[SOLVED] Need tips for school project : digital tv receptor using a linux server

zac · 02-15-2018, 09:30 PM

Hello everyone, I need some tips before I start my graduation project. I have to use an DTV antenna to receive TV programs here in Canada and stream it on a linux server using VLC. If anyone has already done this before it would be a big help for me.

My questions are :
-What is the best choice for antennas?
-Best linux distribution to use?
-What are the services/programs that I have to configure?
-Any other tips and tricks.

I am very grateful to all kind of help.

Thanks

Mill J · 02-16-2018, 11:02 AM

Those questions are very broad. Do you have any Linux experience? If not get yourself a distro(see link in my signature for help on picking one).

Very Important: Get familiar with Linux,(if you are not already), and just plain use it.

Install software you know you'll need, vlc, etc.

Break it down into small step. And research each step.

When you run into a problem: do a web search. If this fails, This is where LQ comes in.

Sounds Like Fun Though

teckk · 02-16-2018, 12:26 PM

Quote:

I have to use an DTV antenna to receive TV programs here in Canada

That is not a problem at all. You'll need kernel support for your dvb device, and something that will play the stream.

Code:

-What is the best choice for antennas?

Make one.
https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/ditch-...-hdtv-antenna/
youtube.com/watch?v=P69KuHum7wQ
https://duckduckgo.com/lite/?q=homemade+tv+antenna

Code:

-Best linux distribution to use?

Doesn't matter. Something that you are familiar with.

Code:

-What are the services/programs that I have to configure?

I would use dvb-apps and ffmpeg, use vlc if you want.

Code:

-Any other tips and tricks.

Look up the hardware that you wish to use and see if there is support in the kernel for it already, or if you can build the firmware.
Examples:
https://www.linuxtv.org/wiki/index.php/LinuxTV_dvb-apps
https://www.linuxtv.org/wiki/index.p...orted_Hardware
https://www.mythtv.org/wiki/Digital_Tuner_Cards

The first step would be working firmware for the dvb device that you are going to use. After that it's downhill.

teckk · 02-16-2018, 01:28 PM

A few more comments
https://www.linuxtv.org/wiki/index.php/ATSC_USB_Devices
If you have working firmware then you should see something like
this example which is a usb dvb device

Code:

dmesg | tail -n 23
[61937.319210] usb 1-10: new high-speed USB device number 4 using ehci-pci
[61937.448123] usb 1-10: New USB device found, idVendor=2304, idProduct=023b
[61937.448127] usb 1-10: New USB device strings: Mfr=1, Product=2, SerialNumber=3
[61937.448129] usb 1-10: Product: PCTV 801e SE
[61937.448130] usb 1-10: Manufacturer: YUANRD
[61937.448131] usb 1-10: SerialNumber: xxxxxxxxxx
[61937.658608] dvb-usb: found a 'Pinnacle PCTV HD USB Stick' in cold state, will try to load a firmware
[61937.668965] dvb-usb: downloading firmware from file 'dvb-usb-dib0700-1.20.fw'
[61937.870732] dib0700: firmware started successfully.
[61938.373375] dvb-usb: found a 'Pinnacle PCTV HD USB Stick' in warm state.
[61938.373471] dvb-usb: will pass the complete MPEG2 transport stream to the software demuxer.
[61938.373625] dvbdev: DVB: registering new adapter (Pinnacle PCTV HD USB Stick)
[61938.999263] usb 1-10: DVB: registering adapter 0 frontend 0 (Samsung S5H1411 QAM/8VSB Frontend)...
[61939.011844] xc5000 6-0064: creating new instance
[61939.012358] xc5000: Successfully identified at address 0x64
[61939.012361] xc5000: Firmware has not been loaded previously
[61939.056186] Registered IR keymap rc-dib0700-rc5
[61939.056425] rc rc0: Pinnacle PCTV HD USB Stick as /devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:02.1/usb1/1-10/rc/rc0
[61939.056465] input: Pinnacle PCTV HD USB Stick as /devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:02.1/usb1/1-10/rc/rc0/input11
[61939.056530] dvb-usb: schedule remote query interval to 50 msecs.
[61939.056533] dvb-usb: Pinnacle PCTV HD USB Stick successfully initialized and connected.
[61939.056814] usbcore: registered new interface driver dvb_usb_dib0700
[61949.086739] xc5000: Firmware dvb-fe-xc5000-1.6.114.fw loaded and running.

