BlissFlixx on RaspberryPi

A few days ago I stumbled upon a video media application for the Raspberry Pi.

Iā€™ve tried others in the past like XBMC, and I donā€™t really like them. But BlissFlixx is different.

I have only been playing around with it for a couple of days, and Iā€™m already hooked!

Whatā€™s it all about?

BlissFlixx turns your Raspberry Pi model B (or B+ or B2) into a media streamer. With your BlissFlixx Pi connected to a nice big TV, you simply use a tablet or laptop to control the system remotely, via a web browser
A required service or channel can be selected from the main screen
Each channel screen is nicely laid out with subject categories and programs listed vertically. When a program is run, a number of controls are provided
There are the usual pause/play and stop controls, and if you click on the ā€œā€¦ā€ icon an additional control screen pops up
The volume controls are especially useful because the audio level of internet videos can vary enormously.

BlissFlixx on RaspberryPi

 

Installing the system

The basic method is described on the BlissFlixx website. But the following method includes a few additional notes that you may find helpful.

My initial system uses an old model B Pi with a fast (class 10) 8GB SD card and an Edimax wifi dongle. Although BlissFlixx recommend an ethernet connection, Iā€™m using wifi.

The current Raspbian images from the Raspberry Pi Foundation download page includes a Lite and a Full version. You could use either, but I started with the full image because I wanted a desktop GUI so I could easily experiment with configuration settings.

Having installed the Raspbian Jessie (full) image on an 8GB SD card via my Lubuntu laptop, I keep the SD card in the laptop for the following operations.

First, I need to configure the card to allow connection to my wifi, so in a terminal I type:-

sudo wpa_passphrase ā€œNICE BEERā€ GreeneKingIPA

ā€¦which is the name of my wifi access point followed by the wifi password. This produces an output like this:-

network={
ssid=ā€NICE BEERā€
#psk=ā€GreeneKingIPAā€
psk=2ac438200963885f9daeadbd8929693944f1fe10d8ff14b9f3a698acbb2317f5
}

Now navigate the SD card and open (as root) the file:-

/etc/wpa_supplicant/wpa_supplicant.conf

Paste the output from wpa_passphrase into this file and save it. It should end up looking like this:-

ctrl_interface=DIR=/var/run/wpa_supplicant GROUP=netdev
update_config=1

network={
ssid=ā€NICE BEERā€
#psk=ā€GreeneKingIPAā€
psk=f82ac16e561219238fdc6a3341c99cec47152ebf1ed5ec1e80727136e2ee4758
}

While still in the SD card file structure, navigate to: /boot/config.txt

You can add/enable the following 3 parameters nowā€¦

#uncomment to overclock the arm. 700 MHz is the default.
arm_freq=800
gpu_mem=128
hdmi_drive=2

ā€¦or you can do it later. I say this because I added the first 2 parameters to see if they made any difference to boot speed and video performance.

The first raises the clock rate from 700MHz to 800MHz. The second, allocates more RAM to the GPU. Iā€™m not sure whether either of these makes any difference.

The third parameter is to give you audio via HDMI. If you are initially going to test BlissFlixx with a DVI monitor and audio via the jack socket, donā€™t add this at this stage.

Put the SD card into the Pi and boot. Probably a good idea to update image:-

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get upgrade

Expand the file system using:-

sudo raspi-config

When complete, close the config interface and reboot.

In a terminal type:-

ifconfig

ā€¦and note your IP address.

 

For more detail: BlissFlixx on RaspberryPi


About The Author

Ibrar Ayyub

I am an experienced technical writer holding a Master's degree in computer science from BZU Multan, Pakistan University. With a background spanning various industries, particularly in home automation and engineering, I have honed my skills in crafting clear and concise content. Proficient in leveraging infographics and diagrams, I strive to simplify complex concepts for readers. My strength lies in thorough research and presenting information in a structured and logical format.

Follow Us:
LinkedinTwitter

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *