New AlienBBC Release

[Jules Taplin]

Hey folks.

I'm delighted to announce a new version of the AlienBBC plugin. For those of you who haven't seen it before - it allows the user to browse and listen to BBC radio streams.

The new version is a major departure - it's pretty much a complete refactoring of the old code, adding many more streams to be played, including:

All Radio 4 streams (not just the AOD ones)
All Radio 5 streams (not just the AOD ones)
All BBC7 output (that's the whole of the last 7 days of programming!)
All 'Live' BBC Radio Stations
All Available BBC Local Radio Stations

In addition, there's a new transcoder architecture which should clear up all instability problems, as well as allowing playlists to work properly.

And if that wasn't enough - there's a web interface for it too, for those of you who prefer that as your method to interact with it (although web design is hardly my forte - so it is kinda fugly!).

I've been using the core of it for a couple of weeks now, and it looks pretty stable to me. No doubt, however, you'll all find ways to break it, so if you _DO_ - please let me know!

As ever, it's available from: http://www.mrtickle.org/alienbbc.html

Oh. And I'd just like to take the time to acknowledge the hard work of Craig Eales, who was responsible for refactoring all the menu code, as well as the BBC7 parser. Great work, Craig!


Best Regards,


Jules

[Daniel Cohen]

On 22/8/04 at 6:44 pm +0100, Jules Taplin wrote
>I'm delighted to announce a new version of the AlienBBC plugin. For
>those of you who haven't seen it before - it allows the user to
>browse and listen to BBC radio streams.
>

The page says that it "should probably function on Mac OS X".

Where should one put the file under OS X?
--
Daniel Cohen

[David Brittain]

Hi Jules

It certainly seems to be much more stable now - it doesn't crash my
server anymore! However, I can't run the version of alienstream packaged
in the release. I get the error message:

../alienstream: error while loading shared libraries: libXv.so.1: cannot
open shared object file: No such file or directory

I'm running Mandrake 10.0.

Cheers

Dave

Jules Taplin wrote:

> Hey folks.
>
> I'm delighted to announce a new version of the AlienBBC plugin. For
> those of you who haven't seen it before - it allows the user to browse
> and listen to BBC radio streams.
>
> The new version is a major departure - it's pretty much a complete
> refactoring of the old code, adding many more streams to be played,
> including:
>
> All Radio 4 streams (not just the AOD ones)
> All Radio 5 streams (not just the AOD ones)
> All BBC7 output (that's the whole of the last 7 days of programming!)
> All 'Live' BBC Radio Stations
> All Available BBC Local Radio Stations
>
> In addition, there's a new transcoder architecture which should clear
> up all instability problems, as well as allowing playlists to work
> properly.
>
> And if that wasn't enough - there's a web interface for it too, for
> those of you who prefer that as your method to interact with it
> (although web design is hardly my forte - so it is kinda fugly!).
>
> I've been using the core of it for a couple of weeks now, and it looks
> pretty stable to me. No doubt, however, you'll all find ways to break
> it, so if you _DO_ - please let me know!
>
> As ever, it's available from: http://www.mrtickle.org/alienbbc.html
>
> Oh. And I'd just like to take the time to acknowledge the hard work of
> Craig Eales, who was responsible for refactoring all the menu code, as
> well as the BBC7 parser. Great work, Craig!
>
>
> Best Regards,
>
>
> Jules
>
>------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>

[Jules Taplin]

Hi Daniel.

Right. I probably need to be clearer on that bit (and clearly, I need to
update the site a little, too).

I'm afraid I don't have access to any Apple equipment, so I've never been in
a position to try to make it work.
Theoretically, there are no bits of it that shouldn't work on OS/X (it's
basically BSDish, after all). However...
it's definately a techie job that somebody would need to take on in order to
make it function. Given you were
asking me 'where to put the file', In the nicest way possible, I'm guessing
you're probably not that person.

