Streaming from OpenWebif

[Sandy B]

I have just got a new Windows 10 computer and find that when I try to stream a movie from OpenWebif it give message:

"This file does not have an app associated with it for performing this action. Please install an app or, if one is already installed, create an association in the Default Apps Settings page."

OpenWebif is accessed via Chrome browser and VLC is the default media player. I am able to stream videos via File Explorer or direct using VLC.

Can someone give me a hint on how to "create an association"

Many thanks in anticipation

[Grumpy_Geoff]

Click the "magnifying glass" icon next to the Windows "start" button. Type (or paste) - file associations
Open the resulting 'Choose default apps by file type' app.
Scroll to the '.m3u8' entry and associate it to your video player of choice (VLC in your case, PotPlayer in mine).

[Sandy B]

Scroll to the '.m3u8' entry and associate it to your video player of choice (VLC in your case, PotPlayer in mine).

I can only find a ".m3u" file which is associated to Groove Music in "Choice default applications by file type"

[Grumpy_Geoff]

I can only find a ".m3u" file which is associated to Groove Music in "Choice default applications by file type"

Locate a .m3u8 file that was downloaded by OWIF. Right-click it and choose 'Open with', then 'Choose another app'. then select VLC and tick the 'Always use this app to open .m3u8 files'.

[Sandy B]

Locate a .m3u8 file that was downloaded by OWIF. Right-click it and choose 'Open with', then 'Choose another app'. then select VLC and tick the 'Always use this app to open .m3u8 files'.

All the files appear to be ".ts" files, I can not find a ".m3u8" file.

Following the above procedure says 'Always use this app to open .ts files', 'm3u8' does not appear to be an option.

[MrQuade]

All the files appear to be ".ts" files, I can not find a ".m3u8" file.

Following the above procedure says 'Always use this app to open .ts files', 'm3u8' does not appear to be an option.

The files that are exposed by OpenWebif are .m38u.

click the streaming link, then choose to download the file. You can then use the explorer trick to associate that file type with VLC.

[Sandy B]

click the streaming link, then choose to download the file. You can then use the explorer trick to associate that file type with VLC.

Clicking the streaming link, I assume you are talking about the small TV in OpenWebif, results in the message" This file does not have an app associated with it for performing this action. Please install an app or, if one is already installed, create an association in the Default Apps Settings page." and goes no further.

Downloading from OpenWebif results in a .ts file.

I know I must be doing something really stupid and wrong but can not figure it out.

[MrQuade]

click the streaming link, then choose to download the file. You can then use the explorer trick to associate that file type with VLC.

Clicking the streaming link, I assume you are talking about the small TV in OpenWebif, results in the message" This file does not have an app associated with it for performing this action. Please install an app or, if one is already installed, create an association in the Default Apps Settings page." and goes no further.

Downloading from OpenWebif results in a .ts file.

I know I must be doing something really stupid and wrong but can not figure it out.

You should have had the option to download the file rater than open it. Something else must have been set up for that then, never mind.

Alternatively, just fake it:
Make a text file. Rename it to "x.m3u8"
Try to open it in explorer.
When it asks what program, just select VLC and tell it to always use that program to open those files.
Don't worry about the error.

Now try the streaming link.

[Paul_oz53]

A way to trick Windows is to use Notepad to create a dummy file "dummy.txt". Next rename it "dummy.m3u8".

Now use explorer to create the association. It won't play of course but the openwebif link should work thereafter.

[Sandy B]

Next rename it "dummy.m3u8

Having problems with the rename, can't find how to remove .txt from name

[Grumpy_Geoff]

Next rename it "dummy.m3u8

Having problems with the rename, can't find how to remove .txt from name

Right-click on the file, then choose rename. Or select the file and press F2.

[MrQuade]

Having problems with the rename, can't find how to remove .txt from name

It's likely that you have Explorer set to hide filename extensions for known file types. That's on by default.

In Explorer click on "File" in the Explorer menu (top left).
Click on "Change folder and search options"
Click on the View tab.
Untick the "Hide file extensions for known file types"

Then you can rename your file.

