And now, on to the important stuff. I've finally decided to bite the bullet and make the big leap to VP6-encoded content. Since its inception this station has been running VP3 encoded content. Essentially this is the version of the Shoutcast codec used to convert the videos to be streamed across the web. Almost all of the stations out there use the newer VP6 codecs. However, I've been using the VP3 codec because that's what I started with (the tutorial I used to set up a station used VP3, so that's what I used)
I saw no reason to change it (despite the conventional wisdom saying that the newer codec is better) because in my mind "If it ain't broke, don't fix it". But after Winamp released their newest version last summer, their support for the older VP3 codec has fallen by the wayside. This has resulted in a lot of people being unable to watch the station (without tinkering with the plugins for Winamp, which many people who don't read my blog may not even know is possible) My viewer numbers took a steep nosedive around last summer, almost by 60 percent, and I have a feeling that this codec issue is to blame. I've been waiting for them to fix the issue in a newer version of Winamp, but in about 6 months there hasn't been anything done about it.
So - what does this mean for the station? Well, in essence I have to start from Square One. I have to throw out all the video I already have encoded and uploaded to the station. I have somewhere around 200GB of VP3 encoded movies & TV shows, and that has allowed me to have varied playlists week after week. Unfortunately, it will take me a while to get back to there again.
For now, I'm going to go ahead and start encoding stuff (another reason why I've avoided switching over is that the encoding process takes longer with VP6), and I'll make the switch over some time the week after next. So what I've done is program a DGBS A-Z playlist. One feature for every letter of the alphabet (except 'Q', which I don't have), which I will let play for the next two weeks or so. Then, the new content should be ready, and I'll try to update with new stuff (or re-encoded old stuff) every week.
So bear with me folks. This will be a bit like starting over for me, but in the long run I think it will be a change for the better!
- 200 Motels.1971.Part1.nsv
- 200 Motels.1971.Part2.nsv
- Altered States.1980.Part1.nsv
- Altered States.1980.Part2.nsv
- Altered States.1980.Part3.nsv
- Beastmaster.1982.Part1.nsv
- Beastmaster.1982.Part2.nsv
- Beastmaster.1982.Part3.nsv
- Columbo.The Bye Bye Sky High IQ Murder Case.Part1.nsv
- Columbo.The Bye Bye Sky High IQ Murder Case.Part2.nsv
- Dune.Extended Cut.1984.Part1.nsv
- Dune.Extended Cut.1984.Part2.nsv
- Dune.Extended Cut.1984.Part3.nsv
- Dune.Extended Cut.1984.Part4.nsv
- Evil Dead 2.Dead By Dawn.1987.Part1.nsv
- Evil Dead 2.Dead By Dawn.1987.Part2.nsv
- Freddy vs Jason.2003.Part1.nsv
- Freddy vs Jason.2003.Part2.nsv
- Ghoulies.1985.Part1.nsv
- Ghoulies.1985.Part2.nsv
- Happy Birthday To Me.1981.Part1.nsv
- Happy Birthday To Me.1981.Part2.nsv
- Happy Birthday To Me.1981.Part3.nsv
- Interstella 5555.2003.Part1.nsv
- Interstella 5555.2003.Part2.nsv
- John Leguizamo - Freak.Part1.nsv
- John Leguizamo - Freak.Part2.nsv
- KISS - Attack Of The Phantoms.1978.Part1.nsv
- KISS - Attack Of The Phantoms.1978.Part2.nsv
- Ladyhawke.1985.Part1.nsv
- Ladyhawke.1985.Part2.nsv
- Ladyhawke.1985.Part3.nsv
- Meatballs.1979.Part1.nsv
- Meatballs.1979.Part2.nsv
- Nosferatu.1922.Part1.nsv
- Nosferatu.1922.Part2.nsv
- Our Man Flint.1965.Part1.nsv
- Our Man Flint.1965.Part2.nsv
- Our Man Flint.1965.Part3.nsv
- Phantasm.1979.Part1.nsv
- Phantasm.1979.Part2.nsv
- Richard Pryor - Live In Concert.1979.Part1.nsv
- Richard Pryor - Live In Concert.1979.Part2.nsv
- Spaceballs.1987.Part1.nsv
- Spaceballs.1987.Part2.nsv
- Trading Places.1983.Part1.nsv
- Trading Places.1983.Part2.nsv
- Trading Places.1983.Part3.nsv
- Uncle Buck.1989.Part1.nsv
- Uncle Buck.1989.Part2.nsv
- Voltron.Defender Of The Universe.Part 1.nsv
- Voltron.Defender Of The Universe.Part 2.nsv
- Voltron.Defender Of The Universe.Part 3.nsv
- Voltron.Defender Of The Universe.Part 4.nsv
- Voltron.Defender Of The Universe.Part 5.nsv
- Wonder Woman.1975.Part1.nsv
- Wonder Woman.1975.Part2.nsv
- X-Ray.1982.Part1.nsv
- X-Ray.1982.Part2.nsv
- You Only Live Twice.1967.Part1.nsv
- You Only Live Twice.1967.Part2.nsv
- Zombie Island Massacre.1984.Part1.nsv
- Zombie Island Massacre.1984.Part2.nsv
8 comments:
good luck with the swapover; seems like massive work! (btw are you 100% certain that you can't just use both codecs in the stream? i.e.: vp3 & vp6 items intermixed?)
