add suppport for user access control by -pw password (HTML digest)

README.md

@@ -1,18 +1,23 @@
-# UxPlay 1.71: AirPlay-Mirror and AirPlay-Audio server for Linux, macOS, and Unix (now also runs on Windows).
+# UxPlay 1.72 (beta): AirPlay-Mirror and AirPlay-Audio server for Linux, macOS, and Unix (now also runs on Windows).
 
 ### **Now developed at the GitHub site <https://github.com/FDH2/UxPlay> (where ALL user issues should be posted, and latest versions can be found).**
 
--   ***NEW in v1.71**: Support for (YouTube) HLS (HTTP Live Streaming)
+-   ***NEW in v1.72**: Improved Support for (YouTube) HLS (HTTP Live Streaming)
     video with the new "-hls" option.* **Only streaming from the YouTube iOS app
     (in \"m3u8\" protocol) is currently supported**: (streaming using the AirPlay icon in a browser window
     is **not** yet supported).Click on the airplay icon in the
-    YouTube app to stream video. (You may need to wait until
-    advertisements have finished or been skipped before clicking the
-    YouTube airplay icon.) **Please report any issues with this new
-    feature of UxPlay**.   _The default video player for HLS is
+    YouTube app to stream video.
+    **Please report any issues with this new feature of UxPlay**.
+
+    _The default video player for HLS is
     GStreamer playbin v3: use "-hls 2" to revert to playbin v2 if
     some videos fail to play_.
 
+    * added support for setting a password (as an alternative to on-screen
+      pin codes) to control client access (-pw option); added support for
+      setting initial audion volume (--vol option), and output of audio-mode
+      metatdate to file (for display, -md option).
+    
 ## Highlights:
 
 -   GPLv3, open source.
@@ -499,7 +504,11 @@ below for help with this or other problems.
     [Usage](#usage) for details, if you wish to use it. *Some clients
     with MDM (Mobile Device Management, often present on employer-owned
     devices) are required to use pin-authentication: UxPlay will provide
-    this even when running without the pin option.*
+    this even when running without the pin option.*  Password authentication
+    (-pw _pwd_)is also offered as an alternative solution to pin codes: 
+    users need to know the password _pwd_ and enter it on their iOS/macOS device
+    to access UxPlay, when prompted (if _pwd_ is not set, a displayed random
+    pin code must be entered at **each** new connection.)
 
 -   By default, UxPlay is locked to its current client until that client
     drops the connection; since UxPlay-1.58, the option `-nohold`
@@ -1006,6 +1015,17 @@ deregisters the corresponding client (see options -restrict, -block,
 -allow for more ways to control client access). *(Add a line "reg" in
 the startup file if you wish to use this feature.)*
 
+**-pw** [*pwd*].  (since 1.72). As an alternative to -pin, client access
+can be controlled with a password set when uxplay starts (set it in
+the .uxplay startup file, where it is stored as cleartext.)  All users must
+then know this password.    This uses HTTP md5 Digest authentication,
+which is now regarded as providing weak security, but it is only used to
+validate the uxplay password, and no user credentials are exposed.   _Note:
+-pin and -pw are alternatives: if both are specified at startup, the
+earlier of these two options is discarded.  If *pwd* is not specified,
+a random 4-digit pin code is displayed, and must be entered on the client
+at **each** new conenction.
+
 **-vsync \[x\]** (In Mirror mode:) this option (**now the default**)
 uses timestamps to synchronize audio with video on the server, with an
 optional audio delay in (decimal) milliseconds (*x* = "20.5" means
@@ -1671,10 +1691,15 @@ introduced 2017, running tvOS 12.2.1), so it does not seem to matter
 what version UxPlay claims to be.
 
 # Changelog
+1.72 2025-05-15. Improved HLS Live Streaming (YouTube) support.
+Add support for password (HTTP Digest Authentication, -pw option) as
+alternative to on-screen pin codes.
 
 1.72 2024-04-22 Add requested options -md \<filename\> to output audio
 metadata text to a file for possible display (complements -ca option),
-and -vol <v> option to set initial audio-streaming volume.
+and -vol <v> option to set initial audio-streaming volume.  Add support
+password user access control with HTTP digest Authentication (-pw [pwd]).
+If no pwd is set, a random pin is displayed for entry at each new connection.
 
 1.71 2024-12-13 Add support for HTTP Live Streaming (HLS), initially
 only for YouTube movies. Fix issue with NTP timeout on Windows.