Hi there. I have managed to get my desktop to run a video as wallpaper/lock screen, but it seems that it flickers each time the video starts over (the loop restarts). Is there any way to fix this?

IonelGhidarcea wrote:Hi there. I have managed to get my desktop to run a video as wallpaper/lock screen, but it seems that it flickers each time the video starts over (the loop restarts). Is there any way to fix this?

The video wallpapers are demanding for the hardware. The example code in this thread is 'off the self' (http://doc.qt.io/qt-5/qml-qtmultimedia- ... ml#details ) . Excessive cpu power and fast ssd drive will help. If the flickering is result of the the cpu load / hdd read bottleneck then maybe less compressed video format helps.

My laptop settings are good, and this didn't happened with another program for video wallpapers called a-desk on a lower performance laptop.
To the point: a while back a had a laptop with a dual core @ 2.0 GHz and integrated video card (intel GMA3500 or GMA4000) and using the same video I used these days I got 0 flickers. This can be seen here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Go8kX3VMdA (excuse my not-so-english)
Now I have a laptop with a dedicated memory video card (nvidia geforce 840M @2GHz RAM) and an i3 @2,4GHz processor. The thing is now the video flickers (it gets black for a half of a second or less and then it starts over). The video card has the latest proprietary drivers installed.

I have the same problem too. It was easy to install the video wallpaper type and I was realy existed about it.
But when I select a video (mp4 I get from bing) it plays without any problems until it reach its end then the screen turns black for half a second like IonelGhidarcea mentioned before.
I am on Arch Linux and updated yesterday to Plasma 5.8 but it doesn't changed anything.

Testing at here

Using clips from - http://www.movietools.info/video-backgr ... tdown.html

This is how it looks at here: https://youtu.be/-E2VsLcWlx0

When the loop restarts there are few black frames:



00:00:11:24 video frame
00:00:12:00 black frame
00:00:12:01 video frame

The reason for the black frames could be - http://doc.qt.io/qt-5/qml-qtmultimedia- ... gress-prop

...Playback can start or resume only when the buffer is entirely filled,...

This was with (inxi&kinfo):

Desktop: KDE Plasma 5.8.0
KF 5.26.0
Qt 5.7.0
Distro: Arch Linux
Kernel: 4.7.6-1-ARCH x86_64 (64 bit)

Mobo: ASRock model: 970 Extreme4
CPU AMD FX-6100 Six-Core
GPU: AMD Barts PRO [Radeon HD 6850]
Display Server: X.Org 1.18.4 drivers: ati,radeon
Resolution: 1920x1080@60.00hz
GLX Renderer: Gallium 0.4 on AMD BARTS (DRM 2.45.0 / 4.7.6-1-ARCH, LLVM 3.8.1)
GLX Version: 3.0 Mesa 12.0.3
sdd model: Samsung_SSD_850 size: 500.1GB

So, is the buffer erased after the first loop and then needs time to fill again? If so, is there any way to preserve the buffer and recall it for future loops (0 delay until buffer value is 1)?

IonelGhidarcea wrote:So, is the buffer erased after the first loop and then needs time to fill again? If so, is there any way to preserve the buffer and recall it for future loops (0 delay until buffer value is 1)?

Well - your guess is good as mine.

Meanwhile - hiding the blank frames with the paused 'preview' image from the clip start - the org.kde.video main.qml;

Code: Select all

import QtQuick 2.5
import QtMultimedia 5.5
import org.kde.plasma.core 2.0 as Plasmacore

Item {
    MediaPlayer {
        id: preview
        autoPlay: true
        muted: true
        onPositionChanged: { preview.pause() }
        source: wallpaper.configuration.Video
    }

    VideoOutput {
        anchors.fill: parent
        source: preview
    }
   
    MediaPlayer {
        id: video
        autoPlay: true
        muted: wallpaper.configuration.Muted
        loops: MediaPlayer.Infinite
        source: wallpaper.configuration.Video
    }

    VideoOutput {
        fillMode: VideoOutput.PreserveAspectCrop
        anchors.fill: parent
        source: video
    }
}

Working at here: https://youtu.be/ijg_1H_qsyQ

No black frames:


New org.kde.video (20161008) : https://1drv.ms/u/s!AurPvqgDMVijdtJJiQ5Bms78YtY

It worked! You sir deserve a statue!

...and this seems to be Qt bug: QTBUG-49446 - Add support for gap less playback - https://bugreports.qt.io/browse/QTBUG-49446

Would you mind to upload org.kde.video to kde store https://store.kde.org/ ?

Hello,

About videos... I would love to be able to use this: https://github.com/JohnCoates/Aerial

As my screenlocker wallpaper? Do you know if it is possible somehow?

lucas wrote:Would you mind to upload org.kde.video to kde store https://store.kde.org/ ?

Why ? What it would add ?
The KDE Store doesn't (now) have an option/group for the plasma wallpaper plugins.
And the plasma doesn't have an option to download and install plasma wallpaper plugins. (edit)
You still would need to download the plugin and install it manually.


---------------EDIT------------

A bug report: Bug 386621 - Support downloading Wallpaper Plugins from KDE Store - https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=386621

There is no 'Get Hot New Stuff' (GHNS) option to download and install plasma wallpaper plugins. The user can install from local file with the 'Plasma Package Manager':

Code: Select all

$ plasmapkg2 --help
Usage: plasmapkg2 [options]
Plasma Package Manager

Options:
  -v, --version             Displays version information.
  -h, --help                Displays this help.
  --hash <path>             Generate a SHA1 hash for the package at <path>
  -g, --global              For install or remove, operates on packages
                            installed for all users.
  -t, --type <type>         The type of package, e.g. theme, wallpaper,
                            plasmoid, dataengine, runner, layout-template, etc.
  -i, --install <path>      Install the package at <path>
  -s, --show <name>         Show information of package <name>
  -u, --upgrade <path>      Upgrade the package at <path>
  -l, --list                List installed packages
  --list-types              List all known package types that can be installed
  -r, --remove <name>       Remove the package named <name>
  -p, --packageroot <path>  Absolute path to the package root. If not supplied,
                            then the standard data directories for this KDE
                            session will be searched instead.

