Once I get v3 solid and I release it I can circle back and research what it would take to make this work as a Firefox Add on. In the meantime, if you don't want to leave Chrome installed you could try another Chromium based browser such as Brave. That supports Chrome extensions and is more privacy focused....if that's why you don't want Chrome.
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Popcorn Ready - Chrome extension for Kaleidescape users
- Thread starter OUTATIME
- Start date
Thanks. The thing that triggered the switch was to see if Firefox+uBlock Origin would get rid of YouTube ads, which were drove me crazy. I don't use it that much, but couldn't bring myself to add yet another subscription!
The more I've used it, the more I like it, for a variety of reasons. It was a bit of a pain to get bookmarks, passwords, etc. transferred over and organized, so I really don't want to try out another browser.
If you can get it to Firefox, that's great. If not, no worries.
Makes sense. I personally use Safari as I'm on Mac. The only thing I use Chrome for is Popcorn Ready as well. Ha!
Popcorn Ready v3 was just submitted to the Chrome Store!!! This is a HUGE release that now includes local playback capabilities to interact with your Kaleidecape system. Once it gets approved and starts hitting your inboxes, I'll be back to explain some of the new features in a more in-depth way, but in the meantime here is the latest description of Popcorn Ready for the store listing.
Popcorn Ready is a Chrome extension for Kaleidescape owners who want a richer, faster, and more flexible way to explore their movie library, TV selections, and the broader Kaleidescape catalog.
Browse your personal Kaleidescape collection alongside catalog titles with enhanced metadata powered by TMDB. Search, sort, and filter by the details that matter, including ownership status, format, pricing, sale status, aspect ratio, release information, cast, crew, ratings, and more. Popcorn Ready is built to make large libraries easier to scan, compare, and enjoy.
When you are not sure what to watch, Popcorn Ready can help with random picks from your filtered library. You can also open recommendation views tied to movies in your collection, making it easier to discover related titles and quickly jump to matching Kaleidescape Movie Store pages when available.
Popcorn Ready also enhances supported pages on IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes, JustWatch, and Trakt. When a movie is available on Kaleidescape, the extension can show a Kaleidescape indicator and provide a direct link to the corresponding Kaleidescape page.
For users who want deeper local integration, Popcorn Ready now supports an optional companion app called Popcorn Ready Local. The Local Helper is installed separately on your computer and communicates with your Kaleidescape system on your local network through Chrome’s Native Messaging feature. It is not required for catalog browsing, filtering, recommendations, or external-site indicators, but it unlocks additional local playback features.
With the optional Local Helper, Popcorn Ready can provide local playback workflows such as playing titles on Kaleidescape players, checking helper and system readiness, viewing local player status, opening local scenes and songs, managing local collections, using Script Writer workflows, building scene shot lists, and launching second-screen subtitle playback for supported SRT files.
Popcorn Ready is designed around local-first use. Your movie data, preferences, filters, cached metadata, subtitle settings, and helper configuration are stored locally in your browser or on your computer. Popcorn Ready does not sell your data, does not use your data for advertising, and does not operate a server that collects your personal movie library.
From browsing your personal collection to exploring the Kaleidescape catalog, comparing versions, finding deals, discovering recommendations, and controlling optional local playback workflows, Popcorn Ready helps make the Kaleidescape experience faster, clearer, and more enjoyable.
Popcorn Ready is an independent tool and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Kaleidescape, Inc.
Popcorn Ready is a Chrome extension for Kaleidescape owners who want a richer, faster, and more flexible way to explore their movie library, TV selections, and the broader Kaleidescape catalog.
Browse your personal Kaleidescape collection alongside catalog titles with enhanced metadata powered by TMDB. Search, sort, and filter by the details that matter, including ownership status, format, pricing, sale status, aspect ratio, release information, cast, crew, ratings, and more. Popcorn Ready is built to make large libraries easier to scan, compare, and enjoy.
When you are not sure what to watch, Popcorn Ready can help with random picks from your filtered library. You can also open recommendation views tied to movies in your collection, making it easier to discover related titles and quickly jump to matching Kaleidescape Movie Store pages when available.
Popcorn Ready also enhances supported pages on IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes, JustWatch, and Trakt. When a movie is available on Kaleidescape, the extension can show a Kaleidescape indicator and provide a direct link to the corresponding Kaleidescape page.
