Opening Web Stream URL in MM3

[fatherflot]

I wrote to this forum that the "Open URL" button in MM2 did not work at all, so I was urged to switch to MM3 Alpha, but MM3 doesn't even have this button on the player.

How are you supposed to open a URL?

So far the only way I can enter one that is not listed on Shoutcast or Icecast is to use a very ugly workaround using the Amazon.com search function to get to the website of the webcaster in question.

Surely there must be a more simple and elegant way to enter a simple webcast URL!

[rovingcowboy]

oh so you're the one? i had forgot who asked for that.

all my skins for mm 3 have the open button and so do most other skins it is just the default that seems to be missing it.

heres my site url my free host uses pop ups so you need a pop up window killer there unless you like popup windows?

rovingcowboy's skins

once there use the yellow bookmarks. they will open new windows for the skins pages.

the others have thier skins linked on the wiki page for skins.
Media monkeys Wiki V3 page

[fatherflot]

Thanks Roving Cowboy. I downloaded and tried your Hi Fi skin and it does have the load button and it does bring up the box, but just as in MM2, when I put in a valid URL address, nothing happens. Zip, nada, zero.

[Steegy]

The "Open URL" / "Eject" button should be in some menu in any case, hopefully in the near future. Depending on what skin you're using, this button may be available on the player too. This is (in my opinion) a rather important (but 'small') issue, as like it is now, it leaves users in the very dark.

[rovingcowboy]

maybe the feature is turned off until the release of mm 3.

but since it did not work in mm 2? then there must be something broken. which hi fi did you get?

the Esthetic hi fi? or the monkey hi fi tuner?

the monkey hi fi tuner should work so there must be something
in the code broken. or disabled for now?

the esthetic hi fi is a combonation mm 2 and mm 3 skin
and as such there are some mm 3 features or options that do not work. the built in toster pop up info panel is the one that i found but if you got the esthetic hi fi. then maybe this is another option that don't work in the mixed skins.

i am thinking about making that an mm 3 skin only and loseing the full background images. since that is what is causing the options to not work.?

[Steegy]

@fatherflot: please show us what you call a valid URL address.

[fatherflot]

Gladly:


Here are a few:

http://www.wfmu.org/wfmu.pls
http://kuoi.asui.uidaho.edu:8000/kuoi
http://floyd.wcbn.org:8000/wcbn-hi.mp3


Here's the thing. They all work in MM2 and MM3, but the only way I could get them into the playlist was to use the bizarre workaround described above (going to Amazon, using their search engine, finding the website, clicking the stream link). I just don't understand why load URL doesn't work on either MM2 or MM3.

[rovingcowboy]

i can't get them to work in mm 2 at all? and shoutcast only opens with winamp even when i make the pls set to open with monkey?

the load will not work on any of those urls.

[Steegy]

Hmmm. None of my streams (using the Eject button, and using the StreamsTreeNode script) work anymore on MM2.5.5.988.
EDIT: It depends on what input plugins you have (and which plugins are disabled). I got it working again using the in_wmp3.dll plugin (v1.3 with MediaMonkey) and in_mp3.dll (v3.33 from Winamp). The in_mp3.dll plugin can play most of the streams I want (mp3 and aac). The in_wmp3.dll can only play mp3 streams.

With the in_mp3.dll plugin, I can play your 3 streams:
- http://mp3stream.wfmu.org (from the pls file)
- http://kuoi.asui.uidaho.edu:8000/kuoi
- http://floyd.wcbn.org:8000/wcbn-hi.mp3

I haven't tried MM3 yet.
EDIT: Using MM3 (and a player skin that shows the Eject button), I can only play the mp3 streams (not the aac ones, not even using the in_mp3.dll plugin).

[fatherflot]

MM2 has a load URL button but it's useless unless you add a plugin? MM3 doesn't even have the button, although some home-made skins do. Still, the button is useless unless you have a plugin.

This seems counterintuitive to me. I really want to make MM my all-around media application, but this issue is keeping me from buying the gold package.

Why is such a basic function so fraught with all these complications? Opening a URL is the easiest thing in the world with every other media program I've ever used.

[Steegy]

On MM3, the mp3 streams play fine. AAC (mp4, m4a, aac, ...) support is new in MM3, but is apparently not yet finished (it's still an alpha version).

[fatherflot]

I just installed the recommended mp3 plugin and changed my skin to the HiFi skin with the load button. It still does not work. The stream shows up on the now playing list, but it doesn't play.

Again, these are stream addresses that can be added and played using the workaround described above. So they will play, they just cannot be opened directly.

[fatherflot]

You say these streams "play fine" on MM3, but my question is not whether or not they'll play, but how to open them. How did you get your streams to play? Did you use the Shoutcast browser to open them?

[Steegy]

By using the "Eject" button on the player (it might be necessary to doubleclick the added stream in the playlist before it starts playing), or using the StreamsTreeNode script.

[rovingcowboy]

steegy make a list of the plugins you used in conjuction with the mp3 ones to get this working. aka: mad, and others.

maybe the developers should consider this a major bug and work in it. the streams work fine if i use shout cast and use urls other then his. but they wont play in media monkey, only winamp. so i too might be needing something besides them plugins you said.