View Full Version : HOW-TO stream video from VLC (VideoLAN-Client) PC
i'm not sure if this is obvious to anyone here because it only just occured to me yesterday when i was trying to get some video encoded in an obscure codec to work in xbmc.
the situation was that i tried the video file in xbmc and it wasn't having any of it at all. i then tried it on pc and after a few codec installs it ran very badly within windows media player. then i tried it in videolan (http://www.videolan.org/) and it ran beautifully. ok, so if i can watch it on my pc on videolan, i should be able to set up videolan as a stream server and connect my xbox to it so that i can watch the video in the comfort of my living room, right?
so, i set up a playlist file accessable to my xbox which points right back at my pc on the right port, saved that with the .strm extension, set up videolan to stream (in ogg but that's basically irrelevant) and loaded the playlist up. tada! it worked like a dream.
now i can play anything that my pc can play, on my xbox.
this is probably something that should be added in the tips and tricks section of the wiki manual for xbmc
so, i set up a playlist file accessable to my xbox which points right back at my pc on the right port, saved that with the .strm extension, set up videolan to stream (in ogg but that's basically irrelevant) and loaded the playlist up.
can you explain how to do this for us newbies? thanks.
right click somewhere (like your desktop) and select "new > text file".
rename that file to something like videolan.strm. if you have file extensions turned off on your computer, you may want to turn them back on by going into window explorer's "tools" menu, selecting "folder options > view" and then making sure "hide extensions for known types" is unchecked. that way you can see that the file really has been renamed to videolan.strm and not videolan.strm.txt.
next, open that file up in textpad and enter one line of text as follows:
http://192.168.0.10:1234
note that 192.168.0.10 is the ip address of your computer on the lan, so change it to whatever yours is. 1234 is the port number that you set in the videolan stream options screen (http://www.strawp.net/images/view.php?path=news%20posts/stream_dialogue.jpg), and http is assuming that you've selected the server to stream over http (you may as well since it works no worries).
next you either put this file somewhere on a share on your computer which you've already got mapped through xbmc (like your videos or music share) or you ftp it over to the xbox into the xbmc playlist folder.
when videolan is running, simply select the playlist from xbmc to connect to your pc.
edit: on the front page of my site (http://strawp.net) i've got a similar little guide (http://www.strawp.net/index.php?id=24) at the moment
hi strawp,
thanks for your videolan guide.
i edited it a little bit and put it in the xbmc manual. i haven't tried it at home yet. but i thought, i will create the manual first and then try it out myself. http://www.xboxmediaplayer.de/forums/non-cgi/emoticons/wow.gif
could you check if all the info is okay?
http://manual.xboxmediacenter.de/wakka.p....g&v=4dt (http://manual.xboxmediacenter.de/wakka.php?wakka=videolanstreaming&v=4dt)
thanks
cool, looks like everything's there. i haven't tested the bookmark method yet although i've got it set up. i'll give it a go tonight.
i tried method #2 and it didn't work. i'm fairly sure that with some tweaking i can get it to pick up the stream, but it's bed time now, i'm afraid :p
i'm not sure whether the <bookmark> block refers only to a folder resource somewhere or if it can be a specific file of some kind or a stream. i will try just getting a bookmark to point to one file, then a file representing a videolan stream, then the stream spooling off one port over http or some other protocol.
thanks, keep us posted. i haven't tried it myself yet.
i will do so today 'cause its weekend :d
solidus1299
2004-05-29, 00:09
i tried this, but i got a problem. this is my xbmc log:
28-05-2004 16:04:15 mplayer play:http://192.168.0.2:2500 cachesize:1024
28-05-2004 16:04:15 cmplayer::load() resolve imports failed
28-05-2004 16:04:15 flipping bi-directional subtitles disabled
28-05-2004 16:04:15 stating file http://192.168.0.2:2500.conf
28-05-2004 16:04:15 stating file q:\mplayer\http://192.168.0.2:2500.conf
28-05-2004 16:04:32 cmplayer::openfile() http://192.168.0.2:2500 failed
any ideas on how to fix this?