For users who want deeper local integration, Popcorn Ready now supports an optional companion app called Popcorn Ready Local. The Local Helper is installed separately on your computer and communicates with your Kaleidescape system on your local network through Chrome’s Native Messaging feature. It is not required for catalog browsing, filtering, recommendations, or external-site indicators, but it unlocks additional local playback features.
With the optional Local Helper, Popcorn Ready can provide local playback workflows such as playing titles on Kaleidescape players, checking helper and system readiness, viewing local player status, opening local scenes and songs, managing local collections, using Script Writer workflows, building scene shot lists, and launching second-screen subtitle playback for supported SRT files.
Popcorn Ready is designed around local-first use. Your movie data, preferences, filters, cached metadata, subtitle settings, and helper configuration are stored locally in your browser or on your computer. Popcorn Ready does not sell your data, does not use your data for advertising, and does not operate a server that collects your personal movie library.
From browsing your personal collection to exploring the Kaleidescape catalog, comparing versions, finding deals, discovering recommendations, and controlling optional local playback workflows, Popcorn Ready helps make the Kaleidescape experience faster, clearer, and more enjoyable.
Popcorn Ready is an independent tool and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Kaleidescape, Inc.
Sorry, got sidetracked on another project and haven’t circled back on that. I believe it should be straightforward unless I am using something that they don’t support.
But I'd love to have you check it out in Brave or another Chromium browser and let me know if it works since I' haven't been able to test in alternative browsers.
Lots of goodies in this release including a couple of cool tricks in recreating lost user scenes and repairing broken scripts as well as playing random trailers and a Trinnov demo as a pre-show sequence before the movie. Plus a subtitle viewer in the browser that started off as a tech demo, but I liked it so I left it in. Thought it may be useful for someone to watch subtitles on their laptop without having to put them on the screen for rest of the audience....or even using foreign language subtitles that aren't provided on the Kaleidescape file.
There's a lot of new functionality as well as a need to download a local helper application to be the bridge between Chrome and Kaleidescape so I will warn that there will be bugs. Any feedback from users...good or bad...will be helpful.
There were a few new permissions needed so the Chrome Store review is taking longer than normal. Hopefully it rolls out tomorrow.
Lots of goodies in this release including a couple of cool tricks in recreating lost user scenes and repairing broken scripts as well as playing random trailers and a Trinnov demo as a pre-show sequence before the movie. Plus a subtitle viewer in the browser that started off as a tech demo, but I liked it so I left it in. Thought it may be useful for someone to watch subtitles on their laptop without having to put them on the screen for rest of the audience....or even using foreign language subtitles that aren't provided on the Kaleidescape file.
There's a lot of new functionality as well as a need to download a local helper application to be the bridge between Chrome and Kaleidescape so I will warn that there will be bugs. Any feedback from users...good or bad...will be helpful.
There were a few new permissions needed so the Chrome Store review is taking longer than normal. Hopefully it rolls out tomorrow.
I’ll definitely check it out. I’ve built trailer sequences in Plex to play 1977, 1980, and 1983 trailers leading to UA and Mann Theaters bumpers before theatrical cuts of the Star Wars movies, and it’s a real fun treat. I’d like to try that out on K as well. I realize it’s random trailers, but getting aspect ratios and HDMI fussiness to work through the sequence will be interesting to see. I take it that functionality is through the local app? But how do you initiate it? Is that command sent from a computer? Can it come from a phone or universal remote?
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There is a Local Helper that you will install on your computer that handles the TCP/IP connection and communication to the local Kaleidescape system. The Chrome extension on your laptop talks to that helper application via Native Messaging.
It wouldn't be too hard to let you configure which trailers play instead of just doing random ones, but it would take a new UI for that. Right now when you click to play a specific movie in Popcorn Ready, it checks your pre-show routine settings and if enabled it will play the specified number of random trailers and/or a random Trinnov demo prior to playing the chosen movie.
Depending on your projector setup, aspect ratios and HDMI could be an issue. I'm using a MadVR Envy so the aspect ratio issues are handled fine, but I did find that I needed a 5-10 second pause on each step due to HDMI syncs. So, I wouldn't expect it to be perfect for every setup, but perhaps better than nothing.
Version 3.0.0 made it through the Chrome store approval process so your extensions should get updated soon. To enable local playback controls, go to the hamburger menu and follow the instructions to download the correct Local Helper package for your hardware.
