gstreamer/docs/random/ensonic/media-device-daemon.txt

$Id$

components
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- daemon process
  - is a gstreamer application
  - open physical sink, src elements
  - prepends an adder to sinks
  - appends an tee to sources
  - listens to dbus, to get notified by virtual-endpoints of init/finalize
    (the dbus notify, would also be useful for gst-editor to hook on running
     apps)

- 4 new elements
  - virtual-audiosink, virtual-videosink
    virtual-audiosrc, virtual-videosrc
  - virtual sinks establish a connection to the daemon
  - they link to request_pads of the adder/tee elements
  - on init and finalize they send a dbus-message

- gui app
  - lists instances as mixing-desk like channelstrips
  - channelstrips would contain
    - audio
      - volume, panorama, 3-band eq
    - video
      - brightness, contrast, alpha-level
  - user can
    - add insert-fx
    - route channel to targets, where targets can be real sinks or more
      virtual-sinks (sub-groups)
  - virtual sinks need queues to decouple application processes

- interfaces
  - expose child-elements via child-proxy
    - then e.g. the applications volume-control could directly access the
      channelstrip
  - state-control (play, pause/mute)
    - it would be useful if one app could pause/mute others
    - think of a voip-client, if there is an incoming call, if pauses your
      media-player, or mutes the monitoring of your recording app