Online Streaming Using Sopcast on Mac OS X
Finally, I can stream in peace on my iMac. Streaming wasn’t a problem for me until my Windows laptop flickered so much and I decided to move to the only available desktop in my home: an iMac.
I usually stream live sports using a software called SopCast, combined with resources from http://www.wiziwig.tv/. It is so far the best way I can find to stream sports online. The problem is: Sopcast is not available for Mac. Well, I find some solution but couldn’t make it work. Until today! And now I want to spread the workarounds (it’s free btw) 
What do you need?
- A Mac machine, of course
- Winebottler. Download: http://winebottler.kronenberg.org/
- X11. From my research, you can get X11 from your disc. If you are using Snow Leopard, you don’t need to install X11 since it is pre-installed.
- Mozilla Firefox for Windows. Download: http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/new/
- Sopcast. Download: http://www.sopcast.com/download/
- VLC Media Player for Windows. Download: http://www.videolan.org/vlc/download-windows.html/
Steps:
- First, you need to install WineBottler in your Mac. Simply drag the WineBottler icon to your Application folder
- Install Mozilla Firefox using WineBottler. Do not install it as a stand alone application. Choose “Run directly in …” and click “Go”. Run the installer just like a normal Windows installer.
- Similar to step #2, install Sopcast and VLC Media Player using WineBottler.
- Now configure your Sopcast. Click “Options”. Change the external player to “Use your own external player”, and find VLC.exe in your fake C drive.
DONE! Now, you can test-drive your Sopcast. Here is steps how to watch live sports using Wiziwig.tv:
- Use your Windows Firefox to open http://www.wiziwig.tv/ website.
- Find match you want to stream.
- Check the station. If the software name is “Sopcast”, click the “play” link.
- Your Sopcast application will run, but with a black screen. Click the left most icon to play in external player.
- VLC will run, but stops after few seconds. To solve this, you have to ensure that your stream is being looped by simply toggle the “Loop All” button.
Other workaround
This workaround might work for those who can’t make the VLC in Windows opens after clicking the Sopcast link. You need to have VLC for Mac installed in your Mac OS X.
- After clicking the Sopcast link, open your VLC for Mac. Do not close Sopcast that is running in your Wine.
- Open File > Open Network. In the URL textfield, type: http://localhost:8902/tv.asf or http://127.0.0.1:8902/tv.asf. Click Open. The stream should be started.
Happy streaming. Hope it helps Mac users who haven’t found a workaround for online streaming
I’m completely new to Mac so have found these instructions somewhat confusing.
I’ve got as far as opening a stream in Sopcast and the black screen is displayed.
Then how do I open this stream in VLC?
Please explain in as simple terms as possible, explaining what options to select from which menus in VLC.
I have tried pasting the links above (http://127.0.0.1:8902/ etc) into the url box on the “open network” menu in VLC but I just get an error message…
i tryed everything to make vlc works…
i receive that main error: connection failed: Connection refused
access_http error: cannot connect to 127.0.0.1:8902
main debug: net: connecting to 127.0.0.1 port 8902
main error: connection failed: Connection refused
access_mms error: cannot connect to 127.0.0.1:8902
main debug: no access module matching “http” could be loaded
main debug: TIMER module_need() : 0.834 ms – Total 0.834 ms / 1 intvls (Avg 0.834 ms)
main debug: waitpipe: object killed
main error: open of `http://127.0.0.1:8902/’ failed: (null)
main debug: thread ended
main debug: dead input
main debug: TIMER input launching for ‘http://127.0.0.1:8902/’ : 10.844 ms – Total 10.844 ms / 1 intvls (Avg 10.844 ms)
main debug: changing item without a request (current 0/1)
main debug: nothing to play
main debug: no fetch required for (null) (art currently (null))
I’ve got the same problem as many others – VLC for Windows doesn’t work.
fab wrote: For those of you who gets stuck in step four (VLC not opening) just ignore it and make sure that on the sopcast options you have the default player selected (instead of the VLC) and then on your MAC VLC play the http://localhost:8902/tv.asf or http://127.0.0.1:8902/.
Neither of these links work.
@Sindre: Maybe you mean: “Both of these links work”?
Dear Finoa, great guide, thanks for that. In step 4 I can’t find the VLC.exe in the fake C-drive. I have run it (VLC) directly in wine. When i run it directly in wine there is a pop-up with a softonic sign in the background so I don’t really now if it really succesfully is run. Could you help me out?
Great thanks!
@Jelle: Have you tried another solution which uses VLC for Mac? Try reading comment from Sindre below your comment. Maybe it will solve your problem.
Hey. first off, thanks for the tutorial, been looking for a solution for quite some time. Still, is it just me, or does the picture lag for a sec or so everytime VLC loops? is there any way to make it smoother?
@Alligator3: Mine is not like that. So… I have no idea at all
Sorry.
@Fiona : too bad that Indonesia didnt win the gold medal, but by looking how they played, i’m still proud of them. Btw, the website http://www.myp2p.eu is already changed with http://www.wiziwig.tv/ , just in case if you still dont know about it. But i guess you already know
@Budi: Yeah, too bad. I will still support national team no matter what, though
And about the Wiziwig information, thank you so much. I think I have read about it somewhere, but I don’t know why I don’t give a damn about it before. Maybe because these days, I rarely have time to watch sports on laptop anymore 
thankss bgt atas tutorial nya.. skrg gw jg bs ntn football lg di sopcast..terutama Sea games indo muda..:)
@Budi: You’re welcome. Hope Indonesia wins the gold medal in soccer (not to forget other sports)
@roney: (I can’t click reply again, therefore I’m answering your question here). Your question is not dumb, but you’re the one who is too lazy to read the article thoroughly. You could check step #5 in the “steps how to watch live sports using MyP2P.eu”, I even put a screenshot there and imo the information is clear enough.
you misunderstood sorry if i wasnt clear enough…the 5th step is if you have windows vlc using wine i cantt do that my windows vlc just doesnt work i tried one or two recent versions apart from the one mentioned above…instead i tried yours plus francis’ method where i used mac vlc to play sopcast but it stop starts alot…i read in the comments that doing the loop trhing fixes it…so again how do you do the loop thing for vlc when yr using the mac(current) version
hope it was clear enoough this time and thanks for replying
@roney: It supposed to be the same VLC for Mac or VLC for Windows. The only difference is just the menu position or the menu name. Try: Playback > Repeat All. It’s just my guess because I never use VLC for Mac for streaming.
and were you able to install vlc (win) thru the same software…. bcoz it isnt working for me?
@roney: I created this tutorial using my own Mac machine. So yes, it is working for me.
Thanks so much!!! Works perfectlty….
Thanks!!!
Works smoothly on Lion as well.
Cheers
For those of you who gets stuck in step four (VLC not opening) just ignore it and make sure that on the sopcast options you have the default player selected (instead of the VLC) and then on your MAC VLC play the http://localhost:8902/tv.asf or http://127.0.0.1:8902/.
ENJOY
Hey guys,
I installed everything (good guide btw) …. but I can’t open the ‘www.myp2p.eu’ homepage, though i am connected to the internet. I can open other pages, but when I try http://www.myp2p.eu it only say: ‘Server not found’ …
Any suggestions ???
Cheers !!!
@Roman: Hi Roman, you can’t open MyP2P.eu because it doesn’t exist anymore. Try ChanFeed (replacement for ATDHE.me). Cheers
http://www.myp2p.eu has closed down it is http://www.wiziwig.tv now or http://www.magictv.co, yes it is co not com.
Thanks! With your method and the tip of Francis combined, I’m finally able to watch football matches of my hometown when im travelling!
A more detailed guide would be nice. I only got as far as creating sop cast.app. X11 pops out and the please wait cursor is the last thing i see before an error msg. I am running Lion
@mark: Sorry I couldn’t help anything, mark. I haven’t had any experience with Lion. Btw, did you install the Sopcast as an Application bundle? You have to install Sopcast, VLC, and Firefox in the same bottle. So avoid installing it as a stand-alone bundle.
Hi Fiona Your instructions work a treat once I realised I needed click the .exe file not in wine. Thanks so much I will be able to dump Windows 7 and virtualbox.
Your could to make it clear though you need to install Wine as well as Winebottle from the start.
I am so glad I found this site and am so grateful for the help you are prepared to give others. I tried Wine before but gave up so your guidance has been great and thanks again!
all the install parts worked out great so thx. But when i then try to run a channel on sopcast and then press the external player button nothing happens. A window maybe x11 appear for a split second, and then nothing further happens.. any ideas??
@ras: Try Francis or Jason’s solution. Use VLC for Mac. Open the following URL: http://localhost:8902/tv.asf or http://127.0.0.1:8902/ Hopefully it works
unfortunately for an computer illiterate person like myself your making some big leaps – would help if you could give us a bit more detail. For example in step 2:
‘Choose “Run directly in …” and click “Go”. Run the installer just like a normal Windows installer.’
However when i open wine maker there are three choices
1. Existing prefixes
2. Installed prefixes
3. Create custom prefixes
i chose option 3 but there is no mention of “run directly in… or “go”… this is about where i get stuck.
@Chris: Hi Chris, try to double click the .EXE, not the WineBottler application.
sorry, I am stuck here. I am very simple and a new apple user. I cant find the firefox.exe file to ‘run directly in’. pls can someone help? the firefox files i have end in .dmg If I open the firefox I download i automatically go to the apple application function.
@kan: You should have downloaded “Mozilla Firefox for Windows” not “Mozilla Firefox for Mac” so you will get an .exe file, instead of .dmg file (installer for Mac applications).
what do you mean click .exe where is that???
@Fergus: .exe is the installer file which you can download from the Internet.
Doesn’t work for me, but instead I have tried using crossover to get this to function. When I perform “step 4,” it says “vlc media player just crashed…..” I tried using Francis’ method but it doesn’t work either (vlc crashes)
Great instructions, works perfectly! Ive been having trouble with this for a long time, and finally somebody has gone to the trouble of clearly and precisely explaining each step! Many thanks!
I followed the steps you provided, however i cannot get to open the VLC. I tried installing a lower version of VLC, yet the same thing happened. Need help! Thanks =)
@Francis: I don’t really get what do you mean by you cannot get to open the VLC. Is it on step 4? When you click a button, nothing appears at all? Have you ensured the step 1 & 2 are followed? Maybe screenshots will help explain things
Yes step 4 won’t work for me. VLC won’t open in the winebottler i installed. Anyway, i got it running now using my mac installed VLC. Once i get to run sopcast, i’ll open this (http://localhost:8902/tv.asf) in my mac installed VLC and everything will run smoothly. Thanks a lot!
Can you explain the way to make it happen? I’ve got the same problem with VLC and step 4?
Don’t want to spam but I’ve opened it in VLC (Mac) and it keeps stopping every 5 seconds.. and on other hand VLC (win) won’t open with Wine, I tried older version too.. Some suggestions what may be the solution?
Thanks in advance..
@iwo: Maybe you haven’t put the VLC in loop?
hey fiona, thanks for this great guide.. cheers!
I also cannot open up the vlc. Used Francis method, but instead,link is http://127.0.0.1:8902/
without tv.asf
anyway i think just install sopcast will do.
the loop was the problem. thanks @ Fionna, running smoothly on the VLC (Mac) with the url.
dumb question but how are you supposed to do the loop thingy on the mac vlc
omg, it fails with the first step, safari can’t open the 1st link, thx though =)
@guynumber1: I can’t open it as well. Seems the website is down. Try another link: http://mac.softpedia.com/get/System-Utilities/WineBottler.shtml Hope it works fine
Download works, but predefined prefixes don’t exist on this version…
@Josh: Hey Josh, the website is up again, maybe you could try downloading from the official website. http://winebottler.kronenberg.org/
Sopcast for Mac is here at : http://download.easetuner.com/download/SopCast-1.3.5.dmg