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@@ -0,0 +1,298 @@ +This is a "plugin" for the Video Disk Recorder (VDR). + +Written by: Sascha Volkenandt <sascha@akv-soft.de> + +Project's homepage: http://www.magoa.net/linux/ + +Latest version available at: http://www.magoa.net/linux/index.php?view=streamdev + +See the file COPYING for license information. + +Contents: +--------- + +1. Description +2. Installation +2.1 VDR 1.2.X +2.2 VDR 1.3.X +3. Usage +3.1 Usage VDR-to-VDR server +3.2 Usage HTTP server +3.3 Usage VDR-to-VDR client +3.4 General Usage Notes +4. VDR-to-VDR client notes (PLEASE READ IF YOU HAVE ONE) +4.1 EPG data [OUTDATED] +4.2 Teletext / OSD Teletext +4.3 AnalogTV [OUTDATED] +5. Known Problems + + +1. Description: +--------------- + +This PlugIn is a VDR implementation of the VTP (Video Transfer Protocol) +Version 0.0.3 (see file PROTOCOL) and a basic HTTP Streaming Protocol. + +It consists of a server and a client part, but both parts are compiled together +with the PlugIn source, but appear as separate PlugIns to VDR. + +The client part acts as a full Input Device, so it can be used in conjunction +with a DXR3-Card, XINE, SoftDevice or others to act as a working VDR +installation without any DVB-Hardware including EPG-Handling. + +The server part acts as a Receiver-Device and works transparently in the +background within your running VDR. It can serve multiple clients and it can +distribute multiple input streams (i.e. from multiple DVB-cards) to multiple +clients using the native VTP protocol (for VDR-clients), or using the HTTP +protocol supporting clients such as XINE, MPlayer and so on. With XMMS or +WinAMP, you can also listen to radio channels over a HTTP connection. + +It is possible to attach as many clients as the bus and network can handle, as +long as there is a device which can receive a specific channel. Multiple +channels homed on the same transponder (which is determined by it's frequency) +can be broadcasted with a single device. + +Additional clients can be programmed using the Protocol Instructions inside +the PROTOCOL file. + + +2. Installation: +---------------- + +Let's say streamdev's version is 0.3.1 and vdr's version is 1.X.X. If you +use anything else please exchange the version numbers appropriately (this +way I don't have to update this section all the times;) ). + +After compiling the PlugIn as stated below, start either (or both) parts of it +by specifying "-P streamdev-client" and/or "-P streamdev-server" on the VDR +command line. + +What's important is that the client requests a channel using its Unique Channel +ID. So, in order to find the channel at the server, it must have the same ID +that is used on the client. You can achieve this by putting the server's +channels.conf on the client, preferably after scanning (in case you use 1.2.X +with AutoPID or 1.3.X). + +If you want to drive additional Input-Devices (with different sources) on the +client, you can merge the channels.conf files. VDR will detect if the local +device or the network device can receive the channels. + +Last, but not least you have to put the provided streamdevhosts.conf.example +into the "plugins" subfolder of your config-directory (which is equal to your +video-directory if not specified otherwise), rename it to streamdevhosts.conf +and adjust it to your needs. The syntax is the same as for svdrphosts.conf, so +please consult VDR's documentation on how to fill that file, if you can't do +it on-the-fly. For example, if you didn't specify a separate config-directory, +and specified your video directory as "/video0", the file has to be put to +/video0/plugins/streamdevhosts.conf. + + +2.1 VDR 1.2.X: +-------------- + +It is recommended that you apply a patch to VDR that improves thread +cancellation. You can work without it, but you _might_ have delays in switching +(especially when using VDR-to-VDR streaming) that are around three seconds. + +cd vdr-1.X.X/PLUGINS/src +tar xvfz vdr-streamdev-0.3.1.tgz +ln -s streamdev-0.3.1 streamdev +cd ../.. +patch -p1 <PLUGINS/src/streamdev/patches/thread.c.diff +make [options, if necessary] vdr +make [options, if necessary] plugins + +2.2 VDR 1.3.X: +-------------- + +cd vdr-1.X.X/PLUGINS/src +tar xvfz vdr-streamdev-0.3.1.tgz +ln -s streamdev-0.3.1 streamdev +cd ../.. +make [options, if necessary] vdr +make [options, if