[AG-TECH] No audio when running VLC and RAT simultaneously w/ Linux (CentOS)??

[Andrew Leahy]

Hi, we seem to have contention issues with the audio devices when
using RAT and VLC (VideoLan Client).

Scenario - an academic wants to play a video file (MPEG) during his AG
session and have it appear at the remote sites.

Our first idea was to use VLC on all the AG display machines (running
VenueClient/RAT/VIC).
Audio coming out of the local display machines should be treated the
same as audio coming from remote AG sites, which should play into the
room, be echo-cancelled by our ClearOne units before going into
Line-In, so in theory it shouldn't end up echo'ing back at the remote
sites.

When we stream the video using VLC (either in multicast or
point-to-point) without RAT running, the video & audio plays fine.

However, if RAT is running, the video plays but there's no audio.
Not "no audio" like it's being echo-cancelled, it's "no audio" as
though VLC isn't even trying.
I suspect RAT is "locking" the Linux audio device?
I can probably dig up error messages for this, unfortunately I'm
remote from the machines right now.

Host machines - Linux mix of CentOS5.3  and Fedora Core 8. AGtk 3.1

Does anyone have suggestions for working around this?
If it "should work" we'll keep trying harder!

At the moment, it looks like we'll have to use another machine in the
AG rooms (connected to the room audio) and make sure RAT is muted so
we don't cause echo.

Cheers, Andrew

IT Research Support / University of Western Sydney

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