VLC Setup Tutorial

[scallywag]

]DIVX/AVI Playback ON DM800 Tutorial

1. First you need to install VLC on your PC, use the latest version here

2. Start the install of VLC but make sure you install it under the Full install option.

http://img411.imageshack.us/img411/4669/2really1.png

3. After the VLC install has complete we need to add some extra info for this to work.

4. Right click the VLC icon on your PC desktop and select properties. Now in the target field add this --intf wxwin --extraintf=http to the end of the line you already have. It should look like this

"C:\Program Files\VideoLAN\VLC\vlc.exe" --intf wxwin --extraintf=http

http://img186.imageshack.us/img186/2571/34763896.png

Apply this!

5. Now on your PC start the VLC Player, i do this via the PC start menu. Just minimise VLC to the task bar.

6. We now need to setup the VLC front end on you 800. To do this go to the plugins menu of your 800 and start the VLC Video Player.Then press add server. Setup as follows.

Server Name: Server 1

Enter VLC-Server as FQDN or IP-Address: IP-ADDRESS

Server Address: put in your PC's IP address 192.168.1.***

HTTP Port: 08080 Leave as is

Movie Directory: C:/ (use any directory you like on your PC)
DVD Device: Leave as is

Transcode MPEG/DVD Video: YES

Video Codec: MPEG2

Video Bitrate: 2000

Video Resolution: Leave as default for testing or setup to suit you tv.
http://img825.imageshack.us/img825/6977/33355352.png
7. Press the green button to save the details you have entered.

8. Now for testing i advise you lower and firewalls you have on your PC.

9. Now make sure you have a divx or avi movie on your directory.

10. Select the VLC Player plugin highlight the server you just created and press the ok button to start it. You should now see your PC's directory on the left scroll to the Movie and play.


Settings the you can play with to achieve optimal performance are.

Video Bitrate:
Video Resolution:
Overscan Correction:
Audio Codec.

Got this from other places.

Now I couldn't get vlc to install via plugin menu on the dm800 I got errors, what I had to do was ftp the attached vlc file (enigma2-plugin-extensions-vlcplayer_experimental-cvs20100803-r0_mipsel.ipk) to /tmp then do a manual install ipk file, reboot the box and all was fine.

Also I had to go through a few versions of VLC because adding to target in properties on the latest and few other versions of vlc wouldn't start up, version worked for me was vlc-0.8.6i-win32.exe, so i'll attach the vlc file and the ipk file if any of you have problems. Everything working fine for me.

Final point, you can go into settings on the dm800 and mount your share, you need to give it a user/pass from pc, what I did was enable guest account on the pc and set a password for it (not many mentions of that in guides I came across) Also what I did was have my movies on another partition inside a folder and shared this folder only, lets say F:/movies, this would be the info you add when you edit the vlc server on the dm800.

[norge]

Thanks.

It seems you cannot install VLC directly on dreambox right? So to watch AVI, you have to leave computer on?

Did I understood well at the end of the post that one can manually install vlc-0.8.6i-win32.exe on DM800 and should work?

[brain]

I read all this with interest and it is very informative and well explained. Does the 800 not have the same potential as the 8000? I presume this is for playback from computer to TV via box? I only ask this since I thought that they were similar, but had also read that there was an AVI problem with 800 but not 8000. On the latter we can just use mount manager and all plays from comp to tv via media player. Cheers - Brain

[scallywag]

Thanks.

It seems you cannot install VLC directly on dreambox right? So to watch AVI, you have to leave computer on?

Did I understood well at the end of the post that one can manually install vlc-0.8.6i-win32.exe on DM800 and should work?

Yes the comp has to be on. Double click the vlc cone icon .On my lappy it appears though nothing is happening.It just runs in the background.I am actually using 1.0.5 version of vlc

[scallywag]

I read all this with interest and it is very informative and well explained. Does the 800 not have the same potential as the 8000? I presume this is for playback from computer to TV via box? I only ask this since I thought that they were similar, but had also read that there was an AVI problem with 800 but not 8000. On the latter we can just use mount manager and all plays from comp to tv via media player. Cheers - Brain

yes

[x5]

any1 managed that on ubuntu instead off windows??

[brain]

@scallywag-
OK then so the network/mount manager way would be both easier and less complex. It works very well and with no problems[unless the computer changes its IP address!!}
@x5 -Do you mean network/mount manager? I dont know this but mine is running well on a mac/linux.If that is similar then I can help there. Cheers - Brain

[lt707]

Hi:

What about rmbv?
Is it possible to watch?
In a PC is possible to watch a rmvb file with vlc.
And in a external ethernal hd with fix ip?
I mean i have a LaCie Network Space 2 with a internal ip. Is possible to create a folder with avi/rmvb and watch them in my DM8000.

