[mythtv-users] capturing DVB-T MPEG-4 streams

[Nick Rout]

On Sun, Nov 30, 2008 at 1:17 PM, Frank Lynch <frank.lynch at gmail.com> wrote:
> On Sat, Nov 29, 2008 at 11:17 AM, David Watkins <watkinshome at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>>
>> 2008/11/29 Frank Lynch <frank.lynch at gmail.com>:
>> > There is a DVB pilot underway in Ireland with video encoded using
>> > MPEG-4. I
>> > was wondering if any DVB reciever (I'm looking to purchase a usb dvb
>> > receiver) will be able to capture such a stream.
>> > Do DVB-T cards simply tune and dump the streams or do they care about
>> > the
>> > format of the data being received?
>> > thanks,
>> > --Frank
>>
>> I was able to capture DVB-T HD from the London, Crystal Palace
>> transmitter trial last year using my NOVA-Ts. I couldn't easily play
>> them back, but that's another story.
>>
>> However I understand that when DVB-T HD is actually launched in UK it
>> will use DVB2, and my existing cards won't be suitable.
>>
>> You need to find out what your pilot is using.
>
> I understand it they are using DVB-T with MPEG-4 in Ireland[1], I believe
> that France uses MPEG-4 for HD DVB transmission and that MPEG-4 is also used
> with DVB in Estonia, Norway, Poland & India. I'm hoping that I can use a
> pretty standard DVB-T usb stick to capture one of these streams. If your in
> one of those countries and have are capturing MPEG-4 with DVB can you please
> reply as  I'd love to hear about what your using ( I'm about to purchase
> hardware). Ideally I'm looking for a recommendation for a DVB usb stick as
> I'd like to run the server in a msi wind or eee box.
> cheers,
> --Frank
>
> [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DVB-T_in_Ireland
>

mpeg-4 covers a wide range of codecs and standards, from Part 2 (xvid,
divx are examples) to Part 10 (h.264). In NZ Freeview terrestrial
broadcasts h.264 over DVB-T. To answer the original question DVB-T
hardware should capture the streams OK. If they are h.264 then
playback can be tough in that:

1. it is very cpu intensive, far more so than HD done in mpeg2 (but
vdpau should help); and

2. the NZ streams use parts of the mpeg h.264 standard that are only
just implemented in the free software decoders (ffmpeg) and therefore
not in mythtv. This can be fixed by using Paul Kendall's patches
https://launchpad.net/~paul-kcbbs/+archive



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