Microsoft keep making these basic things harder and harder.

[Sandy B]

I know that this is a real 1st world problem, but when I open a movie via streaming from OpenWebif (a m3u8 file) it plays for about 30 seconds and after that it starts buffering to the point it is unwatchable. However the same file/movie when opened via File Explorer (a .ts file) it plays back without any problems.

Very strange.

[Grumpy_Geoff]

Very strange.

The two methods use different forms of streaming protocols.

Download and install PotPlayer - https://potplayer.daum.net/
Then open the .m3u8 file with PotPlayer, either -
(i) with PotPlayer>>Open File(s) and navigate and open the .m3u8 file, or
(ii) right-click the .m3u8 file and use 'Open with' and choose PotPlayer
Does it play any better?

[Sandy B]

When I play through OpenWebif, it still buffers and in fact jumps forward so 15 minute program plays out for less than 5 minutes. However like VLC if a program is opened from the player or File Explorer I get a perfect result.

As I said in a previous post it is a first world problem and I can easily live by opening files from the player or FE.

Many thanks all for your interest and help.

[Grumpy_Geoff]

When I play through OpenWebif, it still buffers and in fact jumps forward so 15 minute program plays out for less than 5 minutes. However like VLC if a program is opened from the player or File Explorer I get a perfect result.

You didn't explicitly say it, but I assume you installed PotPlayer and tried it, thus the "like VLC".

What port was the file streaming using, 8001 or 80? Use an editor (you can use Notepad) to open the .m3u8 file that Chrome downloaded. The port number will be the number after the Wiz name and ':' in the http URL, in my example below it is '80' -

Code: Select all

http://beyonwizt4:80/file?file=/media/hdd/movie/20200615%202335%20-%209HD%20Perth%20-%20AFL_%20Footy%20SA%20_%20WA.ts

What model are you streaming from?

[raymondjpg]

The two methods use different forms of streaming protocols.

I've never used the playback option from OpenWebif before, sometimes using the stream option. I tried playback from OpenWebif on three different browsers, and with Chrome a .m38u was downloaded, but not from Firefox and Edge (latest version), I thought because file associations with a player were observed in the two latter but not the former. With Firefox the file was playable as a m3u link by clicking the TV screen logo in the Webif top box that has the player ON/STANDBY indicator. but with Edge clicking that link resulted in an .m38u file download. In my case I never saw any of issues of buffering or jumping forward when using the playback links from any of the three browsers, and MPC-HC as the player.

I'm not going to even start trying to an unpick why the three browsers behaved differently, but I have to say that Sandy B is probably on the right track by opting for access through the Windows 10 file explorer as being a lot less complicated.

[Grumpy_Geoff]

The two methods use different forms of streaming protocols.

I've never used the playback option from OpenWebif before, sometimes using the stream option. I tried playback from OpenWebif on three different browsers, and with Chrome a .m38u was downloaded, but not from Firefox and Edge (latest version), I thought because file associations with a player were observed in the two latter but not the former. With Firefox the file was playable as a m3u link by clicking the TV screen logo in the Webif top box that has the player ON/STANDBY indicator. but with Edge clicking that link resulted in an .m38u file download. In my case I never saw any of issues of buffering or jumping forward when using the playback links from any of the three browsers, and MPC-HC as the player.

I'm not going to even start trying to an unpick why the three browsers behaved differently, but I have to say that Sandy B is probably on the right track by opting for access through the Windows 10 file explorer as being a lot less complicated.

Streaming a service/live TV is slightly different from streaming a recording -

Code: Select all

#EXTM3U 
#EXTVLCOPT--http-reconnect=true 
#EXTINF:-1,7HD Perth
http://beyonwizt4:80/1:0:19:564:506:1013:EEEE0000:0:0:0:

Code: Select all

#EXTM3U 
#EXTVLCOPT--http-reconnect=true 
#EXTINF:3599,AFL: Footy SA / WA
#EXTVLCOPT:program=1122
http://beyonwizt4:80/file?file=/media/hdd/movie/20200615%202335%20-%209HD%20Perth%20-%20AFL_%20Footy%20SA%20_%20WA.ts

I just tried the latest Edge and it downloaded a .m3u8 file.
If you don't "see" the .m3u8 file downloaded, then likely you've directed the browser to 'Always open files of this type'. The file will still be downloaded though, as far as I know.