However, in case you are, or just for the record, here's what I think will
be necessary to make it operate:

1. Get a recent version of the xine libraries (available through fink, I
believe, but I don't know if they're new enough)
2. Compile a native version of 'alienstream'. The source code for my revised
version is available from the site, and
it should compile OK, I think (there's nothing linux specific in there, as
far as I'm aware, although the compile options might need some work).
3. Probably change some paths around a little (but nothing major).

The plugins themselves should be completely the same, and I'd expect the
transcoder proxy to work pretty unchanged, too. Really, it's just the
alienstream helper that needs help.

So... if there's anybody out there with the necessary equipment, and a bit
of time on their hands... I think there's a fair number of Mac users who'd
appreciate it

Daniel - sorry if this isn't the answer you wanted.

-- Jules



----- Original Message -----
From: "Daniel Cohen" <danco (AT) f2s (DOT) com>
To: "Slim Devices Discussion" <discuss (AT) lists (DOT) slimdevices.com>
Sent: Sunday, August 22, 2004 6:53 PM
Subject: [slim] New AlienBBC Release


> On 22/8/04 at 6:44 pm +0100, Jules Taplin wrote
>>I'm delighted to announce a new version of the AlienBBC plugin. For those
>>of you who haven't seen it before - it allows the user to browse and
>>listen to BBC radio streams.
>>
>
> The page says that it "should probably function on Mac OS X".
>
> Where should one put the file under OS X?
> --
> Daniel Cohen
>

[Daniel Cohen]

On 22/8/04 at 10:14 pm +0100, Jules Taplin wrote
>Hi Daniel.
>
>Right. I probably need to be clearer on that bit (and clearly, I
>need to update the site a little, too).
>
>I'm afraid I don't have access to any Apple equipment, so I've never
>been in a position to try to make it work.
>Theoretically, there are no bits of it that shouldn't work on OS/X
>(it's basically BSDish, after all). However...
>it's definately a techie job that somebody would need to take on in
>order to make it function. Given you were
>asking me 'where to put the file', In the nicest way possible, I'm
>guessing you're probably not that person.


I could probably work out in time how to do it, with the help of some
books I have, such as Mac OS X Unleashed which gives information
about compiling from a source code. But I think it's too much effort.

>
>However, in case you are, or just for the record, here's what I
>think will be necessary to make it operate:
>
>1. Get a recent version of the xine libraries (available through
>fink, I believe, but I don't know if they're new enough)

I've checked fink, and it seems the libxine is still marked as
'unstable', there is no stable release listed.

>2. Compile a native version of 'alienstream'. The source code for my
>revised version is available from the site, and
>it should compile OK, I think (there's nothing linux specific in
>there, as far as I'm aware, although the compile options might need
>some work).


As noted, there are books out there that explain how to compile for
non-experts. I've never tried, though.

>3. Probably change some paths around a little (but nothing major).


About what I would expect. I was hoping someone had actually done it,
and knew the precise path without having to experiment.

Perhaps under ~/Library/SlimDevices.

>
>The plugins themselves should be completely the same, and I'd expect
>the transcoder proxy to work pretty unchanged, too. Really, it's
>just the alienstream helper that needs help.


--
Daniel Cohen

[John Gorst]

David Brittain wrote:

> Hi Jules
>
> It certainly seems to be much more stable now - it doesn't crash my
> server anymore! However, I can't run the version of alienstream packaged
> in the release. I get the error message:
>
> ./alienstream: error while loading shared libraries: libXv.so.1: cannot
> open shared object file: No such file or directory
>
> I'm running Mandrake 10.0.

I'm getting a similar error.

Can use alienstream to look through the bbc streams but cant play them.
Get some error about libXv if a I run the the proxy.pl from the command
line. Not a linux expert at all so would appreciate some help trying to
get xine installed as I assume this is an xine problem.

do I have to add xine to my path? How do I do this.

Running mandrake 10 also.

[Jules Taplin]

Hi John.

