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Raspberry Pi Video Player Auto-Start System

A comprehensive video player system for Raspberry Pi that automatically starts on boot and provides TV-like channel navigation with IR remote control support.

Features

Auto-Start on Boot: Automatically starts when Raspberry Pi boots
VLC Integration: Uses VLC media player for robust video playback
IR Remote Control: Full IR remote support with multiple protocol decoding (NEC, RC5)
TV Channel System: Number key mapping to videos (0-9, multi-digit support)
Configuration Management: Comprehensive configuration system with validation
Systemd Service: Reliable service management with auto-restart
Logging: Detailed logging with rotation
Easy Setup: Interactive setup wizard and installation scripts

Hardware Requirements

Required

Raspberry Pi (any model with sufficient processing power)
MicroSD card (minimum 16GB, Class 10 recommended)
Power supply (official Raspberry Pi power adapter recommended)
HDMI cable for display output
IR Receiver Module: Compatible with Raspberry Pi GPIO (e.g., TSOP4838, TSOP38238)
IR Remote Control: Any standard IR remote (TV, DVD player, etc.)

Optional

External storage for video files
Case with cooling for extended operation

Software Requirements

Operating System: Raspbian Desktop (latest version)
Python: Python 3.x (usually pre-installed on Raspbian)
VLC Media Player: Latest version compatible with Raspbian
System Dependencies: Standard Linux utilities for service management

Installation

Quick Installation

Clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/your-repo/ulivision-tv.git
cd ulivision-tv

Run the installation script:

sudo chmod +x install.sh
sudo ./install.sh

Run the setup wizard:
```
sudo python3 setup.py
```
Start the service:
```
video-player-start
```

Manual Installation

Install system dependencies:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install -y python3 python3-pip vlc python3-rpi.gpio

Install Python dependencies:
```
pip3 install -r requirements.txt
```

Copy files to system directories:

sudo mkdir -p /opt/video_player /etc/video_player
sudo cp *.py /opt/video_player/
sudo cp video-player.service /etc/systemd/system/

Enable and start the service:

sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl enable video-player
sudo systemctl start video-player

Configuration

Main Configuration

The main configuration is stored in /etc/video_player/config.json:

{
  "video_folder": "/home/pi/Videos",
  "default_channel": 1,
  "auto_play": true,
  "fullscreen": true,
  "ir_pin": 18,
  "ir_protocols": ["NEC", "RC5"],
  "vlc_options": [
    "--fullscreen",
    "--no-video-title-show",
    "--no-audio-display"
  ],
  "log_level": "INFO"
}

Channel Configuration

Channels are configured in /etc/video_player/channels.json:

{
  "1": {
    "number": 1,
    "name": "Sample Video 1",
    "path": "/home/pi/Videos/sample1.mp4",
    "description": "First sample video",
    "category": "general",
    "enabled": true,
    "priority": 0
  }
}

IR Remote Mapping

IR codes are mapped in /etc/video_player/ir_mapping.json:

{
  "NEC_00FF_807F": {
    "ir_code": "NEC_00FF_807F",
    "command": "channel_0",
    "description": "Channel 0",
    "repeatable": true
  }
}

Usage

Basic Operation

Add video files to the configured video folder (default: /home/pi/Videos)
Configure channels using the setup wizard or manually edit the channels.json file
Map IR remote codes using the IR learning mode or manually edit the mapping file
Start the service and use your IR remote to control playback

IR Remote Commands

Number keys (0-9): Direct channel access
Multi-digit channels: Enter channel number (e.g., 12, 25)
Play/Pause: Toggle playback
Stop: Stop current video
Next/Previous: Navigate between channels
Volume Up/Down: Control audio volume
Power: Exit application

Management Commands

video-player-start: Start the service
video-player-stop: Stop the service
video-player-restart: Restart the service
video-player-status: Check service status
video-player-logs: View live logs

IR Remote Setup

Learning IR Codes

Start IR learning mode:

sudo /opt/video_player/venv/bin/python /opt/video_player/ir_remote.py

Press buttons on your remote control
Enter commands when prompted (e.g., "channel_1", "play_pause")
Save mappings to the configuration file

Manual IR Code Mapping

Edit /etc/video_player/ir_mapping.json to manually map IR codes:

{
  "NEC_00FF_807F": {
    "ir_code": "NEC_00FF_807F",
    "command": "channel_0",
    "description": "Channel 0",
    "repeatable": true
  }
}

Hardware Setup

IR Receiver Connection

Connect IR receiver to Raspberry Pi GPIO:
- VCC → 3.3V (Pin 1)
- GND → Ground (Pin 6)
- OUT → GPIO 18 (Pin 12) - or configure different pin

Test IR receiver:

sudo python3 -c "import RPi.GPIO as GPIO; GPIO.setmode(GPIO.BCM); GPIO.setup(18, GPIO.IN); print('GPIO 18 ready')"

GPIO Pin Configuration

The IR receiver GPIO pin can be configured in the main configuration file:

{
  "ir_pin": 18
}

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Service won't start:
- Check logs: video-player-logs
- Verify configuration: sudo python3 setup.py
- Check file permissions
IR remote not working:
- Verify GPIO pin configuration
- Check IR receiver connections
- Test with IR learning mode
- Verify IR code mappings
Videos not playing:
- Check video file formats (supported: MP4, AVI, MKV, MOV, WMV, FLV, WebM, M4V)
- Verify file paths in channels.json
- Check VLC installation: vlc --version
No audio:
- Check audio device configuration
- Verify volume settings
- Test audio: speaker-test -t wav -c 2

Log Files

Service logs: journalctl -u video-player -f
Application logs: /var/log/video_player.log
System logs: /var/log/syslog

Debug Mode

Enable debug logging by setting log level to DEBUG in the configuration:

{
  "log_level": "DEBUG"
}

Development

Project Structure

ulivision-tv/
├── video_player.py          # Main video player application
├── ir_remote.py            # IR remote control system
├── config_manager.py       # Configuration management
├── setup.py               # Interactive setup wizard
├── install.sh             # Installation script
├── uninstall.sh           # Uninstallation script
├── video-player.service   # Systemd service file
├── requirements.txt       # Python dependencies
└── README.md             # This file

Adding New Features

Fork the repository
Create a feature branch
Implement your changes
Add tests (if applicable)
Submit a pull request

Testing

Run the test suite:

python3 -m pytest tests/

Uninstallation

To completely remove the video player system:

sudo ./uninstall.sh

This will remove:

Application files
Configuration files
Service configuration
Management scripts
Desktop shortcuts
Log files

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

Contributing

Fork the repository
Create a feature branch (git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature)
Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add some amazing feature')
Push to the branch (git push origin feature/amazing-feature)
Open a Pull Request

Support

For support and questions:

Issues: Create an issue on GitHub
Documentation: Check the wiki
Community: Join our Discord server

Changelog

Version 1.0.0

Initial release
VLC integration
IR remote control
TV channel system
Systemd service
Configuration management
Setup wizard

Acknowledgments

VLC Media Player team for the excellent media player
Raspberry Pi Foundation for the amazing hardware
Python community for the great libraries
Contributors and testers

Note: This system is designed for educational and personal use. Ensure you have proper licensing for any video content you play.

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