vlc-rc

VLC remote control interface for emacs.

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This package adds support for controlling the vlc media player from emacs using VLCs remote control interface.

Quick Setup

Move vlc-rc.el to a location on your emacs load-path and require it (require 'vlc-rc). You may want to customise:

• vlc-program-name, to the complete path to your VLC executeable if its not in your PATH variable.
• vlc-server-port, to the port on localhost where you often run VLCs remote control interface.
• vlc-response-check-interval, if you're running on a slow machine or have issues with vlc-rc responses.

I'd also suggest taking a look at the external integration functions, which provide support for vlc like tasks to other modes. For example: (vlc/dired-add-file) plays the file at point in a dired buffer using vlc.

Keybindings

Keybindings for vlc-rc are bound in the vlc-rc-map which by default isn't bound to any key. You have to do this manually. For those running in spacemacs, I'd advise binding the map to 'SPC v' by doing:

(use-package vlc-rc
  :config
  (spacemacs/set-leader-keys "v" vlc-rc-map))

if you're using pure emacs, you can bind the map to any key of your choosing with global-set-key.

For a list of all the available bindings, eval: (describe-keymap) and search for vlc-rc-map.

Features

As of now, you can use vlc-rc to:

• to start or kill a vlc remote controlled process.
• pause or unpause running videos.
• add files to your playlist and move to the next or previous video.
• jump to arbitrary videos in your playlist
• take snapshots/screengrabs of videos.
• control the volume of playback.
• start or stop playback (not the same as pausing running videos).
• set your position (in seconds) for the currently playing video.
• manipulate the speed of playback.
• toggle looping, repeating, shuffling and fullscreen.
• set the audio device, channel & track.
• set the video crop, aspect ration, zoom or subtitle track.

Functionality which will hopefully be coming soon is:

• sending arbitrary keybindings to vlc.
• binding emacs to an open (non remote controlled) vlc instance.
• jumping to chapters or titles in a video stream.
• sending URLs or other input types as files for vlc to play.

You may find a more up to date version of this script on my dotfiles repo; I'll try to keep them synced, but that's were experimental changes will be placed.