Output images to Apple TV
Hello Ben,
I've a feature request for the next version. I'm a happy user of the current Security Spy version, but there is a small thing wich would be very nice.
I installed security spy on a mac mini, placed in a closet with no monitor attached. It would be nice if it's possible to connect to one or more apple tv's and use them as display.
Using air-parrot is an option. But I'm looking for a native solution for this.
I've a feature request for the next version. I'm a happy user of the current Security Spy version, but there is a small thing wich would be very nice.
I installed security spy on a mac mini, placed in a closet with no monitor attached. It would be nice if it's possible to connect to one or more apple tv's and use them as display.
Using air-parrot is an option. But I'm looking for a native solution for this.
Comments
You can also use LogMeIn or other similar VNC apps to see the Mac mini screen from an iPad or iPhone if you want.
This would help if you mac mini is older than 2011 and doesn't have support for the airplay mirroring.
Alternately, if there is an iPhone or iPad viewing app that can do the Airplay for me, that would work to.
Presently I only have a single camera. I don't know how this will work when I add the other three cameras:
I set the camera's "Capture Destination" in Security Spy to: ~/Music/iTunes/iTunes Music/Automatically Add to iTunes/
Whenever a motion generated movie clip is written to that directory by SecuritySpy, iTunes will import it to the library as an m4v file. It works pretty well, then iTunes deletes the original .mov file
As an alternate, I also wrote an applescript that will copy the .mov files from the SecuritySpy default directory to: ~/Music/iTunes/iTunes Music/Automatically Add to iTunes/. I might do this so that I still have web access using SecuritySpy to view the captured movies.
I might have to use this when I add the four cameras, since I believe that SecuritySpy will not allow the cameras to all use the same destination. Maybe Ben can chime in on this.
I also haven't figured out how to automatically delete the movies from iTunes as they age. I might just have to delete the movies once or twice per month.
Peter
In a nutshell, Since SecuritySpy creates a new folder for each event in the capture destination, the folder action never triggers the Automater action because the folders action is only triggered by the addition of files, not the addtion of files in a subfolder.
Is it possible to give the user an option to save captured files at the root of the capture destination, without a containing folder ? They all have unique names so duplication shouldn't be an issue.
Peter
My Folder actions use this script, which then runs an Automater App named: SecuritySpy_Copy_to_iTunes.app which then copies the added files to: ~/Music/iTunes/iTunes Music/Automatically Add to iTunes/
**********
on adding folder items to this_folder after receiving added_items
tell me
do shell script "open -a /Users/pmonahan/Documents/SecuritySpy_Copy_to_iTunes.app"
end tell
end adding folder items to
**********
I don't think Applescript will allow the user to set folder actions for a folder automatically. I think it must be done manually for each folder.
I can use iCal to schedule and automatically run my Automator app but I'd rather not do that. It just adds additional overhead to the configuration.
It's awesome, but I am always looking to improve things.
I am using Launchd in OS X to run an Automator workflow. The text below gets saved as "com.SecuritySpy.copy.plist" in ~/Library/LauchAgents/ and runs the workflow every 60 seconds. You can change the integer below if you want longer intervals.
The schedule above runs this workflow listed below, created with Automator.app named: "SecuritySpy_Copy_to_iTunes.workflow", the steps are listed below and the workflow gets saved to your Documents folder:
The files are checked to see if they have already been copied, then re-labeled, copied to: ~/Music/iTunes/iTunes Music/Automatically Add to iTunes/, imported to iTunes, then iTunes automatically Deletes the original .mov copies after importing them.
This allows you to use the browser for viewing the SecuritySpy Captured files as well as view on your AppleTV with Home Sharing Enabled. iTunes import the movie clips into "Home Movies".
Peter
I run this daily using OS X's launchd to keep my iTunes Library lean and relevant.
If you want to simplify this, you could rename your cameras so they are prefaced with a unique string such as SecSpy, so that your applescript could then use: ... "whose name contains "MD SecSpy"... This will reduce the applescript down to a few lines, even for multiple cameras.