necessary] plugins + + +3. Usage: +--------- + +Start the server core itself by specifying -Pstreamdev-server on your VDR +commandline. To use the client core, specify -Pstreamdev-client. Both parts +can run in one VDR instance, if necessary. + +The parameter "Suspend behaviour" allows you to specify how the server should +react in case the client requests a channel that would require switching the +primary device (i.e. disrupt live-tv). If set to "Offer suspend mode" (the +default), you will have a new entry in the main menu. Activating that will put +the server into "Suspend Mode" (a picture is displayed on TV). Then, a client +may switch the primary card to wherever it likes to. While watching TV (Suspend +deactivated), the client may not switch the transponder on the primary device. +If you set the behaviour to "Always suspended", there will be normal live-tv +on the server, but whenever a client decides to switch the transponder, the +server will lose it's live-tv. Set to "Never suspended", the server always +prevents the client from switching transponders. If you set "Client may +suspend" to yes, the client can suspend the server remotely (this only applies +if "Offer suspend mode" is selected). + + +3.1 Usage VDR-to-VDR server: +---------------------------- + +You can activate the VDR-to-VDR server part in the PlugIn's Setup Menu. It is +deactivated by default. The Parameter "VDR-to-VDR Server Port" specifies the +port where you want the server to listen for incoming connections. The server +will be activated when you push the OK button inside the setup menu, so there's +no need to restart VDR. + +NOTE: This mainly applies to One-Card-Systems, since with multiple cards there +is no need to switch transponders on the primary interface, if the secondary +can stream a given channel (i.e. if it is not blocked by a recording). If both +cards are in use (i.e. when something is recorded, or by multiple clients), +this applies to Multiple-Card-Systems as well. + +3.2 Usage HTTP server: +---------------------- + +You can use the HTTP part by accessing the server with a HTTP-capable media +player (such as XINE, MPlayer, and so on, if you have appropriate MPEG2-codecs +installed). In the PlugIn's Setup, you can specify the port the server will +listen to with the parameter "HTTP Server Port". The parameter "HTTP Streamtype" +allows you to specify a default stream type, which is used if no specific type +has been requested in the URL (see below). The supported stream types are: + +TS Transport Stream (i.e. a dump from the device) +PES Packetized Elemetary Stream (VDR's native recording format) +PS Program Stream (SVCD, DVD like stream) +ES Elementary Stream (only Video, if available, otherwise only Audio) + +If you leave the default port (3000), you can access the streams like this: + +http://hostname:3000/3 +http://hostname:3000/S19.2E-0-12480-898 + +The first one will deliver a channel by number on the server, the second one +will request the channel by unique channel id. In addition, you can specify +the desired stream type as a path to the channel. + +http://hostname:3000/TS/3 +http://hostname:3000/PES/S19.2E-0-12480-898 + +The first one would deliver the stream in TS, the second one in PES format. +Possible values are 'PES', 'TS', 'PS' and 'ES'. You need to specify the ES +format explicitly if you want to listen to radio channels. Play them pack i.e. +with mpg123. + +mpg123 http://hostname:3000/ES/200 + +3.3 Usage VDR-to-VDR client: +---------------------------- + +The parameter "Remote IP" uses an IP-Adress-Editor, where you can just enter +the IP number with the number keys on your remote. After three digits (or if +the next digit would result in an invalid IP adress, or if the first digit is +0), the current position jumps to the next one. You can change positions with +the left and right buttons, and you can cycle the current position using up +and down. To confirm the entered address, press OK. So, if you want to enter +the IP address "127.0.0.1", just mark the corresponding entry as active and +type "127001<OK>" on your remote. If you want to enter "192.168.1.12", type +"1921681<Right>12<OK>". + +The parameters "Remote IP" and "Remote Port" in the client's setup specify the +address of the remote VDR-to-VDR server to connect to. Activate the client by +setting "Start