, done in three minutes! (Well, maybe ten if it's your first time ever there.)
Getting a 'real' domain is just a little bit more complicated since you need to deal with top level registrars which means having to fill in a bunch of extra contact/billing info.
reply
milnoc @ 20th Nov 10:34PM:
Re: Blade servers
Getting a domain name is easy; that's just a purchase order. Where things get complicated is adding the /30 domain support to my connection along with installing and configuring all the required hardware and software. Cogent most likely can provide most of what I need, but I just don't have the time or energy to deal with all that crap at this time. Just give me my freakin' IP address and let me get on with my tests!
Once I hire some minions, they'll take care of that stuff. :)
This weekend, I need to find a way to play back the videos seamlessly. When played back on a computer monitor, no problem. But when you add in transcoding, it has trouble. I don't get it.
--
Watch my future television channel's beta test streams! Open one of the following links in Windows Media Player. Warning, might (will) crash.
Main feed: 38.104.152.86:11084 Auxiliary feed: 38.104.152.86:11089
reply
Spazomatic @ 21st Nov 01:57AM:
Re: Blade servers
Milnoc,
just read through this entire thread and must say I am very impressed with your project. Good luck with it!
Setting up a DNS server is really not that hard, especially with Ubuntu. If you need some help (free of charge) let me know would be glad to assist as I live in the MTL region (st-henri actually).
As other posters have mention, Vlan can be a bitch. I tried doing a multicast stream from by computer to the PS3 (which will not play PAL dvds) and it never worked that well... You may need to bite the bullet and buy a windows server where you would probably get more support or at least documenation. Maybe you can find someone to donate a license... (sorry don't have any!). I image you a looking for sponsor, you never know Microsoft may be willing to help for the free publicity.
Having said that maybe you can have a look at this:
»www.icecast.org though it only supports mostly open source codecs. in any case the stream you are pumping out now is not half bad.
Tim
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milnoc @ 21st Nov 08:56AM:
Re: Blade servers
said by Spazomatic :
Maybe you can find someone to donate a license... (sorry don't have any!).
Well then what good are you to me? Begone peasant! :D
The image may be good, but the bandwidth is way too high. The feed is currently set at 1 Mbps using WMV2 (a.k.a. WMV 8), which was forced upon me by the horribly encoded movie "Suddenly". Its artifacts eliminated most of the compression.
If I do need to use Windows for the encoding of the publicly available stream (CPAC is successfully broadcasting a 480x360 stream at 322 kbps), I might still be able to use VLC as the base. One thing VLC CAN do is play a lot of different video sources, both files and live streams. But just try to feed WMP an XviD/mp3 file, and it's confused. However, I might still be able to use VLC to feed WMP a high bandwidth local stream it understands, which it can then re-encode for public distribution. This way, I'll only need one Windows box.
Stay tuned. I have a few interesting ideas to try out that might fix everything. I just need some time. VLC may be a complicated bastard, but it's still the software solution that gives me most of what I need right away for my channel. Once the revenue stream comes in, I'll assign a team to fix and upgrade VLC to supports all the tricks major network systems currently support.
Yes, I'm putting "bugs" in all four corners of the screen! Muahahahahahahaha!!! :D
--
Watch my future television channel's beta test streams! Open one of the following links in Windows Media Player. Warning, might (will) crash.
Main feed: 38.104.152.86:11084 Auxiliary feed: 38.104.152.86:11089
reply
Guspaz @ 21st Nov 10:32AM:
Re: Blade servers
WMP will play almost any file that VLC will if you've got the right filters/splitters installed. I suggest you install Haali's Splitter, and the latest version of ffdshow tryouts... if you're using Windows. Then, WMP should play almost anything.
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milnoc @ 21st Nov 11:00AM:
Re: Blade servers
said by Guspaz :
I suggest you install...
*BZZZT!* :)
Remember, Joe and Jane Six-Pack are VERY afraid to install ANY software on their computers!
Too bad they also have the most virus-riddled computers in the universe. :)
BTW, I have Zoom Player installed on my Windows computers, which automatically installed ffdshow, haali, vsfilter, and a few other things. As a consequence, WMP also supports most a/v file formats although it does give a warning when you try to play MKV files.
Just thought of something. Can VLC produce FLV streams? It might actually be the better solution. WMP is starting to get on my nerves.
--
Watch my future television channel's beta test streams! Open one of the following links in Windows Media Player. Warning, might (will) crash.