Streaming via the "Movie" SMB share is less complicated, but not as informative as choosing the 'Movies' entry from OWIF -
Operation Buffalo
ABC HD / Sun Sun 14/6, 20:20
89:58 min. / 2.23 GB
Series 1: Episode 3
In Adelaide, Leo sidesteps ASIO and receives an offer from Attorney General Wilcox that he cannot refuse. Back at Maralinga, Eva questions Quentin about his weather reports.

[raymondjpg]

Streaming a service/live TV is slightly different from streaming a recording -

Maybe we are talking at cross-purposes but I (and I think OP) are talking about playing a recording from the 'Movies' entry from OWIF. I can do that with both the playback and stream buttons in OpenWebif.

Streaming via the "Movie" SMB share is less complicated, but not as informative as choosing the 'Movies' entry from OWIF -
Operation Buffalo
ABC HD / Sun Sun 14/6, 20:20
89:58 min. / 2.23 GB
Series 1: Episode 3
In Adelaide, Leo sidesteps ASIO and receives an offer from Attorney General Wilcox that he cannot refuse. Back at Maralinga, Eva questions Quentin about his weather reports.

Maybe you're right, but I don't see that information when I stream using a .m38u or .m3u link. Is some configuration of the browser, BW or player needed to do that? I can see that some folk would wish to see that information, if not using the database scraping capabilities of something like Kodi.

[Grumpy_Geoff]

Streaming a service/live TV is slightly different from streaming a recording -

Maybe we are talking at cross-purposes but I (and I think OP) are talking about playing a recording from the 'Movies' entry from OWIF. I can do that with both the playback and stream buttons in OpenWebif.

I was responding to this -

With Firefox the file was playable as a m3u link by clicking the TV screen logo in the Webif top box that has the player ON/STANDBY indicator.

"top box that has the player ON/STANDBY indicator"
OWIF's On/Standby button is displayed to the right of any live service that may be showing. Any streaming using the 'Stream: {service name}' or 'Stream (transcoded): {service name}' (on capable units) is for live TV streaming.
I don't identify that the recording streaming buttons are located near the "top box".

For recordings, the 'Playback' button starts playback on the PVR, it's not streaming to the device that's running the browser. I can't see how the playback button could fail.

Streaming via the "Movie" SMB share is less complicated, but not as informative as choosing the 'Movies' entry from OWIF -
Operation Buffalo
ABC HD / Sun Sun 14/6, 20:20
89:58 min. / 2.23 GB
Series 1: Episode 3
In Adelaide, Leo sidesteps ASIO and receives an offer from Attorney General Wilcox that he cannot refuse. Back at Maralinga, Eva questions Quentin about his weather reports.

Maybe you're right, but I don't see that information when I stream using a .m38u or .m3u link. Is some configuration of the browser, BW or player needed to do that? I can see that some folk would wish to see that information, if not using the database scraping capabilities of something like Kodi.

That information is from the recording's meta data, which is neatly presented by OWIF, but absent in Windows File Explorer of course.

[raymondjpg]

OWIF's On/Standby button is displayed to the right of any live service that may be showing. Any streaming using the 'Stream: {service name}' or 'Stream (transcoded): {service name}' (on capable units) is for live TV streaming.
I don't identify that the recording streaming buttons are located near the "top box".

I see this when I hit the playback button in Firefox. The file indicated "Countdown to Murder" is from the Movie list.

Stream link U4.jpg (51.41 KiB) Viewed 3236 times

Hitting the TV logo button opens a m3u link to play the movie.

For recordings, the 'Playback' button starts playback on the PVR, it's not streaming to the device that's running the browser. I can't see how the playback button could fail.

I don't recall saying that the playback button ever failed. Again maybe talking at cross-purposes.

