DVBViewer as a HTPC solution

[Hoggle]

I purchased a full copy of DVBViewer a few months ago for experimenting with DVB-S and DVB-T. Today, a co-worker mentioned that he thought it was possible to use DVBViewer as a HTPC solution.

 

A quick search suggests this is possible, but I've not been able to find much detail on how to go about it. I also have some specific requirements for my HTPC, and I am hoping that users here could kindly tell me what is possible, and which features/plugins I should be investigating further.

 

What I am trying to do is this...

 

1/ Set up multiple TV Servers, each with multiple TV cards, one card per MUX, streaming data on request over the network to multiple clients.

 

2/ In addition to the DVB tuners, I would like to use some analogue tuner and capture cards. The cards I plan to use have onboard MPEG2 encoders (Hauppauge PVR-150s). Does DVBViewer have the ability to use the encoded video as a source for streaming?

 

3/ I wish to be able to access an NFS share on a FreeBSD box. I can use Services For Unix to map a drive letter in Windows, so my question really is, can DVBViewer play media files from locations on the network?

 

4/ I would like to be able to timeshift and record from each client.

 

5/ I wish to maintain a gigantic timeshift buffer on the server, that clients can access if required. E.g. if you change channels and find a programme you want to watch, and which has already started, you should be able to rewind back to the start of the programme.

 

6/ The entire system needs to be easily controlled via a Microsoft MCE remote (there seems to be a plugin for this, I only mention it here for completeness).

 

7/ Teletext and EPG data needs to be accessible on client systems.

 

MediaPortal is capable of doing most of these things (except #5 it seems), but it is presently very buggy. It would be great if I could achieve the same functionality using DVBViewer and plugins, but I really don't have any idea where to start. Any suggestions are appreciated.

Edited July 22, 2008 by Hoggle

[CiNcH]

1/ Set up multiple TV Servers, each with multiple TV cards, one card per MUX, streaming data on request over the network to multiple clients.

 

One DVBViewer DVBServer is enough. It can handle multiple DVB cards. Per DVB card a client can connect and have its own DVB card assigned.

 

2/ In addition to the DVB tuners, I would like to use some analogue tuner and capture cards. The cards I plan to use have onboard MPEG2 encoders (Hauppauge PVR-150s). Does DVBViewer have the ability to use the encoded video as a source for streaming?

 

Don't think so. DVBViewer does not support analog tuner cards. It only has a 'File Source Device'. But I do not know whether the DVBServer has this one too. So a software of the PVR-150 could eventually write and create a TS which the DVBViewer then could read. But you would still have to somehow switch channel on the PVR-150 software.

 

3/ I wish to be able to access an NFS share on a FreeBSD box. I can use Services For Unix to map a drive letter in Windows, so my question really is, can DVBViewer play media files from locations on the network?

 

Think this is transparent to the application. If it is possible through Windows Explorer then it may also be possible through DVBViewer. Never tried that though...

 

4/ I would like to be able to timeshift and record from each client.

 

If every client has its own DVB card... (if you want to run the clients at the same time)

Also think about bandwidth. A whole DVB-S transponder's multiplex may have 30-40 MBit/s, and even up to 60 in case of DVB-S2. Within a 100 Mbit/s network, this could pretty soon become a bottleneck. You can also restrict the DVBServer to only send the currently set channel within the multiplex (which cuts it down to roughly 3-8 Mbit/s)

 

5/ I wish to maintain a gigantic timeshift buffer on the server, that clients can access if required. E.g. if you change channels and find a programme you want to watch, and which has already started, you should be able to rewind back to the start of the programme.

 

The DVBServer does not timeshift. This is up to the client and as soon as it tunes a channel.

 

7/ Teletext and EPG data needs to be accessible on client systems.

 

You can include those streams within the DVBServer if you do not stream the whole transponder anyway. So you can either stream one channel with teletext and EPG or the whole transponder/multiplex where this is included anyway.

Edited July 22, 2008 by CiNcH

[Hoggle]

Thanks for the assistance. I have managed to get DVBViewer working in a client/server arrangement with a bit of guess work.

 

One DVBViewer DVBServer is enough. It can handle multiple DVB cards. Per DVB card a client can connect and have its own DVB card assigned.

 

Assuming the analogue cards could be made to work, which it sounds like they probably can't at the moment, I will require eight devices. Too many for one PC. The Unicast and Multicast devices only appear once in DVBViewer, but I guess it would be possible to create duplicates somehow, to allow multiple servers?

 

Also think about bandwidth. A whole DVB-S transponder's multiplex may have 30-40 MBit/s, and even up to 60 in case of DVB-S2. Within a 100 Mbit/s network, this could pretty soon become a bottleneck. You can also restrict the DVBServer to only send the currently set channel within the multiplex (which cuts it down to roughly 3-8 Mbit/s)

 

Does this mean the video server always transmits the entire mux to the client, even if it is only requesting one programme? I would have thought the protocol would allow for transmitting only the required streams. I recall reading about a setting to limit it to the current channel on the server only, but I may be getting the Netstream and the DVBServer mixed up.

 

Thanks again.

[CiNcH]

The Unicast and Multicast devices only appear once in DVBViewer, but I guess it would be possible to create duplicates somehow, to allow multiple servers?

 

Unicast and Multicast devices are client devices. You should not use the Netstream plugin as server. Use DVBServer which is installed within the DVBViewer directory (if you selected it within the installer).

 

Assuming the analogue cards could be made to work, which it sounds like they probably can't at the moment

 

Analog tuners won't be supported.

 

Does this mean the video server always transmits the entire mux to the client, even if it is only requesting one programme?

 

Not if you set up DVBServer correctly to only send the channel you switched to within the client. As I wrote:

 

So you can either stream one channel with teletext and EPG or the whole transponder/multiplex where this is included anyway.

Edited July 22, 2008 by CiNcH