I'm a new Linux user (Ubuntu 8.10) installed on an older IBM A31 Thinkpad. Internet access through a Linksys WRT54G. Two other laptops use this setup. I mention the hardware just as reference.

I frequent a horse racing site (Twin Spires dot com) both to wager and watch the races. (Twin Spires acquired BRIS) Two different video streams are offered. The legacy setup uses a (standard?) asp server and Windows media player (or Winamp, etc) to display their mms://URL.xx.xx.xx stream. The newer offering is Flash based and allows four or five mini-windows of available tracks/video with the option to view any one of them full-size. I have no problem viewing the Flash version - works as advertised.

I've jumped through all the hoops, installed all up-dates (that I can find), have searched for and read countless threads related to streaming video/Firefox/etc, etc. I've reverted to basic install four or five times to insure that I had a "clean" setup. The most recent was last night - Mplayer is now the player of choice.

Here is the sequence:

The video link is clicked on. Firefox opens a "normal size" window, approx 4x6 in the center of the screen. In a moment another, thumb-nail sized, window opens in the lower right corner of the screen. The "thumbnail" starts loading the mms URL and usually plays (at thumbnail size) a second or two of video. In the "normal" Windows sequence this is where the video player (I'm currently using Winamp) kicks in. With my Linux rig both boxes close, stream disappears, no video, no player, nada.

I opened a new Firefox tab and used mms://66.209.93.4/default to set the "other" option using Mplayer as my mms player. (This particular URL has Roberts default message displayed)

I've tried to list all the pertinent details but no doubt have left something out.......

Thoughts, opinions, fix?

Regards,

Stan
PS: Yes, I can, if I have to, live with the Flash video but I'd like the option.
PPS: I think I'm gonna like this Linux thing

What about...

What do the settings in Firefox-Edit-Preferences-Applications look like. Are you using the mplayer plug-in?

I use mplayer with the smplayer front end for BBC streamed media, that is for a RA (realplayer) file. I have set Applications to "always ask" and I use the Firefox extension mediaplayerconnectivity 0.9.1 which sees and links the realplayer stream to smplayer.

Otherwise I use vlc for streamed Windows media files, Danish TV, with the Foxfire vlc plug-in and mediaplayerconnectivity set to vlc. The setting for Applications is in this case is "Use Vlc Multimedia Plug-in (in Firefox)" since vlc was what I first/last/? installed and what Firefox has configured as its standard link. The point is that either way, it works. Before vlc I had used mplayer in the same way.

The key to operation seems to be the extension. It is easy to configure, and may not even require the plug-ins. You might try both with and without.

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/446

Good Luck, and report back if any of this gets you any closer.

PS: Tux likes you too

Thanks for the tips and link to the add-on.

After downloading MediaPlayerConnectivity, installing VLC and tweaking a couple of the configuration options in MPC I'm in business. I wasn't able to get your DR1/DR2 to play nice but I'll experiment more tomorrow. It's already waaaay past this old man's bedtime .

Thanks again for your assistance!

I am not responsible ...

I just hope that this doesn't increase the chances of you loosing money on the horses.

If your internet connection doesn't show you are on Danish territory you probably won't be able to get DR TV to work. I think you would need an address from a proxy server masking your location and giving a Danish address.

vlc is supposed to be a very handy, universal tool. I also use it to watch films on DVD and choose it to play any media file I come across. One of these days I will try to set it up to record the streaming media that I already spend too much time on watching live.