summaryrefslogtreecommitdiff
path: root/README
diff options
context:
space:
mode:
Diffstat (limited to 'README')
-rw-r--r--README122
1 files changed, 122 insertions, 0 deletions
diff --git a/README b/README
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..e4fa836e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/README
@@ -0,0 +1,122 @@
+On Screen Menu for the Video Disk Recorder
+------------------------------------------
+
+These files contain the source code of an on screen
+menu for a video disk recorder based on the DVB driver
+of the LinuxTV project (http://linuxtv.org).
+For details about the "Video Disk Recorder" project please
+refer to http://www.cadsoft.de/people/kls/vdr.
+
+The author can be contacted at kls@cadsoft.de.
+
+Yet another "set-top-box"?
+--------------------------
+
+The "set-top-boxes" available from commercial companies all have
+one major drawback: they are not "open". This project's goal is
+to build an "open" digital satellite receiver and timer controlled
+video disk recorder, based upon open standards and freely available
+driver software (of course, the hardware still has to be bought).
+
+The on screen menu system is simple, but shall provide all the
+possibilites necessary to perform timer controlled recording,
+file management and, maybe, even "on disk editing". The menus
+of commercial set-top-boxes usually are a lot more fancy than
+the ones in this system, but here we have the full source code
+and can modify the menus in whatever way desired.
+
+Compiling and running the program:
+----------------------------------
+
+Make sure the files from this package are located in a
+directory that is "parallel" to the DVB directory of the
+driver source for the Siemens DVB-S PCI card (refer to
+http://linuxtv.org/dvb/siemens_dvb.html for more information
+about that driver). For example, if the DVB driver was
+extracted into the directory /home/kls/vdr/DVB, then this
+package should be extracted into /home/kls/vdr/OSM.
+
+After extracting the package, change into the OSM directory
+and type 'make'. This should produce an executable file
+named 'osm', which can be run after the DVB driver has been
+installed.
+
+There are two macros you can use to customize the 'osm' program
+at compile time. Adding "DEBUG_REMOTE=1" to the 'make' call
+will use the PC's keyboard as input device instead of the "Remote
+Control Unit" (see http://www.cadsoft.de/people/kls/vdr/remote.htm).
+Adding "DEBUG_OSD=1" will use the PC screen (or current window)
+to display texts instead of the DVB card's on-screen display
+interface. These modes are useful when testing new menus if you
+only have a remote connection to the VDR (which, in my case, is
+located in the living room and has neither a monitor nor a keyboard).
+
+Configuration files:
+--------------------
+
+There are three configuration files that hold information about
+channels, remote control keys and timers. These files are currrently
+assumed to be located in the directory from which the 'osm' program
+was started (this will become configurable later). The configuration
+files can be edited with any text editor, or will be written by the
+'osm' program if any changes are made inside the on-screen menus.
+The meaning of the data entries may still vary in future releases,
+so for the moment please look at the source code (config.c) to see
+the meaning of the various fields.
+
+There is no way of adding or deleting channels or timers yet, this
+will be implemented later.
+
+Learning the remote control keys:
+---------------------------------
+
+The remote control configuration file 'keys.conf' that comes with
+this package contains the codes for the "d-box" remote control unit.
+If you want to use a different remote control unit, simply delete
+the file 'keys.conf' and restart the 'osm' program. The program will
+then start a key learning session in which it first attempts to determine
+the basic data tranfer mode and timing of your remote control unit,
+and then will ask you to press one key after the other so that it can
+learn the various key codes. You will at least need to provide an "Up"
+and a "Down" key, so that you can switch channels. The rest os the key
+definitions is optional, but the more keys you define, the more you
+will be able to navigate through the menus.
+
+If the program has been built with "DEBUG_REMOTE=1", it will use the
+key configuration file 'keys-pc.conf', so that you won't loose data
+when switching between normal and debug mode.
+
+Navigating through the On Screen Menus:
+---------------------------------------
+
+The "Main" menu can be called up with the "Menu" key of your remote
+control unit. The "Up" and "Down" keys are used to select a specific
+item. The "Left" and "Right" keys can be used to change options, and
+the numeric keys allow direct input of numeric data. The "Ok" key
+confirms any changes (or switches to a channel in the "Channels" menu).
+The "Back" key goes back one level in the menu structure, discarding
+any changes that might have been made in the current menu.
+
+In the "Channels" menu, the current channel can be edited by pressing
+the "Right" key.
+
+In the "Timers" menu, the current timer can be enabled or disabled with
+the "Right" or "Left" key, respectively (enabled timers are marked with ">").
+"Ok" here opens the "Edit timer" menu.
+
+Textual options, like channel names or recording file names, can be edited
+by pressing the "Right" button (which puts brackets around the current
+character as in "[R]TL"), selecting the desired character position with
+"Left" and "Right", and changing the character with the "Up" and "Down"
+keys. "Ok" then confirms the changes.
+
+At any point in the menu system, pressing the "Menu" key again will
+immediately leave the menu system.
+
+What do you think?
+------------------
+
+So, what do you think about this project? Does it make sense? Were you
+able to use it? Do you have suggestions on how to improve it?
+Please send email to kls@cadsoft.de if you'd like to comment on this.
+