Xibo Digital Signage on ARM (Beagleboard / Overo)

Xibo (pronounced eX-E-bO) is an open source, multi-display, multi-zone, fully scheduled digital signage solution written in Python (there is also a dotnet version). This is a client /server solution that can run on Windows or Linux.

If you are not familiar with Xibo you can visit http://xibo.org.uk/ or/and read my introduction XIBO: An Open Source Digital Signage Server/Client.

Since I had not seen digital signage solution running on low cost ARM development platform such as Beagleboard, Pandaboard or Origen, I decided to give the Xibo python client a try using qemu to emulate Gumstix Overo COM (OMAP 3530). Porting Xibo to ARM could provide several benefits compared to x86 platform:

  • Lower hardware cost
  • Lower power consumption (and electricity bill)
  • Smaller form factor allowing easier integration in displays and in transportation (e.g. buses, subway trains).
  • Easier to implement new digital signage features such as touch screen support, 3G connectivity, location based advertisement (with GPS), etc…

Please note that usually the hardware cost is not very critical in digital signage as most of the cost is related to maintenance (e.g. content update).

Since I just wanted to see if Xibo could run, the initial goal was to run a simple layout with pictures and text so I disabled Berkelium the library to render webpages (more on that later). [Update: I’ve now cross-compiled Berkelium so that you can run the full version of Xibo on ARM]. The host computer runs Ubuntu 11.04 (Natty) and I used Xibo 1.3.1 (development release) client and server.

Here are the steps I followed:

  • Setup QEMU to emulate the Overo COM and run the ARM Internet Platform (ALIP)  image based on linaro.
  • Cross-compiled libavg for ARM and copy the binaries files in the qemu image, since this is needed by the python client. After the steps described in Cross-compile libavg for ARM are completed, copy the files as follows:

    mkdir mnt
    sudo mount -o loop,offset=$[106496*512] overo_sd_alip.img mnt
    cp libs/lib/python2.7/site-packages/libavg/* mnt/usr/lib/python2.7/site-packages/libavg/ -rf
    cd mnt/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/
    mv libavg libavg-old
    ln -s ../site-packages/libavg libavg
    cd ../../../../..
    sudo umount mnt

  • Start qemu for the Overo board:

    sudo qemu-system-arm -M overo -m 256 -drive file=./overo_sd_alip.img,if=sd,cache=writeback -clock unix -serial stdio -device usb-kbd -device usb-mouse

  • Install the Xibo Python Client, by running the following script (xibo-install.sh) as root in the qemu terminal:
  • Alternatively, instead of running ./configure.py, you could configure the Python Client manually:

    cd /opt/xibo/pyclient/client/python
    cp site.cfg.default site.cfg
    vi site.cfg

    And change xmdsUrl to match your server IP, xmdsKey to a key of your choice (will be used during server installation below) , set requireXmds=true and change width and height to set the window resolution.

  • Modify the source code of the Python client to disable the BrowserNode plugin.Edit XiboClient.py in /opt/xibo/pyclient/client/python and comment out the following line:

    self.player.loadPlugin(“libbrowsernode”)

  • Run Xibo Python Client:

    sudo ./run.sh

After a while you should be able to see the Xibo splash screen.

Qemu Overo running ALIP image and Xibo Oepn Source Digital Signage
Xibo Console and Splash Screen in Qemu
  • Install and Configure the server on Linux and/or Windows.

You can do this part at any stage during installation, e.g. while your computer builds libavg.

If you want to install the server on Windows XP, you can follow the instructions I provided in XIBO: An Open Source Digital Signage Server/Client (for server installation). To install xibo in Linux (e.g. on the host where the emulator is running), refer to http://wiki.xibo.org.uk/wiki/Install_Guide_Xibo_Server. After that you’ll need to create a layout, add media files and schedule the layout for the client. You can learn how to do that in Xibo Open Source Digital Signage Tutorial / Demo. Remember to license the client in Xibo dashboard.

I only tried a layout with 2 pictures (no videos due to performance issues) and a text zone in the bottom. The 2 pictures zone could show perfectly, but the text zone could not. The reason is that the text is converted to an html file (accessible in /opt/xibo/pyclient/client/python/data) . So even for text display, the Berkelium library is needed contrary to what I expected initially. So finally, I converted the text zone into a picture zone in order to achieve the result below.

Xibo Python Client for ARM on Beagleboard
Xibo Client Running in Qemu for OMAP 3 with 3 Picture Zones

Xibo Python Client can run successfully in an ARM platform running Linux. Further work would be needed to achieve full functionality:

  • Cross-compiling Berkelium.
  • Cross-compiling libbrowsernode.
  • Try Xibo Client on real hardware.
  • Performance Optimization for the target platform (e.g. Hardware Video decoding).

 

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33 Comments
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Evan Duncan
12 years ago

Hello, I am completely on board with you on this project. I have been tasked with creating a cheap solution for digital signage. I am highly anticipating the release of the RaspberryPi ARM boards http://www.raspberrypi.org . The end goal would to be like you said and with combination of XIBO and RaspberryPI create an extremely cost effective solution for digital signage. I currently have a BeagleBoard to test configurations with, but my skill sets in the programming areas may not be advanced enough to continue to cross compile the remaining libraries. Do you know of any projects to convert: libavg,… Read more »

Gianluca
Gianluca
12 years ago

Hi ,
thanks a lot for your usefull article.
I had installed xibo as python client on ubuntu desktop 11.04, and it works great !
But, how can insert the command on ubuntu to automatic launch the xibo client every time the system startup ?

thanks in advance.
Gianluca

Evan Duncan
12 years ago


Good Morning Gianluca,

I have been slowly but surely getting the beagleboard working with xibo. I’m having trouble with building the Mesa libraries though.
When I run:

