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mr0ldie · 2012-07-31, 02:06

Hello, I want to setup a TV to play ads all day long at my business (in the lobby). I bought a Zotac HTPC and I'm looking into using Ubuntu with XBMC to constantly run these ads. I've done a little reading on the wiki, website, and forums but I can't figure out conclusively what I may need or if this setup will be capable of doing what I want. I've looked into playlists and I think FTP'ing the videos/images to the box should be no problem, so I think all will be perfect. However, I have a few requirements/questions that I'll list below if you'd be so kind as to provide answers and verification to. I need:

•Video ads running seamlessly all day
•Mixture of images and ads simultaneously
•Playlist/video updating automatically (I can setup the FTP to push videos and playlists to the box I'm sure)

Thanks in advance! Any suggestions are much appreciated as well.

handbone · 2012-07-31, 02:54

I think something very light weight like Media Player classic or VLC (not as light) would be a much better program for what you plan on using for. I'm sure XBMC is capable of doing it, and I'm sure someone can give a definitive answer, but I've used MPC for the same type of thing. Works perfectly for me

Trollslayer · (This post was last modified: 2012-07-31, 08:25 by Trollslayer.)

The biggest issue there is updating the playlist as with most if not all systems a playlist is loaded once then held in memory.
You may be better off with that is called 'digital signage' products which are designed for this.

artrafael · (This post was last modified: 2012-07-31, 08:47 by artrafael.)

Here's an example of a vendor who provides digital signage solutions: http://www.logicsupply.com/applications/digital_signage

I have no affiliation with the company, but I have purchased mini-ITX products from them for personal use and I recalled that they offered digital signage products as well.

~~Ned Scott~~ · 2012-07-31, 10:19

Everything except the live-updating of the playlist is possible. What you would do is set it up as a slide show in Pictures with "movies in pictures" enabled.

mr0ldie · (This post was last modified: 2012-07-31, 15:10 by mr0ldie.)

Thank you all very much for the replies. How about if, for the playlist updating, I push the new playlist to the box and then have a script that tells Xbmc to refresh its playlist (or even restart the application with the new playlist running, if that's manageable)?

I am not opposed to getting something more custom tailored to my needs of I have to but I also want to keep my costs down.