Then you'll need to make a channels.conf for your area with scan or dvbscan (something to tune to)
https://www.linuxtv.org/wiki/index.php/Scan
You can also make one manually. Look up the frequencies for your area
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Televi...el_frequencies
Then make a channels.conf It should look like

Code:

[12.1]
    VCHANNEL = 12.1
    SERVICE_ID = 1
	VIDEO_PID = 49
	AUDIO_PID = 52
	FREQUENCY = 189028615
	MODULATION = VSB/8
	DELIVERY_SYSTEM = ATSC
    
[12.2]
    VCHANNEL = 12.2
    SERVICE_ID = 2
	VIDEO_PID = 65
	AUDIO_PID = 68
	FREQUENCY = 189028615
	MODULATION = VSB/8
	DELIVERY_SYSTEM = ATSC
    
[12.3]
    VCHANNEL = 12.3
    SERVICE_ID = 3
	VIDEO_PID = 81
	AUDIO_PID = 84
	FREQUENCY = 189028615
	MODULATION = VSB/8
	DELIVERY_SYSTEM = ATSC

[14.1]
	VCHANNEL = 14.1
	SERVICE_ID = 1
	VIDEO_PID = 49
	AUDIO_PID = 52
	FREQUENCY = 479028615
	MODULATION = VSB/8
	DELIVERY_SYSTEM = ATSC

[14.2]
	VCHANNEL = 14.2
	SERVICE_ID = 2
	VIDEO_PID = 65
	AUDIO_PID = 68
	FREQUENCY = 479028615
	MODULATION = VSB/8
	DELIVERY_SYSTEM = ATSC

[14.3]
	VCHANNEL = 14.3
	SERVICE_ID = 3
	VIDEO_PID = 81
	AUDIO_PID = 84
	FREQUENCY = 479028615
	MODULATION = VSB/8
	DELIVERY_SYSTEM = ATSC

You should see the theme there.

Then just zap a channel and play it , stream it, record it..

https://www.linuxtv.org/wiki/index.php/Zap
https://www.linuxtv.org/wiki/index.php/Dvbv5-zap

Example:

Code:

dvbv5-zap -ss -r -c ~/.mplayer/dvb_channel.conf 14.1

mplayer /dev/dvb/adapter0/dvr0

Those are the basics. If I wanted to do more then I would make a shell script.

AwesomeMachine · 02-16-2018, 08:30 PM

You also need a TV tuner. After the tuner is configured, I use ivtv-tune to set the channel. I use the Hauppage 1950 as a tuner. The driver package is pvrusb. When you connect the tuner is makes the device /dev/video0. I've had trouble with certain apps directly streaming the device file, so I

Code:

$ dd if=/dev/video0 of=/home/user/video.mpg

and then stream video.mpg to wherever I want.

zac · 02-16-2018, 10:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by teckk

That is not a problem at all. You'll need kernel support for your dvb device, and something that will play the stream.

Code:

-What is the best choice for antennas?

Make one.
https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/ditch-...-hdtv-antenna/
youtube.com/watch?v=P69KuHum7wQ
https://duckduckgo.com/lite/?q=homemade+tv+antenna

Code:

-Best linux distribution to use?

Doesn't matter. Something that you are familiar with.

Code:

-What are the services/programs that I have to configure?

I would use dvb-apps and ffmpeg, use vlc if you want.

Code:

-Any other tips and tricks.

Look up the hardware that you wish to use and see if there is support in the kernel for it already, or if you can build the firmware.
Examples:
https://www.linuxtv.org/wiki/index.php/LinuxTV_dvb-apps
https://www.linuxtv.org/wiki/index.p...orted_Hardware
https://www.mythtv.org/wiki/Digital_Tuner_Cards

The first step would be working firmware for the dvb device that you are going to use. After that it's downhill.

Okay very helpful so to start I have to plug the antenna into the linux server and then install a kernel. The kernel you are taling about is for recognizing the tv flux? I am confused about how the DTV signal will be interpreted by lunix ( I will use centOS)
Thanks alot

AwesomeMachine · 02-18-2018, 07:52 AM

You need a TV tuner. Computers do not have a port to just connect an antenna. If you have linux installed, you have a kernel. The Linux kernel only works with certain TV tuners. You have to make sure the one you get works with Linux.

Unless the Linux machine has a tuner already installed. But I can't imagine having a TV tuner but no antenna. So, maybe you should check if you have a tuner or not. Then we can go from there.

sundialsvcs · 02-18-2018, 08:24 AM

Also – keep your instructor firmly "in the loop" at all times: ask questions of him or her. And/Or ask your instructor to check or to confirm what you've learned from other sources, if only to keep your instructor informed of your progress.

Speaking as someone who has been an instructor, "please don't keep us in the dark about what's going on with the projects that we assign!" Ask questions – especially "in class sessions" where other students can easily hear those questions and their answers also.

Unless this level of interaction routinely takes place, but the instructor and your fellow students might be clueless. ("Hey, don't answer that ..." )

jmgibson1981 · 02-19-2018, 04:31 AM

Get an hdhomerun tuner on the network. Combine that with a mythtv backend and play through kodi. is what I do at home.