Release: Ubeify Desktop Media Player For Raspberry Pi

[KTWS]

I'm on holiday at the moment (hotel WiFi via my phone) so hopefully someone else can help better than I can right now.

Off the top of my head, try running raspi-config in a terminal and goto the advanced section and look for audio options and choose the best fit option for how you're outputting your audio (HDMI or headphone jack)

[KTWS]

Ubeify Update: 20160430

- Fixed issue with Spotify playlist display formatting
- Fixed issue where Ubeify would sometimes hang if both uyt.py and youtube-dl failed to extract a web video url

To upgrade to this version from an existing installation, select 'Update Ubeify' from the top right options menu and restart the software.

Enjoy

[sunnyd]

Hi, I am having trouble installing on Ubuntu 16.04, it goes through installation but gets errors in the terminal EG-

¨You are using pip version 8.1.1, however version 8.1.2 is available.
You should consider upgrading via the 'pip install --upgrade pip' command.
==> Upgrading youtube-dl via pip
The directory '/home/will/.cache/pip/http' or its parent directory is not owned by the current user and the cache has been disabled. Please check the permissions and owner of that directory. If executing pip with sudo, you may want sudo's -H flag.
The directory '/home/will/.cache/pip' or its parent directory is not owned by the current user and caching wheels has been disabled. check the permissions and owner of that directory. If executing pip with sudo, you may want sudo's -H flag.
Requirement already up-to-date: youtube-dl in /usr/local/lib/python2.7/dist-packages
You are using pip version 8.1.1, however version 8.1.2 is available.
You should consider upgrading via the 'pip install --upgrade pip' command.¨

Any ideas? I have tried the 'pip install --upgrade pip' but it will only install version 8.1.1, it says, version 8.1.2 is available but will not install it

[KTWS]

Looks like pip's file permissions are messed up. Was pip previously installed before running the Ubeify install script? If it was, try removing the version of pip you currently have installed on your computer and run the Ubeify install script again.

If that fails, try a manual pip install by downloading get-pip.py (https://bootstrap.pypa.io/get-pip.py) and running it from command line:

Code: Select all

python get-pip.py

Let me know how you get on.

[sunnyd]

KTWS -

I get the following when adding ¨sudo apt-get install python get-pip.py¨ in a terminal =
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
E: Unable to locate package get-pip.py
E: Couldn't find any package by glob 'get-pip.py'
E: Couldn't find any package by regex 'get-pip.py'

When I download the linked get-pip.py file, I place it in the Python¨ folder and ran the code you said in terminal, it said already up to date.
I have had the same install problem on 3 different OS´s, Ubuntu Mate Pi, Zorin OS lite 11 and ChaletOS. All give the same response as my first post. Did not have any problem with Ubuntu mate Pi 15.10 (now trying to install on 16.04 LTS).

Run the

[KTWS]

sunnyd, looks like it's a problem with python-pip on 16.04 (source). Hopefully it'll get sorted soon.

Does Ubeify run anyway after trying to install? Pip installs youtube-dl which, if you're only streaming youtube videos or playing local media, Ubeify does not actually use.

[sunnyd]

Zorin os plays video via ubeify but laggy (I have a gma 500 processor which can be odd anyway), both chalet os linux and mate on the pi does not even load up at all.

[sunnyd]

Decided to go back to 15.10 on the Pi 2 until such times as things get sorted.

Really wanted to get ubeify up and running on the gma 500 with Zorin OS as in general HD video playback and youtube is not great. Best on Zorin OS than any other though.

[KTWS]

@sunnyd

Ubeify version 20160525 (see my next post) now works on Ubuntu Mate Pi 16.04 but I'd be greatful if you could test it on Zorin OS to confirm it works on that too.

Thanks

[KTWS]

Ubeify Update: 20160525

- Fixed issue with Ubeify not running on 16.04. Ubeify now runs on 16.04 (tested on Ubuntu Mate Pi 16.04).

To upgrade to this version from an existing installation, select 'Update Ubeify' from the top right options menu and restart the software.

Enjoy

[sunnyd]

For me that is not possible as ubeify does not even graphically open on Chalet os nor Zorin os.

I ran the script again to uninstall, then updated, reinstalled and now it works fine on chaletos. Zorinos still choppy playback but that is no doubt because of the gma 500 graphics card.

