View source for ECE497 Notes on MPlayer and Dvb-apps

[[Category:ECE497Notes |MP]]

[http://www.linuxtv.org/wiki/index.php/MPlayer MPlayer] can be used in conjunction with [http://www.linuxtv.org/wiki/index.php/LinuxTV_dvb-apps Dvb-apps] to create a video recording and playback system in embedded linux. Add on to this combination a software defined ATSC radio such as the [http://www.hauppage.com/site/products/data_hvr950q.html Hauppauge WinTV-HVR-950Q] and digital/analog TV signals (both antenna and cable) can be decoded and recorded.

== Installation ==

The 3.8.6 kernel comes with it the kernel modules necessary for the [http://www.linuxtv.org/wiki/index.php/Hauppauge_WinTV-HVR-950Q WinTV-HVR-950Q]. For completeness they are listed below

xc5000
au8522
au0828

Also required for this hardware to function is the firmware file from [http://www.kernellabs.com/ Kernel Labs]. It can be added by running the following as root:

  wget http://www.kernellabs.com/firmware/xc5000/dvb-fe-xc5000c-4.1.30.7.fw
  mv dvb-fe-xc5000c-4.1.30.7.fw /lib/firmware/

Lastly, we need the to install the Dvb-apps. To do this run the following as root:

  opkg install dvb-apps

=== How to Run ===

To find cable TV channels run the following:

  scan -t 1 -A 2 -U /usr/share/dvb/atsc/us-Cable-Standard-center-frequencies-QAM256 > ~/Desktop/channels.conf

After this is done you can open the channels.conf file to view the channel names. There are a few ways of tuning to these channels. A simple way is shown below:

  azap -r -c ~/Desktop/channels.conf "MyFOX10 HD"

Now once the radio is tuned you will see something like: 

  using '/dev/dvb/adapter0/frontend0' and '/dev/dvb/adapter0/demux0'
  tuning to 207000000 Hz
  video pid 0x0041, audio pid 0x0044
  status 00 | signal 3999 | snr cd37 | ber 00000000 | unc 00000000 |
  status 1f | signal cb84 | snr f8cf | ber 00000000 | unc 00000000 | FE_HAS_LOCK
  status 1f | signal cb84 | snr f8b3 | ber 00000000 | unc 00000000 | FE_HAS_LOCK

Once you see FE_HAS_LOCK you can run the following to watch the tuned channel:

  mplayer -framedrop /dev/dvb/adapter0/dvr0

== Future Work ==

See if the playback can be optimized for a small system with limited resources like the BeagleBone.