Streaming via the "Movie" SMB share is less complicated, but not as informative as choosing the 'Movies' entry from OWIF -
Operation Buffalo
ABC HD / Sun Sun 14/6, 20:20
89:58 min. / 2.23 GB
Series 1: Episode 3
In Adelaide, Leo sidesteps ASIO and receives an offer from Attorney General Wilcox that he cannot refuse. Back at Maralinga, Eva questions Quentin about his weather reports.

It's the "Series 1: Episode 3" that I don't see. From what I recall that might be one of Adoxa's patches forIceTV.

[Grumpy_Geoff]

I see this when I hit the playback button in Firefox. The file indicated "Countdown to Murder" is from the Movie list.


Stream link U4.jpg


Hitting the TV logo button opens a m3u link to play the movie.

Yeah okay, you're already playing that recording on the PVR, then you initiate streaming (so it's not playback).

It's the "Series 1: Episode 3" that I don't see. From what I recall that might be one of Adoxa's patches forIceTV.

That's the short description. I don't believe it's derived from any of adoxa's changes.
I see the short description of my non-Ice box too.

[raymondjpg]

That's the short description. I don't believe it's derived from any of adoxa's changes.
I see the short description of my non-Ice box too.

I don't recall ever having seen Series and Episode number on either my T2 (IceTV enabled) or U4 (FTA EPG and autotimers) in Firefox. I also tried Chrome, same thing as far as I can see. I don't have any episodic files in the movie list for either PVR, but this is what I see in Chrome looking at the trash directory of the T2.

Both ZeroZeroZero and Reprisal are episodes of a Series 1, yet both only have episode titles.

I do have Adoxa's Deswapper plugin installed, with options 1 and 3 enabled and option 2 disabled, but I don't recall even with fiddling around with the options having seen Series and Episode number as a result. I could be wrong.

[Grumpy_Geoff]

I don't recall ever having seen Series and Episode number on either my T2 (IceTV enabled)

If you look at https://tv-guide.icetv.com.au/ for next Sunday on ABC HD (/One) at 20:30 what do you see for the episode title of 'Operation Buffalo'?
... and if you look in your T2's EPG at the same event do you see the same short description (episode title) value?

[raymondjpg]

I don't recall ever having seen Series and Episode number on either my T2 (IceTV enabled)

If you look at https://tv-guide.icetv.com.au/ for next Sunday on ABC HD (/One) at 20:30 what do you see for the episode title of 'Operation Buffalo'?
... and if you look in your T2's EPG at the same event do you see the same short description (episode title) value?

Not exactly.

IceGuide:

Operation Buffalo

'Series 1: Episode 4'

ABC HD, 8:30pm, Sun, 21 Jun 2020, 55 minutes

When Leo arrives back at Maralinga with Wilcox and members of the press, he must keep them away from the unexpected visitors hiding in the camp's kitchen.

Series, Australia, English, Drama, Season 1 Episode 4

T2 EPG

Operation Buffalo
Series 1: Episode 4

When Leo arrives back at Maralinga with Wilcox and members of the press, he must keep them away from the unexpected visitors hiding in the camp's kitchen.

Setting a timer gives me:

Operation Buffalo
Sun 21.06.2020 20:20 - 21.06.2020 21:45
ABC
Series 1: Episode 4
waiting

And a timer for the second episode of the second series of Tony Robinson's World By Rail in the T2 gives me:

Tony Robinson's World By Rail
Wed 17.06.2020 19:25 - 17.06.2020 20:50
SBS ONE HD
South America
waiting

The FTA EPG entry for the Operation Buffalo entry in the U4 is:

Operation Buffalo
When Leo arrives back at Maralinga with Wilcox and members of the press, he must keep them away from the unexpected visitors hiding in the camp's kitchen.

From this limited sample set I conclude that Series:Episode metadata is only to be found from the IceTV EPG, and only for some (not all) entries. I have observed that IceTV has on occasion used Episode # in place of an episode title, and the use of Series:Episode may have superseded that recently.

In any case all of this is overcomplicating what was a simple choice of how to play TV recordings. I was going to ask Adoxa to look at providing a short description as well as episode name in the IceTV timer display in OWIF, but thought that it might have interfered with what was coded to come through in the IceTV plugin. It is still something I would like to see.

