BadApple EV3 Player

This project plays the iconic Bad Apple video on a LEGO EV3 Brick using MicroPython. It synchronizes a sequence of PNG frames with audio playback for a smooth video experience on the EV3's screen.

Features

• Numeric sorting of frame images for correct playback order
• Audio and video synchronization using frame timing and threading
• Error handling for missing frames or directories
• Adjustable FPS based on audio duration

Requirements

• LEGO EV3 Brick with MicroPython v2.0 or higher
• Frame images in PNG format, stored in the frames/ directory (named like frame1.png, frame2.png, ...)
• Audio file (e.g., BadApple.wav) in the project directory

Getting Bad Apple Files

You can download the original Bad Apple!! video (.mp4) and audio (.wav or .mp3) files from the Internet Archive. Search for "Bad Apple!!" to find various versions suitable for extracting frames and audio.

Converting Files for EV3

Once you obtain the files, you will need to convert the video to PNG frames and ensure the audio is in WAV format. You can use ffmpeg for this:

Convert video to PNG frames:

ffmpeg -i .\bad_apple.mp4 -vf "fps=5,scale=178:128,format=gray" -f image2 -vcodec png .\frames\frame%d.png

• This command extracts frames at 5 FPS, scales them to 178x128 pixels (EV3 screen size), and converts them to grayscale PNGs.
• Place the resulting PNG files in the frames/ directory.

Convert audio to EV3-compatible WAV:

ffmpeg -i .\bad_apple_enhanced.mp3 -ar 8000 -ac 1 -sample_fmt s16 BadApple.wav

• This command converts the audio to 8kHz, mono, 16-bit WAV format for EV3 compatibility.
• Place the resulting BadApple.wav file in the project root.

Usage

1. Copy your PNG frames into the frames/ directory.
2. Place your audio file (e.g., BadApple.wav) in the project root.
3. Adjust the audio_duration_sec variable in main.py to match your audio length (in seconds).
4. Run main.py on your EV3 Brick.

Tip: Due to the large number and size of frame files, it is recommended to transfer them to the EV3 using a USB connection instead of Wi-Fi for faster and more reliable transfer.

Note: Playback may take a bit of time to start because the program sorts all frame files before beginning. Please be patient after launching the script.

Demo

Watch a demo of this project on YouTube: https://youtu.be/ZXR68Vy5lU4

How It Works

• The script loads and sorts all PNG frames numerically.
• It calculates the frame rate to match the audio duration.
• Audio playback starts in a separate thread for synchronization.
• Frames are displayed in sequence, skipping frames if playback falls behind.

File Structure

main.py           # Main script to run on EV3
frames/           # Directory containing PNG frame images
    frame1.png
    frame2.png
    ...
BadApple.wav      # Audio file (must be present)

Credits

• Inspired by "Bad Apple!!" and EV3 MicroPython community projects.

License

This project is provided for educational and non-commercial use.