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What is MotionBox ?

MotionBox is now on the Handmade network, that's really cool and all... But what *is* MotionBox exactly ?

That's a tough question to answer. Mostly because MotionBox is a true innovation: something unique and new.

It's not like "Google video" nor a "Youtube" desktop application.
In fact I cannot define it with a comparison to what already exists.

It's a Video Browser, a software designed to access and traverse videos on the Internet.
Sounds abstract ? Let me give you analogy: it's a browser that accesses videos directly instead of webpages.

More importantly it's Free Software designed to serve your best interest as a user.
It's not going to spy on you, it's not going to force advertising or a preroll of any kind.
It lets you play video resources directly instead of "being played" through some obscure JavaScript API.

Sounds too good to be true ? Just check the code: http://omega.gg/sources.

Get your own build right here: http://omega.gg/MotionBox/get.

Let me share 3 videos that shows the software at its current state. Maybe it will get a tad clearer that way :-)...


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Any thoughts ? Questions ?

Go ahead and post it down here !

P34C3.
Lachlan Easton,
I've only used it for about 10 minutes now but I think you're onto something really special. Seriously, this is fantastic.
One thing I'm missing from YouTube is the ability to change the playback speed by x1.25, x1.5, and x2.0 (without making it sound like chipmunks). I was about to say I miss my subscription feed but just having each sub as a playlist might be alright.
Other than that, this is one of the best user experiences I've had in a long time.
Simon Anciaux,
Can we have zip instead of an installer ?
Jeremiah Goerdt,
I just want to reiterate how excited I am to get my hands on this. You've made something truly amazing and game-changing imo. The more I can get away from the terrible, scummy, ad-ridden web, the better.

As soon as there is a solid Linux port, I'm all over this. You rock
Jeroen van Rijn,
RJTracer
I've only used it for about 10 minutes now but I think you're onto something really special. Seriously, this is fantastic.
One thing I'm missing from YouTube is the ability to change the playback speed by x1.25, x1.5, and x2.0 (without making it sound like chipmunks). I was about to say I miss my subscription feed but just having each sub as a playlist might be alright.
Other than that, this is one of the best user experiences I've had in a long time.

I think that missing playback speed option is because MotionBox uses libvlc for playback. It can speed videos up, but it does nothing about the audio, so you do get the chipmunks. Maybe bunjee could consider support for the libmpv backend as found in MPV. It does have that ability, and - in my experience - it also has better hardware decoding support.

That said, I'm quite excited about this project. We didn't make it a featured project for nothing :)
Benjamin Arnaud, Edited by Benjamin Arnaud on
@RJTracer: Thank you for the feedback and your kind words ! Feels great having you using the software and enjoying it. People start *grasping* the concept of "Video Browsing": that's completely new for me and it's exciting.

Let me answer your questions:
1. Playback speed is already there in Sky kit (qreal speed). It's just not exposed yet by MotionBox. I would like to add that soon.

2. There is currently a "subscription hack" with Youtube. Just click on the "SUBSCRIPTIONS" caption (not the button) on the left menu bar. Then you scroll down until you get "Export to RSS readers". Clicking on "Export subscriptions" creates an XML files with your subscriptions.

MotionBox supports HTML / XML and text files. Just drag and drop the exported XML and it will extract every playlist from it.

That's another cool thing you get when using a Video Browser.
Benjamin Arnaud, Edited by Benjamin Arnaud on
@mrmixer: There you go friend: http://motionbox.handmade.network...tionbox/MotionBox-1.1.1-win32.zip.

Having portable zip pack is convenient. I might add that on the MotionBox download page eventually.

Note: At the moment it breaks the updating process. You'll just have to download a newer version manually.
Benjamin Arnaud, Edited by Benjamin Arnaud on
@CaptainKraft: The main issue I have with web browsers is the fact that they try to do *everything*.
From a design standpoint how could I make a good job at designing anything if I try to do everything ?
With MotionBox I focus a 100% on videos. Hopefully I will make a better job at delivering on that part :-) !

The linux port is on my top 3 list. But, I want to deliver on the torrent streaming first.
Maybe someone will help before I get to it. The code is GPLv3 after all !

Thanks for the feedback and sweet words. Means a lot and it's motivating.
Benjamin Arnaud, Edited by Benjamin Arnaud on
@Kelimion: That's correct about libVLC. You might get chipmunks while staying audible.

libVLC is currently the only video backend in Sky kit. That being say, I would love having libmpv or GStreamer in the future.
It would be pretty good to switch from one video backend to the other, when the video experience is not perfect.
That being said, I want to avoid having an endless pile of dependencies. I guess it would optional if not needed.

In any case, I'm pretty open for contributions on that side. The backend base class is pretty straightforward.

Again, many thanks for pushing MotionBox on the HMN. Feels like home already.
Benjamin Arnaud, Edited by Benjamin Arnaud on
I think that missing playback speed option is because MotionBox uses libvlc for playback. It can speed videos up, but it does nothing about the audio, so you do get the chipmunks.

@Kelimion: Just tested with the latest VLC and you don't seem to get chipmunks. The pitch seems to be the proper one. Looking forward to implement this in the MotionBox GUI.
Jeroen van Rijn,
bunjee
@Kelimion: Just tested with the latest VLC and you don't seem to get chipmunks. The pitch seems to be the proper one. Looking forward to implement this in the MotionBox GUI.
Ah, awesome sauce. Hopefully it has improved hardware acceleration as well, so it's on par with playback in MPV for CPU usage.

I'll keep in mind the invitation to add another backend ;-) I wouldn't mind it, but I doubt I'll be able to find the time in the foreseeable future.