What Player for Mac?

chkman · Post by **chkman** » Thu Nov 24, 2005 3:18 pm

Hey Macsters,

What does the Mac have for a built-in media player? Anything? I've lead a sheltered life and only know the world of the PC.

In setting up this GA thing I ran across a VB reference to the WiMP which I can put on a form. It runs G-Force! It would make it easy to set up a view and vote form. However, it is also possible to have WiMP embeded in a web page. But what comes up on a Mac? I don't want to exclude any Macsters from the voting. But you gotta tell me more.

Andy, if you're listening, I added a reference to GFORCE_WMPLib to my program. But the object browser shows absolutely no methods or properties. Could you please open one up to run a named script? That would help a lot.

Truus · Post by **Truus** » Thu Nov 24, 2005 3:45 pm

The build-in musicplayer is iTunes, didn't you really know this

I use in iTunes G-Force platinum and also SoundSpectrum darkroom and now with my iPod Video I'm off of the street, check my homepage

chkman · Post by **chkman** » Thu Nov 24, 2005 6:19 pm

No, I really didn't know.

Checked your page. I see you are equipped for sound.

I was going to ask you to check a page. It would play a small MP3 and on the PC, WiMP will come up. But it won't play G-Force! The properties menu talks about Plugins but the lists are empty. So it might be a moot point whether or not iTunes will run G-Force within a web page.

I was trying to add iTunes directly to the page but that's not working either.

I think I could include WiMP with G-Force in an ActiveX control but those won't run on a Mac I'm pretty sure.

Well, I won't spend any more time on it now. The testers will have to Run G-Force separately from the web page.

Thanks for your help.

chkman · Post by **chkman** » Thu Dec 15, 2005 10:41 am

Okay I need some more help with the Macintosh.

Here is a test page that has the default media player embedded. On a PC it is usually WiMP but I was suprised to see QuickTime come up here at work.

http://gforce.gatlight.com/GA/script/mactest.htm

Anyway, what I need is a Mac user to tell me if they can get G-Force to run in the media player (probably iTunes) in this web page. And if so, will it start again automatically when you refresh the page?

I also need to know if the Mac has anything equivalent to the batch file on the PC. Additionally, is there an FTP program that comes with the Mac that could run an FTP script?

I am trying to avoid as much donkey work as possible in implementing these GA tests as per topic:

http://forums.soundspectrum.com/viewtop ... c80e4d5b13

BTW, we are getting close to having the server running. G-Force 3.1 is supposed to be done this week so I'll know what configs we can test with. Probably have parallel tests including the extras as well.

Truus · Post by **Truus** » Thu Dec 15, 2005 2:41 pm

I read just your post and I think (I'm not sure, cause I have here no Windows PC), why download you not iTunes for Windows?
May be works G-Force, I really don't know, the only thing I know that iTunes for Mac have a build in visualisation, may be in the Windows version also. You can go to http://www.apple.com/itunes/download/ and check the Windows Requirements. I hope that it works

bsk · Post by **bsk** » Thu Dec 15, 2005 3:19 pm

[quote="chkman"]Anyway, what I need is a Mac user to tell me if they can get G-Force to run in the media player (probably iTunes) in this web page. And if so, will it start again automatically when you refresh the page?[/quote]

Hi chkman

On my Mac the sound file runs under Quicktime - the same when refreshed.

Bernard

chkman · Post by **chkman** » Thu Dec 15, 2005 3:58 pm

Thanks for the replies.

Truus,

I am planning on using WiMP for the page (for PCs) because with FrontPage I can add it as an 'advanced' control or somesuch and it will start WiMP with G-Force as the visualizer (if you have it installed for WiMP). I am unable at this time to do the same with iTunes.
The test page is using a simple embed command and the WiMP will not do visualization. I was hoping iTunes would show G-Force on the Mac.

Bernard,
Thanks for trying. It doesn't look like G-Force will run in QuickTime, at least it's not listed as being supported. And I don't see visulization in QuickTime preferences.

===============

I'll try to specify iTunes somehow in the web page for next test....

