Streaming to other networked PCs

[normanr]

okay i really like the idea of using gb-pvr as a frontend for multiple streaming channels. I really don't like the saving the stream to the hard disk and then playing it with gb-pvr seperatly, becuase you end up with a big nasty file on disk. What about making a recorder plugin that runs you preferred exe file (much like the exe channel changer) where you can pass in the channel number. Then use the VLC front-end to play the file.

I guess the problem with this is that you'd like the full gb-pvr tv guide etc to overlay on the video. So to do that you'd have to do the full - launch external vlc, and record to disk. Or if running in preview mode, do the same and additionally supply the info required to do the Preview mode LiveTV.

Doing a non-preview mode LiveTV support for this should be reaaaly easy. Check out the much emptier recorder framework that sub provided for me. Basically you will want to launch vlc via process.launch, when startRecording is called. You can even use the fileName passed in, also the channel is provided in tuninginformation. (If you're struggling with this I'm sure I can put an example together.)

[gblinckmann]

I was thinking.... Would it be possible to emulate the Hauppauge MediaMVP in software? It's just a shot in the dark. I couldn't imagine Hauppauge making the workings of this thing known.

[sash]

well writting these "big nasty files" I do not find that bad.. basically gb-pvr does this now and really every time you change streams the the file is over written with the new channel. and basically if your broadcasting out a dvd your looking at perhaps 4 gig. ( BUT you do not have broadcast at dvd or HDTV quality. when I push upd over the INternet I push out at 256- 166kbs mpg4 then convert on the client to mpg2 or mpeg one to display via sigma hardware cards. and that comes up to hours and hours on a gig of buffer if mpg4..) and the quality is not that bad, simular to extended long play vcr quality.or some RF broadcasts..also now I believe vlc will split at certian file lengths 7, so one can always discard the the earilier buffers as long as the recorder plugin knows what to do..

but if you really do not like buffer file at all, it still realtively simple yet. okay :
1) I used to have a ram drive that you would set to 100 megs it continuously stream a files but the beginning of the ram is pushed out and lost.. I wish I could find that file.)

2) or on the client you can use use vlc to rebroadcast at a local port , and use dxshow filer to capture the compatible stream and play the file via dxshow..

under windows there not many dshow filters that like vlc streams, mainly because windows when files are streamed need to know the file length before it will play, were as under liinux it will play the file as long as it can determine what the file is.. but windows can be tricked you have to transport a fake file length with the streamed material.. but perhaps we are in luck here a developer at my forum has made a filter for mpegs that these restriction have being relaxed so perhaps it will work better now... I get back to you on that portion

as for writting pluggin I tried, I completely lost with the language and the program sharpdevelop.. my programing skills are not that sharp and this language is new to me and I even lost more by it.. the channelchanger pluggin work well for controling vlc ( and tsreader, and a couple other programs) -- other then when your finished watching , and say goto netradio, it leaves vlc running in the background recording which is not really a bad thing.. (one could alway write a pop that say end recording or continue).. but I really I like the approach of a recording pluggin that that just reads a file, or reads a local broadcast streamed media at a patricular port setting.. because I could make a ton of my third party apps intergrate into gb-pvr very easily..

[normanr]

I would like to see an MVP frontend like gblinckmann suggests. The fact that GB-PVR has an MVP capable backend indicates that it should be possible to build a frontend too.

sash, if I get some free time I will stick together a recording plugin that you can launch any executable with. It will have different command line options for Preview and non-Preview mode, and it will automatically close the spawned program when you stop recording.

[sash]

thanks normanr
I checked out the dxfilter I was speaking of earlier. It works somewhat okay with http broadcast streams from vlc. I hoping I can get the author to edit it function a bit.. if you want it to use it as preview pin connection it would probably work fine..at the moment it buffers the http file. and will play it after it stops..

probably sub would want to use it to it gives windows atsc support. which at the moment windows does not support very well. and offeres instant play of these type of files. basically the guy developed it for better hdtv support under windows.. windows has a bad tendency to scan the entire file first before playing it. in HDTV case that could mean 10 0r 15 minutes pefore the file plays..

[normanr]

Here's my first attempt at an external recorder plugin.

for the recording parameters you'll need something like: <input parameters> out=#duplicate{dst=std{access=file,mux=ps,url="{filename}"}}

and for preview: <input params> --fullscreen

[sash]

hi normanr

I being trying you pluggin but I can not get it to work perhaps my setup is incorrect..

my executable path is this:

F:\Program Files\VideoLAN\VLC\vlc.exe

recording params:

udp://@:{channel} out=#duplicate{dst=std{access=file,mux=ts,url="{filename}"}}

preview:
udp://@:{channel} --fullscreen

I am broadcasting multcast so I need to put in is the port ( works fine with vlc directly)

also I do not know if this is related to your pluggin or gb-pvr in general I downloaded the newest gb-pvr but it seems that either your pluggin or gb-pvr does not allow changes to the config once it been set also it does not allow deletion of a source. but from a guess I would say it is your plugin because I can install another source and delete it with out problems.. so now I have a few source all extenal recording plugins with differing configs but I am uncertian which one it is trying to access.. so I can not tell if it working or not because I can not get it to work..

[normanr]

NOTE: your mux MUST be creating a Program Stream (not a Transport Stream), so try changing mux=ts, to mux=ps.

If this doesn't work: Can you attach the gbpvr.exe.log and gbpvrrecordingservice.exe.log for your attempts. What exactly is not working? Is it launching vlc? does it pass the wrong parameters? fails to save to disk? fails to playback recording? Is the command line in the log file correct, and if you run it manually with the same details does gbpvr play the file? does gb-pvr try play the file too early maybe?