Thanks

[Pearl.852]

Nice work! I have been playing videos using OMXplayer on my Pi 3. Today, I installed Ubeify and find it works more conveniently to use with its GUI. But I found a problem where the actual video playing area is shifted up and to the left away from the player window. See attached screenshot.

Thanks

[Pearl.852]

Okay, I would like to report a couple of my new findings
1. When click on the Play/Pause (||) button, the video pauses, but the icon did not change to (>) as I expect it would .
2. When use the Space Bar on the keyboard to pause the playing, the video did not pause but just flicker. Pressing the Space Bar again did not recover and eventually the monitor (HDMI) shows "No signal", only pressing the Esc key will recover and resumes playing.

Hope these help to improve this nice software.

[jimjulian]

Hello,

I just installed Ubeify on my new Pi 3. I tried to play an .mp4 video, but the scanner would not recognize the file. Will Ubeify eventually play the popular .mp4 format?

Thank you

[jimjulian]

I just installed Ubeify on my RPi 3. I have one issue and a couple of questions.

The issue:
-a local scan will not recognize an mp4 video file.

Questions:
I'm running headless, with or without a remote connection to my laptop.
I can do an ssh console session.
I can use Microsoft Remote Desktop to run the Raspbian desktop.
-When I run the desktop and play a feed music file, there's no audio. Is there a work around for that?
-Is there a way to stream mp4, mkv, avi, m4v, mov, etc video files from my laptop? Is there a way to get Ubeify to recognize local video files in the mentioned formats?

Thank you

[KTWS]

But I found a problem where the actual video playing area is shifted up and to the left away from the player window.

Are you setting the monitor resolution manually in config.txt using framebuffer_width and framebuffer_height? If so, use hdmi_group and hdmi_mode instead to set monitor resolution instead and reboot. If that doesn't work try disabling overscan using disable_overscan=1 and reboot. See: https://www.raspberrypi.org/documentati ... fig-txt.md for details on how to do this.

When click on the Play/Pause (||) button, the video pauses, but the icon did not change to (>) as I expect it would.

It isn't programmed to toggle like that at the moment but i'll add that to my "to do" list.

When use the Space Bar on the keyboard to pause the playing, the video did not pause but just flicker. Pressing the Space Bar again did not recover and eventually the monitor (HDMI) shows "No signal", only pressing the Esc key will recover and resumes playing.

What OS are you using? I'll try to reproduce this bug and get back to you.

[KTWS]

I tried to play an .mp4 video, but the scanner would not recognize the file. Will Ubeify eventually play the popular .mp4 format? ... a local scan will not recognize an mp4 video file.

Can you open a terminal and type in "omxplayer your_file.mp4" and tell me if the file plays or post the output that's printed to screen if it doesn't? Also can you post the actual name of the mp4 file here eg: "best_movie.mp4" so I can test to see why the scanner is not picking it up. Thanks

I can use Microsoft Remote Desktop to run the Raspbian desktop. When I run the desktop and play a feed music file, there's no audio. Is there a work around for that?

Unfortunately there is no work around that I know of to make that work.

[Pearl.852]

But I found a problem where the actual video playing area is shifted up and to the left away from the player window.

Are you setting the monitor resolution manually in config.txt using framebuffer_width and framebuffer_height? If so, use hdmi_group and hdmi_mode instead to set monitor resolution instead and reboot. If that doesn't work try disabling overscan using disable_overscan=1 and reboot. See: https://www.raspberrypi.org/documentati ... fig-txt.md for details on how to do this.

You are right about the overscan settings. Tried disabling overscan and that fixed the problem. However, my TV Monitor requires using the overscan settings in order to display the desktop properly.

Code: Select all

$ tvservice -n
device_name=GSM-2D_FHD_LG_TV
$ tvservice -s
state 0x12000a [HDMI CEA (16) RGB lim 16:9], 1920x1080 @ 60.00Hz, progressive

When click on the Play/Pause (||) button, the video pauses, but the icon did not change to (>) as I expect it would.

It isn't programmed to toggle like that at the moment but i'll add that to my "to do" list.

Thank you.

When use the Space Bar on the keyboard to pause the playing, the video did not pause but just flicker. Pressing the Space Bar again did not recover and eventually the monitor (HDMI) shows "No signal", only pressing the Esc key will recover and resumes playing.

