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Automatic Download Manager

Posted on: Raduga (English)

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Chuck Conrad

2004-12-22 23:47:32

Automatic Download Manager

I’m looking for a program that can automatically download audio files from the Internet. It needs to save them on a computer that’s on our network so that Raduga can access it at the appropriate time.

The scenario is as follows: We are getting our weather forecasts via email attachments. Currently I’m manually downloading the file and inserting it into the on air computer, using the same name as the previous version for the appropriate day (i.e.: Wednesday Weather). This simply overwrites the existing file, so I don’t have to reprogram Raduga. At the appropriate times on Wednesday, Raduga dutifully plays the file called “Wednesday Weather.” This works fine, but it involves human intervention to do the download. I need to automate the process.

Some recommended a download manager program called Gozilla. It looks like it might work, but reviews of it don’t sound very encouraging. It seems that it has a reputation of being next to impossible to remove from your computer if you don’t like it. Worse yet, the number one reason for not liking it is the fact that it seems to go seek out pop ups and other spam to put in your computer. That doesn’t sound good.

Any suggestions? I think this would be a very handy feature for all Raduga users.

Chuck Conrad

2005-01-01 21:49:54

Re: Automatic Download Manager

It seems nobody knows how to automatically retrieve downloads via email and save them to the same file every time.

OK, how about this? Has anybody figured out how to get Raduga to play back an audio file from an FTP site? I think this can be done, but when I’ve tried it, I get Microsoft’s annoying “Do you want to open or save this file?” box, along with a stern warning that this download might harm my computer. To get the file to play, you have to manually click “Open”, which takes all the fun out of automating the process. Does anyone know how to shut off that “feature?” I’m running windows XP Home Edition, which works fine with Raduga.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Chuck

Charlie @ MicsLive.com

2005-01-01 22:33:49

Re: Automatic Download Manager

You can put an http:// link into an ALB or MPL file:

File: news.mpl

Contents: http://www.newsprovider.com/news.mp3

It works fine. Bare in mind that it has to download it "live", so any internet problems during playback cause a problem. But I tried it with a 20s test mp3 file and it works fine.

...and whilst typing, I've just tried it with an ftp:// location - It works fine. No download manager required. Just enter the http:// or ftp:// into an ALB or MPL and it'll play.

I'm sure Wolfgang might want to put that into the next Help and/or FAQ release.

--
Charlie @ MicsLive.com
UK+Ireland Distributor of Raduga

Chuck Conrad

2005-01-03 17:05:26

Re: Automatic Download Manager

Thanks Charlie.

It does seem to work. Using Raduga, I don't get the annoying Windows warning boxes.

I think this could be developed into a very useful feature for Raduga users. By setting up an audio FTP download site, you can effectively update programming using your laptop computer from anywhere in the world.

I would feel more comfortable if there were a way to download the FTP file to the automation computer's hard drive, (or another on its local network) so you wouldn't be subject to the vagaries of the Internet, but this does work.

Any suggestions?

Wolfgang Loch

2005-01-03 18:33:08

Re: Automatic Download Manager

Using JScript or VBScript you can implement the Ftp download function similar to FtpUpload add-in that's found in the Raduga/AddIns directory.

The basic FTP function looks like this:

var ftp = new ActiveXObject("Raduga.Ftp");
ftp.Server = "ftp.myserver.com";
ftp.UserName = "fred";
ftp.Password = "geheim";
ftp.Open();
ftp.CurrentDirectory = "/home/fred/images";
ftp.Binary = true;
ftp.GetFile("remotefile.wma","C:\\localfile.wma");
ftp.Close();

You can save this script to a file "FtpDownload.js" and schedule it in the Raduga scheduler. Or you could schdule the command "cscript path\to\FtpDownload.js" using Windows Task Scheduler.

Chuck Conrad

2005-01-03 19:22:08

Re: Automatic Download Manager

While I understand the concept, I'm afraid I'm not a programmer, and really don't know how to do that. I'm terrified looking at computer code. I'll bet most radio people are like me. It's a little like "Brain Surgury Self Taught."

Since the thing is on the air 24/7, the idea of messing with it has little appeal. I'd probably break it.

Do you think you could include this as an easy to use new feature in the next version? Or maybe as an upgrade for the current version? A quick and easy way to record somehting on to Raduga's files would be nice too, especially if you could figure out how to make it accessable by telephone. That way you could call in, for instance, a traffic report, and it could play at a regularly scheduled time.

It would be very cool.

Teunis Wyers

2005-04-07 06:11:30

Re: Automatic Download Manager

Now to complicate things, how does one tell Raduga to recognize harmonic signals in the mp3 that is being played as a live download (scheduled live event)?

For instance, our station wants to air the Democracy Now news hour. I think I can figure out how to schedule the live downloading/playing of the mp3 from the DN site. The DN engineer says that there are harmonic signals just before the show breaks for station ID (about every 20 min). How will the harmonic signal trigger Raduga to play the jingle?

Anyone know how this works?

Volker

2005-04-07 13:08:27

Re: Automatic Download Manager

about automatic downloading,
check AutoFTP, there are 3 different versions (one as freeware)

http://www.primasoft.com/ftp.htm

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