[raymondjpg]

Just to add to my post of yesterday I realised that what is (or is not) showing in the IceTV Timer entries in the OWIF interface has been covered extensively in two threads:

viewtopic.php?f=55&t=12449&hilit=icetv+epg+subtitle
viewtopic.php?f=47&t=13752&p=183042&hil ... le#p183042

Reviewing the case of the entry for Operation Buffalo 'Series 1: Episode 4' ABC HD, 8:30pm, Sun, 21 Jun 2020, i now recall that the 'Series 1: Episode 4' part of the entry is due to a decision to "to put the IceTV sub-title field into the EPG's short description and to put the IceTV field desc into the long description."

The 'Series 1: Episode 4' part of the entry is thus offered by IceTV as (or in place of) an episode title in the sub-title field, and therefore won't appear in all IceTV EPG or Timer displays where an episode title is used. Neither would it appear in the FTA EPG or Timer display, as being a piece of information uniquely provided by IceTV.

[prl]

From this limited sample set I conclude that Series:Episode metadata is only to be found from the IceTV EPG, and only for some (not all) entries.

Separate Season:Episode metadata doesn't have a place in the EIT EPG schema. It does in the IceTV schema, but it isn't mandatory there, even for things that are series, though I'd expect it to b there for most series.

It is possible to encode Season:Episode data into tagged fields in the extended description for an event, but I've never seen tagged fields in the extended descriptor used in the EIT EPG. I have a long-term plan to use those tagged fields to include a wider range of IceTV EPG into the EPG data available in the Beyonwiz firmware. Season:Episode, credits, languages and other IceTV metadata could all be represented that way.

I have observed that IceTV has on occasion used Episode # in place of an episode title, and the use of Series:Episode may have superseded that recently.

That certainly happens. In the case of the ABC and SBS, the IceTV EPG is mostly filled direct from data provided under licence by the respective broadcaster. In the case of Operation Buffalo, The ABC gives no episode names for Operation Buffalo in its EPG (nor on iView), nor does IMDb.

Tony Robinson's World by Train doesn't have episode titles in the SBS's online EPG, but it does in the IceTV guide. I'm not sure whether the SBS EPG data has them, but they aren't displayed, or whether they are added by IceTV.

Thee appear to be some limits to the alterations that IceTV may make to the ABC and SBS guide: from discussions on the IceTV forum, it looks like for many alterations, they need to ask permission of the ABS or SBS. That permission seems to often be given.

In any case all of this is overcomplicating what was a simple choice of how to play TV recordings. I was going to ask Adoxa to look at providing a short description as well as episode name in the IceTV timer display in OWIF, but thought that it might have interfered with what was coded to come through in the IceTV plugin. It is still something I would like to see.

The IceTV guide has four separate metadata fields that are relevant to the naming of series and episodes: title (series name), sub-title (episode name, which is sometimes simply in the form "Series N: Episode M"), desc (a more detailed description of the show) and episode-num, which is the season/episode name in the standard form of "SNNEMM" form.

The EIT EPG also has 3 fields: title, short description and extended description. Apart from the title of a series, there is no consistent use of the description fields between broadcasters (but an episode name often not present).

In the firmware, when IceTV is being used, the EPG is still stored in the EIT format, with IceTV title being put into the EIT title, the IceTV sub-title going into the EIT short description and the IceTV desc going into the EIT EPG extended description.

In the firmware, a "smart" description is usually shown when full program information is shown: the short description if there is no extended description, the extended description id there is no short description, the concatenation of the short and extended descriptions if they are both present and are different in the first 20 characters, and the long description if both are present and they are the same in the first 20 characters.

When timers are created from the EPG, the short description is used for the timer description if it exists, otherwise the long description. In AutoTimers, only the short description is used.

In unmodified OpenWebif, the short description is shown in the EPG grid, and in the popup for a show, the short description shown as a subtitle and the extended description is shown below it. I haven't looked at adoxa's patches, so I'm not sure what they can do. If I used them, and it was available, I'd use a concatenated short/extended description in the EPG grid if it was available.