What OS are you using? I'll try to reproduce this bug and get back to you.

I am running Raspbian-Jessie. Tried reproduce this problem today and the symptom has changed after reinstalling Ubeify (Reason explain on a new post reply below). Now, pressing the Spacebar will restart the video at the beginning.

[Pearl.852]

On Raspbian-Jessie, Ubeify will break after installing OMXPlayerGUI. Reinstalling Ubeify then both apps will work properly.

[gkreidl]

On Raspbian-Jessie, Ubeify will break after installing OMXPlayerGUI. Reinstalling Ubeify then both apps will work properly.

Ubeufy uses a pip installation of youtube-dl; this may conflict with the github version (optionally) used by omxplayerGUI. ubeify should check if the github version is installed and use that or include it's own version and set the import path accordingly. A pip install may also conflict with the universal install (fake binary with zipped modules).

[KTWS]

Ubeify uses a pip installation of youtube-dl; this may conflict with the github version (optionally) used by omxplayerGUI.

omxplayerGUI is using a non-mainstream youtube-dl install method which, by the looks of things, breaks previous installations using official github readme methods. You may want to fix that, or if it's not your fault, report it as an issue on github. Regardless of where fault lies, omxplayerGUI breaking other software is unacceptable.

ubeify should check if the github version is installed and use that or include it's own version and set the import path accordingly.

Ubeify imports youtube-dl as an actual python module (it's faster for multiple queries) so installing it via the official pip method is the correct way to install it. Ubeify can't check to see if the github version is installed because the version of youtube-dl installed via pip is the uncompressed github version. They are both identical.

A pip install may also conflict with the universal install (fake binary with zipped modules).

There is no conflict. pip installs an uncompressed version of youtube-dl so, if the fake binary is already installed, it's simply overwritten. No break in functionality. If the fake binary version of youtube-dl is installed after Ubeify is installed, the only file that changes is the youtube-dl /usr/bin/ file (for command line usage) which Ubeify does not use. No break in functionality although the fake binary will be overwritten next time pip updates youtube-dl.

[KTWS]

You are right about the overscan settings. Tried disabling overscan and that fixed the problem. However, my TV Monitor requires using the overscan settings in order to display the desktop properly.

Code: Select all

$ tvservice -n
device_name=GSM-2D_FHD_LG_TV
$ tvservice -s
state 0x12000a [HDMI CEA (16) RGB lim 16:9], 1920x1080 @ 60.00Hz, progressive

My guess is Raspberry Pi's firmware ignores overscan settings when reporting the GPU layer screen size. I should be able to push a workaround Ubeify fix but it may take me a couple of days. It would be very helpful if you could post your full /boot/config.txt file here, thanks

[gkreidl]

Ubeify uses a pip installation of youtube-dl; this may conflict with the github version (optionally) used by omxplayerGUI.

omxplayerGUI is using a non-mainstream youtube-dl install method which, by the looks of things, breaks previous installations using official github readme methods. You may want to fix that, or if it's not your fault, report it as an issue on github. Regardless of where fault lies, omxplayerGUI breaking other software is unacceptable.

ubeify should check if the github version is installed and use that or include it's own version and set the import path accordingly.

Ubeify imports youtube-dl as an actual python module (it's faster for multiple queries) so installing it via the official pip method is the correct way to install it. Ubeify can't check to see if the github version is installed because the version of youtube-dl installed via pip is the uncompressed github version. They are both identical.

A pip install may also conflict with the universal install (fake binary with zipped modules).

There is no conflict. pip installs an uncompressed version of youtube-dl so, if the fake binary is already installed, it's simply overwritten. No break in functionality. If the fake binary version of youtube-dl is installed after Ubeify is installed, the only file that changes is the youtube-dl /usr/bin/ file (for command line usage) which Ubeify does not use. No break in functionality although the fake binary will be overwritten next time pip updates youtube-dl.

The problem is the following and I discovered it after reporting an issue to youtube-dl developers. I had the compressed version installed. They fixed the bug and told me to update youtube-dl ( the -U command). Afterwards it did not work. We got into quite a discussion. At the end they asked me to to check, if I had an old version in my Python path. That was it. After removing the version from the Python path, the bug was fixed.

