MC Media Player Development Status

Over the past few years I've developed the MC Media Player in a fairly ad-hoc manner. Although its features have evolved in pretty much the way I'd hoped, the actual code is becoming quite disorganized and inefficient. It's getting harder to fix bugs and add new features.

For this and other reasons I think the MC Media Player has reached a point where it needs a complete re-write. Armed with the knowledge I now have about how to do certain things, as well as what people want from the player, I think I can do a much better job starting again from the ground up. In addition, the new Flash Player (version 9) offers many benefits for files coded with ActionScript 3 so that's the route I'll take.

I have started work on a new version of the player codenamed MC Altair. This is a basic single-file only player which will be released as a product in its own right. However I'm designing it with a view to expanding it into a multi-media player to replace the current 720x360 player.

The bad news is that it's going to take a long time to get a new version up to the same level of functionality as the current player. I don't know how long it will be — it could be as early as the first quarter of 2008 but more likely to be nearer the end of the year (and there's always the possibility of unexpected delays). I realise that's a long wait for those of you who use the 720x360 player—I just hope you agree that it will be best for the player in the long run.

There's lots of good news. The new player will (hopefully) include things like:

• Support for true streaming including live broadcasts
• Support for more file formats including H.264 (that's BIG news!)
• The ability to create complete custom skins
• More playlist options including multiple playlists
• The possibility of adding webcam support, teleconferencing, etc
• Support for different frame rates in SWF files
• The ability to run the player from our server
• Smaller file sizes, more robust performance

Open Source

One of the biggest decisions has been to make the new version open source. I think this will be best for the player and all our loyal supporters. I won't release the source yet though—it needs a lot of fixing and tidying up first. To be honest I'll need some time to learn up on ActionScript 3 and figure out the best way to organise the project.

What About the Current 720x360 Player?

A difficult decision is where to cut off development for the current player. I don't want to stop tweaking and maintaining the old version but if the new version is going to thrive I'll need all the time I can spare to work on it. At this stage I'm thinking of continuing support and bug-fixing for the old version but not adding any new features.

Summary

The single-file MC Altair player should be ready for release early in 2008. I hope the multi-media player will be released some time in 2008. Thanks very much for your interest in this player—if you have any questions or comments please visit our forum.

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To-Do List

These are the things I'm currently working on. Sorry, I can't say when they will get done.

• Add mute button to volume control
• Create color variables and schemes
• Allow different cp size & position in fullscreen mode
• Improve message box
• Fix seek-to-end bug
• Write docs
• Tidy up code and prepare for open-source release