Main feed: 38.104.152.86:11084 Auxiliary feed: 38.104.152.86:11089
reply
Guspaz @ 22nd Nov 01:59AM:
Re: Blade servers
Why are Joe and Jane six-pack installing software on your servers? Those suggestions were for Windows Media Services to be able to decode content.
I highly suggest against using codec packs for any sort of a professional installation, and in general. You should know exactly what software is on your hardsware.
I'm not a fan of FLV streaming. It means that users will need to view video in their web browser. It means that instead of using the player of their choice, they have to use YOUR website. It means that playback will consume much more resources, and many lower end computers won't be able to view your content. It means that Linux and Mac users will get a very sub-optimal experience, since Flash is quite poor/slow on those platforms.
reply
milnoc @ 22nd Nov 11:17AM:
Re: Blade servers
Oh! It's for the server! My mistake! :)
No problem about avoiding codec packs at all costs. I've been burned by them before. The makers of Zoom Player were also very much aware of this fact when they upgraded their software a few years ago. Zoom Player will only install codecs from their original sources, and not from any "packs." As a result, I'll be using ZP to install all the required codecs.
I'll keep Flash as an option however. The public option will remain an easily manageable low resolution stream so that people are encouraged to get the proper channel from a cable company. I'd only go full resolution on-line if I can't get enough cable companies on board and I'm left with no other choice.
That scenario might not happen however. Giving my channel away for free has actually helped me sell the channel. I currently have five separate cable companies willing to help me out with this project as best as they can, with the possibility of a few more coming on board. This doesn't mean they'll actually carry my channel, but it does mean they're open to new ideas.
--
Watch my future television channel's beta test streams! Open one of the following links in Windows Media Player. Warning, might (will) crash.
Main feed: 38.104.152.86:11084 Auxiliary feed: 38.104.152.86:11089
reply
Guspaz @ 22nd Nov 05:54PM:
Re: Blade servers
Even if some cablecos sign up, many people won't have a cableco or satellite company that carries the channel (or maybe they don't have cable or satellite at all).
Why should those who choose not to get cable TV be unable to watch a decent quality feed? I don't fall into this category because I've got Videotron, but forcing your viewers to resort to outdated "old media" sources for your channel is disheartening.
reply
milnoc @ 22nd Nov 06:14PM:
Re: Blade servers
It might be disheartening, but that's the way it has to be.
My greatest potential audience reach is still with the cable television audience. And the cable companies won't appreciate me undercutting their business by offering the general public an on-line broadcast feed that's just as good as their cable broadcast feed.
Limiting the resolution of the on-line public feed is purely a business decision.
BTW, I've just refreshed the broadcast schedule and added nearly all of the material I've presented during the last week. Here's the list of files since I'm now too lazy to write everything out. :)
setup programming input "/repository/programming/Democracy Now/dn2009-1120.mp4"
setup programming input "/repository/programming/TCPub/FujitsuU810Final.avi"
setup programming input "/repository/programming/TCPub/HPP1505ReviewFinal.avi"
setup programming input "/repository/programming/TCPub/AsusEeePC900HQFinal.avi"
setup programming input "/repository/programming/TCPub/AsusEeePC900HAReviewHQFinal.avi"
setup programming input "/repository/programming/TCPub/AsusEeePC1000HEReviewHQFinal.avi"
setup programming input "/repository/programming/TCPub/CanonHF200SanyoVPCTH1ShootOutFinal.avi"
setup programming input "/repository/programming/TCPub/RodeVideomicCamcorderMicrophoneWindTests30kmhGustsFinal.avi"
setup programming input "/repository/programming/TCPub/AsusRS700-E6RS4UnboxingAndAssemblyFinal.avi"
setup programming input "/repository/programming/Ephemeral/Girls Beware.avi"
setup programming input "/repository/programming/Ephemeral/Boys Beware.avi"
setup programming input "/repository/programming/Ephemeral/Boy With a Knife.mpeg"
setup programming input "/repository/programming/Ephemeral/Reefer Madness.avi"
setup programming input "/repository/programming/Ephemeral/Sex Madness.avi"
setup programming input "/repository/programming/Shorts/Oddball/Cliche Family in Televisionland.mp4"
setup programming input "/repository/programming/Movies/Theatrical/My Man Godfrey.mp4"
setup programming input "/repository/programming/TCPub/YATSLondonParisPart1Final.avi"