tried using videolan with mixed results. mpeg1 plays fine but xvid and divx gave me audio only which in some cases was garbled. what parameters do i need to use in the streaming wizard? can't seem to find any documentation on the wizard anywhere.
thanks
glenn
Crackhead1
2004-08-20, 22:07
doesn't work no matter what i do. i've tried both ftping the videolan.strm file to my xbox and accessing it via my shared folder on my pc, but i just can't get xbmc to access the stream. i've done everything exactly as descibed in the guide. :sniffle:
Crackhead1
2004-08-20, 22:17
by the way, here's my logs for both options:
ftp:
20-08-2004 20:44:26 mplayer play:e:\video\videolan.strm cachesize:1024
20-08-2004 20:44:27 flipping bi-directional subtitles disabled
20-08-2004 20:44:27 stating file e:\video\videolan.strm.conf
20-08-2004 20:44:27 stating file q:\mplayer\videolan.strm.conf
20-08-2004 20:44:27 cmplayer::openfile() e:\video\videolan.strm failed
shared:
20-08-2004 20:56:07 mplayer play:xbms://192.168.0.1:1400/film/videolan.strm cachesize:8192
20-08-2004 20:56:07 flipping bi-directional subtitles disabled
20-08-2004 20:56:07 stating file xbms://192.168.0.1:1400/film/videolan.strm.conf
20-08-2004 20:56:08 stating file q:\mplayer\xbms://192.168.0.1:1400/film/videolan.strm.conf
20-08-2004 20:56:08 cmplayer::openfile() xbms://192.168.0.1:1400/film/videolan.strm failed
hope someone can help me out.
sorry - haven't been in for a while.
check all the obvious stuff first - i was pulling my hair out the other week because it looked like this set up had decided to stop working, where in actual fact it was just that my router had assigned me a different address on the lan than usual.
on the computer that's hosting the stream, run ipconfig to get your address.
check the port number is correct in videolan and your strm file, and check that you're using a codec that xbmc supports.
also, having a firewall turned on on the computer that's hosting the stream is likely to cause problems, i expect. i don't have one because the buck stops at my router :p
what am i doing wrong?
i'm only getting sound with the ogg codec.
the other codecs don't work at all.
i think i've read the guidens at least 10 times.
anyone?
gquiring
2004-11-15, 03:21
i have followed the steps and don't get it. all i get is "unable to load playlist". my file is called videolan.strm. i tried copying the file to my xbox drive and got the same error. the contents of the file are:
http://192.168.0.200:2500
so whats the consensus?
ill give it a go but there seems to be some unresolved questions - anyone got any new info since these posts?
hi,
i tried this with a file just recently again and the instructions i wrote still work!
make sure that:
- you don't have a firewall between your pc and your xbox blocking the port you're running the stream on. this could be a software firewall like the one that's built into windows or it could be a router of some kind or a computer that the connection is going through if you're using another computer as a router
- you're using the port that you set it up on at both ends and that nothing else is using it.
the times i've used this i generally go for ogg video and ogg audio (vorbis).
also make sure the video you're trying to run actually plays in vlc on your pc in the first place! ;)
yeah, been having similar issues, but got there in the end....
my settings on the vlc stream output window is as follows:
play locally = ticked
http = 10.0.0.155
port = 1234
encapsulation method: mpeg ts
transcoding option:
video codec = not ticked
audio codec = not ticked
the strm file content is as below:
http://10.0.0.155:1234
10.0.0.155 = the ip address of the computer hosting the stream
i loaded the strm file from 'my files' if it works a progress bar will appear then slowly loads if it doesn't then the screen just flashes. my original problem was i was only getting audio and that was because i turned on transcoding.
you may need to press the big 'display' button on the remote to bring the playback up and sometimes it goes straight into pause mode so just hit the play button.
good luck!
omega_red
2005-09-19, 16:43
yeah, been having similar issues, but got there in the end....