Client" to yes. It is disabled by default, because it wouldn't +make much sense to start the client without specifying a server anyway. The +client is activated after you push the OK button, so there's no need to restart +VDR. Deactivation on-the-fly is not possible, so in order to deactivate the +client, you will have to restart VDR. All other settings can be changed without +restarting VDR. + +The client will try to connect to the server (in case it isn't yet) whenever +a remote channel is requested. Just activate the client and switch to a +channel that's not available by local devices. If anything goes wrong with the +connection between the two, you will see it in the logfile instantly. If you +now switch the client to a channel which isn't covered by it's own local +devices, it will ask the server for it. If the server can (currently) receive +that channel, the client will show it until you switch again, or until the +server needs that card (if no other is free) for a recording on a different +transponder. + +You can choose a remote streamtype in the setup. I'd suggest TS streaming as +it has a much shorter delay than PES streaming (compared to live-view of the +same channel on the server), and transmits more information such as AC3 and +teletext data. + +When setting the parameter "MultiPID streaming" to yes (the default) (only +applies if the streamtype is TS), only the needed PIDs are transferred, and +additional PIDs can be turned on during an active transfer. This makes it +possible to switch languages, receive additional channels (for recording on +the client) and use plugins that use receivers themselves (like osdteletext). + +The last parameter, "Synchronize EPG", will have the client synchronize it's +program table with the server every now and then, but not regularly. This +happens when starting the client, and everytime VDR does its housekeeping +tasks. The only thing that's guaranteed is, that there will be a minimum +interval of ten seconds between each EPG synchronization. + +The client has a Main Menu entry called "Streaming Control". This is used to +control various aspects of the remote server VDR. Inside, you will find +"Remote Timers", "Remote Recordings", "Suspend server" and "Synchronize EPG". + +The "Remote Timers" entry gives you the possibility to edit, create and delete +the server's timers remotely. Every timer is synchronized before the requested +action actually takes place. This only leaves a very short time-span (of a few +milliseconds) in which a race-condition could happen. + +"Remote Recordings" shows up all recordings that the server can access. Only +deleting recordings is implemented, yet. + +With "Suspend Server", you can send the server into suspend mode remotely, if +the server is set to "Offer suspend mode" and allows the client to suspend. + +Last but not least, "Synchronize EPG" starts a synchronization in case you +don't want to do it regularly, or in case you just activated it and can't wait +for the first synchronization to happen by itself. + +3.4 General Usage Notes: +------------------------ + +If there's still some debug output on stdout, please ignore it ;) + + +4. VDR-to-VDR client notes: +--------------------------- + +4.1 EPG data: +-------------- + +[ OUTDATED, see "Synchronize EPG" in 3.2 ] + +4.2 Teletext / OSD Teletext: +----------------------------- + +Usual teletext will probably not work on the client, if it has no DVB hardware. +I never tried, and probably I never will, so don't ask about it please ;) + +Osdteletext-0.3.1 (and later) definitely work when used in MultiPID Streaming +mode. + + +4.3 AnalogTV +------------ + +Works with ivtv and analogue cards according to Andreas Kool. + + +5. Known Problems: +------------------ + +- Recordings & Timers on the client side could endanger Timers & Recordings on + the server, as they will have the same priority (by default). Set the + default priority to i.e. 40 if you want the server to supersede the client. + +- Sometimes, if you reload VDR too often (for example while recompiling), the + driver can get "stuck" in some situations. Try a driver restart if anything + you think should work doesn't before sending a bug-report :-). + [ ADDITION ] + In the meantime I have discovered that this error is caused by the all- + mysterical UPT (unknown picture type) error :-(. + |