setup programming input "/repository/programming/TCPub/YATSLondonParisPart2Final.avi"
setup programming input "/repository/programming/TCPub/YATSLondonParisPart3Final.avi"
setup programming input "/repository/programming/TCPub/YATSLondonParisPart4Final.avi"
setup programming input "/repository/programming/TCPub/YATSLondonParisPart5Final.avi"
setup programming input "/repository/programming/TCPub/YATSLondonParisPart6Final.avi"
setup programming input "/repository/programming/TCPub/YATSLondonParisPart7Final.avi"
setup programming input "/repository/programming/TCPub/YATSLondonParisPart8Final.avi"
setup programming input "/repository/programming/TCPub/EuropeanVignette1Final.avi"
setup programming input "/repository/programming/TCPub/EuropeanVignette2Final.avi"
setup programming input "/repository/programming/TCPub/EuropeanVignette3Final.avi"
setup programming input "/repository/programming/Movies/Theatrical/Renfrew of the Royal Mounted.mp4"
setup programming input "/repository/programming/TCPub/SSI2009HQPart1Final.avi"
setup programming input "/repository/programming/TCPub/SSI2009HQPart2Final.avi"
setup programming input "/repository/programming/TCPub/SSI2009HQPart3Final.avi"
setup programming input "/repository/programming/TCPub/SSI2009BonusRoomsHQFinal.avi"
setup programming input "/repository/programming/Ephemeral/A is for Atom.mpeg"
setup programming input "/repository/programming/Ephemeral/Make Mine Freedom.mpeg"
setup programming input "/repository/programming/Shorts/Private Snafu/Booby Traps.mp4"
setup programming input "/repository/programming/Movies/Theatrical/Suddenly.mp4"
setup programming input "/repository/programming/Movies/Theatrical/Night of the Living Dead.mp4"
setup programming input "/repository/programming/TCPub/PaxtonBachmanBand1Final.avi"
setup programming input "/repository/programming/TCPub/PaxtonBachmanBand2Final.avi"
setup programming input "/repository/programming/TCPub/PaxtonBachmanBand3Final.avi"
setup programming input "/repository/programming/TCPub/PaxtonBachmanBand4Final.avi"
setup programming input "/repository/programming/TCPub/PaxtonBachmanBand5Final.avi"
--
Watch my future television channel's beta test streams! Open one of the following links in Windows Media Player. Warning, might crash.
Main feed: »38.104.152.86:11084 Auxiliary feed: »38.104.152.86:11089
reply
Guspaz @ 22nd Nov 08:20PM:
Re: Blade servers
Then hurry up and start offering BDUs an HD feed so that you can offer us online users an SD feed :P
reply
milnoc @ 22nd Nov 08:22PM:
Re: Blade servers
Oh man, the bandwidth costs of HD are going to KILL ME!!!!! :D
reply
Guspaz @ 22nd Nov 08:25PM:
Re: Blade servers
Bah, it's just HD to the BDU, if you want to maintain the same bits-per-pixel of your current feed, (2.5 Mbps at presumably 704x480) then 1280x720 is only 6.8 Mbps.
reply
milnoc @ 22nd Nov 08:39PM:
Re: Blade servers
Does that mean I'll have to UPGRADE THE SERVERS AGAIN?!? AIEEEE!!!
Am I sounding like a penny-pinching boss yet? :D
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Guspaz @ 22nd Nov 09:38PM:
Re: Blade servers
No, just the bandwidth :p
reply
nigrunze @ 22nd Nov 10:37PM:
Re: Blade servers
said by milnoc :
Does that mean I'll have to UPGRADE THE SERVERS AGAIN?!? AIEEEE!!!
Am I sounding like a penny-pinching boss yet? :D
And who is going to pay for these upgrades?
Sound familiar?
reply
InvalidError @ 22nd Nov 11:06PM:
Re: Blade servers
said by milnoc :
It might be disheartening, but that's the way it has to be.
My greatest potential audience reach is still with the cable television audience. And the cable companies won't appreciate me undercutting their business by offering the general public an on-line broadcast feed that's just as good as their cable broadcast feed.
Discovery Channel makes a bunch of their in-house shows available online a week after the first air-date, presumably for that same reason.
Delaying the online stream by several days (or at least until after the BDU "live-cast") seems like a great approach if you want to limit bandwidth (most people who want to see a show and have cable that carries the channel will likely try that first) and maximize value to BDUs (online streaming is only competing with re-re-runs)
The low-def online simultaneous stream would only be warranted for stuff with ephemeral importance like news.
reply
milnoc @ 23rd Nov 12:17AM:
Re: Blade servers
I'll start with the low-res. streams first, then migrate to higher res. deferred streams later. I can do the low-res live streams right away with very few changes to the system as I've already demonstrated during the last week.
The VOD type deferred streams however will require a bit more time to implement in order to properly automate the entire process, keeping ONLY the material that's authorized for deferred redistribution. It's all distribution contract issues at this point.