my settings on the vlc stream output window is as follows:
play locally = ticked
http = 10.0.0.155
port = 1234
encapsulation method: mpeg ts
transcoding option:
video codec = not ticked
audio codec = not ticked
the strm file content is as below:
http://10.0.0.155:1234
10.0.0.155 = the ip address of the computer hosting the stream
i loaded the strm file from 'my files' if it works a progress bar will appear then slowly loads if it doesn't then the screen *just flashes. *my original problem was i was only getting audio and that was because i turned on transcoding.
you may need to press the big 'display' button on the remote to bring the playback up and sometimes it goes straight into pause mode so just hit the play button.
good luck!
still doesnt work for me i use an xvid/mp3 coded movie, xbmc 1.1.0 compile date jul 24 2005 with videolan 0.8.2.
i only get sound.
is there an other way to stream?(other program(steam server))
or what am i doing wrong?
thx greetings om_r!
yeah, been having similar issues, but got there in the end....
my settings on the vlc stream output window is as follows:
play locally = ticked
http = 10.0.0.155
port = 1234
encapsulation method: mpeg ts
transcoding option:
video codec = not ticked
audio codec = not ticked
the strm file content is as below:
http://10.0.0.155:1234
10.0.0.155 = the ip address of the computer hosting the stream
i loaded the strm file from 'my files' if it works a progress bar will appear then slowly loads if it doesn't then the screen just flashes. my original problem was i was only getting audio and that was because i turned on transcoding.
you may need to press the big 'display' button on the remote to bring the playback up and sometimes it goes straight into pause mode so just hit the play button.
good luck!
still doesnt work for me i use an xvid/mp3 coded movie, xbmc 1.1.0 compile date jul 24 2005 with videolan 0.8.2.
i only get sound.
is there an other way to stream?(other program(steam server))
or what am i doing wrong?
thx greetings om_r!
you need to change from ogg to asf then u will get picture and sound. but i have trouble with the stream it will no flow..xbox buffers all the time ;/
greend139
2005-11-10, 15:38
i need some help. im using vlc on a linux box via the mythstreamtv plugin so i can stream video over the net. i can connect and the the video stream that vlc puts out just fine on mplayer on my mac, and on vlc on a pc, but for some reason whenever i try and play the stream on my xbox it just freezes the xbox until i make vlc stop the stream. i have looked trough the log files and i can't figure out what's making it do this. any help would be appreciated!!! thanks
does xbmc support udp protocol ? im using videolan server which uses udp for streaming, this is my playlist for vlcplayer
udp://@225.1.1.1:30120
udp://@225.1.1.2:30120
udp://@225.1.1.3:30120
....
what should i add into .strm file ?
i'm trying to do this with a x264 encoded mp4 file, i'm using the mpeg ts encapulation but my xbox sticks on " opened ts demuxer, audo:s0(pid 68), video : 1000000$ .. what am i doing wrong? i've set up the server fine.
can vlc be used to stream .ts files to the xbox at an acceptable rate?
i got it to work no problem. its just really stuttery and im only using a 40second sample as a test.
can you set the buffer or can anything be done so they play ok?
failing that is there another method to play hi definition movies on the xbox?
d.
when trying to stream h.264 movies vlc crashes (with whatever options selected). however when just trying to play the file it plays fine. has anyone got any experience with making h.264 encoded movies stream?
768x462 23.976fps, dd ac3 5.1 audio in mkv container
thanks
morien
l0N3_S0|Di312
2006-07-22, 23:27
Hey Everyone, Ive been working on this for hours and fanilly got sucess:cool:
""This Tutorial Is Manily Ment For Sony Vaio PC's With Gigapocket SMRT Capture Cards, but it MIGHT work for different cards""
Ok
1.Have your capture card plugged inot a video source.
2.Launch Sony Gigapocket, and select the channel of your chioce.
3.Download and install VLC http://www.videolan.org/vlc/
4.Open VLC, click File->Wizard..
5.Select "Stream To Network"
6.Click on the "Select a stream" bubble, then click on "Choose..."
