Date: 08/29/05 (Mozilla)    Keywords: software

Hello all, just wanted to post here about my idea for a Mozilla media platform.

I call it the "Windhorse/Media Project".

It, in the spirit of Mozilla trdition, will be Gecko-based, and will include a bookmark ability for your favourite online media. Plus, it will allow you the choice between streaming or saving-as (whether it be live or stationary).

Windhorse, by itself, will be a standalone platform, while Media, by itself, will come as an extension for both Firefox and Thunderbird, respectively (plus, just as in IE, it will be accessible through a drop-down media panel on the main navigation toolbar). The extension will provide for the toolbar panel and for a media sidebar (also like IE) which will (another choice) allow you to either view/listen to the clickable media in the toolbar or view/listen to it on Windhorse.

Preliminarilly, it will provide the directories for Shoutcast and Nullsoft Video, and will also (hopefully) provide other, online directories (like Vtuner [my fave] or whatnot).

Finally, while Windhorse/Media will depend upon WMP, RP, QT, and WA in order to view proprietorized content (so as to not have anything nasty upon Mozilla's conscience and legal bill - damn the proprietors), I can envision third-party, indy-made, open-source .xpi's for alternative codecs like Real Alternative, Quicktime Alternative, Winamp Alternative, and even that codec which allows you to play WM-copyrighted formats on other players without the need for WMP, all of which will allow to to play any media extension, no matter *how* proprietary, without the need for media-playing bigboys like the aforementioned.

(Also, if you want, you can add an in-the-future .xpi which will immediately convert proprietarized stationary content [like mp3s, wma, ra, qt, etc.] into open-source formats like .ogg and so forth)

So, that's my idea for a Mozilla media platform (more than just a player, dammit!). I *would* work on it, except for the fact that I'm but a lowly end-user and tinkerer of the 3rd or 4th degree (as listed in Wikipedia's "Open-source software" article). Plus, I'm in college without (at-least) a laptop right now, so I'm screwed, lol.

Harry

Source: http://www.livejournal.com/community/mozilla/313503.html