One step at a time.
said by nigrunze :
And who is going to pay for these upgrades?
Sound familiar?
It sounds very different when you're on the other side of the fence. :)
EDIT: I'll be adding some new material at the end of the day, which will include our second third-party contribution, this time from Northern Green Lifestyles TV!
Most of the ephemeral films will be removed since their presence could become a problem. They're not being presented in the proper context, and they can easily be misinterpreted. However, they will return one day in a show called "Ephemeral", where a panel will view the films and discuss their sociological impact and their relevance in today's modern society.
Gotta call Carolina ETV this afternoon. With a bit of luck, I might be able to include another third-party contribution in the test broadcast.
--
Watch my future television channel's beta test streams! Open one of the following links in Windows Media Player. Warning, might crash.
Main feed: »38.104.152.86:11084 Auxiliary feed: »38.104.152.86:11089
reply
milnoc @ 23rd Nov 06:13PM:
Re: Blade servers
The schedule for the next couple of days to be launched at 6:30 PM.
setup programming input "/repository/programming/Democracy Now/dn2009-1123.mp4"
setup programming input "/repository/programming/Documentaries/Northern Green Lifestyles TV/NEGLTV202Final.avi"
setup programming input "/repository/programming/TCPub/SSI2009HQPart1Final.avi"
setup programming input "/repository/programming/TCPub/SSI2009HQPart2Final.avi"
setup programming input "/repository/programming/TCPub/SSI2009HQPart3Final.avi"
setup programming input "/repository/programming/TCPub/SSI2009BonusRoomsHQFinal.avi"
setup programming input "/repository/programming/TCPub/NokiaN900TeaserFinal.avi"
setup programming input "/repository/programming/TCPub/AsusEeePC900HQFinal.avi"
setup programming input "/repository/programming/TCPub/AsusEeePC900HAReviewHQFinal.avi"
setup programming input "/repository/programming/TCPub/AsusEeePC1000HEReviewHQFinal.avi"
setup programming input "/repository/programming/TCPub/CanonHF200SanyoVPCTH1ShootOutFinal.avi"
setup programming input "/repository/programming/Shorts/Oddball/Cliche Family in Televisionland.mp4"
setup programming input "/repository/programming/Movies/Theatrical/My Man Godfrey.mp4"
setup programming input "/repository/programming/Movies/Theatrical/Renfrew of the Royal Mounted.mp4"
setup programming input "/repository/programming/Movies/Theatrical/Suddenly.mp4"
setup programming input "/repository/programming/Movies/Theatrical/Night of the Living Dead.mp4"
setup programming input "/repository/programming/TCPub/PaxtonBachmanBand1Final.avi"
setup programming input "/repository/programming/TCPub/PaxtonBachmanBand2Final.avi"
setup programming input "/repository/programming/TCPub/PaxtonBachmanBand3Final.avi"
setup programming input "/repository/programming/TCPub/PaxtonBachmanBand4Final.avi"
setup programming input "/repository/programming/TCPub/PaxtonBachmanBand5Final.avi"
setup programming input "/repository/programming/TCPub/YATSLondonParisPart1Final.avi"
setup programming input "/repository/programming/TCPub/YATSLondonParisPart2Final.avi"
setup programming input "/repository/programming/TCPub/YATSLondonParisPart3Final.avi"
setup programming input "/repository/programming/TCPub/YATSLondonParisPart4Final.avi"
setup programming input "/repository/programming/TCPub/YATSLondonParisPart5Final.avi"
setup programming input "/repository/programming/TCPub/YATSLondonParisPart6Final.avi"
setup programming input "/repository/programming/TCPub/YATSLondonParisPart7Final.avi"
setup programming input "/repository/programming/TCPub/YATSLondonParisPart8Final.avi"
setup programming input "/repository/programming/TCPub/EuropeanVignette1Final.avi"
setup programming input "/repository/programming/TCPub/EuropeanVignette2Final.avi"
setup programming input "/repository/programming/TCPub/EuropeanVignette3Final.avi"
It's now time for me to dive into VLC's source code and fix its various annoyances. I intend to find and resolve the problem with the videos not transitioning properly. Chances are it's something really stupid. I can feel it.
I've already designed and programmed automated traffic control and truck weighing systems from scratch under both OS/2 and Windows. I'm used to complex code. :)
--
Watch my future television channel's beta test streams! Open one of the following links in Windows Media Player. Warning, might crash.
Main feed: »38.104.152.86:11084 Auxiliary feed: »38.104.152.86:11089
reply
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