7.Click on the "DirectShow" tab at the top of the newly opened window
8.For Video Device Name, Click on "Refresh List." Then in the Video Device PullDown Menu, Select "SMRT Capture" (Note, that is the name of my capture card, yours might be different.)
9.For Audio Device Name, Click on "Refresh List." Then in the Audio Device
PullDown Menu, Select "SoundMAX Digital Audio" (Note, that is the name of my sound card, yours might be different.)
10.Back To The Video Device Name Box, Click On Configure, a properties window will come up, select your video standard, judging by your country video standard, (USA=NTSC, Europe=PAL).
11.While having a channel selected in Gigapocket, VLC shows that I have one signal dected, and 525 lines detected, It may vary for diffrent cards and channels.
12.Click on "Ok", Then "Ok" again.
13.Now your back at the choose stream menu, and it should say "dshow://"
14.Click Next, Select the "HTTP" Bubble
14.Then Click On the MPEG-1 Bubble
15.Click Next/Ok.
16.Then For 'TLL' (Time To Live) Select between 1-5, I use 3. Dont Worry About SAP Announce, leave it unchecked.
17. Click Finish.
YOUR DONE (for that part)
this is easy, were almost done.
1.open up notepad
2.go to http://www.ipchicken.com/ and retireve your ip address
3.typehttp://yourip:8080
4.save this is a vlc.strm file, NOT A .TXT DOCUMENT
5.ftp this to XBMC\UserData\playlists\video\
6.in XBMC go to videos, then the Playlists Folder and Select vlc.strm.
7.It Should Connect And Load, and dispaly the video
WERE DONE!
Anyquestions/problems, DON'T PM me, email me at ricardomontobon@gmail.com or IM me on AIM: Drachenfire9298
- |0N3_S0|Di312
Has anyone tried this product (http://www.silicondust.com/zxc/content/view/5/26/) yet? I am wondering if XBMC can read this stream directly, or if it needs to go through VLC first. This seems like a decent way to get live tv, if it is possible.
Yoyodyn
chrome307
2007-01-19, 04:35
TV Streaming from an Analog PC TV Tuner Card to XBMC
Open up VLC and select FILE - OPEN CAPTURE DEVICE - DIRECT SHOW TAB
Click on ADVANCED OPTIONS
and you will see that the top line is already completed
the rest of the details are for an analogue TV Card (Philips SAA7134 PAL - UK)
Fill in the details - I have chosen BBC 1 for test purposes
http://1pix.org/out.php/i64_PIC1.PNG
Once completed click on OK to return to the Direct Show Tabbed page
On this page now tick - STREAM/SAVE and click on SETTINGS
http://1pix.org/out.php/i65_PIC2.PNG
The TARGET line will automatically be completed for you
Select HTTP and then use your PC's IP address
I have used this particular PORT number as my ISP blocks 80 and 8080 (used for HTTP)
Port 8008 is an unofficial PORT used by IBM Servers, more info on PORTS can be found here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_TCP_and_UDP_port_numbers
My choice of Encapsulation/Codec was simply based on what I thought my console's hardware could playback.
(For demonstration purposes use these settings to ensure you have video and audio playback - you can mess around with these later for your personal preference)
Click on OK to finalise and return to the Direct Show Tabbed page
Now click on OK at the bottom of the page and hopefully your TV card's Properties will appear
http://1pix.org/out.php/i66_PIC3.PNG
Simply click on OK to move onto the next dialog box
http://1pix.org/out.php/i67_pic4.PNG
I have used these settings again for demonstration purposes (change them to your preference later)
Click on OK to proceed
http://1pix.org/out.php/i68_pic5.PNG
For demonstration purposes - BBC 1 has been chosen (change them to your preference later)
Click on OK to proceed
http://1pix.org/out.php/i69_pic6.PNG
chrome307
2007-01-19, 04:35
For demonstration purposes these are the settings used
Click on Ok to proceed
http://1pix.org/out.php/i70_pic7.PNG
For demonstration purposes these are the settings used
Click on OK to proceed
Now you should see the TV picture viewable on VLC on your PC
Now we need to transfer this to XBMC
Simply open up a text editor and add the following details:
http://YOUR PC IP:8008
Save this file as VideoLan.txt and then rename it to VideoLan.strm
Put this file in your Shared Directory on your Network with your other Xvid etc files
Now open up your FTP Client and transfer this file to the folder XBMC\User Data eg
ftp://xbox:xbox@192.168.1.13/E/apps/XBMC/UserData/playlists/video/VIDEOLAN.STRM
Finally we need to PORT FORWARD on your router
Simply open up the configuration page and select NAT SETUP - OPEN PORTS SETUP
Create a new entry with your PC's IP eg
http://1pix.org/out.php/i71_pic8.PNG
Now go to XBMC and navigate to My Videos - Playlists - VideoLan.strm
it will take a few seconds to cache but you should now see your TV Card
chrome307
2007-01-19, 05:07
The above settings are for UK Terrestrial Televsion - sorry didn't have a DVB-T card to test this out with ............ hopefully someone can try it and give feedback ??