CFLAGS=”-I/usr/include”
X11_LIBS=”-L/home/ubuntu/edev/beagleboard/libs/lib/arm-linux-gnueabi -lX11″
X11_INCLUDES=”-I/usr/include”
X11_CFLAGS=”-I/usr/include”
./configure –target=arm-linux-gnueabi –host=arm-linux-gnueabi –prefix=/home/ubu$
#make

I get the following errors:
./build.sh: 3: -lX11 : not found
configure: error: unrecognized option: ‘–target=arm-linux-gnueabi’

I copied the xorg libraries and X11 folder from /usr/lib to ~/edev/beagleboard/libs/lib/arm-linux-gnueabi.
I went to ./configure –help to look for switches to figure it out myself but I couldn’t find -target. Plus its saying -lX11 not found. Any suggestions?
-Evan Duncan

Evan Duncan
12 years ago

@Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) Jean-Luc, I extremely appreciate your efforts. I have had a day of compiling errors I’ve been trying to sort through on the beagleboard. I downloaded the Raspberry PI VirtualBox VM from the official RaspberryPI Forum, but I’m not quite sure how to use ScratchBox2 yet. I like working on the beagleboard because I know its If you would email me [email protected] I would like to send you a config.log from a Mesa build error that I got on the beagleboard. You might be able to look at it and figure it out very quickly. Do you think… Read more »

Max
Max
12 years ago

Hello,

Great job getting Xibo to work on ARM. However, I am wondering if it is possible to get it working on Android (with ARMv7) instead of ALIP as in this article? Do you think it is possible to wrap up your ARM versions of libavg and Berkelium using NDK and run the client in SL4A (python)? It sounds like dependency hell to me though. I am new to Android so I would really appreciate your advice, any advice.

Cheers,
Max

Max
Max
12 years ago


Thank you, sir.

I totally agree that X11 to SurfaceFlinger conversion sounds daunting. There is also the OpenGL to OpenGL ES issue too. Guess the idea of porting libavg to Android isn’t a good idea after all. Coding up a player from scratch might be a lesser challenge, maybe.

Octavio
Octavio
11 years ago

Hi all, I am trying to use a beagleboard to run xibo client, I get the HW today , is running Angstrom. My question is Do I need to compile the libraries that you mention here? I am planning to install ICS what do you recommend? I need to make a demo in ten days… do you recommend that I should try with another option?

Octavio
Octavio
11 years ago

thanks a lot, I will try with other option for the demo, after that I will continue trying to run xibo in beagleboard. I will tell you my advances.

Taylor
Taylor
11 years ago

How did you get the flash-plugin nonfree? Or did you just omit this from the sh file?

Albert
Albert
11 years ago

i cross-compile the libavg-1.7.1 for the Ebv beagle Board i use arm-none-linux-gnueabi- and when i go to configure : CFLAGS=”-I/usr/arm-linux-gnueabi/include/gtk-2.0 -I/usr/arm-linux-gnueabi/include/glib-2.0″ CXXFLAGS=”-I/usr/arm-linux-gnueabi/include/gtk-2.0 -I/usr/arm-linux-gnueabi/include/glib-2.0/ -I/usr/arm-linux-gnueabi/lib/glib-2.0/include/ -I/usr/arm-linux-gnueabi/include/pango-1.0 -I/usr/arm-linux-gnueabi/include/cairo/ -I/usr/arm-linux-gnueabi/include/librsvg-2″ LDFLAGS=”-lgdk_pixbuf-2.0 -lavcodec -lavutil -lavformat -lswscale -lSDL -lpango-1.0 -lpangoft2-1.0 -lrsvg-2″ ./configure –target=arm-linux-gnueabi –host=arm –with-sdl-prefix=/usr/arm-linux-gnueabi –prefix=/home/albert/CodeSourcery/Sourcery_G++_Lite/lib i get this error: configure: WARNING: if you wanted to set the –build type, don’t use –host. If a cross compiler is detected then cross compile mode will be used checking build system type… i686-pc-linux-gnu checking host system type… arm-none-linux-gnueabi checking target system type… arm-unknown-linux-gnueabi checking for arm-none-linux-gnueabi-gcc… arm-none-linux-gnueabi-gcc checking whether the C compiler works… no configure: error: in… Read more »

extend
extend
10 years ago

Hello,

i have a probleme with network connection in qemu hen i run beagle_sd_alip_x11.img http://www.cnx-software.com/2011/09/26/beagleboard-emulator-in-ubuntu-with-qemu/

extend
extend
10 years ago

there is no solution for this probleme ?
haw i can run a emulation of beagle board in qemu with network work ?

extend
extend
10 years ago

where i found the overo_sd_alip.img or haw i can regenrate this image ?

thank you

Grace
10 years ago

hi!
can u pleas help me!
i”m currently launching my digital signage with .3 adverts and it’s working perfectly fine, but the problem i have is that i can’t get out of the advertisment even if im pressing keys on my keyboard,the only thing i have 2 do is to switch off my Pc.
can u help me by showing me how to get out without switching off my PC?
thank you

Keyur
10 years ago

where i download overo_sd_alip.img?

Keyur
10 years ago

@extend
you find a solution?

Keyur
10 years ago

I run xibo-install.sh file in beagleboard-xm but some script is not running.
Is it xibo run on beagleboard-xm actually? not in qemu emulator.
Give me a reply please.
Thank you.

keyur
10 years ago

how to run internet in qemu emulator for beagle board image.
i tried so much but that is not done.
please help me. what should i do?
thanks

m][sko
10 years ago

@keyur
google for qemu + nat or bridged networking

Khadas VIM4 SBC