Right. Looks like Mandrake users have a small problem.

Here's the text of a note I sent to another mandrake user a few days back:

Hi David.

Right. Annoyingly... although AlienBBC doesn't use X anywhere, bits of the
xine libraries are built assuming you will be.

In order for the version to run (it's compiled on a redhat system, by the
way), it needs libXv. RedHat includes it in XFree86-libs, so it's possible
Mandrake will, too.

If libXv is available on your machine, then alienstream probably needs
compiling. It's available from this page:

http://www.mrtickle.org/alienbbc_install.html

(linked to from the 'Other Linux' section).

Incidentally... Peter's old version of Alienstream will also work, up to a
point. The major change in the version I'm shipping is that it works out
when a stream has ended and aborts. It's required so that playlists
containing streams will move onto the next stream

Let me know if you still can't get it sorted out.


-- Jules

----- Original Message -----
From: "John Gorst" <john_gorst (AT) hotmail (DOT) com>
To: <discuss (AT) lists (DOT) slimdevices.com>
Sent: Tuesday, August 24, 2004 8:12 PM
Subject: [slim] New AlienBBC Release


> David Brittain wrote:
>
>> Hi Jules
>>
>> It certainly seems to be much more stable now - it doesn't crash my
>> server anymore! However, I can't run the version of alienstream packaged
>> in the release. I get the error message:
>>
>> ./alienstream: error while loading shared libraries: libXv.so.1: cannot
>> open shared object file: No such file or directory
>>
>> I'm running Mandrake 10.0.
>
> I'm getting a similar error.
>
> Can use alienstream to look through the bbc streams but cant play them.
> Get some error about libXv if a I run the the proxy.pl from the command
> line. Not a linux expert at all so would appreciate some help trying to
> get xine installed as I assume this is an xine problem.
>
> do I have to add xine to my path? How do I do this.
>
> Running mandrake 10 also.
>
>

[John Gorst]

Jules Taplin wrote:

Sorry, Im a linux newbie, how do I knwo if it is installed or not?

Cheers
> Hi John.
>
> Right. Looks like Mandrake users have a small problem.
>
> Here's the text of a note I sent to another mandrake user a few days back:
>
> Hi David.
>
> Right. Annoyingly... although AlienBBC doesn't use X anywhere, bits of the
> xine libraries are built assuming you will be.
>
> In order for the version to run (it's compiled on a redhat system, by the
> way), it needs libXv. RedHat includes it in XFree86-libs, so it's possible
> Mandrake will, too.
>
> If libXv is available on your machine, then alienstream probably needs
> compiling. It's available from this page:
>
> http://www.mrtickle.org/alienbbc_install.html
>
> (linked to from the 'Other Linux' section).
>
> Incidentally... Peter's old version of Alienstream will also work, up to a
> point. The major change in the version I'm shipping is that it works out
> when a stream has ended and aborts. It's required so that playlists
> containing streams will move onto the next stream
>
> Let me know if you still can't get it sorted out.
>
>
> -- Jules
>
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "John Gorst"
> <john_gorst (AT) hotmail (DOT) com>
> To: <discuss (AT) lists (DOT) slimdevices.com>
> Sent: Tuesday, August 24, 2004 8:12 PM
> Subject: [slim] New AlienBBC Release
>
>
>> David Brittain wrote:
>>
>>> Hi Jules
>>>
>>> It certainly seems to be much more stable now - it doesn't crash my
>>> server anymore! However, I can't run the version of alienstream
>>> packaged in the release. I get the error message:
>>>
>>> ./alienstream: error while loading shared libraries: libXv.so.1:
>>> cannot open shared object file: No such file or directory
>>>
>>> I'm running Mandrake 10.0.
>>
>>
>> I'm getting a similar error.
>>
>> Can use alienstream to look through the bbc streams but cant play
>> them. Get some error about libXv if a I run the the proxy.pl from the
>> command line. Not a linux expert at all so would appreciate some help
>> trying to get xine installed as I assume this is an xine problem.
>>
>> do I have to add xine to my path? How do I do this.
>>
>> Running mandrake 10 also.
>>
>>

[Jules Taplin]

Hi John.

