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After playing around with XBMC a bit on my HDTV (with some issues that need ironing out, of course), I realized that it would be really neat if one could have all of their XBMC machines share configuration and media. Right now you probably can use NFS to have one fileserver which is mounted where XBMC looks for config, but I imagine that this would get confusing to the code if two or more instances are running at the same time. The code probably isn't built for this to work feasibly, and the instances will probably overwrite each other's settings.
I think it would be very useful if XBMC had a feasible way to allow i.e. 5 different rooms to be running XBMC at the same time, so that more than one person can use an instance at a time.
Of course, if XBMC instances already won't fight over overwrites, then this is kinda a moot point. I didn't research it much yet other than searching forums (and the 20-second timer is annoying).
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Heh, I didn't think of "sync" because I was thinking more central storage, not syncing a bunch of different storage places. (FYI I'm using a 5GB partition for the whole ubuntu+xbmc install)
I see that there's MySQL support for video/music DBs (hopefully it's in the latest release, I didn't check)... but what about profiles, plugins, etc.? I can't find it in the search results because "sync" appears to return a bunch of encoding-related posts. I'm thinking adding a profile once and having it appear on all instances, using the same profile on two instances at the same time, and possibly even syncing (ok I used that word after all) two instances so that they play with a shared clock and pausing/skipping on once does the same to the other.
I'm really picturing one headless server (or a beefy xbmc instance with 24/7 uptime, plenty of storage, and an ethernet connection) storing everything and then client xbmc instances merely using the info and media. Right now it looks like this is partially implemented, with only media info being shared and the rest being per-instance.
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mwkurt
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The MYSQL support is supposed to be implemented in the next release, Dharma, I think. In fact if you use one of the nightlies, the mysql db stuff is supposed to work, somewhat. The only things not taken care of are the watched flags and the syncing of libraries. As I am not using linux I can't help you with any of your specific problems.
Mark
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Check that thread that mwkurt linked to. That's the current implementation (mysql) and it works great. The idea is to move the database to a central location and all XBMC machines use that central database. Watched status, resume positions and everything work fine. The only thing is that you need a separate solution to get the thumbs to work just right. I've been using that solution for months and it's a godsend IMO.
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That topic looked it it only used MySQl for media databases. I'm looking for MySQL for everything databases. (skins, profiles, settings, and all) If it does more than media then I'll go get a nightly.
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Yah, that's for media only. Sorry, I missed where you were looking for config and everything.
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i'd like the be able to run a centralised xbmc that could act as a server to other xbmc instances, similar to the way in which you can see other itunes libraries on a network - with all fanart etc transmitted by xbmc, this would mean you could have a sever that contained all the files etc and the main xbmc on which all configuration could be done.
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You can do that for all your media, thumbs, fanart, etc (but not internal XBMC configuration). Not by running a central XBMC per se, but by placing the XBMC libraries and thumbs in a central location that is then accessed by all your XBMC instances. Again, check mwkurt's link above for the details.
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It doesn't seem to work in the very latest SVN nightlies though or Dharma.
Previous releases worked fine, like Rock Dawg mentioned, it really is a god send but no joy with the latest, anyone else having issues?
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Soju
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Another networked play question:
I'd like to start the same content on multiple screens at the exact same time, basically synchronized play. Maybe a UDP broadcast or HTTPAPI trigger? The question is how much latency is incurred. If a sports event is being shown, you want the sync down to the second if not millisecond.
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Soju
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There is a few options to this obviously, like steaming vs flat file, but I'd be happy with just starting a flat file simultaneously across the house. I'm thinking you'd want to minimize latency and trigger with a simple UDP based command. Rather than say, trying to synchronize launch based on NTP etc.
What do the devs think? How consistent is the timing on launching media, assuming all STBs (Live build on Zotac Ion1s) are consistent?
That's for another topic.
