Query for now-playing movie handle?

[JoshATX]

I'm working on an integration and I can't seem to find any documentation of a command to get the handle for a movie that is currently playing. This is needed to be able to use the GET_CONTENT_DETAILS command which basically gives you all of the information for a given title... Title, Cover URL, Rating, Year, etc...

I can get the title using GET_PLAYING_TITLE_NAME which works perfectly, unfortunately it doesn't return the handle so I'm stuck there. The only command that seems to return a handle of something playing is in the music side of things which doesn't help me here.

I'm using the documentation here: https://www.kaleidescape.com/files/...-System-Control-Protocol-Reference-Manual.pdf

Everything is working perfectly other than this one annoying hurdle.

For what it's worth I'm using iRule solely right now but may be adding Indigo into the mix shortly.

 

[Kevin D]

Page 37. HIGHLIGHTED_SELECTION event fires anytime a new movie is in focus on the OSD. You'll use the handle to GET_CONTENT_DETAILS. In the AMX module the TP's update with all the info as you scroll through.

If a movie is playing, the last highlighted selection is correct, IE, you can't highlight anything else without stopping the movie.

It also shows a GET_HIGHLIGHTED_SELECTION, but I don't know if that will work while playing a movie.

Kevin D.

 

[Croptop]

There are only 3 control protocol messages that return a selection handle:
HIGHLIGHTED_SELECTION,
BROWSE_RESPONSE, and
MUSIC_TITLE

BROWSE_RESPONSE is used for implementing SATP type music interfaces and MUSIC_TITLE is fairly self-explanatory. So HIGHLIGHTED_SELECTION is the one you're looking for (as Kevin D. has already pointed out). An unsolicited HIGHLIGHTED_SELECTION message is *always* emitted whenever the OSD highlight changes (the user scrolled, changed from the movie list to the movie collection place, the disc in tray sheet is displayed, etc.) Ideally, the programmer would capture the selection handle value whenever a HIGHLIGHTED_SELECTION message is emitted and can then use the GET_CONTENT_DETAILS call to fetch the rest of the information about the selected title.

 

[JoshATX]

This works but given the way iRule operates and the relatively slow pace at which it seems to process "feedbacks" it's a bit of a challenge to make super reliable without fairly long delays. I may end up just sucking it up and implementing a middle tier such as Indigo.

Thanks for the help here. It does surprise me a bit that the only now playing query is for title. Seems a touch limited on the Kscape side.

 

[djb_rh]

This works but given the way iRule operates and the relatively slow pace at which it seems to process "feedbacks" it's a bit of a challenge to make super reliable without fairly long delays. I may end up just sucking it up and implementing a middle tier such as Indigo.

Thanks for the help here. It does surprise me a bit that the only now playing query is for title. Seems a touch limited on the Kscape side.

I would financially support someone willing to write a custom middle tier in something open source that could run on Linux.

And yeah, you ain't gonna make this reliable in straight iRule. Ain't happening. Indigo will do it, but it's fat and annoying and $150. *sigh* Nothing that happens here couldn't run VERY nicely on a Raspberry Pi. It's just a little bit out of my wheelhouse to write myself, and nearly impossible to contract to random software developer because they kind of need access to a Kscape setup.


--Donnie

 

[JoshATX]

I would financially support someone willing to write a custom middle tier in something open source that could run on Linux.

And yeah, you ain't gonna make this reliable in straight iRule. Ain't happening. Indigo will do it, but it's fat and annoying and $150. *sigh* Nothing that happens here couldn't run VERY nicely on a Raspberry Pi. It's just a little bit out of my wheelhouse to write myself, and nearly impossible to contract to random software developer because they kind of need access to a Kscape setup.


--Donnie

I 100% agree that Indigo is super annoying. I grabbed the trial the other day and it has a lot of severe shortcomings. Not the least of which what a colossal PITA it is to create custom device codes, something I do quite a lot of with iRule and is easy to do given their setup (although pretty limited). If Indigo was even remotely user friendly and at least felt like a good base for what I want to do, I'd gladly pay the $200 for the pro license. Unfortunately given where it is, it feels like a lot of money for not much gain other than a lot of work.

