Unsupported Raspberry Python Xibo client - We may help you!

@MedusaDelft this thread is about support for the original RPi hence my comments. If we could keep discussion about future development in the other thread that would be really helpful

Well, Iā€™d say the new player has more priority than interactive signage - so in a way animation does have more priority :smile: perhaps you could open a feature topic about what you want to see animation wise? We can then dig in

One thing that I did and is working very well is to call local pages, running in a local Apache.
So for instance, my product has what I call Youplugy.com.br news. So like any other signage solution, I wanted to present the last news from RSS, but also you want something fancy, with some specific layout for Economy, sports, etc.

So I installed a local Apache (could be within the same network, but for now Im using local) and in the Xibo I added to my layout a page, something like: http://localhost/page.html

And I have a daemon application running on Rasp, that from time to time, once a day, whatever, connects to my source and create LOCAL .html pages, and also a script that use some random logic to create the page.html with different content every X minutesā€¦

That way inside the Xibo layout, my loop has some contents coming from Xibo but others that are html5 pages, with supports for some CSS Transitions and I can present my news and other dynamic content.
I kinda found a way to use Xibo to support that idea and it is working very well.

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Few days ago, I installed Ubuntu 12.0.4 in my vmware and did some tests regarding how the network impacts Xibo python client.

For those who dont know, in the vmware you can set the % of failed network packages into a specific vm.
Basically I proved that in some situations, when Xibo client is able to connect to CMS, than you change a layout in an environment with network slowness or packets error, Xibo client can hung, I mean, It continue working, but it will never update the layout, or in some situations it will create 0 size files when GetFile fails.
So one of the workarounds I did, is changing the file Xibo/plugins/media/ImageMedia.py , removing the creating of thumb (reducing file to 0.95% of its size would not matter here).

In parallel I will continue debugging code to find out how Xibo client can ā€œrefreshā€ and try again like it does during start up process, so it will re-download files or refresh layouts after a problem with network.

Actually if you consider raspberry with a small wifi dongle, this is a situation that may happen. It does not applies to cable network connectionsā€¦

Disabling the thumbnailing can be done with a configuration option (from memory) but then you will almost certainly crash it as soon as you load in an image which requires more video ram than your device has available. Thatā€™s why the client always resamples to ensure that doesnā€™t happen.

Hi Ricardo and all:

I really want to try Xibo on Raspberry Pi, but the need for this is right now. I already buy the latest Pi (Raspberry Pi 2 Model B) but i canā€™t wait some months until gettinā€™ It into production, so my first question is -in order to get it working today- about the hardware, what do i have to buy, speaking ā€œXibo on Raspberry Piā€ (with 2015/todayā€™s working-hardware)?

Please, insert a buy-List so iā€™ll buy those at once:

Hardware
Raspberry Pi + case - Model?
SD-Card - Model, Capacity?
Charger - Model?
Something else?

Software (Download):
?
?

Greetings! (and THX!)

/Rodrigo

Hey Rodrigo,
you can go to http://rpiserver.breggen.nl/ and download initial images for your pi. They were created by one of the raspberry forum masters, Hellbenderā€¦ the guy is awesomeā€¦

anyway, besides it I would go to 8gb SD card (any model but with the fastest class would be better)
Charger = any source with micro usb connector that can give to the pi at least 0.8 to 1Amp

Also an hdmi cable or composite to connect it to monitors. I would go for that.

Hi Ricardo and all,

Thx Ricardo fƶr your help, but I did it to the end on Raspberry Pi 2 model B (xibo 1.6 on ubuntu 14.04)!

Success!

Balmonds image (Raspbian with Xibo client):

https://www.raspberrypi.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=41&t=25929&start=525

Greetings!