[raymondjpg]

I haven't looked at adoxa's patches, so I'm not sure what they can do. If I used them, and it was available, I'd use a concatenated short/extended description in the EPG grid if it was available.

I posted the difference between the OWIF IceTV EPG grid and FTA EPG grid a while back viewtopic.php?f=47&t=13752&p=183042&hil ... le#p183042.

Today, with adoxa's Deswapper plugin the IceTV grid looks like this:

IceTV EPG grid.jpg (111.14 KiB) Viewed 3169 times

Looking at the entry for Gardening Australia I observe that IceTV's subtitle is displayed below the title, and what appears to me to be the long description field (courtesy of the Deswapper plugin) below that.

I was thinking of asking adoxa to do something similar with IceTV Timer entries, where currently only the title and subtitle are displayed in the OWIF interface viz:

Operation Buffalo
Sun 21.06.2020 20:20 - 21.06.2020 21:45
ABC
Series 1: Episode 4
waiting

The long description information is there in the EPG viz:

Operation Buffalo
Series 1: Episode 4

When Leo arrives back at Maralinga with Wilcox and members of the press, he must keep them away from the unexpected visitors hiding in the camp's kitchen.

[prl]

I was thinking of asking adoxa to do something similar with IceTV Timer entries, where currently only the title and subtitle are displayed in the OWIF interface viz:

Operation Buffalo
Sun 21.06.2020 20:20 - 21.06.2020 21:45
ABC
Series 1: Episode 4
waiting

The long description information is there in the EPG ...

The problem there is that there is only one description field in a timer entry, so unless the structure of the timer is changed, OpenWebif can only display what's in the timer, which is the short description if it is present, and the long description if there is no short description.

That will typically show different sorts of information depending on whether the timer is set from the IceTV EPG or the EIT EPG. For the IceTV EPG, it will normally show the episode name or number for series, and the extended description for one-offs like movies.

When the IceTV server sends a timer to the Beyonwiz, the timer has no subtitle or description information, only the title: the timer description is filled in by the plugin looking up the timer's show in the EPG and copying the description information from the EPG into the timer.

[raymondjpg]

The problem there is that there is only one description field in a timer entry, so unless the structure of the timer is changed, OpenWebif can only display what's in the timer, which is the short description if it is present, and the long description if there is no short description.

As I've said before I wouldn't want to prompt or suggest any changes to OWIF. I have, though, previously suggested for the IceTV timer display something along the lines of "...a concatenated short/extended description in the EPG grid if it was available" and maybe adoxa could look at that. I haven't asked yet.

[IanSav]

Hi Raymondjpg,

As I've said before I wouldn't want to prompt or suggest any changes to OWIF. I have, though, previously suggested for the IceTV timer display something along the lines of "...a concatenated short/extended description in the EPG grid if it was available" and maybe adoxa could look at that. I haven't asked yet.

If there was ever a better time to request changes for OpenWebif it would be now. OpenWebif is being converted to use Python 3 (as is the rest of Enigma2) and there is a lot of work going on to make changes in this plugin. I am not saying that requests will be processed but there is a lot of developer attention being focussed on this plugin at the moment.

Regards,
Ian.

[raymondjpg]

Hi Raymondjpg,

As I've said before I wouldn't want to prompt or suggest any changes to OWIF. I have, though, previously suggested for the IceTV timer display something along the lines of "...a concatenated short/extended description in the EPG grid if it was available" and maybe adoxa could look at that. I haven't asked yet.

If there was ever a better time to request changes for OpenWebif it would be now. OpenWebif is being converted to use Python 3 (as is the rest of Enigma2) and there is a lot of work going on to make changes in this plugin. I am not saying that requests will be processed but there is a lot of developer attention being focussed on this plugin at the moment.

Regards,
Ian.

Thanks for that comment. If as has been said there is currently only a limited number of fields in OWIF for the timer display, then maybe it is timely to suggest a change. However I'm definitely not qualified to do that, and whether or not others might do so would be up to them.