How can I get a macro program to know when a streaming video ends?

October 8, 2008 3:54 PM

I'm looking for a way for a macro program (RoboTask is the one I'm currently using) to tell whether or not a streaming video has completed playing. I think the best way to do this would be to monitor the current download rate to my PC, and when it drops to 0 kb/s for a second or longer, then trigger the video completion event. I have no idea how to do this, however.

Robotasks does offer a variable that will import whatever is in the clipboard, so if I could somehow copy my current download rate to clipboard maybe twice per second then I could go from there and have RoboTask check that every second.

So, in summary: does anyone either know a better way to tell when a streaming video is done playing, or know a way to copy the current download speed to the clipboard?

ps-I don't have to use RoboTask; if you know another free macro recording prog to use, then I would use that.

posted by idyllhands to computers & internet (2 comments total)

I think the best way to do this would be to monitor the current download rate to my PC, and when it drops to 0 kb/s for a second or longer, then trigger the video completion event.

No good. Streaming video often downloads much faster than it plays so you'd end up cutting off the video way too early.
posted by TheOnlyCoolTim at 4:11 PM on October 8, 2008

Good point. OK, new plan. I know the lengths of the videos, so I think that I can trigger them to start, then wait for the sound to start and measure the time from there.

Is there any way to tell whether or not there is sound coming through the speakers? I have Flash CS3.0 so if you know a way in Actionscript that I could determine if the sound card is in use, and then copy a boolean variable to the Clipboard to indicate whether or not a video is playing, that would be great too.
posted by idyllhands at 8:38 PM on October 11, 2008