other museum TV options: Roku box
I have a pair of Roku N1000 boxes that MIGHT be helpful for the museum televisions. They're small Internet television boxes with - Ethernet or WiFi (802.11 b/g/n) connectivity - HDMI and composite TV link - IR remote control Just one obstacle: it's locked into Roku channels. I'll need help modding/jailbreaking them to play from a local server. If anyone knows such stuff, please speak up and we'll have a quick solution. -- jeff jonas
On Tue, 1 Nov 2016, Jeffrey Jonas via vcf-midatlantic wrote:
I have a pair of Roku N1000 boxes that MIGHT be helpful for the museum televisions. They're small Internet television boxes with - Ethernet or WiFi (802.11 b/g/n) connectivity - HDMI and composite TV link - IR remote control
Just one obstacle: it's locked into Roku channels. I'll need help modding/jailbreaking them to play from a local server.
In theory they can work with Plex media server (i.e. on your local network) via installing the Plex "channel" onto the Roku, and setting up a suitable server. I've yet to do this for my (newer) Rokus at home, but that'd be the first thing I'd try on those. -- Jameel Akari
In theory they can work with Plex media server (i.e. on your local network) via installing the Plex "channel" onto the Roku, and setting up a suitable server.
There's also a built-in programming/scripting language available, I don't remember if it requires a jailbreak or not. We had one hooked up to a large flat panel as a Jenkins CI display at Enable Labs. IIRC the programming environment requires Windows. Thanks, Jonathan
I've yet to do this for my (newer) Rokus at home, but that'd be the first thing I'd try on those.
Sorry, I haven't been watching the ML lately. I help commercial companies capture/stream/transform/present video all around the world, so I should probably chime in here. Evan, what's the fundamental issue we're trying to solve with the museum TV sets? -- Steven Toth - Kernel Labs http://www.kernellabs.com +1.646.355.8490
Evan would like digital signage on the two sets that are now in the museum. Each set should be capable of displaying independent content. We are kicking around ideas. I am playing with a Pi running open source digital signage software. On Tue, Nov 1, 2016 at 10:15 AM, Steven Toth via vcf-midatlantic < vcf-midatlantic@lists.vintagecomputerfederation.org> wrote:
I've yet to do this for my (newer) Rokus at home, but that'd be the first thing I'd try on those.
Sorry, I haven't been watching the ML lately. I help commercial companies capture/stream/transform/present video all around the world, so I should probably chime in here.
Evan, what's the fundamental issue we're trying to solve with the museum TV sets?
-- Steven Toth - Kernel Labs http://www.kernellabs.com +1.646.355.8490
The trouble with Pi is the can corrupt their boot disk... On 1 Nov 2016 16:48, "Dean Notarnicola via vcf-midatlantic" < vcf-midatlantic@lists.vintagecomputerfederation.org> wrote:
Evan would like digital signage on the two sets that are now in the museum. Each set should be capable of displaying independent content. We are kicking around ideas. I am playing with a Pi running open source digital signage software.
On Tue, Nov 1, 2016 at 10:15 AM, Steven Toth via vcf-midatlantic < vcf-midatlantic@lists.vintagecomputerfederation.org> wrote:
I've yet to do this for my (newer) Rokus at home, but that'd be the first thing I'd try on those.
Sorry, I haven't been watching the ML lately. I help commercial companies capture/stream/transform/present video all around the world, so I should probably chime in here.
Evan, what's the fundamental issue we're trying to solve with the museum TV sets?
-- Steven Toth - Kernel Labs http://www.kernellabs.com +1.646.355.8490
The trouble with Pi is the can corrupt their boot disk...
