VLM Example: Broadcast A Playlist¶
This page describes how to broadcast a playlist using a VLM. To get a basic idea of what VLM is and how to broadcast a simple stream using a .vlm file, refer to VLM Introduction.
Broadcasting multiple media files successively can be done by specifying multiple input commands for the same channel. VLM simply executes the next input command when the streaming from the earlier one ends.
For this example, we will stream three songs one.mp3, two.mp3, and three.mp3 over HTTP. Hence, refer to Stream over HTTP to get a basic idea of how streaming over HTTP works.
Configuring the VLM file¶
Consider the following code:
new channel_1 broadcast enabled
setup channel_1 input "file:///C:/Users/User_name/Desktop/one.mp3"
setup channel_1 input "file:///C:/Users/User_name/Desktop/two.mp3"
setup channel_1 input "file:///C:/Users/User_name/Desktop/three.mp3"
setup channel_1 output #http{mux=ts,dst=:8090/stream}
setup channel_1 option sout-keep
setup channel_1 option file-caching=1000
control channel_1 play
We have used sout-keep so that the streaming doesn’t break when a song ends.
For the above code:
Create a new file in any text editor and copy the code.
Modify the file paths according to where the files are located in your system.
Save the file as
playlist.vlm.
Start the broadcast¶
Whenever you wish to broadcast the playlist, open the terminal and navigate to where you have saved playlist.vlm. Then run the following command:
$ vlc --vlm-conf=playlist.vlm
Receiving the broadcast¶
The receiving devices can receive the stream as they would receive a normal HTTP stream. As HTTP streams are published at the IP address of the streaming device, we need to specify the IP address of the streaming device on the recieving device(s) to connect.
Assuming that the IP address of the streaming device is 192.168.0.101, run the following command on the receiving device(s) to connect and start playing the playlist:
$ vlc http://192.168.0.101:8090/stream
Following is how the network might look: