[linux-dvb] newbie question (tzap, cat, mplayer, dvb://)

[Nico Sabbi]

José Oliver Segura wrote:

>      Hi all,
>
>      just a silly question regarding getting streams with tzap/cat
> and how to use them to feed a player:
>
>      Trying to make work 100% my Hauppauge wintv nova-t stick (4th
> usb stick I'm trying with linux, but this seems to work OK), I've
> found that some of the low-level examples/tests in the wiki fail for
> me for some of the channels I have in my channels.conf.
>
>       Test 1:
>          tzap -r "TVE 1"
>          cat /dev/dvb/adapter0/dvr0 > /tmp/tv.mpeg
>          mplayer /tmp/tv.mpeg
>
>          --> Works for some channels, doesn't work for others
> (pixels, glitches, bad audio, etc.)
>          [Just for testing -not related with dvb, but with
> dvb+mplayer integration- I've tried with cat to a file, cat to named
> pipe and directly with mplayer /dev/dvb/... , with the same results]


maybe due to bad reception

>
>       Test 2:
>          mplayer "dvb://TVE 1"
>
>          --> Works but, for some channels (the same that don't work
> with Test 1, sometimes, it  doesn't work the first time [mplayer
> complains about a read error, ^c and launch again and 90% of the time
> it gets OK... maybe something related to tunning timeouts/issues?])


maybe. I hope I won't have to increase the timeout to +INF :(

>
>         So, the question is (I guess the answer is obvious at this
> point): the mpeg stream that one gets from dvr0 cannot be passed to
> mplayer?

uhm, if not how are you supposed to play it? :)
how do you believe that mplayer plays dvb:// streams?

> depends on the channel? maybe depends of what information(s)
> that channel is sending? (epg, subtitles, multiple audio?) depends on
> the signal?

broken streams will lead to broken playback, as is to be expected

>
>          I've tried those examples (zap/cat) since they appear in the
> wiki as simple test tools, but maybe I'm assuming too much? 


no

> Should I
> use other tools like dvbrecord (I've just discovered it)? Or thinking
> about a "simple pvr" only with "simple filters ala *nix style" in this
> case [dvb, TS/PS, etc.] is not possible?
>

it _is_ possible, provided that the drivers provide a stream as little 
damaged as possible.
BTW, tzap+cat or dvbstream are the most reliable way to get your "simple 
pvr" working