The problem is, that once you install it to the Python path via pip, the Python path always takes precedence when importing even for the compressed version. Updating the compressed version is useless then. The same happens with the version installed from github when you call it via a symbolic link in /usr/local/bin. The only way to avoid this inside a Python application is to prepend the special path, as I do it in my youtube-dl-server. So the pip installation method really breaks everything else. The other methods seem to work for the user, but he always uses the old version from the Python path and not the updated one. And youtube-dl requires always to update it. It could be done via pip but users are not aware of it because the ubeify installation hides it from them.

It may look normal for a Python developer to install it via pip, but it keeps all other versions from using updates correctly. This includes the official compressed version.

kweb / omxplayerGUI can work with the official compressed version. During installation the user is asked if he wants to install the github version for two reasons:
1. it works faster
2. it is needed by my youtube-dl-server which speeds up access even more.

It is also needed by kusti8's rpi-youtube chromium extension (which requires my youtube-dl-server) and I think that most people installing chromium-browser from his repository also install the extension.

So in fact it's the ubeify installation which breaks all other installations. Do we want to start a war about it or do we want to find a solution?

[Pearl.852]

You are right about the overscan settings. Tried disabling overscan and that fixed the problem. However, my TV Monitor requires using the overscan settings in order to display the desktop properly.

Code: Select all

$ tvservice -n
device_name=GSM-2D_FHD_LG_TV
$ tvservice -s
state 0x12000a [HDMI CEA (16) RGB lim 16:9], 1920x1080 @ 60.00Hz, progressive

My guess is Raspberry Pi's firmware ignores overscan settings when reporting the GPU layer screen size. I should be able to push a workaround Ubeify fix but it may take me a couple of days. It would be very helpful if you could post your full /boot/config.txt file here, thanks

The only changes that I have made to the /boot/config.txt is adding a section that is specific to my TV monitor (LG 24MT55D) as below,

Code: Select all

[EDID=GSM-2D_FHD_LG_TV]
# settings here applied only when connected to LG-24MT55 monitor
disable_overscan=1
overscan_left=40
overscan_right=40
overscan_top=24
overscan_bottom=24
[all]

Full content of my /boot/config.txt

Code: Select all

# For more options and information see
# http://www.raspberrypi.org/documentation/configuration/config-txt.md
# Some settings may impact device functionality. See link above for details

# uncomment if you get no picture on HDMI for a default "safe" mode
#hdmi_safe=1

# uncomment this if your display has a black border of unused pixels visible
# and your display can output without overscan
#disable_overscan=1

# uncomment the following to adjust overscan. Use positive numbers if console
# goes off screen, and negative if there is too much border
#overscan_left=48
#overscan_right=48
#overscan_top=48
#overscan_bottom=48

[EDID=GSM-2D_FHD_LG_TV]
# settings here applied only when connected to LG-24MT55 monitor
disable_overscan=1
overscan_left=40
overscan_right=40
overscan_top=24
overscan_bottom=24
[all]

# uncomment to force a console size. By default it will be display's size minus
# overscan.
#framebuffer_width=1280
#framebuffer_height=720

# uncomment if hdmi display is not detected and composite is being output
#hdmi_force_hotplug=1

# uncomment to force a specific HDMI mode (this will force VGA)
#hdmi_group=1
#hdmi_mode=1

# uncomment to force a HDMI mode rather than DVI. This can make audio work in
# DMT (computer monitor) modes
#hdmi_drive=2

# uncomment to increase signal to HDMI, if you have interference, blanking, or
# no display
#config_hdmi_boost=4

# uncomment for composite PAL
#sdtv_mode=2

#uncomment to overclock the arm. 700 MHz is the default.
#arm_freq=800

# Uncomment some or all of these to enable the optional hardware interfaces
#dtparam=i2c_arm=on
#dtparam=i2s=on
#dtparam=spi=on

# Uncomment this to enable the lirc-rpi module
#dtoverlay=lirc-rpi

# Additional overlays and parameters are documented /boot/overlays/README

# Enable audio (loads snd_bcm2835)
dtparam=audio=on
#dtoverlay=vc4-kms-v3d
gpu_mem=128

[gkreidl]

If the frame buffer has a different size than the HW resolution you will alway run into this problem, because omxplayer uses the HW screen resolution and the GUI uses the frame buffer resolution.

Usually you can set the TV from its menu to use the full screen without having to use overscan at all. It's just different on each TV how to set it up.