I have been building out a set of feedbacks and enhanced controls over the basic iRule set for KScape which may be of use to others here. If you search the iRule community panels, devices and feedbacks using "JIVES" as the search term you should see them. I included the panel because you'll need to take a look at some variable usage for certain things due to iRule's inability to handle any kind of escape character when processing feedbacks.

I'm 100% in agreement with you a raspberry pi or really any cheap linux computer could easily act as a control processor for a home. I'm planning to poke at it this summer if I can find time but to be honest it's been a lot of years since I did any kind of real coding.

 

[HiFiGuy1]

I would financially support someone willing to write a custom middle tier in something open source that could run on Linux.

And yeah, you ain't gonna make this reliable in straight iRule. Ain't happening. Indigo will do it, but it's fat and annoying and $150. *sigh* Nothing that happens here couldn't run VERY nicely on a Raspberry Pi. It's just a little bit out of my wheelhouse to write myself, and nearly impossible to contract to random software developer because they kind of need access to a Kscape setup.


--Donnie

I am not current on the programming languages, but would Python or Javascript be acceptable? My son can work in those platforms, and he needs the money for college. What did you have in mind?

 

[djb_rh]

I am not current on the programming languages, but would Python or Javascript be acceptable? My son can work in those platforms, and he needs the money for college. What did you have in mind?

Javascript is a no, I'm pretty sure. Python would work.

But what we're after is *mostly* already implemented in OpenRemote. We'd just really need a driver for the Kscape for it and life would be golden. But it's Java, so there's that.

If you build something from scratch with Python, I'm pretty sure the sending commands to the Kscape as well as the listening to the Kscape is VERY easy. It's text string processing from a TCP port. Right in Python's wheelhouse, honestly.

But let's say you send the command to the Kscape to tell it to let the remote know that volume commands are available. Okay, that's easy. Then you listen for the user to press volume buttons and send text back to the new program. You are listening and looking for certain text strings and when you find them you...do what?

This is where it gets interesting. *I* want the program to fire off the command to send an IR string via a particular Global Cache device. Some other user may want it to fire off a command via TCP to an Internet connected receiver to turn up the volume. Etc. It's *this* part that something like OpenRemote already knows how to do.

Not that it can't be rewritten, but looking at the Global Cache programming doc gave me a headache. It's not the worst thing I've seen, but it's annoying, anyway. On top of that, you have to have a way to get IR codes *in* to your new system. You can make people use the Global Cache tools for that, but they're a little on the wonky side, anyway.

I'm not in a place where I'd pay thousand$$$ for this, because Indigo and a Mac does it for less than that. I am in a place where I'd spend hundred$$ though, but only for something that was completely open sourced so everyone could benefit and adapt it.

I'm not convinced OpenRemote is the way to go. I don't like Java, in fact. But it's the only open source such package that seems to be moving at all, and it does seem to be most of the way there. But a motivated kid who is *good* with Python could definitely bang something out to handle this without TOO much trouble.

Oh, and that's just the Kapp volume thing. Other functions people might want are similar, like controlling lights when credits roll or movies start, or maybe even tracking other state to feed back to something like iRule.


--Donnie

 

[HiFiGuy1]

I'll run this extra info by him, and get him to dive into it a bit to see what he thinks of it. Sounds like a fun project.

 

[djb_rh]

I'll run this extra info by him, and get him to dive into it a bit to see what he thinks of it. Sounds like a fun project.

Yeah, and something like OpenRemote or Python both have the distinct advantage of being able to run on nearly anything. So anyone who has a computer of ANY kind that they keep up 24/7 on the local network can serve as the middleman server. And if you want something dedicated, a Pi is just so dirt cheap and easy to do.

I got a Pi that does nothing but tweet when it shuts down, powers up, and when the connected UPS shows power loss and regain. Very handy thing for vacation houses so you know the state of the things in the fridge, etc.


--Donnie