i offer to help you with the encoding grind-work, but i don't see any efficient way to move the large files back & forth quickly. (same reason i haven't offered to send anything from my collection; otherwise i've got a handful of films that might be dbgs-worthy)
one question: do you have any info on how compatible vp6 is with vlc (or etc.) on ubuntu<debian<linux (with freely-available codecs)? most .nsv streams work fine on here, but there are a handful of stations that fail to display the video, even though the sound is fine.
or, simpler question: you mentioned that most of the stations are on vp6 now; could you list a few, & i'll test them for compatibility (& report back, if you're interested)
in any case; hope everything is going well, happy chinese new year of the water dragon, & thank-you for the effort!
:)
Thanks - I appreciate the offer to help with the encoding, but it just means instead of encoding overnight one day a week (for the new weekend content) I'll have to do it 2-3 nights a week. Not a huge deal since I do it while I sleep - it's more about actually remembering to do it before I go to bed!
As far as vp3/vp6 intermixing, unfortunately, according to an experiment I tried a couple weekends ago, any difference in the video content will cause the stream to disconnect, and you have to reconnect. I discovered this way back when I first started, because stuff I had was at different frame rates, and that caused a similar problem. So, it's either all or nothing.
I've taken a look at some of the other streams in my bookmarks, but the only one I can confirm using vp6.1 (which is the same codec I'll be using) is the MST3k station (http://99.198.118.250:8010;stream.nsv) If you can watch that one, chances are mine will be OK.
Right now I'm wrestling with finished file sizes. The FTP I use to transfer files has issues with files above 160 MB, and a finished movie is somewhere around 180-300 MB. This is why the movies are all split into parts (usually no larger than 50 minutes). This new encoding process actually produces larger files, maxing out around 190 MB, which could be a problem when it comes to uploading them. I'm still trying out different combinations and audio formats to try to see if I can't compress the files better, but we'll see.
Anyhow, I'll keep you posted as to what's going on and when we can expect the new format to take over. Right now I'm shooting for around 2-3 weeks into February - perhaps sooner. I have some cool stuff in the wings, including lots of TV shows. Keep watching!
Thanks for posting the other stream because I was wondering if I'd still be able to view the new vp6 codec. I am using VLC vs 1.1.11 and it works just fine. I didn't want to go back to Winamp.
Hey, good luck with the swap hope everything goes as painlessly as possible.
Couple of suggestions to throw into the codec grinder. 'Real Men', and 'The Man with One Red Shoe'. Probably the most palatable work from the 'other' Belushi, god help me I've seen him sing live.
Where did you originally come across that WotW musical? That soundtrack is ridiculously catchy, the wife and I hum that thing too often. I felt bad for the soldier stuck with 'build it again' song, jc how high/tired/rushed was the guy who penned that piece o' crap?
While I'm ranting(about obscure crap hardly anyone's seen)... How lame/weird/bizarre is the singer's audition dance in phantom of the paradise? IMNSHO the most jaw-droppingly terrible moment in the history of Depalma's career, not the movie, that scene.
@Transmute!
Thanks for the suggestions. I'll have to see if I can track down those movies. I remember "Real Men", but it's been ages since I've seen "Red Shoe". I've been meaning to start checking out some of the Goodwill places around here for VHS tapes I can rip for more obscure stuff, but time isn't on my side these days.
Regarding War Of The Worlds, the first time I heard that was on Halloween night, when the local radio station played it during a late night drive home from work. It always stuck with me, and I ended up buying the album. Years later, for the anniversary, they revived it as a live musical, and that's where the stage show came from. The Artilleryman's part was orginally played by British teen idol David Essex, so I guess the part was kind of appropriate for him at the time. Doesn't translate very well for whomever played him in the stage show. Also of note, you of course have Justin Hayward of Moody Blues playing the singing voice of the Journalist, but you also have Chris Thompson from Manfred Mann's Earth Band singing 'Thunderchild', both of whom reprise their role in the stage show. The original Parson Nathaniel was sung/played by Phil Lynott of Thin Lizzy, who unfortunately died in 1986.
And regarding 'Phantom'... That movie is awesome, but ridiculously dated, and I would imagine that at the time that's was a very hip dance step.
On the changeover front - I'm about 1/4 of the way through a big chunk of stuff I'm recoding. I'm going to try to have some stuff up this weekend, but most of it will have to wait until the following week, depending on how things go.
just a quick question/observation:
"dune" seems to have disappeared from the rotation?
the last 2 cycles at least, it's gone straight from columbo to evil dead...
OOps! I accidentally deleted it when I was purging all the other VP3 content from the Library. Sorry about that. I'll make Dune a priority to re-encode and get back up on the station ASAP.
I already have a whole weekend of new stuff ready, and I'll have another playlist of stuff (some old, some new) ready to start Monday. The switchover to VP3 to VP6 will occur sometime early Saturday morning!
*likes & g+'s the above comment* xD
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