<html>
<head>
<title>Blinker</title>
</head>
<body>
<h1>Blinker</h1>
<p>
Blinker is a server for LED projects and Blinken-houses that are driven
by Blinkenlights network streams.
</p>
<h2>Overview</h2>
<p>
Blinker is based on different modules, which can be connected via
streams.
Several types of modules are available, for example a movie player,
a network stream sender, modules to mix and separate streams.
</p>
<h2>Getting Started</h2>
<p>
As Blinker uses BlinkenLib to perform the low-level operations
on Blinken movies and Blinken streams, BlinkenLib has to be
installed first.
</p>
<p>
Go to the <code>src</code> directory and type <code>make</code>.
This should compile Blinker and produce a binary <code>Blinker</code>
in this directory.
</p>
<p>
Start Blinker using the example configuration directory using
<code>./Blinker ../example_cfg</code>.
You should see a small test movie appearing on standard output
(printed there by a printer module).
Other movies are sent as MCUF streams over UDPv4, one stream
is sent to <code>127.0.0.1:2323</code>.
</p>
<h2>Streams</h2>
<p>
Every stream is identified by a name and works like a TV program.
A source creates the content and uses the stream to distribute
it to its receivers.
A single stream can have any number of receivers, they all receive the
same content.
Usually, there should be only one provider of content for a single
stream.
If multiple parties send video frames to the stream, the frames
are mixed, which is most likely not what you want.
</p>
<h2>Operator Connections</h2>
<p>
Some modules can react to events and/or send events to other modules.
