[Idea] Channels from MediaRSS Feeds

[ctarq]

As of right now, creating channels is pretty simple but often requires a bit of coding and dealing with packaging it for plex and supporting the current version of the API. I propose a simpler method to create simple channels using the yahoo standard MediaRSS



Advantages:

[list]

[] Many sites already support and implement this format

[] Adding sites would be as simple as adding the link to the feed (all miro channels are MRSS feeds)

[] Anyone with any experience in PHP (or any server-sided technology) can scrape content and generate feeds for sites

[] It’d be easy enough to create a Yahoo-Pipes feeds for most sites

Lower barrier to entry for channel development

[/list]



If I wanted to make an IceFilms.info feed for example, I’d just create a PHP script that scrapes their data and returns a list of channels/media (optionslly converting 2shared etc links into directly streamable links for plex, otherwise just return the link and have the user install a channel that handles that url)



To make sure channels are easily discoverable we’d have a main-server that maintains a list of working, high quality channels (alongside user-added ones, either private on their machine, or published to the server after reviewed for quality).



Example requests:

<br />
# All URLs contain an RSS feed<br />
# List all available channels<br />
GET /channels <br />
<br />
# Allow users to publish new feeds to the community<br />
POST /channels/tvlinks<br />
<br />
# Requests the RSS feed to get categories/media under icefilms <br />
# returns channel <link>s<br />
GET /channel/icefilms  - Redirects to -> http://mysite.com/feed_generator/icefilms.rss <br />
<br />
# Examples (link may point to another rss feed or a HTML page containing a RSS feed autodiscovery tag)<br />
# Using media:content, you may provide images for use as background fan art and slide shows<br />
         <item><br />
            <title>Movies</title><br />
            <description>Browse movies from IceFilms</description><br />
            <link>http://mysite.com/feed_generator/icefilms.rss?channel=Movies</link><br />
            <media:thumbnail url="http://example.com/movies.png"><br />
            <media:content url="http://example.com/icefilms_movies_fanart.png"></media:content><br />
          </item><br />
<br />
# Either returns more sub-channel links or <item>s with media:content<br />
GET http://mysite.com/feed_generator/icefilms.rss?channel=movies<br />
GET http://mysite.com/feed_generator/icefilms.rss?video_id=2<br />
<br />
Example video RSS (optional extended rss for plex)<br />
         <item><br />
            <title>Crocodile</title><br />
            <!-- Used to create ShowObject, EpisodeObject, MovieObject, or WebClipObject metadata, optional, otherwise we try to create it from media:* tags --><br />
            <plex:show>Dexter</plex:series><br />
            <plex:episode>1</plex:episode><br />
            <plex:type>episode</plex:episode><br />
            <description>As Dexter stalks his next victim, a drunk driver who is about to be acquitted for vehicular homicide that resulted in the death of a teenage boy, the Ice Truck Killer strikes again and later gets in touch with Dexter. Meanwhile, when a cop is found murdered, Dexter helps Doakes and Debra investigate a crime boss who they believe is responsible.</description><br />
            <link>http://www.icefilms.info/ip.php?v=5537</link><br />
            <media:category scheme="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/category_ schema">music/artist/album/song</media:category><br />
            <media:thumbnail url="http://images.tvrage.com/screencaps/40/7926/408410.jpg"></media:thumbnail><br />
            <media:content url="http://example.com/icefilms_movies_fanart.png" type="image/png"></media:content><br />
            <media:content url="http://www.2shared.com/video/dexter-link-here.html"></media:content><br />
          </item><br />
<br />
<br />
# Use plex's URLServices to handle the link (this example requires a 2shared handler be installed)<br />

The plex extension to mediarss allows for more complete metadata so that when you are browsing episodes from a given channel it will prettier (hopefully a similar experience to actually having the content downloaded to your library).

What do you guys think? Anyone else think this would be a good way to further channel development?

[mikedm139]

I think you present an interesting proposal. The lack of standardization between websites is one of the most time-consuming challenges for channel developers aside from learning the basics of the Channel Framework in the first place. Creating a customizable template that allows users to easily add new channels by finding/creating standardized feeds using tools that they’re already familiar with seems like a great way to create a, as you say, “Lower barrier to entry for channel development”.