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Python Video Display

A Python-based video player application designed to run on Raspberry Pi with autostart capabilities.

System Requirements

  • Raspberry Pi (tested on Raspberry Pi 4)
  • Python 3.x with pip and venv
  • X Server running on Raspberry Pi (for display output)
  • Git (for cloning the repository)
  • GStreamer and its plugins (for hardware-accelerated video processing)

All Python package dependencies will be automatically installed from requirements.txt during setup.

Installation

  1. Install system dependencies (required for GStreamer support):
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install -y gstreamer1.0-tools gstreamer1.0-plugins-base gstreamer1.0-plugins-good gstreamer1.0-plugins-bad gstreamer1.0-plugins-ugly python3-gst-1.0
  1. Clone the repository:
git clone https://github.com/yourusername/python-video-display.git
cd python-video-display
  1. Create and activate a virtual environment:
python3 -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate  # On Linux/Raspberry Pi
  1. Install Python dependencies:
pip install -r requirements.txt  # This will install all required Python packages

Note: All Python dependencies (including numpy, opencv-python-headless, and gstreamer-python) will be automatically installed from requirements.txt

How It Works

The Python Video Display is a sophisticated video player designed for Raspberry Pi that:

  • Loads videos from a specified directory
  • Displays videos with hardware acceleration using GStreamer on Raspberry Pi
  • Supports multiple video objects with dynamic scaling and positioning
  • Automatically handles portrait/landscape orientation
  • Maintains aspect ratio while filling the display
  • Uses OpenCV for video processing with hardware acceleration optimizations

Key Features

  • Hardware-accelerated video playback
  • Dynamic multi-video display
  • Automatic aspect ratio handling
  • Portrait mode support for Raspberry Pi
  • Configurable video object scaling and positioning
  • Real-time UI for settings adjustment
  • Fullscreen support

Usage

Controls

  • F: Toggle fullscreen mode
  • S: Open settings UI to adjust parameters
  • Q: Quit the application

Settings UI

The application provides a graphical settings interface that can be accessed by:

  1. Pressing S during video playback
  2. Automatically on first run
  3. When no videos are found in the configured folder

The settings UI allows you to configure:

  • Display resolution (width/height)
  • Number of simultaneous video objects (min/max)
  • Video object scaling factors (min/max)
  • Video folder location

Default values:

  • Display: 1920x1080 (automatically detects on Raspberry Pi)
  • Objects: Min 2, Max 10
  • Scale: Min 0.3, Max 1.0

Raspberry Pi Portrait Mode

When running on Raspberry Pi, the application automatically:

  • Detects system resolution
  • Forces portrait orientation (480x1920 default)
  • Rotates landscape videos for portrait display
  • Maintains proper aspect ratio scaling

Video Requirements

  • Supported formats: .mp4, .avi, .mov
  • Videos should be placed in the directory specified by folder_path in settings.json
  • Videos can be any resolution - they will be automatically scaled while maintaining aspect ratio

Configuration

The application uses a settings.json file located in the src directory for configuration. This file controls various aspects of the video player:

{
    "display_width": 1920,        # Display resolution width
    "display_height": 1080,       # Display resolution height
    "min_objects": 1,            # Minimum number of video objects to display
    "max_objects": 6,            # Maximum number of video objects to display
    "min_scale": 0.08,          # Minimum scale factor for video objects
    "max_scale": 1.5,           # Maximum scale factor for video objects
    "folder_path": "/path/to/videos"  # Directory containing video files to display
}

Ensure this file is properly configured with your settings before running the application. The folder_path should be an absolute path to a directory containing the video files you want to display. On Raspberry Pi, make sure the path is accessible to the user running the service.

Configuration Options

  • display_width, display_height: Set your display resolution (e.g., 1920x1080)
  • min_objects, max_objects: Control how many video objects appear simultaneously (1-6 recommended)
  • min_scale, max_scale: Control the size range of video objects (0.08-1.5 by default)
  • folder_path: Directory containing the video files to be displayed

Performance Tips

  • For optimal performance on Raspberry Pi, the application uses GStreamer for hardware-accelerated video decoding
  • Videos are automatically scaled to match the display resolution while maintaining aspect ratio
  • Multiple video objects are managed efficiently with dynamic memory handling
  • Portrait mode is automatically handled on Raspberry Pi with proper rotation

Manual Running

To run the video player manually:

cd src
python video_player.py

Autostart Setup on Raspberry Pi

To configure the video player to start automatically on boot:

  1. Create a systemd service file:
sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/videoplayer.service
  1. Add the following content to the service file (adjust paths as needed):
[Unit]
Description=Python Video Player
After=network.target

[Service]
Environment=DISPLAY=:0
Environment=XAUTHORITY=/home/your_username/.Xauthority
ExecStart=/home/your_username/python-video-display/venv/bin/python /home/your_username/python-video-display/src/video_player.py
WorkingDirectory=/home/your_username/python-video-display/src
StandardOutput=inherit
StandardError=inherit
Restart=always
User=your_username

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target
  1. Enable and start the service:
sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl enable videoplayer.service
sudo systemctl start videoplayer.service
  1. Check service status:
sudo systemctl status videoplayer.service

Troubleshooting

Display Issues

If the video player doesn't start properly, check:

  1. X Server is running (echo $DISPLAY should return :0)
  2. Correct permissions on .Xauthority file
  3. Service logs: sudo journalctl -u videoplayer.service

Service Management

  • Stop service: sudo systemctl stop videoplayer.service
  • Restart service: sudo systemctl restart videoplayer.service
  • View logs: sudo journalctl -u videoplayer.service -f

Project Structure

python-video-display/
├── src/
│   ├── video_player.py         # Main application file
│   ├── settings.json           # Configuration file
│   └── components/             # Component modules
│       ├── background_elements.py
│       ├── container_transform.py
│       ├── text_overlay.py
│       └── ui_manager.py
├── requirements.txt            # Python dependencies
└── README.md                   # This file

License

This project is available under a dual license:

  1. Commercial License

    • Required for any commercial use
    • Contact Shahab Nedaei ([email protected]) to obtain a commercial license
    • Commercial use includes using the software in commercial products, business environments, or any way that generates revenue

  2. MIT License with Attribution (for non-commercial use)

    • Free for non-commercial use
    • Attribution required (include original author's name and repository link)
    • See LICENSE.md for full terms

Notes

  • Ensure your Raspberry Pi is configured to boot to desktop environment
  • The DISPLAY and XAUTHORITY environment variables in the service file must match your system configuration
  • Adjust file paths in the service file according to your username and installation directory