The file in question is called 'libXv.so.1' -

Try doing a 'locate libXv.so'. If it gives you back some files, including
'libXv.so.1', then it's there.

Are you running X? That is - have you got a graphical interface, or a text
based one on your system?


-- Jules

----- Original Message -----
From: "John Gorst" <john_gorst (AT) hotmail (DOT) com>
To: <discuss (AT) lists (DOT) slimdevices.com>
Sent: Friday, August 27, 2004 10:36 PM
Subject: [slim] New AlienBBC Release


> Jules Taplin wrote:
>
> Sorry, Im a linux newbie, how do I knwo if it is installed or not?
>
> Cheers
>> Hi John.
>>
>> Right. Looks like Mandrake users have a small problem.
>>
>> Here's the text of a note I sent to another mandrake user a few days
>> back:
>>
>> Hi David.
>>
>> Right. Annoyingly... although AlienBBC doesn't use X anywhere, bits of
>> the
>> xine libraries are built assuming you will be.
>>
>> In order for the version to run (it's compiled on a redhat system, by the
>> way), it needs libXv. RedHat includes it in XFree86-libs, so it's
>> possible
>> Mandrake will, too.
>>
>> If libXv is available on your machine, then alienstream probably needs
>> compiling. It's available from this page:
>>
>> http://www.mrtickle.org/alienbbc_install.html
>>
>> (linked to from the 'Other Linux' section).
>>
>> Incidentally... Peter's old version of Alienstream will also work, up to
>> a
>> point. The major change in the version I'm shipping is that it works out
>> when a stream has ended and aborts. It's required so that playlists
>> containing streams will move onto the next stream
>>
>> Let me know if you still can't get it sorted out.
>>
>>
>> -- Jules
>>
>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "John Gorst" <john_gorst (AT) hotmail (DOT) com>
>> To: <discuss (AT) lists (DOT) slimdevices.com>
>> Sent: Tuesday, August 24, 2004 8:12 PM
>> Subject: [slim] New AlienBBC Release
>>
>>
>>> David Brittain wrote:
>>>
>>>> Hi Jules
>>>>
>>>> It certainly seems to be much more stable now - it doesn't crash my
>>>> server anymore! However, I can't run the version of alienstream
>>>> packaged in the release. I get the error message:
>>>>
>>>> ./alienstream: error while loading shared libraries: libXv.so.1: cannot
>>>> open shared object file: No such file or directory
>>>>
>>>> I'm running Mandrake 10.0.
>>>
>>>
>>> I'm getting a similar error.
>>>
>>> Can use alienstream to look through the bbc streams but cant play them.
>>> Get some error about libXv if a I run the the proxy.pl from the command
>>> line. Not a linux expert at all so would appreciate some help trying to
>>> get xine installed as I assume this is an xine problem.
>>>
>>> do I have to add xine to my path? How do I do this.
>>>
>>> Running mandrake 10 also.
>>>
>>>

[John Gorst]

Jules Taplin wrote:

> Hi John.
>
> The file in question is called 'libXv.so.1' -
>
> Try doing a 'locate libXv.so'. If it gives you back some files, including
> 'libXv.so.1', then it's there.
>
> Are you running X? That is - have you got a graphical interface, or a text
> based one on your system?
>

I do have X so it should be there, I will do a locate for it soon and
see what happens.

It may be the case, like you said, that I need to compile alienbbc -
however I wouldnt have a clue how to do it?

Anyone else had to compile alienbbc to get it to work on mandrake - can
you post the compiled version to me (-:

Anyone got the url for the copies of xine etc. that work on mandrake in
case it was them that are incorrect. How can I tell if i have installed
xine ok?

Cheers