Dvb-apps
Note: The correct title of this article is dvb-apps. It appears incorrectly here due to technical restrictions.
dvb-apps is a distribution of tools useful for low-level testing and configuration of DVB hardware. In various places it is also called dvbutils or dvbtools. Many consider these tools essential to anyone with a DVB adapter.
Contents
Getting dvb-apps
Most Linux distributions have a dvbutils package which will be a breeze to install. For example, with Debian or Ubuntu install the package with:
apt-get install dvb-utils
or
apt-get install dvb-apps
If you have a system based on atrpms.net you can install the utilities with:
yum install linuxtv-dvb-apps
Alternatively, you can build them yourself from the source code. There are two ways of obtaining the sourcecode:
Option 1: Obtain the source code from CVS:
cvs -d :pserver:anonymous@cvs.linuxtv.org:/cvs/linuxtv login (use an empty password) cvs -z3 -d :pserver:anonymous@cvs.linuxtv.org:/cvs/linuxtv co dvb-apps
Option 2: Obtain the source code by downloading it:
- Pick the most up to date version from http://linuxtv.org/downloads
- Unpack it using tar xvjf linuxtv-dvb-apps<your version>.tar.bz2
Once you have the source code (and are in the correct directory), build and install it by typing:
make make install
The apps
NOTE: Several of these tools may not operate properly while you are running the mythbackend. If mythbackend is running, it may have a lock on your DVB card, denying access to one of these tools.
(dvb)scan
(dvb)scan is on some systems called "dvbscan" and on others called "scan", it is used to produce a channel configuration file. This is the first step to any successful DVB setup.
*zap
tzap (and it's siblings szap, czap, & azap) is a command line channel changing and signal monitor program. It can also set your card device up for recording. This util is the most basic means of testing your card.
dvbdate
dvbdate is a utility for working with the time signal from DVB transmissions. You can view the transmitted date/time and set the system clock. This looks to be a useful alternative to setting up NTP.
ttusb_dec_reset
This utility resets Hauppauge DEC USB DVB adapters.
dvbnet
This util appears to create a new network adapter based on the /dev/dvb/adapterN/net0 device.
dvbtraffic
This appears to analyze dvb traffic, but only on /dev/dvb/adapter0 as it's hardcoded!
av7110_loadkeys
This util is used to load the remote control configuration on certain DVB units.
dib3000-watch
This util gathers signal statistics from dib3000 modulators.
External links
- The linuxtv.org DVB Wiki - These guys created the dvb-apps tools!