Truus · Post by **Truus** » Thu Dec 15, 2005 4:21 pm

I was hoping iTunes would show G-Force on the Mac.

iTunes shows G-Force on the Mac, but only with iTunes, not with quicktime.
When you run SoundSpectrum Darkroom then it makes a movie and then you see with quicktime G-Force

chkman · Post by **chkman** » Thu Dec 15, 2005 5:33 pm

Truus,

You say

iTunes shows G-Force on the Mac

Does it show G-Force in the web browser window on this link?
http://gforce.gatlight.com/GA/script/mactest.htm

That is the question!

bsk · Post by **bsk** » Thu Dec 15, 2005 7:12 pm

chkman wrote:Truus,

You say
iTunes shows G-Force on the Mac
Does it show G-Force in the web browser window on this link?
http://gforce.gatlight.com/GA/script/mactest.htm

That is the question!

chkman

When I go there I get greeted by the 'Yes' and see a static tiled view of your avatar. The 'Yes' plays on refresh. Two white horizontal lines run across the screen. I could send you a screenshot, if it would help. My email is lists at bsk.eu.com

Bernard

chkman · Post by **chkman** » Thu Dec 15, 2005 8:22 pm

Benard,

Yes, I am following up with an email, thanks. Is it possible to open a song from the embedded iTunes? If it plays longer maybe you can tell if it's showing G-Force.

If I can't get iTunes to run G-Force in the web browser, I have a possible solution. I see that Media Player is available for the Mac. If you (or anybody) have it or want to download it:
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/window ... fault.aspx

Install G-Force for it and then run this test page, and let me know, I would greatly appreciate it.
http://gforce.gatlight.com/test.htm
BTW it's not counting votes yet.

I did check out the iTunes user forum and someone had asked my question in Sept. How to embed iTunes in a web page? The only reply said want you want is streaming audio. Wrong!

If anyone knows about an FTP program that comes with the Mac please let me know. I see a lot of programs available but they cost money. I just need to script one download command to make it easier to do the testing. On the PC, one has to click the link (which might be eliminated) and click the run button on the popup. I'd like to make it as easy on the Mac.

bsk · Post by **bsk** » Sat Dec 17, 2005 1:01 pm

chkman

I have WMP installed but I can't see any obvious way of installing GF for it or, for that matter, any sign of a GF plug-in on the soundspecrum site. I assume that as I have had it installed before I installed GF, it would have installed a plug-in if it exists. So I don't think I can be of much help to you - all the visualiser stuff is quite new to me

Mac OS X does not come with FTP software but as it is Unix based, the terminal can be used to do it. Presumably a shell script or AppleScript could be written which could run the commands you want.

chkman · Post by **chkman** » Sat Dec 17, 2005 1:37 pm

Okay, thanks for the feedback. Maybe they didn't do or can't do a plugin for the Mac Media Player. Moral: If you want an ideal world don't have any ideals.

So the FTP is possible if I knew how? Can't really afford a Mac this payday. I wish I knew somebody with a Mac that lived close by.

Anyway, I hope iTunes will pass keystrokes to G-Force so that Macsters can hit U to refresh and (do you have a "control" key?) type CTRL-1 after right-clicking and selecting save-as for a .txt file in the browser or whatever the equivalent process would be on the Mac.
If you can't pass keystrokes, closing iTunes and restarting it should work with the addition of a run command to the startup.txt file

Voting on the configs will be more work on the Mac but I hope you're not discouraged from participating.

Truus · Post by **Truus** » Sat Dec 17, 2005 2:36 pm

I wish I knew somebody with a Mac that lived close by

I have a friend in Hopedale MA, I will ask him of he knows somebody who lives in Greensburg, PA with a Mac. I let you know

bsk · Post by **bsk** » Sat Dec 17, 2005 3:00 pm

chkman wrote:So the FTP is possible if I knew how?

chkman

I could try & knock up a shell script to download the file if you give/send me the ftp details - host, filname, path to file, login name & pasworrd if not anonymous.