[mythtv-users] Multiport Video Capture Cards

[Nick]

On 19/09/06, Michael Weinbergs - Network Administrator
<Michael.Weinbergs at wridgways.com.au> wrote:
>
>
> I have been using Mythtv for some time, now I want to extend it.
> I have a 4 port V4L card with 4 cameras around the house outside that I have
> been using with ZoneMinder - now I want to incorporate it into Myth so the
> wife can watch this kids in the back yard via Myth.
>
> I have tried to "emulate" this configuration with my DVB-BT8xx card (as
> BTTV0).
> But I couldn't work out how to set it into a channel list (ie. channel "6"
> changes to /dev/video0 composite0 port)..
>
> if I could do that, then it would be easy enough for me to point to
> /dev/video1 channel 1,2,3 or 4!

Michael,

Setting this solution up in MythTV depends on how your 4-port cards
presents itself to Linux - as it could either provide (i) 4 V4L
devices (/dev/video[0-3]) each having a single Composite0 input which
may/may not be used simultaneously, or (ii) a single V4L device
(/dev/video0) with 4 inputs (Composite[0-3] via the driver allowing
only one input to be active at a time.

4 V4L devices:
If your card provides you with 4 separate V4L devices, you would need
to add each device (/dev/video[0-3] on the capture cards page, then
create 4 video sources, and then in the Channel Editor, create a
single channel for each source. On the Input Connections page, you
would then associate each of the 4 video sources with its respective
V4L device/input on your V4L card, such as:

/dev/video0 Composite0 -> Camera1
/dev/video1 Composite0 -> Camera2
/dev/video2 Composite0 -> Camera3
/dev/video3 Composite0 -> Camera4

When watching LiveTV, you would press the "Change Capture Card" button
to switch between each camera (you could also use the PiP
functionality to watch 2 streams if your capture card allows this).

1 V4L device:
If your card provides you with 4 inputs on a single V4L device, you
would firstly add the capture card device (/dev/video0), then create 4
video sources each containing 1 channel. On the Input Connections
page, you would then associate each of the video sources with its
respective input on your V4L device:

/dev/video0 Composite0 -> Camera1
/dev/video0 Composite1 -> Camera2
/dev/video0 Composite2 -> Camera3
/dev/video0 Composite3 -> Camera4

When watching LiveTV, you would press the "Change Input" button to
switch between each camera.

HTH,
Nick

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