homebridge-omxplayer

"OmxPlayer" Plugin

A Raspberry Pi (only) Plugin to download and play any YouTube video or a local video file using omxplayer.

Example config.json:

YouTube Link:

   "accessories": [
       {
         "accessory": "OmxPlayer",
         "name": "OmxPlayer",
         "youtube": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lf_wVfwpfp8"
       }   
   ]

Local File:

   "accessories": [
       {
         "accessory": "OmxPlayer",
         "name": "OmxPlayer",
         "filename": "my_video.mp4"
       }   
   ]

Why do we need this plugin?

This plugin is great for getting some music and videos into scenes and automations, for example:

• It can be used for a "Good Night" scene with a lullaby music for babies (can be done with speakers only connected to Pi).
• It can play music videos on TV screen (connected to the Raspberry Pi) when "Arrive Home" is triggered.
• it can be connected to a projector and project any video (I used it for the kids room).

How it works

Basically, all you need to do is:

1. Set the desired youtube url or local filename.
2. Use this switch in any scene or automation.

When using the switch (with Youtube), only for the first time, the video will be downloaded which should take a few seconds. Every time the Raspberry will be rebooted, all saved (youtube) videos will be deleted from the device.

How to install

sudo apt-get install omxplayer

sudo npm install -g homebridge-omxplayer

The raspberry pi should be logged in with the same user that runs homebridge. It is suggested to use auto-login when Raspberry rebooted.

Troubleshooting

Permissions issue

If you're running homebridge on a different user than pi you may have permission issues. Try running the following commands:

sudo usermod -a -G video $(whoami)

sudo chmod 777 /usr/lib/node_modules/homebridge-omxplayer/node_modules/youtube-dl/bin/youtube-dl

Delete any .mp4 files inside your /tmp folder.

Make sure your home folder exists at /home/USERNAME and run sudo chmod -R 0777 /home/USERNAME

Reboot and try again.

Credits

This plugin was inspired by homebridge-dummy by @nfarina and the idea for this plugin came from my little brother @nitaybz which has written many other plugins already, so you should definitely explore his repos too: https://github.com/nitaybz?tab=repositories