Play url !

[roadrash]

would it be possible, in my music, to have a option "play url" and from that the ability to enter the url or even a filename of a text/.strm file containing the url to play, via either a usb keyboard or controller as in the search option. and then as its obvious that you will be playing an audio stream, so it automatically sets a small buffer size.

that would save having to create a .strm file and then having to wait 5 minutes or so for a unnessesaraly large buffer to fill before its played.

[roadrash]

just got hold of the latest cvs build (2005.03.10) and it mentions being able to play a url as a "added" feature but i cant see it anywhere. anyone know what it means. below is an except from the changelog:


added/fixed: (dd-mm-yyyy) (please specify date in cet)
- 10-03-2005 added: direct url support for built-in command xbmc.playmedia(url)
- 10-03-2005 fixed: selecting video_ts.ifo on a dvd would not initiate playback properly.
- 10-03-2005 fixed: any dll's atempting to use stat on a dvd would always return success with invalid properties set
- 10-03-2005 added: dynamic range compensation for ac3 if no ac3/dts receiver is available.

[kraqh3d]

it means you can make a button that can start playing a url using that command as the execute tag:

<execute>xbmc.playmedia(http://204.9.117.196:8110)</execute>

[roadrash]

so would this command make a button to play a url of a .asx audio stream such as http://audio.musicradio.com/gold.asx?

because at present i still have to use a laptop & windows to play this url because to play this audio stream with xbmc is a pain cos i have to extract the .asx file to a .strm file and then wait for 5 minutes while it buffers before playing.?

[chadoe]

you have three options to play that stream:
1. put the url in a .strm file (don't now what you mean by extracting the asx file but you just need to paste that url in a .strm file)
2. make a button play the url like kraqh3d said.
3. map a remotecontrol or controller key in keymap.xml to play the url.
<action>
<description>play stream if 4 is pressed on the remote</description>
<id>xbmc.playmedia(http://audio.musicradio.com/gold.asx?)</id>
<remote>4</remote>
</action>

to make it buffer less lower the "unknown type cache" in settings (0 works fine for me)

[roadrash]

thanks for the helpfull sugestions..
the trouble with using a .strm file & reducing the size of the "unknown" type cache in the settings is not really practical because the "unknown type" cache is also used when playing video streams & you need a reasonable size buffer for that & it would mean having to keep changing the buffer settings depending on whether you want to play audio or video.
if there was a button in "my music" for play url then its obvious that you will be playing music/audio and only a very small cache would be needed & the size of that cache could then be set in settings under a new dedicated parameter like "audio cache" & not set by the "unknown" parameter which could mean anything of any size.

[CyberKnight]

adding this as an option on the xbmc web pages might be nice, too -- go to a page where you have a text box that you could enter a url, and have xbmc download the file or open the stream as appropriate.

i only mention this because it's not trivial entering a full url with the xbmc on-screen keyboard.