As stated though, you can knock that out with a read-only root FS (what I do on most embedded systems) or a small battery backup. I've seen several Li-Ion based UPS boards (hats? plates? shields? I don't know what they're called) for the Raspberry Pi that, along with either a script or a kernel driver, will gracefully shut the Pi down when either the battery is low or just whenever main power has been offline for a predetermined time. I think someone already mentioned it would be cool to get IXR to help and do something for the VCFED blog about it. Thanks, Jonathan
If you want to simply use these for signage there's a free server / client called Xibo, we use it at the school where I work. -J On Tue, Nov 1, 2016 at 11:56 AM, Systems Glitch via vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic@lists.vintagecomputerfederation.org> wrote:
The trouble with Pi is the can corrupt their boot disk...
As stated though, you can knock that out with a read-only root FS (what I do on most embedded systems) or a small battery backup. I've seen several Li-Ion based UPS boards (hats? plates? shields? I don't know what they're called) for the Raspberry Pi that, along with either a script or a kernel driver, will gracefully shut the Pi down when either the battery is low or just whenever main power has been offline for a predetermined time.
I think someone already mentioned it would be cool to get IXR to help and do something for the VCFED blog about it.
Thanks, Jonathan
-- Jason Perkins 313 355 0085
Xibo is what I'm investigating :-) On Tue, Nov 1, 2016 at 12:02 PM, Jason Perkins via vcf-midatlantic < vcf-midatlantic@lists.vintagecomputerfederation.org> wrote:
If you want to simply use these for signage there's a free server / client called Xibo, we use it at the school where I work.
-J
On Tue, Nov 1, 2016 at 11:56 AM, Systems Glitch via vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic@lists.vintagecomputerfederation.org> wrote:
The trouble with Pi is the can corrupt their boot disk...
As stated though, you can knock that out with a read-only root FS (what I do on most embedded systems) or a small battery backup. I've seen several Li-Ion based UPS boards (hats? plates? shields? I don't know what they're called) for the Raspberry Pi that, along with either a script or a kernel driver, will gracefully shut the Pi down when either the battery is low or just whenever main power has been offline for a predetermined time.
I think someone already mentioned it would be cool to get IXR to help and do something for the VCFED blog about it.
Thanks, Jonathan
-- Jason Perkins 313 355 0085
-----Original Message----- From: vcf-midatlantic [mailto:vcf-midatlantic- bounces@lists.vintagecomputerfederation.org] On Behalf Of Systems Glitch via vcf-midatlantic Sent: 01 November 2016 16:57 To: vcf-midatlantic@lists.vintagecomputerfederation.org Cc: Systems Glitch <systems.glitch@gmail.com> Subject: Re: [vcf-midatlantic] other museum TV options: Roku box
The trouble with Pi is the can corrupt their boot disk...
As stated though, you can knock that out with a read-only root FS (what I do on most embedded systems) or a small battery backup. I've seen several Li- Ion based UPS boards (hats? plates? shields? I don't know what they're called) for the Raspberry Pi that, along with either a script or a kernel driver, will gracefully shut the Pi down when either the battery is low or just whenever main power has been offline for a predetermined time.
I think someone already mentioned it would be cool to get IXR to help and do something for the VCFED blog about it.
Thanks, Jonathan
But of course if you use a device that's designed for streaming like the Amazon Firestick all you have to do is plug it in the HDMI port and you can play.... Dave
But of course if you use a device that's designed for streaming like the Amazon Firestick all you have to do is plug it in the HDMI port and you can play....
Getting the content from a computer to a TV isn't the problem: there are many ways to do it. The problem is how to get DIFFERENT content onto multiple TVs from a single computer.
Xibo will work perfectly for this. You can put the displays into different display groups, then send different content to the groups (or even an individual display). -J On Tue, Nov 1, 2016 at 1:47 PM, Evan Koblentz via vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic@lists.vintagecomputerfederation.org> wrote:
But of course if you use a device that's designed for streaming like the Amazon Firestick all you have to do is plug it in the HDMI port and you can play....
Getting the content from a computer to a TV isn't the problem: there are many ways to do it. The problem is how to get DIFFERENT content onto multiple TVs from a single computer.
