VLC Dev Projects

This is a list of small independent improvements to VLC for which we are looking for interested developers, because we simply don't have enough time.

These do not require advanced knowledge of VLC internals but they can still vastly improve many parts of VLC

For each project, we list a contact person, who knows the subject best and who will be able to assist you if you are interested in working on these. We generally are very often present on irc.videolan.org, chan #videolan, so please don't hesitate to drop by or to send a mail if you are interested in a given problem (our mail adresses are generally <nick>@videolan.org).

We also have a number of "easy" bugs. You can check them out here

Network

RTCP support

Our RTSP implementation (for broadcasting and video on demand) does not support the RTCP protocol. This is a must to have a real support for RTSP. Some work has already been started, but there is still much to do.

Contact: JPSaman

IGMPv3 support

Changes to VLC to use the IGMPv3 API.

Source Specific Multicast (SSM) uses IGMP version 3 to allow the receiver to send an IGMP host report to the last-hop router to specify both the multicast group that receiver wants to listen to as well as the specific source transmitting to that multicast group. Currently VLC supports IGMPv2 which only specifies the multicast group. Without source information, multicast deployment to the home has been delayed for a number of reasons, primarily because PIM-Sparse Mode in the internet (across different ISPs) is rather complicated. SSM eliminates the routing complication.

The definition of the API can be found at: http://rfc.net/rfc3678.html

Windows XP, Linux 2.6 and all versions of Unix that support KAME (kame.net), including NetBSD and FreeBSD support IGMPv3. MacOSX does not in 10.4 but "should" in 10.5.

SSM will allow content providers anywhere in the world to simultaneously reach receivers anywhere else in the world.

IGMPv3 is required to support AMT.

Additional information can be found here: http://ietf.org/html.charters/mboned-charter.html

AMT support

Automatic Multicast Tunneling. (AMT) is currently being developed to provide multicast service to networks that do not have IP multicast enabled. Multicast enable service providers will deploy AMT relays. Multicast gateways (which can be a host such as a PC running Windows or Linux) use an anycast address to locate the gateway and set up a tunnel between the relay and the gateway. The relay then joins toward the multicast source using the standard mechanisms. The hope is that as more and more multicast is deployed, these tunnels will no longer be required. Service providers that find themselves supporting many tunnels will have the incentive to deploy native multicast.

Details can be found: http://ietf.org/internet-drafts/draft-ietf-mboned-auto-multicast-06.txt

Inputs

DVB support for Windows

DVB is the norm for :

• Digital Terrestrial TV (aka DVB-T)
• Digital Cable TV (aka DVB-C)
• Digital Satellite TV (aka DVB-S)

Several DVB input cards exist. We support these on Linux, but not on Windows. For Windows, we need to support so-called BDA drivers.

The problem is that we don't have both the time and the required hardware on Windows comps.

This project is probably not terribly complex, but you need the hardware.

Contacts:

• DVB specialists Meuuh JPSaman Dnumgis
• Windows specialist Quovodis

V4L2 support

VLC currently has a pvr module and a v4l (video for linux) module. However

• some cards are only supported in the new v4l2 API
• The linux kernel will soon drop v4l support

So if someone could update VLC's current modules to work with V4L2 and the new ivtv api, this would be a welcome addition. This is not a very difficult project, but you will need to have the hardware to test against.

Video

DirectX 9 video output

DirectX 9 features some improvements that we could use in our video output

Contact: Quovodis

Improvements to the X11 video output

Fullscreen support to improve .

Interfaces

Streaming profiles

This is a big subject, that has barely started. Interested persons will need to work closely with existing developers to implement this. Not much information is available yet. The idea is to make streaming very easy, and yet powerful by using parametrable profiles. These could be used either by the graphical interfaces or through HTTP/command line interfaces

Contact: Zorglub

Playlist

Improved Podcast support

Our current podcast support is very weak. We can read them, but that's all. We need a real infrastructure to handle them correctly. This will require some changes to the playlist code, so you will need to work closely with existing developers.

Contacts: Dionoea Zorglub

Improved ASX support

ASX is a playlist format used by Microsoft stuff. We can read it but we could do much better. More information is available at https://trac.videolan.org/vlc/ticket/20

Contact: Dnumgis

Disc probing

We currently have some miscellaneous code to detect discs (DVDs, Audio CDs, ...) but it's a bit scattered and it could be used much better in the playlist.

Contact: Zorglub

Live folders

Some programs support so-called live folders. You add a folder to the playlist, and if the files in the folder are changed, the changes are copied to the playlist.

Having this would of course be great :)

It might require some work to be able to do this in Linux, Windows and OS X, but the current developers will of course be able to help on these.

Contacts: Zorglub The DJ

Misc

Subtitles autodetection

Our current subtitles autodetection feature is not very good, and far behind some other implementations.

The key problems should be identified and fixed. We already know we have many problems with encoding, but the detection features themselves seem to be weak.

We should also enable the subtitles when they are detected

Contact: Yoann

DBUS Integration

DBUS is a communication mechanism for Linux (mainly).

We would like VLC to be able to use it so that other programs can interact with vlc (start/stop, know what is being played, ...)

Contact: Xtophe

Audioscrobbler

A Audioscrobbler VLC Plug-in for the social music network Last.Fm
This is an idea, as unless it is an easy project i do not have the knowledge. Protocol Info