Examples:

Code: Select all

$ plasmapkg2 -t wallpaperplugin -i org.kde.video.tar.gz
pluginname:  "org.kde.video"
Generated  "/home/rog131/.local/share/plasma/wallpapers//kpluginindex.json"  ( 3  plugins)
Successfully installed /home/rog131/test/org.kde.video.tar.gz

Code: Select all

$ plasmapkg2 -t wallpaperplugin -r org.kde.video.tar.gz
Generated  "/home/rog131/.local/share/plasma/wallpapers//kpluginindex.json"  ( 2  plugins)
Successfully uninstalled /home/rog131/test/org.kde.video.tar.gz

or with the latest

Install:

Code: Select all

$ plasmapkg2 -t wallpaperplugin -i org.kde.video.20161008.tar.gz
pluginname:  "org.kde.video"
Generated  "/home/rog131/.local/share/plasma/wallpapers//kpluginindex.json"  ( 3  plugins)
Successfully installed /home/rog131/test/org.kde.video.20161008.tar.gz

Result:


Removal:

Code: Select all

$ plasmapkg2 -t wallpaperplugin -r org.kde.video
Generated  "/home/rog131/.local/share/plasma/wallpapers//kpluginindex.json"  ( 2  plugins)
Successfully uninstalled

---------------EDIT2------------

Plasma 5 wallpaper plugins: https://store.kde.org/browse/cat/419

Video wallpaper: https://store.kde.org/p/1213488/
Video playlist: https://store.kde.org/p/1213489/

acrimont wrote:Hello,

About videos... I would love to be able to use this: https://github.com/JohnCoates/Aerial

As my screenlocker wallpaper? Do you know if it is possible somehow?

They are bunch of mov videos:

- Watch All The Apple TV Aerial Video Screensavers: http://benjaminmayo.co.uk/watch-all-the ... avers#b1-1
- Get 35 Stunning Aerial Apple TV Screen Savers for Mac OS X: http://osxdaily.com/2015/10/31/aerial-a ... -mac-os-x/

...If you do want to download all of the videos to the Mac yourself for whatever reason, you can either access each individual URL from the json file above and save them manually, or grab them all with curl and wget courtesy of this command from...

...Again, there are about 35 videos, each somewhere around 150 to 200mb, so this will take up quite a bit of disk space.

Full image: http://imgur.com/W5H8PFN


Plasma 5.8 LTS: https://www.kde.org/announcements/plasma-5.8.0.php

New in Plasma 5.8

...all Plasma wallpaper plugins, such as slideshows and animated wallpapers, can now be used on the lock screen...

Hello Rog131,

Thank you for your advices, it may work! However, I do not see how I can use several videos with your plugin? And use these randomly?

acrimont wrote:...it may work! However, I do not see how I can use several videos with your plugin? And use these randomly?

Another plugin - Video playlist player

There is always an option to write another plugin.

Playlist QML Type - http://doc.qt.io/qt-5/qml-qtmultimedia- ... ml#details :

The Playlist type provides a way to play a list of media with the MediaPlayer...

and shuffle() - http://doc.qt.io/qt-5/qml-qtmultimedia- ... fle-method

Shuffles items in the playlist.

Writing files:

~/.local/share/plasma/wallpapers/org.kde.videoplaylist/metadata.desktop : http://pastebin.com/fmwKVxyH

~/.local/share/plasma/wallpapers/org.kde.videoplaylist/contents/config/main.xml : http://pastebin.com/SipP19gV

~/.local/share/plasma/wallpapers/org.kde.videoplaylist/contents/ui/config.qml : http://pastebin.com/XwKuaMet

~/.local/share/plasma/wallpapers/org.kde.videoplaylist/contents/ui/main.qml : http://pastebin.com/VjcYK3V2

Wrapped to tar: https://1drv.ms/u/s!AOrPvqgDMVijdw

Gui:


and using plugin - YouTube clip: https://youtu.be/N-cwSxo5NHA


Playlist - M3U wiki
( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M3U )

M3U is a computer file format for a multimedia playlist...
.
.
.
Each entry carries one specification. The specification can be any one of the following:

an absolute local pathname; e.g., C:\My Music\Heavysets.mp3...

With the Linux:



Playlist will be (Video-Playlist.m3u):

/media/sda1/Video/PlayListExample/1.mp4
/media/sda1/Video/PlayListExample/2.mp4
/media/sda1/Video/PlayListExample/3.mp4
/media/sda1/Video/PlayListExample/4.mp4
/media/sda1/Video/PlayListExample/5.mp4
/media/sda1/Video/PlayListExample/6.mp4

A KDE service menu to wrap videos to the playlist

~/.local/share/kservices5/ServiceMenus/m3uwrapper.desktop

Code: Select all

[Desktop Entry]
Type=Service
Icon=m3u-file-icon
X-KDE-ServiceTypes=KonqPopupMenu/Plugin
MimeType=video/*;application/x-flash-video;application/vnd.ms-asf;application/vnd.rn-realmedia;
Actions=videoPlaylist;
Encoding=UTF-8

[Desktop Action videoPlaylist]
Name=Make video playlist
Icon=m3u-file-icon
Exec=echo "%U" | sed 's# /#\\n/#g' > Video-Playlist.m3u

More of the KDE Service Menus (needs update) : https://techbase.kde.org/Development/Tu ... vice_Menus