A python script that monitors idle time on a Windows machine. After the idle threshold is hit, windows media player is started and it plays a playlist. After the playlist is finished or when the operating system is no longer idle, the windows media player is killed.

idle.py

''' A python script that monitors idle time on a Windows machine.  
	After the idle threshold is hit, windows media player is started
	and it plays a playlist.  After the playlist is finished or when the 
	operating system is no longer idle, the windows media player is killed. '''

from ctypes import Structure, windll, c_uint, sizeof, byref
import subprocess
import time

# how long before the playlist should begin
IDLE_TIME_SECONDS = 300
# how long is the playlist
PLAYLIST_LENGTH_SECONDS = 184


class LASTINPUTINFO(Structure):
	
	_fields_ = [
		
		('cbSize', c_uint),
		
		('dwTime', c_uint),
	
	]
 


def get_idle_duration():
	
	lastInputInfo = LASTINPUTINFO()
	
	lastInputInfo.cbSize = sizeof(lastInputInfo)
	
	windll.user32.GetLastInputInfo(byref(lastInputInfo))
	
	millis = windll.kernel32.GetTickCount() - lastInputInfo.dwTime
	
	return millis / 1000.0


def play_video():
		video_subprocess = subprocess.Popen(["C:/Program Files (x86)/Windows Media Player/wmplayer.exe", "/play", "/fullscreen", "/Playlist", "davos"])

def kill_video():
		subprocess.call('Taskkill.exe /IM wmplayer.exe')
		
while 1:
	
	GetLastInputInfo = int(get_idle_duration())
	
	print GetLastInputInfo

	# awake from idle; kill the player
	if GetLastInputInfo == 0:
		kill_video()

	# idle time reached; play video
	elif GetLastInputInfo % IDLE_TIME_SECONDS == 0:
		play_video()

	# playlist has played; kill the player
	elif (GetLastInputInfo - PLAYLIST_LENGTH_SECONDS) % (IDLE_TIME_SECONDS) == 0:
		kill_video()
				
	time.sleep(1)