I'm hoping to start hearing some feedback today from anyone that has a chance to try it out. All feedback, both positive and negative, is welcomed. There are so many different types of laptops, Kaleidescape systems, and theater setups that I fully expect there to be bugs where things work great for one user and don't work well for another. Hopefully I can patch many of those issues. Thanks!
I'm hoping to start hearing some feedback today from anyone that has a chance to try it out. All feedback, both positive and negative, is welcomed. There are so many different types of laptops, Kaleidescape systems, and theater setups that I fully expect there to be bugs where things work great for one user and don't work well for another. Hopefully I can patch many of those issues. Thanks!
While I wait to put out fires, I'm curious if anybody here has ever played around with ePaper displays such as TRMNL? I have a TRMNL X on order and while I wait for it to arrive I started working on a little project last night using a virtual device. Not sure if this community would be interested in something like this....
Very cool...I do not have any windows PCs in the house...I am a Linux guy....I am glad to see you have Linux version of the helper.... I do run Bazzite which is immutable operating system so I am going to have to research how to do the install...pretty sure the script wont work as is since its needs root access to system files/dir.
That is over my head as I'm pretty unfamiliar with all of the different flavors of Linux. I have done no testing personally on the Linux helpers but this should be relatively broadly compatible across many different flavors of Linux as this is a Go based package.
That being said, it does currently require root access so your immutable operating system may be a bit of a problem.
I asked Codex and this is how it said to reply to your question...again, this is over my head (sorry!):
"Popcorn Ready Local currently supports Linux x86_64/amd64 and ARM64/aarch64. The public helper is available as a generic tarball and as a .deb package.
For Bazzite specifically, you are right that the included installer may not be ideal because it currently installs system-wide and writes Chrome Native Messaging manifests under /etc. On immutable/atomic distros, a user-level Native Messaging install is likely the better path.
The helper itself should be compatible with Bazzite as a Linux x86_64 system, but I would consider Bazzite a manual-install case for now rather than a one-click supported installer. The likely approach is to use the Linux tarball, place the helper binary somewhere in your home directory, then create a Chrome Native Messaging manifest under ~/.config/google-chrome/NativeMessagingHosts/ or ~/.config/chromium/NativeMessagingHosts/ that points to that binary.
If you are using a Flatpak browser, Native Messaging may be more complicated because the browser sandbox may not see the host binary/manifest in the normal locations. A host-installed Chrome/Chromium browser will be the simpler path."
However, it did also offer a path for me to make a Bazzite style, user-scope install mode on the Linux Tarball installer. So, I can try to get that in the next release.
Please try the new 3.0.1 Local Helper tarball package I just published. In your case, hopefully this one will install as user scope by default. Thanks!
I've installed the 3.0.1 Local Helper on my Mac, and have set up the play trailers option in the hamburger. However, when playing a movie, no trailer plays. Am I supposed to do something else? Here's a screenshot of my options:
Hmmm, that should be all that you have to do. Do you see any toast messages in top right of page acting like it's trying to play a trailer? Or does anything flash in bottom where Now Playing bar lives? Or does it just jump straight into the movie you chose to play?
I just tested on my player and it worked with your settings of 1 trailer and no Trinnov demo.
It just jumps into the movie. My computer was possibly asleep when I tried it. I'll go try it again.
Edit: That wasn't it. I do have trailers on the system. Is there an "on" toggle I need to try?
What are your HDMI sync times like when switching from 4K to HD? I've found most (or maybe all?) of the trailers are HD. When I was testing I think I hardcoded another "settle delay" in addition to the projector sync delay that I exposed as a setting. I'm wondering if maybe I need to expose the settle delay as a setting as well although I think that problem would look differently than it just playing the movie directly.
Hmmm...I just read that again and you said your computer may have been asleep...so now I'm wondering how you started playing the movie? The only way this pre show routine can work is if you select the movie in Popcorn Ready and play it from the play button on the inspector page here:
Oh!! I didn't realize that. So then yes, it works! It paused for a bit during the trailer, but started again. I turned off the 5 second projector sync and that solved it. The delay between trailer and film is long enough that my automation's lights come on, but I can tune that. Pretty cool!
So as I understand it, I have to hit play on my computer and then run into the theater. Is there a way to be able to hit play from some combination of an iPhone, Unfolded Circle Remote 3, or Home Assistant? I'm honestly not going to use it if I have to use my computer's browser to play a movie.