[vlc-devel] [lua] Proposal for a standard-included playlistscript...

[John Oyler]

On Wed, Aug 15, 2012 at 2:13 PM, Guy Perkins <me at atdotmedotuk.me.uk> wrote:
> John/all
>
> I fail to see why we need to encourage a client side script installation
> for this. This can be done via DHTML/XML within the browser session on
> page code alone, which would appear to be a far more secure and privacy
> friendly approach.
> Unless I have missed or missunderstood something.

I don't think I explained it well.

I'm talking about someone pressing control-N in Videolan, and putting
a URL into the prompt. If they have the playlist script for that URL,
it will play. If they do not... then I have to walk someone through
manually downloading and placing a playlist script in the correct
directory, and right there 99% of them lose interest.

Thus, as it stands now, playlist scripts (and scripts in general) are
only for the computer savvy and then only really for those who want to
tinker.

With this one change, Videolan is a capable of doing all of it for
them, and you just ask them to open the URL in Videolan.

What this makes possible, I've had a hard time describing to others. A
person can set up a webpage/website to be a "virtual television
channel", where when it is opened shows instantly play. It's a concept
slightly different than a playlist... I have one set up now where if
the show started at 8pm and you open my channel at 8:15, you see the
video starting 15 minutes in. And when the show is over (whenever that
is), VLC opens the second link, which refers back to the same page...
which loads a different show because now it's 9pm. And it will sit
there playing as long as you let it.

I read science fiction forums, and they're constantly bitching about
Syfy (don't know what you have over there in Europe, I imagine it's
similarly awful) and how it only airs wrestling and ghost-hunting
shows. With this, anyone could run a television channel (of sorts),
and they don't need a billion dollar satellite or a $10,000-a-month
datacenter account.

But none of that is possible if they have to walk people through
installing a script every time someone decides at whim they'd like to
check it out.

It's easier to show than explain:

Install this: http://75.109.71.79:8000/~john/spacepotato/spacepotato.lua
Then open this: http://75.109.71.79:8000/~john/spacepotato/

I've got shows scheduled until midnight or so, or about for the next 9
hours. There are gaps of 5 minutes (working on a webapp to make it
easier to schedule them).

John O.