Announce : BBC Sounds Plugin

[expectingtofly]

The BBC Sounds plugin aims to provide the full BBC Sounds experience on LMS.

It provides access to:

• All Station networks (live and 30 catch-up schedules)
• "My Sounds"
• Search
• Promoted Content
• Recommended Content
• Subscribing and Bookmarks
• Music Mixes
• Category Browsing
• Podcasts etc.

You can find and install the plugin from the list of 3rd Party plugins within LMS in settings->plugins.

Full details can be found in the wiki here : https://github.com/expectingtofly/LM...ds_Plugin/wiki

You will need to sign in on the LMS setting page for the plugin with your BBC account credentials. When you click apply on the settings page the system will go and get a token from the BBC that lasts for a couple of years.
Sign in is required to use the plugin.

The plugin is open source and is managed on the following github repository : https://github.com/expectingtofly/LMS_BBC_Sounds_Plugin
You can report an issues/feature requests here : https://github.com/expectingtofly/LM..._Plugin/issues

The Change Log is available here.

Sometimes there are experimental beta releases. These experimental test versions are available from the following repository : http://plugins.expectingtofly.co.uk/betarepo.xml

[SpiderJon]

... for those that would like the "Sounds" experience.

It currently provides the overall access to the Search capability, the Daily picks (promoted content), Music Mixes and curated/categorised content. I plan to continue to develop it to provide access to the personalised and subscribed content.

If anyone wants to join me on this experiment and is happy to try out stuff in development...

I'm not actually a fan of "Sounds" — I was too used to iPlayer Radio, and I'm too old and set in my ways ;-)

But your plugin is worth it just for the search capability — thanks!

And access to personal subscribed/bookmarked content would be terrific.

So, very happy to try it out as you continue to develop it.

[bpa]

I think this is the right sort of way to extend BBC listening - users of certain BBC features develop specific plugins to suit their needs using BBCiPlayer as the playing engine.

The preferred interface to BBCiplayer would be the "iplayer://" URL. I presume BBC Sounds plugin eventually plays "iplayer://aod" type URLs. No live streams.

A quick look through the code and I noticed the Sounds plugin has hooked directly into the BBCiPlayer PlaylistParser routine. This is an internal dependence which might break your plugin in the future - however usually the need to change that sort of BBCiPlayer routine is because BBC has changed internals and so has already broken BBCiPlayer.

[expectingtofly]

I think this is the right sort of way to extend BBC listening - users of certain BBC features develop specific plugins to suit their needs using BBCiPlayer as the playing engine.

Yes, I think you are right, although I guess we need to make sure that there doesn't end up a smorgasbord of plugins!

The preferred interface to BBCiplayer would be the "iplayer://" URL. I presume BBC Sounds plugin eventually plays "iplayer://aod" type URLs. No live streams.

Yes, correct, it uses "iplayer://aod".

A quick look through the code and I noticed the Sounds plugin has hooked directly into the BBCiPlayer PlaylistParser routine. This is an internal dependence which might break your plugin in the future - however usually the need to change that sort of BBCiPlayer routine is because BBC has changed internals and so has already broken BBCiPlayer.

No, I created my own playlist parser in a "BBCIplayerCompatability" module that works in a similar way to the Iplayer one, but it is self contained within the plugin.

[bpa]

Yes, I think you are right, although I guess we need to make sure that there doesn't end up a smorgasbord of plugins!

It would be great to have a large smorgasbord.
In AlienBBC we tried to have multiple parsers (for different stations using RealAudio) in same plugin but maintenance & testing proved awkward with many updates as each station changed at a different rate.

I think having separate plugins for separate "program finding" functionality will make for more direct menus and easier maintenance.

Since you are using "parser" in opml menus, there is a potential LMS issues with Favorites if the menu item is playable and a favorite saved from the menu item. Not sure if issue will show up with your plugin. Main symptom is: "Touch to Play" the Favorite may not work on Jiveplay/Touch/Squeezeplay . This is due to the "onselect => 'play'" not being retained. I am working through a LMS fix request.

[expectingtofly]

Since you are using "parser" in opml menus, there is a potential LMS issues with Favorites if the menu item is playable and a favorite saved from the menu item. Not sure if issue will show up with your plugin. Main symptom is: "Touch to Play" the Favorite may not work on Jiveplay/Touch/Squeezeplay . This is due to the "onselect => 'play'" not being retained. I am working through a LMS fix request.

I'm not using the OPML "parser" in that sense. I'm using a direct link to sub routine with a callback, so hopefully that issue doesn't apply.

[bpa]

I'm not using the OPML "parser" in that sense. I'm using a direct link to sub routine with a callback, so hopefully that listen doesn't apply.

OK. Just figured out I've been looking at old prototype code. I followed the sourceforge link in the repo XML and assumed the file were the latest. My bad.

[expectingtofly]

OK. Just figured out I've been looking at old prototype code. I followed the sourceforge link in the repo XML and assumed the file were the latest. My bad.

oh yes! whoops, that is very old prototype code. In fact I believe it worked in an entirely different way.
I've fixed that link, now. thanks.

[Paul Webster]

FYI
On LMS startup

Warning: [09:13:30.1237] "my" variable $title1 masks earlier declaration in same scope at /usr/local/slimserver/Cache/InstalledPlugins/Plugins/BBCSounds/BBCSoundsFeeder.pm line 364.

[Shozzer]

Hi, this is an interesting development - particularly with the ability to browse by category. Having said that, if I browse by category - say, Drama, the results which are returned exceed 3,000 - too many to browse through. The official Sounds website just lists the latest episode with the option to view others. Also, it allows browsing by sub-categories, e.g. Soaps, Crime, Thrillers & etc. Including this functionality in the plugin would be tremendous.

Thanks for your work to date! I am also one who does not particularly like the Sounds site (I preferred it when radio was included in iPlayer) but use the search facilities to browse available content.

Steve