Category Archives: Software

VidLoop 1.4.18 is out on Adobe AIR Marketplace

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Just like the sign says… VidLoop 1.4.18 is out on Adobe AIR Marketplace.

It’s been a year since I released the initial version (built over last Thanksgiving holiday) and have been working on some revisions in the past few weeks with the intention of getting this new version out as an anniversary marking. Looks like I made it!

VidLoop

The new version adds the following features:

  • You can now present SWF files within a loop
  • VidLoop automatically rescans directories at startup and shutdown
  • You can choose to have a loop start automatically
  • I rewrote the transitions mechanism
  • Fixed some directory parsing bugs and other junk

I’m not claiming the thing is perfect or even rock-solid, but after receiving feature requests and thanks from many people regarding the usefulness of this little app… I think it deserves some continued support.

Flash Builder: Wrong Debug Player!

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Every once in a while, Flash Builder loses its mind when I attempt to debug a project and tells me that I don’t have a debug version of Flash Player on my machine. I do… FB is just crazy. Right.

Debug
Sometimes it’s looking at the player running in the browser, in which case I just need to perform a debug player install from:
http://www.adobe.com/support/flashplayer/downloads.html

Other times, it’ll be pissed off about the player used by Flash Professional at:
C:\Program Files (x86)\Adobe\Adobe Flash CS4\Players

I’ve found a pretty foolproof (for me) way to fix this secondary problem. Just grab FlashPlayer.exe from:
C:\Program Files (x86)\Adobe\Adobe Flash Builder {such and such release}\player\win

Copy this into the Flash Pro location, restart FB, and you should be good.

Don’t know why this happens from time to time… but it’s happened enough that I feel the need to document it- at least for myself.

LiveStreamer AIR Application

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I wrote a new AIR app called LiveStreamer available now via the Adobe AIR Marketplace.

This started as a simple mechanism to display a live RTMP stream from Flash Media Server to a client machine and related projection system. So… not for broadcast over the web- just sending a live stream from one physical location to another.

While developing the application, I came across the need to test an RTMP stream and it was so simple using this app that I decided to expand it. In the current version (0.9.0), it will accept RTMP and HTTP streams- just type in the URL and you can easily test it in order to verify that it is correct before trying to publish anything on a website or whatnot. You can also use it as a fullscreen projection or display mechanism as was originally intended.

If you have some FLVs or MP4s or whatnot on your local machine- you can just drag those into the app to watch them. I’m thinking about adding some playback controls and other options a bit later.

LiveStreamer

Application for display of video streams via RTMP, HTTP, or local filesystem. Just drag in a file or enter a stream address and away we go!

At the University of Denver, we have built a good number of AIR applications at this point. Some are internal data management tools, others are full, complex, private applications such as the VPS Projection system, and then we have small utility apps like this which others may also find some use for. These we make available to others free of charge as part of our community outreach.

Windows 7 RC Impressions

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Unlike the majority of reports out there, I’ve never had a major problem with Windows Vista. The two big problems I have had are in regard to the difficulty in taking ownership of files and directories even when logged in as an admin, and the initial lack of drivers. The first problem is remedied with some basic re-education, and the second issue has been resolved for some time now due to availability. My only major gripe is not with Windows but lies in the fact that Microsoft feels the need to stick its nose into everything under the sun (Silverlight, for example). Windows Vista has been a fine experience for me in the three years I’ve been using it.

I’ve been using the Windows 7 beta on my laptop since it was released months ago, and recently switched to the RC build. I’m very impressed with the changes from Vista- so much so, that I’ve now upgraded my home office machine to the Windows 7 RC. This is no small step as I’m dependent on this system for all my consulting, development, and audio production duties. This is how much I favor Windows 7 over Vista- it is such a refined user experience, overall. The reliability and speed improvements on older machines are a huge plus as well… that laptop I mentioned previously was purchased in 2004.

Here’s a short video demonstrating some niceties in my current environment:

Get the Flash Player to see this content.

VidLoop at the AIR Marketplace

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There are two items to note here.

AIR Marketplace

Firstly, Adobe has done an awesome job updating the AIR Marketplace to be much more organized that the previous version. Very nice presentation.

Second, my VidLoop AIR application has been approved and is now live at the AIR Marketplace. Very Nice!

There are a lot of great apps there for download or purchase – check it out.