Cheers
lt707

[scallywag]

@scallywag-
OK then so the network/mount manager way would be both easier and less complex. It works very well and with no problems[unless the computer changes its IP address!!}
@x5 -Do you mean network/mount manager? I dont know this but mine is running well on a mac/linux.If that is similar then I can help there. Cheers - Brain

Not too sure. It took me a couple of mins to get working on dream elite 1.3.3 and then with every other image next to no time to set up.Never bothered mounting a hard drive because this worked.

[x5]

@x5 -Do you mean network/mount manager? I dont know this but mine is running well on a mac/linux.If that is similar then I can help there. Cheers - Brain

hi brain
i mean the vlc running in a ubuntu machine and stream to DM
Did u managed that?? cant see to get that working.

[brain]

@x5
What are you trying to stream to the DB? On my mac I just have all the films, files etc and the DB reads them via shared folder system as it does on a pc. I havent manged to get live TV streaming though. The mac streams via a folder and the mount manager. If the ubuntu system has a shared folder designation then you would use the mount as for other systems - but I am probably on the totally wrong track just assuming one Linux system is the same as any other?
Can the ubuntu machine share a folder of films, files etc with anything else on the network? If I am totally off the wall I will stop here and leave it to those who know!! Sorry if I gave you false hope Brain

[x5]

@x5
What are you trying to stream to the DB? On my mac I just have all the films, files etc and the DB reads them via shared folder system as it does on a pc. I havent manged to get live TV streaming though. The mac streams via a folder and the mount manager. If the ubuntu system has a shared folder designation then you would use the mount as for other systems - but I am probably on the totally wrong track just assuming one Linux system is the same as any other?
Can the ubuntu machine share a folder of films, files etc with anything else on the network? If I am totally off the wall I will stop here and leave it to those who know!! Sorry if I gave you false hope Brain

trayng to stream avi or other media file that DM dosent support
for that u need vlc running in a pc just like the info posted here in the first post, my question its regarding doing the same in a ubuntu pc as windows works fine.
yes ubuntu also shares folders, files just like windows and DM see them files on the network without any probs.

[brain]

Hi x5
My point is that I dont know why you are worried about vlc. I am running .avi films, etc on the DB to TV. The DB uses the comp purely as an extra hDD. So long as comp is on and within range of the router then if I go into media player the DB [8000 in this case] sees all the files as another list on an HDD.Click on the one you want and it plays perfectly. I have also copied files to the HDD and they play too. What is needed is the mount setup on the dreambox. Setup/system/network/mount manager. Enable/Give the comp a simple name - and no extras like '- >etc / Cifs share/comp IP address/file name ie 'films'/ leave next two as they are/add name again and then a password. I cant get on my DB atm since teenage daughter is playing games!![and I am missing the footie!!] so hope I have remembered it all. As far as I know the comp is not running vlc in the background - it is still closed in applications. Both PC and my macbook for run like this for the DB. Is this any use? Good luck - Brain

[echelon]

Hi x5
My point is that I dont know why you are worried about vlc. I am running .avi films, etc on the DB to TV. The DB uses the comp purely as an extra hDD. So long as comp is on and within range of the router then if I go into media player the DB [8000 in this case] sees all the files as another list on an HDD.Click on the one you want and it plays perfectly. I have also copied files to the HDD and they play too. What is needed is the mount setup on the dreambox. Setup/system/network/mount manager. Enable/Give the comp a simple name - and no extras like '- >etc / Cifs share/comp IP address/file name ie 'films'/ leave next two as they are/add name again and then a password. I cant get on my DB atm since teenage daughter is playing games!![and I am missing the footie!!] so hope I have remembered it all. As far as I know the comp is not running vlc in the background - it is still closed in applications. Both PC and my macbook for run like this for the DB. Is this any use? Good luck - Brain

you will find that the reason for the points is that the dm800 does not play avi files from any source , which is why you have to setup vlc on a pc and then do it the way scallywag pointed out in the opening post

I actually tested this today on my dm800 using a local hdd and no avi would play using that new media player , and I posted this in the dm800se thread that suddenly changed tack into dm800

so its pointless mentioning the letters db or dream or dreambox if it is not quantified by model number , and the title of the thread clearly states dm800 , which my box is

the conclusion here is that whilst the files may play on vu+ duo or dm8000 or maybe other boxes , they dont on the dm800 , meaning you have to faff around with vlc

[brain]

@ Echelon
Sorry - I had assumed that the Db's were similar especially as the 800se is so rated. Did say in an earlier reply that if I was wrong I would withdraw, so thanks for correcting me. It would be useful then to put a list of which DB's do which since as the 800/8000 share so many images I assumed they were similar in their operations. Cheers - Brain