BBC News Ticker for Slimp3 and Squeezebox

News

BBC NEWS TICKER IS NOT MAINTAINTED AND IS OUT OF DATE

It's just here for historical reasons. If you're running a really old version of the SlimServer software you may find it useful.

28 Sep 2004

Version 1.4.1 released. Fixes a possible crash if the ticker attempts an auto refresh whilst the BBC site is unreachable.

What is it?

This is a plugin for Slimserver, a streaming media server for Slim Devices products. The plugin displays the BBC News ticker on s Slimp3, Squeezebox or SoftSqueeze unit.

Andrew Hedges was kind enough to send a couple of pictures of the ticker in action which you can find here.

Current feature list:

Displays the current BBC News ticker on your Slim device.
Automatic refreshing of ticker data. Default every 2 minutes.
Can run as your 'Screensaver'.
Clickable links available through the web interface. [ screenshot ]
Displays the current track number and position whilst running. [ screenshot ]

Current To-Do list:

Make the plugin configurable through the web interface.

Requirements

Slimserver Version v5

This Plugin is designed for Slimserver V 5.0 or above. Version 5.2 or above is required for the web server integration to function.

It has been tested with Linux and Windows versions.

The SlimServer software must be installed on a server with internet access to enable the plugin retrieve the ticker.

If you are using Version 3 or 4 of the Slimserver you can use the old version of the ticker which can be found here.

Installation

Download: BbcNews.pm (v 1.4.1)
Copy BbcNews.pm to the /Plugins or /server/Plugins directory of the Slimserver software.
Restart Slimserver to enable the plugin.

If you would like to configure any of the options for the ticker open it in your favourite text editor. All the user configurable options, such as refresh interval, can be found near to the top of the script.

If you have any problems please run the slimserver with '-d_plugin' as an option then mail the output to gordonj@newswall.org.uk and I'll see if I can assist. Please state the type of player you are using and the operating system you are running.

Version 1.3 of the ticker is still available here if required.

How to use it

Each time you select 'BBC News Ticker' in the 'Plugins' menu the server will query the BBC for their current news ticker. Once retrieved it will display the current world news, use the up/down buttons to change between the different news sections (uk/sport etc...).

You can find links to the current news articles through the web interface by clicking the 'BBC News Ticker' link in the 'Plugins' section of the home page of the ticker. Requires version 5.2 or above of Slimserver

You can use the plugin as a screensaver. Press 'play' whilst the ticker is running or select the plugin through the web interface.

If the plugin is unable to retieve the ticker data from the BBC it will display an error, press '->' (right) to attempt to fetch the page again.

By default the news refreshes every 2 minutes. You can refresh the news at any time by pressing '->' (right).

Questions, Comments?

If you've got any questions or comments mail me at gordonj@newswall.org.uk

Hosted by newswall.

old news