X-Git-Url: https://pere.pagekite.me/gitweb/homepage.git/blobdiff_plain/92b9fd0b35e532ab3f9f2c52f503f3d469c3ff05..aaf3a8d6ac3f87b3060fda22f11cb474d2e37af0:/blog/index.rss diff --git a/blog/index.rss b/blog/index.rss index d326ab721f..317126122a 100644 --- a/blog/index.rss +++ b/blog/index.rss @@ -6,6 +6,68 @@ http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/ + + Web browser integration of VLC with Bittorrent support + http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Web_browser_integration_of_VLC_with_Bittorrent_support.html + http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Web_browser_integration_of_VLC_with_Bittorrent_support.html + Sun, 21 Oct 2018 09:50:00 +0200 + <p>Bittorrent is as far as I know, currently the most efficient way to +distribute content on the Internet. It is used all by all sorts of +content providers, from national TV stations like +<a href="https://www.nrk.no/">NRK</a>, Linux distributors like +<a href="https://www.debian.org/">Debian</a> and +<a href="https://www.ubuntu.com/">Ubuntu</a>, and of course the +<a href="https://archive.org/">Internet archive</A>. + +<p>Almost a month ago +<a href="https://tracker.debian.org/pkg/vlc-plugin-bittorrent">a new +package adding Bittorrent support to VLC</a> became available in +Debian testing and unstable. To test it, simply install it like +this:</p> + +<p><pre> +apt install vlc-plugin-bittorrent +</pre></p> + +<p>Since the plugin was made available for the first time in Debian, +several improvements have been made to it. In version 2.2-4, now +available in both testing and unstable, a desktop file is provided to +teach browsers to start VLC when the user click on torrent files or +magnet links. The last part is thanks to me finally understanding +what the strange x-scheme-handler style MIME types in desktop files +are used for. By adding x-scheme-handler/magnet to the MimeType entry +in the desktop file, at least the browsers Firefox and Chromium will +suggest to start VLC when selecting a magnet URI on a web page. The +end result is that now, with the plugin installed in Buster og Sid, +one can visit any +<a href="https://archive.org/details/CopyingIsNotTheft1080p">Internet +Archive page with movies</a> using a web browser and click on the +torrent link to start streaming the movie.</p> + +<p>Note, there is still some misfeatures in the plugin. One is the +fact that it will hang and +<a href="https://github.com/johang/vlc-bittorrent/issues/13">block VLC +from exiting until the torrent streaming starts</a>. Another is the +fact that it +<a href="https://github.com/johang/vlc-bittorrent/issues/9">will pick +and play a random file in a multi file torrent</a>. This is not +always the video file you want. Combined with the first it can be a +bit hard to get the video streaming going. But when it work, it seem +to do a good job.</p> + +<p>For the Debian packaging, I would love to find a good way to test +if the plugin work with VLC using autopkgtest. I tried, but do not +know enough of the inner workings of VLC to get it working. For now +the autopkgtest script is only checking if the .so file was +successfully loaded by VLC. If you have any suggestions, please +submit a patch to the Debian bug tracking system.</p> + +<p>As usual, if you use Bitcoin and want to show your support of my +activities, please send Bitcoin donations to my address +<b><a href="bitcoin:15oWEoG9dUPovwmUL9KWAnYRtNJEkP1u1b">15oWEoG9dUPovwmUL9KWAnYRtNJEkP1u1b</a></b>.</p> + + + Release 0.2 of free software archive system Nikita announced http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Release_0_2_of_free_software_archive_system_Nikita_announced.html @@ -583,76 +645,6 @@ Is there an alternative? I'm not interested in giving money to people requiring me to accept "privacy terms" to allow myself to measure my own health.</p> -<p>As usual, if you use Bitcoin and want to show your support of my -activities, please send Bitcoin donations to my address -<b><a href="bitcoin:15oWEoG9dUPovwmUL9KWAnYRtNJEkP1u1b">15oWEoG9dUPovwmUL9KWAnYRtNJEkP1u1b</a></b>.</p> - - - - - Sharing images with friends and family using RSS and EXIF/XMP metadata - http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Sharing_images_with_friends_and_family_using_RSS_and_EXIF_XMP_metadata.html - http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Sharing_images_with_friends_and_family_using_RSS_and_EXIF_XMP_metadata.html - Tue, 31 Jul 2018 23:30:00 +0200 - <p>For a while now, I have looked for a sensible way to share images -with my family using a self hosted solution, as it is unacceptable to -place images from my personal life under the control of strangers -working for data hoarders like Google or Dropbox. The last few days I -have drafted an approach that might work out, and I would like to -share it with you. I would like to publish images on a server under -my control, and point some Internet connected display units using some -free and open standard to the images I published. As my primary -language is not limited to ASCII, I need to store metadata using -UTF-8. Many years ago, I hoped to find a digital photo frame capable -of reading a RSS feed with image references (aka using the -&lt;enclosure&gt; RSS tag), but was unable to find a current supplier -of such frames. In the end I gave up that approach.</p> - -<p>Some months ago, I discovered that -<a href="https://www.jwz.org/xscreensaver/">XScreensaver</a> is able to -read images from a RSS feed, and used it to set up a screen saver on -my home info screen, showing images from the Daily images feed from -NASA. This proved to work well. More recently I discovered that -<a href="https://kodi.tv">Kodi</a> (both using -<a href="https://www.openelec.tv/">OpenELEC</a> and -<a href="https://libreelec.tv">LibreELEC</a>) provide the -<a href="https://github.com/grinsted/script.screensaver.feedreader">Feedreader</a> -screen saver capable of reading a RSS feed with images and news. For -fun, I used it this summer to test Kodi on my parents TV by hooking up -a Raspberry PI unit with LibreELEC, and wanted to provide them with a -screen saver showing selected pictures from my selection.</p> - -<p>Armed with motivation and a test photo frame, I set out to generate -a RSS feed for the Kodi instance. I adjusted my <a -href="https://freedombox.org/">Freedombox</a> instance, created -/var/www/html/privatepictures/, wrote a small Perl script to extract -title and description metadata from the photo files and generate the -RSS file. I ended up using Perl instead of python, as the -libimage-exiftool-perl Debian package seemed to handle the EXIF/XMP -tags I ended up using, while python3-exif did not. The relevant EXIF -tags only support ASCII, so I had to find better alternatives. XMP -seem to have the support I need.</p> - -<p>I am a bit unsure which EXIF/XMP tags to use, as I would like to -use tags that can be easily added/updated using normal free software -photo managing software. I ended up using the tags set using this -exiftool command, as these tags can also be set using digiKam:</p> - -<blockquote><pre> -exiftool -headline='The RSS image title' \ - -description='The RSS image description.' \ - -subject+=for-family photo.jpeg -</pre></blockquote> - -<p>I initially tried the "-title" and "keyword" tags, but they were -invisible in digiKam, so I changed to "-headline" and "-subject". I -use the keyword/subject 'for-family' to flag that the photo should be -shared with my family. Images with this keyword set are located and -copied into my Freedombox for the RSS generating script to find.</p> - -<p>Are there better ways to do this? Get in touch if you have better -suggestions.</p> - <p>As usual, if you use Bitcoin and want to show your support of my activities, please send Bitcoin donations to my address <b><a href="bitcoin:15oWEoG9dUPovwmUL9KWAnYRtNJEkP1u1b">15oWEoG9dUPovwmUL9KWAnYRtNJEkP1u1b</a></b>.</p>