chrome
chrome307
2007-01-19, 06:20
Better Video Settings 1:1
http://1pix.org/out.php/i76_untitled.PNG
blakholephysics
2007-03-11, 08:07
Given a fast enough computer, could you also transcode HD content in to a less cpu intensive format? (mpeg2 or something of the sort)
I've been experimenting with it and can't find the right options to do so...
DJ_Izumi
2007-09-09, 15:57
We're intending to use XBMC installed on Xboxes to use the Xboxes as video over LAN set top boxes for CCTV at a convention but XBMC seems to have a few bugs when it comes to working with VLC (Or streaming in general, I dunno).
These problems I only experiance when using XBMC as the client, not when transmitting from VLC to VLC between computers.
The process I have working involves simply broadcasting MPEG-2/DD-AC3 by UDP over the network. This infact works very well and by using UDP, XBMC seems to handle breaks in the video steam with much less difficulty and no stalling and requiring a reboot. MPEG-2/DD-AC3 works well under HTTP as well, but I find it kicks back up from network failures and stopped and restarted servers a lot better when it's just blindly looking at a port and waiting for packets.
The issue seems to come when I try to use a video format OTHER than MPEG-2. When using UDP your container options are limited to only MPEG TS, but I've tried other containers with similar results or poor results.
Using MPEG-4 instead of MPEG-2, XBMC seems to become confused and for some reason assumes the framerate of the incoming stream is not 24fps but instead 12fps or 8fps, resulting in the video being played back slower than it should and it eventually gets confused with what's in the buffer, rebuffers and this cycles.
In cases where I tell VLC to NOT transcode the video from an MPEG-4 source and instead re-stream it, it instead assumes the frame rate is 29.98 FPS when the source is 24fps and it quietly sits there letting the video get ahead of the audio, then behind, then ahead... And so on. It's trying to resynch but it's got the wrong frame rate data.
This could be a problem in VLC itself and not part of Xbox Media Center, I dunno. It's just that this isn't a problem I've seen reported on the VLC forums so I'm hoping something here can guide me towards getting to MPEG-4.
Now, Mpeg-2 would normally be good enough, but this streaming video network is infact running over Wireless G, between WRT54GL routers running DD-WRT, so the available network bandwidth is like 25mbps total if we use Afterburner on all the routers. MPEG-4 is a fair bit more efficent per bit than MPEG-2 and I'm trying to cut down the necessary bandwidth.
c0rderr0y
2007-11-27, 20:40
I have tried 2 different sound cards and both of them do not out put sound. The xbox only seems to receive video.... any suggestions?
It's working fine with DVD on my PC, but the subtitle doesn't show neither on the screen or in options.
Video is perfect.
Audio is fine, i must choose English on VLC (nothing is better than the original audio :D )
Anyone has an idea ?
VLC v0.8.5
protocol: htpp
encapsulation: MPEG TS
Xbox (Hard chip)
evoXdash (Built on Sep 30 2007)
note for me: update evoXdash :p
DVD.strm
http://192.168.0.5:1234