Suggestions for Media Browser

[Jollity]

We have a directory full of video and music clips gathered from various sources. We want to make it easy for staff and students to find what they are looking for by grouping clips into categories, where a clip may be in multiple categories (eg "year 1", "year 3" "science", etc.), and providing a description of the clip. A built-in media player and easy to use search through descriptions would be good too.

So we are looking for something like the iTunes or Windows Media Player media library, but stripped down, locked down, and designed for use by multiple users. Anyone have any ideas?

Currently one of our staff is maintaining a set of HTML pages that provide a simple way to navigate the clips, but this is rather limited and a considerable effort to maintain.

[Jollity]

No one? I am surprised because this seems like something that ought to exist somewhere! If I were to get around to building one myself, is it something that anyone else would be interested in?

I was wondering whether any VLEs have some kind of media browser built in.

[dhicks]

If I were to get around to building one myself, is it something that anyone else would be interested in? I was wondering whether any VLEs have some kind of media browser built in.

What kind of solution were you thinking of? I've previously written a (now unavailable) system that used fileystem hard links to index and de-duplicate images placed on a server. This meant that users could shovel images from camera memory cards straight on to the server and not worry about whether the picture was already on there or not. It also meant you could see each indexed group of images as a file share, so you could go to a folder in Windows explorer and see your images, I also had some code that produced a nice HTML thumbnail browsing page for each set of images and let the user sort through them on the browser.

This system could do with re-writing and updating to handle video and sound. It could also do with a dedicated means of getting images to the server - I'm thinking memory card reading stations of some kind or simply a camera with wireless connectivity. Rather than write an add-on for a VLE I'd write a stand-alone system that supports being used as a repository from a VLE. Once you have the base system in place you can all sorts of handy features - produce printed materials from templates, photo/video editing and so on.

[p858snake]

Videos? What about phpMotion?

[liamvaughan]

We have a directory full of video and music clips gathered from various sources. We want to make it easy for staff and students to find what they are looking for by grouping clips into categories, where a clip may be in multiple categories (eg "year 1", "year 3" "science", etc.), and providing a description of the clip. A built-in media player and easy to use search through descriptions would be good too.

So we are looking for something like the iTunes or Windows Media Player media library, but stripped down, locked down, and designed for use by multiple users. Anyone have any ideas?

Currently one of our staff is maintaining a set of HTML pages that provide a simple way to navigate the clips, but this is rather limited and a considerable effort to maintain.

Hello,

I use to use something called "Fire Fly" this allows you to make a machine a media server and ITunes dose connect to it, its worth a look there also use to be a web interface to it where you could browse via IE

[exim]

Videos? What about phpMotion?

very buggy at the moment. More trouble that it's worth from my experience; incorrect aspect ratios, long processing time and no guarantee files will process at all etc.

[ianniow]

I have set subsonic up at home and considering for work. Web based for clients

[Jollity]

What kind of solution were you thinking of?

Now you're asking. I have only rough ideas. I was thinking of a web application backed by a database. A fairly simple user interface with list of tags down hand side, selection of which brings up a list of titles to browse through. Clicking on a title shows a detailed description and embedded player window. Exactly what is displayed depends on the type of resource: if possible an HTML or flash based player is used, for the some of our videos we would need to use something like the windows media player embedded player. I would also include the potential for things like web links and youtube embeds to be resources. Ideally it would be a plugin architecture allowing people to add additional types of resource.

I've previously written a (now unavailable) system that used fileystem hard links to index and de-duplicate images placed on a server. This meant that users could shovel images from camera memory cards straight on to the server and not worry about whether the picture was already on there or not. It also meant you could see each indexed group of images as a file share, so you could go to a folder in Windows explorer and see your images, I also had some code that produced a nice HTML thumbnail browsing page for each set of images and let the user sort through them on the browser.

That sounds nifty. Not quite what I was thinking of, but definitely similar. I had not thought of using hard links - I will admit that they make me nervous.

Rather than write an add-on for a VLE I'd write a stand-alone system that supports being used as a repository from a VLE. Once you have the base system in place you can all sorts of handy features - produce printed materials from templates, photo/video editing and so on.

I do not any practical experience with VLEs. Is there a standard for a repository interface?

[Jollity]

Thank you to everyone who replied, I will have a look at the suggestions.

Subsonic does look particularly neat. I am not yet sure if it will do what we want, but the potential for streaming a home music collection to a smart phone is a really nice idea.

[Arthur]

I am surprised because this seems like something that ought to exist somewhere!

MediaCore?

[Jollity]

MediaCore?

Ooh, most promising so far. Certainly have to give that one a try.