[vlc] Re: DVB?

[Jan Ekholm]

On Mon, 19 Apr 2004, Jean-Paul Saman wrote:

>Jan Ekholm wrote:
>> Hi there,
>>
>> Has anyone recently managed to get DVB stuff working with 0.7.1? I've been
>> fighting with Videolan and DVB for a few weeks now (no kidding) without a
>> single successful tuning. At first I tried vls, but it is clearly an
>> unmaintained dead end, and it was suggested on IRC that vlc is the way to
>> go now.
>>
>> I've tried a lot to get the tuning to work, but can't seem to get a
>> frontend lock and/or a successful tuning. I've tried according to these
>> docs:
>>
>> 	http://www.linux.com/howtos/VideoLAN-HOWTO/x818.shtml
>>
>> I use a Hauppauge Nexus full featured DVB-s card, and it works just fine
>> with other apps such as xawtv and dvbstream. I've tried to do things like:
>>
>> 	% vlc -vvvv dvb:1212551000:1:9:22000000
>
>You need linuxtv-1.0.x drivers on Linux 2.4.x kernels or a Linux 2.6.x
>kernel for this to work. The dvb access input uses v4l2 API.

So 1.1.1 would not work? I use a 2.6 kernel with the drivers from
linuxtv.org (not the included drivers). Works ok with other apps. No
compilation problems when compiling vlc.

>Could you use the other syntax:
>
>vlc -vvvv dvb:frequency=1254996200:polarization=h:fec=9:srate=22000000
>
>(also :program=xx is supported).

The log for the new syntax (and with the alternate frequency):

	http://www.infa.abo.fi/~chakie/media/vlc-new.log

It gave the same result with slightly different logging.

>Could you try a vlc -vvv dvb:12551000:1:9:22000000 --probe ?
>It probes the frontend for the right values.

The log output for that is here:

	http://www.infa.abo.fi/~chakie/media/vlc-probe.log

Some extra data output.

>> Clearly it finds the frontend and even finds a signal, but doesn't seem to
>> get a lock?
>
>Why is the question? I find that strange could you do the same test with
>a restarted computer, without tuning with dvbstream first? And send me
>the log (or provide a link to it).

I don't see the problem? The question referred to me not being exactly
sure what was wrong, i guessed it didn't get a lock. The above logs are
from a freshly restarted machine, only the drivers have been loaded, no
other DVB application has been executed.

>> A strace from the same execution is here:
>>
>> 	http://www.infa.abo.fi/~chakie/media/vlc.strace
>>
>
>Confirms the fact that there is no lock. Usually it means wrong values
>have been provided for tuning or the default values for lnb-lof1,
>lnb-lof2 and lnb-slof are wrong.

These are parameters I have never stumbled upon. Could you kindly point me
towards some RTFM resource?

>> % dvbstream -f 12551 -p v -s 22000 -v 171 -a 172 -ps
>> dvbstream v0.5 - (C) Dave Chapman 2001-2004
>> Released under the GPL.
>> Latest version available from http://www.linuxstb.org/
>> Using DVB card "STV0299/TSA5059/SL1935 based"
>> tuning DVB-S to L-Band:0, Pol:V Srate=22000000, 22kHz=off
>> polling....
>> Getting frontend event
>> FE_STATUS:
>> polling....
>> Getting frontend event
>> FE_STATUS: FE_HAS_SIGNAL FE_HAS_LOCK FE_HAS_CARRIER FE_HAS_VITERBI
>> FE_HAS_SYNC
>> Event:  Frequency: 12549962
>
>This is a different frequency then applied on tuning with VLC and on
>this dvbstream commandline.

Yes, dvbstream somehow finds it. However, all channel scanning, www sites
etc would give 12551000 as the frequency, not 12549962, so it is up to the
tuning application to scan around the frequency when searching for a
signal. This is how VDR does it, if I remember correctly.

>> Here I have to give the audio and video pids too, but it was said that vlc
>> doesn't need those, nor is the --program parameter needed, it should just
>> be able to figure out everything once the tuning works and the DVB meta
>> data starts flowing.
>>
>VLC needs to know the program at some point either supplied on the
>commandline or selected from an interface menu.

Ok, but that is clearly a later problem. Without a signal lock there are
no programs to receive.


-- 
                        "Bingeley bingeley beep!"
               -- The Personal Disorganizer, Terry Pratchett in Feet of Clay

-- 
This is the vlc mailing-list, see http://www.videolan.org/vlc/
To unsubscribe, please read http://www.videolan.org/support/lists.html
If you are in trouble, please contact <postmaster at videolan.org>