I found that playing non mpeg files I could add 'transcode{vcodec=mp2v,vb=1024,scale=1,acodec=mp2a,ab=192,channels=2}' which would convert them to a format that gb-pvr can play.

There is a general gb-pvr issue with external recording plugins that the first time your create a new capture source that the details are not saved (actually they are saved as item 0). A work around is to use a standard recorder (direct or go), save the capture source, and then edit and change it to the plugin recorder. It is not an issue with my plugins, but more the way recording plugins are called, (I think I am the only one who has written recording plugins so far).

You can check what settings are being loaded, saved and deleted because each time one of those operations is called I log it and the parameters that were passed in. FYI: I am storing the settings in the registry at local_machine\software\devnz\externalrecorder

[sash]

Hi still no work for me yet..
but here is a snippet ffom the log for some reason it is producing a strange commandline for me..
3/21/2005 7:13:59 AM.125 VERBOSE [27] RecordingFactory.loadSchedule()
3/21/2005 7:13:59 AM.125 VERBOSE [27] - loading: C:\Manual Recordings\C:\Manual Recordings\C:\Manual Recordings\Channel Name_20050321070000.mpg_20050321070000.mpg_20050321070000.mpg status:1 start: 3/21/2005 7:00 AM
3/21/2005 7:13:59 AM.125 VERBOSE [27] checking pending recordings
3/21/2005 7:13:59 AM.125 VERBOSE [27] - checking C:\Manual Recordings\C:\Manual Recordings\C:\Manual Recordings\Channel Name_20050321070000.mpg_20050321070000.mpg_20050321070000.mpg
3/21/2005 7:13:59 AM.187 VERBOSE [4] getValue() loading new key/value into cache: /settings/WebServerEnabled
3/21/2005 7:13:59 AM.187 VERBOSE [4] getValue: /settings/WebServerEnabled : false
3/21/2005 7:13:59 AM.187 VERBOSE [4] getValue() loading new key/value into cache: /settings/MVPServerAutostart
3/21/2005 7:13:59 AM.187 VERBOSE [4] getValue: /settings/MVPServerAutostart : 0
3/21/2005 7:13:59 AM.187 VERBOSE [4] getValue() loading new key/value into cache: /settings/UpdateEPGHour
3/21/2005 7:13:59 AM.187 VERBOSE [4] getValue: /settings/UpdateEPGHour : 3
3/21/2005 7:13:59 AM.234 VERBOSE [32] EPG updater started. Auto updating at 3:00
3/21/2005 7:13:59 AM.234 VERBOSE [32] getValue() loading new key/value into cache: /settings/WakeMachineForEPGUpdate
3/21/2005 7:13:59 AM.234 VERBOSE [32] getValue: /settings/WakeMachineForEPGUpdate : false
3/21/2005 7:13:59 AM.234 INFO [33] LiveTV File Removal Thread Started
3/21/2005 7:13:59 AM.343 VERBOSE [27] Changing to channel (GBPVR.Backend.Common.NullTunerController): 5000
3/21/2005 7:13:59 AM.343 VERBOSE [27] Requesting IRecordingSource to start recording: C:\Manual Recordings\C:\Manual Recordings\C:\Manual Recordings\C:\Manual Recordings\Channel Name_20050321070000.mpg_20050321070000.mpg_20050321070000.mpg_20050321070000.mpg
3/21/2005 7:13:59 AM.343 VERBOSE [27] ExternalRecorder[19]: startProgram-Process.Start('F:\Program Files\VideoLAN\VLC\vlc.exe','udp://@:5000 out=#duplicate{dst=std{access=file,mux=ps,url="C:\Manual Recordings\C:\Manual Recordings\C:\Manual Recordings\C:\Manual Recordings\Channel Name_20050321070000.mpg_20050321070000.mpg_20050321070000.mpg_20050321070000.mpg"}}'
3/21/2005 7:14:04 AM.859 VERBOSE [27] Programme is now recording
3/21/2005 7:14:04 AM.859 VERBOSE [27] RecordingFactor.save()
3/21/2005 7:14:04 AM.875 VERBOSE [27] Save(): Updated existing scheduled recording
3/21/2005 7:14:36 AM.406 VERBOSE [89] RecordingFactory.LoadNext24HourEvents()
3/21/2005 7:14:36 AM.437 VERBOSE [89] Starting LiveTV for captureSource: 1 channel oid: 1 filename:
3/21/2005 7:14:36 AM.468 VERBOSE [89] StopPreviewLiveTV()

but yet the first time I tried the command line looked "normal" it looks like for each try it adds a bit more to the commanline..

it did create a file once but it was empty..

where does gb-pvr save the source info.. I tried uninstalling and reinstalling but the info is still there.. there seems to be no way to delete your source once it there it there for life.. I deleted the registy enties but I keep trying-- rome was not built in a day..

[normanr]

How utterly strange. I notice that it's the wrong name being logged at 'Requesting IRecordingSource to start recording' so my plugin is doing exactly what the service is asking of it. I'm guessing that somewhere inside gbpvr the string is getting messed up.

Try using a channel name that isn't 'channel name'. I'm assuming that this is being regarded as a special string and is being replaced incorrectly.

Quote[/b] (normanr @ Mar. 20 2005,23:53)]FYI: I am storing the settings in the registry at local_machine\software\devnz\externalrecorder

Remember any time you change any settings, you have to restart the recordingservice to get it to load the new values.