To be able to play music on one PC and to control the very same PC from another using HTTP, you need to set up the HTTP interface properly.

Open

C:\Program Files (x86)\VideoLAN\VLC\http\.hosts

and either add a new or uncomment an existing range and do not forget to adjust the netmask if yours deviate from the norm:

#
# Access-list for VLC HTTP interface
# $Id$
#

# localhost
::1
127.0.0.1

# link-local addresses
#fe80::/64

# private addresses
#fc00::/7
#fec0::/10
#10.0.0.0/8
#172.16.0.0/12
#192.168.0.0/16
#169.254.0.0/16

# The world (uncommenting these 2 lines is not quite safe)
#::/0
#0.0.0.0/0

Localhost is already uncommented, meaning you always have access to the web interface from localhost. Save the file.

Open VLC, go to Tools:Preferences, Click Show settings:All at the bottom, so VLC shows you – well – all its settings. Hence the name, I guess…

Now, click Interface:Main interfaces:HTTP and in Host address enter 0.0.0.0:80 to enable broadcast to everything on port 80. The default is everything on port 8080. If you want it on port 8080 you do not need to enter anything. In Source directory, enter the path to VLC’s HTTP directory: C:\Program Files (x86)\VideoLAN\VLC\http on my system.

Save and restart VLC. As long as VLC is started, you should now have it receiving control input from the web.

Since I have a PC dedicated to the TV, I took the next logical step and hooked the very same PC up to the living room stereo. One cable at our local equivalence of “Radio Shack” solved that matter.

Enter stage left – VLC: A free media player that need no codecs (built-in) and a ton of features. One of the things it can do that caught my eye: An http interface, making it possible to control the player via any web browser within allowed IP range. Not all browsers can handle everything, but in essence: I have successfully used my mobile phone connected to my local network to adjust the volume…!

What I did: Media:Services Discovery:Shoutcast radio listings and thenI went into the playlist (Ctrl+L) and just clocked something. Seems to be a bug somewhere, because unless I do this, nothing show up elsewhere. In another posting I’ll describe how to prepare VLC for http before this actually works. The playlist contains a lot of radio stations – all free. So, I selected one and then tried controlling from another PC. Yep, works.

Note! Needs setup of http interface first.