/Rodrigo

Hello Rodrigo!

did you run xibo on raspberry pi2?
did you use balmods image?

i tried with balmods image, but i still have some problems with actualisation of the clients contentā€¦

or did you install ubuntu and the xibo client?

greetings, didi

Hi Didi, i did actually install Balmonds image, i have not problem with the actualisations of the clients but i have some serious problems right now with The Xibo Client stopping showing the layouts after a while . . . sometimes even at login the layouts donā€™t play and some other times it plays for a long time but then -after some hours- the Xibo player stops showing the layouts (maybe libavg problem?). My other problem is that i canā€™t see the Xibo layout showing at VNC, i can access the RPI with VNC at the same session/desktop showing via the LCD screen (settings ā€œ:0ā€ at x11vncserver), but the layer with the Xibo player shows just as a black picture (this black picture shows via VNC even when the Xibo layout stopped showing the contents, so I can not know via the VNC if the layouts are actually showing or not), so, it doesnā€™t show the Xibo layout via VNC. I want to keep testing Xibo with RPI, but i must postpone the idea to put it into production this month. I am thinking workaround it with some Xibo Offline client or something like that ā€¦

I am hopping right now for some serious hack /debug (anyone?) giving us some more stable result with the XiboClient.py because is gonna happend, the question is when? Iā€™m keeping testing, so long!

Greetings! /Rodrigo

VNC wonā€™t show the screen because libavg is effectively a video overlay rendering direct to graphics card memory so screen scrapers canā€™t see the output.

The Python client isnā€™t going to be fixed because the libraries it uses where the majority of the issues come from arenā€™t being developed any more and itā€™s too much work to take those projects on as well.

Hi Alex, thank you for your reply. Can you please confirm then if Xibo for Raspberry Pi is working now, 2015, without problems, for most users? I mean, those problems with the Xibo Client stopping suddenly showing the layouts, is it something happening for some users or for most users using XiboClient.py at the Raspberry Pi, right now?

Thx! Greetings from Rodrigo

@Rodrigo No it isnā€™t. Itā€™s not supported. Itā€™s not powerful enough. Itā€™s an awful choice of hardware and as far as Iā€™m concerned will never ever be supported. I have been crystal clear on this from day one.

Others have built images claiming support but they all barely work, and are buggy. Donā€™t use them unless you are willing to deal with that yourself.

Also the Linux client is unsupported and undeveloped. Please see the notice on the Xibo website that explains the reasons behind that.

OK, I know now! Thank you again. Greetings, /Rodrigo

hi rodrigo!

i also hoped that someone will get to work xibo ona raspberry pi2, but i fear that wont happen that soon.
alltough i prefer raspberry and linux to android, i think i will buy an android device and buy the client. its not much more expensive then the raspi, but cheaper then a windows client.

but if one time the client works on raspi without bugs, i will prefer that :slight_smile:

Hey @ricardogil,

Thanks for all your help,

I have a difficult question how did you manage to give the client to monitor the ad? time and where is being played.

thanks

Hey,
basically you should focus into stat table. So considering your Xibo Client sends Stats messages to Xibo Server, showing start/end time of each media, you can handle that later, reading the table and create your own reports.

It is important to manage the IDs of your Displays / Laytouts / Campaings in a way you know how to group that the right way.
Please let me know if that helps and if not I will be around to help.
Thanks!

thanks Gil, i understand, but iā€™ll nee dto hire someone to do this for me :stuck_out_tongue:

many thanks

Hello everybody,

I really like Xibo and Im thinking of using this commercially in my project.
Iā€™m currently testing Xibo 1.6.0 Python version (with CMS 1.6.0) on Raspberry Pi 2 Model B 1GB.
Everything works without problems, but no video.

Video is slow and itā€™s lagging. Sample is here : https://vimeo.com/139255289
**ā€“**Is possible to somehow play HD video on this client??

**ā€“**If there is no way to play HD video on the Python client, would help install another OS to Raspberry ?
**ā€“**Windows with Win Client or Android to Rpi?

**ā€“**Is an option to use another cheap device like Rpi, where I can play HD video via Xibo ?

Thank you very much for your answers and sorry for my bad english.

hi Atken,
I have been trying to deploy Xibo client onto my Raspberry Pi 2 B, but not successfully to date particularly on the Chromium installation that failed.
Any chance you could share the who SD card image that is with the Xibo 1.6.0? That will then bring me to the situation where you are at quickly, which means 1 more person to put effort to look into the concerns that you have. :wink:

thanks
John