LiveTV with a generic video capture device

[jrd261]

Hi all,

I'm trying to setup a dvc100 usb video recording device (has composite and s-video inputs) for live tv with a cable box, i.e. use with xine and input switching.

This is clearly the same thing done with other video capture devices and I've tried to sort through and the templates for things like the pvr-150, but I'm not sure how to set this up. I can add the device in mythtv and it works absolutely fine (v4l on /dev/video0).

It seems like I should create a new usb capture device and add a composite video port to it. I have no idea where to go from there.

[tschak909]

The other main requirement is that the device should output an MPEG stream when the relevant device file is opened. Does it do this? If not, it will not work with our system.

-Thom

[jrd261]

Thanks for the reply and all your hard work Thom.

From what I can gather it is in VOB format. I'm confused about the difference between that and mpeg.

I can get video using:

mplayer -fps 15 tv:// -tv  driver=v4l2:device=/dev/video1


which spills out this before it plays...


Selected device: Pinnacle Dazzle DVC 90/100/101/
Capabilites:  video capture  audio  read/write  streaming
supported norms: 0 = NTSC; 1 = NTSC-M; 2 = NTSC-M-JP; 3 = NTSC-M-KR; 4 = NTSC-443; 5 = PAL; 6 = PAL-BG; 7 = PAL-H; 8 = PAL-I; 9 = PAL-DK; 10 = PAL-M; 11 = PAL-N; 12 = PAL-Nc; 13 = PAL-60; 14 = SECAM; 15 = SECAM-B; 16 = SECAM-G; 17 = SECAM-H; 18 = SECAM-DK; 19 = SECAM-L; 20 = SECAM-Lc;
inputs: 0 = Composite1; 1 = S-Video;
==========================================================================
Opening video decoder: [raw] RAW Uncompressed Video
VDec: vo config request - 640 x 480 (preferred colorspace: Packed YUY2)
VDec: using Packed YUY2 as output csp (no 0)
Movie-Aspect is undefined - no prescaling applied.
VO: [xv] 640x480 => 640x480 Packed YUY2
Selected video codec: [rawyuy2] vfm: raw (RAW YUY2)
==========================================================================


If I do a cat /dev/video1 > test.mpeg I cannot play the file. Is that an appropriate test?

[tschak909]

that card will not work. Please get a supported card. Mandingo did the work recently for the HVR-1600 for example.

-Thom

[electric_flesh]

Hello friends... i need to know if there is a USB device for video capture (to connect my cablebox) wich i can use on Linux MCE. I bouught a cheap EasyCap (wich i saw on a ubuntu machine, working very good) but i didn't work on LMCE, it didnt recognize it.

Is there some USB device for video/audio capture?? (i need a USB one)...

Thanks a lot guys....

[gtsupport]

I use the hauppauge HD PVR which is a USB based capture device. It works OOTB with Linuxmce and captures in 1080i HD which is good.  I haven't been able to get it working with myth tv yet, but thats more down to my settings than anything else. It streams live tv to all my media directors which is what it needs to do for now.

Connection wise you have svhs, component, and composite, plus stereo audio connectors.  It comes with a remote control too, but mine is still in the box, as Linuxmce handles all that.

Hope this is of some help.

Matt

[electric_flesh]

OK, i have to buy the Hauppauge one. But my question is.... Do i have to connect this device directly to each MD on my house? or do i have to connect it at the Core server and then share it over th ethernet network?


If i put it on the core, when i change the channel on a MD this will do all the MDs over the house change channel at the same time?

[tschak909]

You attach the capture device where the video source is. If it's near your Core/Hybrid, connect it there, if it's connected to your media director, connect it there.

-Thom

[ardirtbiker]

I can also confirm the Hauppauge HDPVR works with MythTV inside LMCE (at least on 8.10)     

Dennis

[totallymaxed]

I can also confirm the Hauppauge HDPVR works with MythTV inside LMCE (at least on 8.10)    

Dennis

The HD-PVR should work with any MythTV 0.23 or 0.24-fixes installation. But you will need to run mythtv-setup on your Core to configure it and add it as a capture device etc.

If your going to use mythtv-setup directly (see Thom's comment below for the alternative) then in setup choose "mpeg-4 AVC Hardware encoder"  as this is encoder option you want to use with the HD-PVR.

See here for more details and info on tweaking the setup to meet your needs (ie what type of material you will be recording)
http://www.mythtv.org/wiki/HDPVR#Steps_to_Add_the_HD-PVR_as_a_Capture_Device_in_MythTV_.280.22_or_later.29

All the best


Andrew

[tschak909]

Andrew, Mandingo added a device template for the HD-PVR which can be set up if you have a controllable cable box device template in the setup wizard.

-Thom