LSL: llPlayAudioStream

llPlayAudioStream(string url, float volume)

Provides audio from a streaming source on the internet localized to the prim containing the script as opposed to a plot of land like we have today.

Possible uses: Radio watches, boomboxes, home stereos, walkmans, in-game i-Pods, localized audio commentary for works of art in a museum... just tons of stuff!

Theres a very good reason audio streams are limited to a plot-by-plot basis: Bandwidth. The other thing is it would be annoying. I don't care to be streaming every Joe Q. Randomperson's favorite rap/punk/country/whatever station whenever I go to an event, or hang out around other people.

Ok, so along with the ability provide an option in the UI settings to allow each resident to turn on/off streams not attached to a plot of land. That way each person can choose the setting befitting their wants and needs at any given time. Also, limit the maximum radius that an object attached stream can affect as well as providing an additional parameter to the function to allow the designer to set the radius within a the defined min and max range. ie:

llPlayAudioStream(string url, float volume, float radius)

My thinking here is to provide a way for landless folks to carry with them and share their music with friends, but I agree that precautions should be taken to minimize or eliminate potential abuses.

Set up twenty objects. No, make that two hundred. Have them all play a different stream.

The moment anyone comes within range, poof, there goes your connection to SL. Oh. And look. Unless you're set to log in back home, you can't log back in! Oh, unless someone DID this to your home, in which case you're screwed till the lindens can clean up the mess.

Well, we have plenty of negative input concerning this idea thus far. Anyone out there willing to discuss how something like this might be made to work well with little or no abuse risk or are we all about shooting ideas down without offering options or alternatives?

Funny, when I forget why I generally avoid posting my thoughts and ideas on online forums it rarely takes long for a few folks to remind me.

The only way it could work is by limiting the amount of bandwidth coming in by a slider like the networking slider. That IS something we need, though. And a way of muting individual objects, which has been a requested feature for six months or more.

Or, nd this may be crossing the threshhold into the realm of way-too-much-trouble, the aforementioned setting in the UI that allows users to select whether to hear streams from objects could be set to Off by default each time a user logs in. That way you have to explicitly grant permission to hear such streams each time you log in. That would eliminate nasty surprises-at-login such as the one you describe, Moleculor.

Another idea is a permission that must be approved by each user within the radius much like we have today when a script wants to animate your avatar or take money from you. Something like, "Bob's Big Boombox is attempting to stream audio to you. Do you wish to allow it?" Of course this could be abused by bored children spamming a crowd with requests to approve a stream.

I think the better solution would be to design it such that object originating streams (OOS) are not "always on" like the streams attached to land. If you want to hear the stream from your in-world iPod you have to click on the iPod object and answer yes when asked for permission to stream the audio to your PC. Using this approach no one EVER has to hear any stream they don't want because you can simply refrain from clicking and granting permission.

Ok, problem solved. When can we have this, LL?

P.S. Sorry I kind of snapped at you before, Moleculor. I was already in a pissy mood from all the clueless users here at work and so I got kind of miffed when the only thing being offered up were reasons why my idea sucked.

So what you're saying is that instead of llPlayAudioStream, you want an ingame MP3/OGG/Stream player, built into the UI?

The entire SL client application is already a stream player, isn't it? I'm not asking for an MP3 player built into the UI. If I want to play my MP3's for my own enjoyment while I play SL I'll fire up Winamp. I don't need that functionality inside the UI. What I AM asking for is a LSL function that allows designers to attach an audio stream to a prim and then provides residents a method by which to play the stream on demand, perhaps with a thouch of the object or some other permission granting mechanism.

One of the nobler applications of such a concept might be something like following:

A visitor to the Ivory Tower of Prims goes around to each of the stations and in addition to being handed a notecard when she clicks on the station she's also connected to an audio stream and hears the voice of a building instructor explaining the concepts exhibited at the station.

But more common uses would most likely be things like in-world boomboxes, iPods, MP3 players and etc. that residents could carry around and let friends click on them to "share" a favorite song or have a beach party on Linden land where no one can change the land to stream in music.

In short, this is an object attached audio stream concept as opposed to a land attached concept, where the stream is played to residents only with their permission.

*Edit: Grammar and correction of incomplete sentence

I like the idea.

1) Object tells player <key> to listen to stream.
2) Player client checks Preferences setting whether to offer object-offered audio streams (o Yes, o Ask, o No)
3) If Ask, the player is asked, "Object [object] is offering an audio stream. Accept? o Yes, o No, o Permantly ignore object"
4) If Yes, the built-in streaming audio player (already implemented as of v1.4) fires up or changes to specified stream.
5) If No, the object is temporarily ignored until:

- the player logs out and back in
- the referenced stream URL changes

Quite doable.

I support this. You only get one stream at a time. It's not like you get bogged like inworld sounds. With a permission system it's doable.
Plus, what's the point of a pimp ride if i can't play my tunes?