-- Jason Perkins 313 355 0085
On 11/01/2016 01:47 PM, Evan Koblentz via vcf-midatlantic wrote:
But of course if you use a device that's designed for streaming like the Amazon Firestick all you have to do is plug it in the HDMI port and you can play....
Getting the content from a computer to a TV isn't the problem: there are many ways to do it. The problem is how to get DIFFERENT content onto multiple TVs from a single computer.
Even this is where something like mediatomb (and example) would work. I use it to watch different shows on different TVs and media players. -- Linux Home Automation Neil Cherry ncherry@linuxha.com http://www.linuxha.com/ Main site http://linuxha.blogspot.com/ My HA Blog Author of: Linux Smart Homes For Dummies
I have a pair of Brightsign LS422 network video players - donation of more pending. They provide the CMS software at no charge. Will drop them off Sunday if the board wants to try them. Martin.
On Nov 1, 2016, at 11:48 AM, Dean Notarnicola via vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic@lists.vintagecomputerfederation.org> wrote:
Evan would like digital signage on the two sets that are now in the museum. Each set should be capable of displaying independent content. We are kicking around ideas. I am playing with a Pi running open source digital signage software.
On Tue, Nov 1, 2016 at 10:15 AM, Steven Toth via vcf-midatlantic < vcf-midatlantic@lists.vintagecomputerfederation.org> wrote:
I've yet to do this for my (newer) Rokus at home, but that'd be the first thing I'd try on those.
Sorry, I haven't been watching the ML lately. I help commercial companies capture/stream/transform/present video all around the world, so I should probably chime in here.
Evan, what's the fundamental issue we're trying to solve with the museum TV sets?
-- Steven Toth - Kernel Labs http://www.kernellabs.com +1.646.355.8490
As I see it, we have a few options for controlling content to our TVs. Current: USB sticks directly to TVs. Works fine. Problem is changing the content is a hassle. Need to get a ladder each time, etc. We could use very long USB cords and have the sticks somewhere more convenient. Problem: It's hokey :) and long cords lose signal quality. We could attach microcontrollers to each TV to provide the content and connect the TVs wirelessly from to a computer, but that doesn't solve the issue of how to put different content on each system. I'm not going to devote a whole computer for each TV. We could use the media players that Martin would donate. We'd still need one for each TV, but we can control many of them from the player company's CMS software. Am I missing other ideas?
The microcontrollers would be fully autonomous and would have their content updated from a single computer on a periodic basis. On Tuesday, November 1, 2016, Evan Koblentz via vcf-midatlantic < vcf-midatlantic@lists.vintagecomputerfederation.org> wrote:
As I see it, we have a few options for controlling content to our TVs.
Current: USB sticks directly to TVs. Works fine. Problem is changing the content is a hassle. Need to get a ladder each time, etc.
We could use very long USB cords and have the sticks somewhere more convenient. Problem: It's hokey :) and long cords lose signal quality.
We could attach microcontrollers to each TV to provide the content and connect the TVs wirelessly from to a computer, but that doesn't solve the issue of how to put different content on each system. I'm not going to devote a whole computer for each TV.
We could use the media players that Martin would donate. We'd still need one for each TV, but we can control many of them from the player company's CMS software.
Am I missing other ideas?
Yes, the computer would see a shared directory on the pi. Pi would link over Wi-Fi. On Tuesday, November 1, 2016, Evan Koblentz via vcf-midatlantic < vcf-midatlantic@lists.vintagecomputerfederation.org> wrote:
The microcontrollers would be fully autonomous and would have their
content updated from a single computer on a periodic basis.
How would the computer connect to them? Would it see them as network devices?
On Tue, Nov 1, 2016 at 5:53 PM, Dean Notarnicola via vcf-midatlantic < vcf-midatlantic@lists.vintagecomputerfederation.org> wrote:
Yes, the computer would see a shared directory on the pi. Pi would link over Wi-Fi.
On Tuesday, November 1, 2016, Evan Koblentz via vcf-midatlantic < vcf-midatlantic@lists.vintagecomputerfederation.org> wrote:
The microcontrollers would be fully autonomous and would have their
content updated from a single computer on a periodic basis.
How would the computer connect to them? Would it see them as network devices?
basically you'd literally stick or tie in the back, with a short HDMI cable plugged in from the CHIP to the HDMI port of the TV. The computer desktop or whatever you want (full-screen view of a movie, slide show, web page, etc.) will display on the TV set. You can control it from your desk, and network two or as many as you want and control all from any other networked computer in your subnet OR just give a subdomain so you can control remotely, say you want to change what appears on the tv from home. anything you can do with linux you can do with one of these, the TV becomes the computer display. b
On Tue, Nov 1, 2016 at 6:49 PM, william degnan <billdegnan@gmail.com> wrote:
On Tue, Nov 1, 2016 at 5:53 PM, Dean Notarnicola via vcf-midatlantic < vcf-midatlantic@lists.vintagecomputerfederation.org> wrote:
Yes, the computer would see a shared directory on the pi. Pi would link over Wi-Fi.
On Tuesday, November 1, 2016, Evan Koblentz via vcf-midatlantic < vcf-midatlantic@lists.vintagecomputerfederation.org> wrote:
The microcontrollers would be fully autonomous and would have their
content updated from a single computer on a periodic basis.
How would the computer connect to them? Would it see them as network devices?
basically you'd literally stick or tie in the back, with a short HDMI cable plugged in from the CHIP to the HDMI port of the TV. The computer desktop or whatever you want (full-screen view of a movie, slide show, web page, etc.) will display on the TV set. You can control it from your desk, and network two or as many as you want and control all from any other networked computer in your subnet OR just give a subdomain so you can control remotely, say you want to change what appears on the tv from home.
anything you can do with linux you can do with one of these, the TV becomes the computer display. b
were' talking about a computer that could possibly weigh less than the HDMI cable!
If anyone would want to try these http://computers.woot.com/offers/intel-z3735fultra-slim-pc-compute-stick?ref...
On Tue, Nov 1, 2016 at 3:26 PM, Evan Koblentz via vcf-midatlantic < vcf-midatlantic@lists.vintagecomputerfederation.org> wrote:
As I see it, we have a few options for controlling content to our TVs.
Current: USB sticks directly to TVs. Works fine. Problem is changing the content is a hassle. Need to get a ladder each time, etc.
We could use very long USB cords and have the sticks somewhere more convenient. Problem: It's hokey :) and long cords lose signal quality.
We could attach microcontrollers to each TV to provide the content and connect the TVs wirelessly from to a computer, but that doesn't solve the issue of how to put different content on each system. I'm not going to devote a whole computer for each TV.
We could use the media players that Martin would donate. We'd still need one for each TV, but we can control many of them from the player company's CMS software.
Am I missing other ideas?
https://getchip.com/ - $16 for a mini computer with a HDMI output, I have Debian Linux on mine, capable of playing videos and networking wirelessly. You could play video locally, and upload changes by accessing the SSH prompt via putty, remotely using your cell phone or a local PC at the desk. Use wget to grab files, etc. Create simple shell script to run your media, many options from a command prompt remotely. most important - cheap, easy, remotely accessible. You can even put a subdomain on one. b
Link to hardware specifications: https://www.brightsign.biz/index.php?cID=221 On 11/1/2016 12:08 PM, Martin Flynn via vcf-midatlantic wrote:
Brightsign LS422 network
Evan would like digital signage on the two sets that are now in the museum. Each set should be capable of displaying independent content.
Steven T.: the specific challenge is to find a cheap and easy way to feed content to both TVs (and possibly more) from a single computer. For now we're putting content manually onto USB sticks and plugging those into the TVs.
participants (13)
-
Christian Liendo -
Dave Wade -
Dean Notarnicola -
Evan Koblentz -
Jameel Akari -
Jason Perkins -
Jeffrey Jonas -
Martin A Flynn -
Martin Flynn
-
Neil Cherry -
Steven Toth -
Systems Glitch -
william degnan