View Full Version : [RELEASE] VDR (LinVDR) plugin for XBMC - Video Disk Recorder
I have a few days off and I started writing a plugin to stream TV from my VDR. I searched the forum and could not find anything useful for my VDR so I started doing it myself. These are my first steps with Python, so be kind :laugh:
Features so far:
- Connects through SVDRP to VDR (you don't need a channels.conf on your htpc)
- Displays all available Channels
- Live TV Streaming through streamdev-server http streaming
- EPG for single Channel (select a Channel and you get the EPG)
- Create new timers through the EPG
- View / Delete timers
You need:
- working VDR with running streamdev-server and working http streaming
- edited streamdefhosts.conf
- edited svdrphosts.conf
Tested with VDR 1.6, streamdev from svn and XBMC Atlantis Alpha3 Windows (Alpha4 is not working for me)
http://rapidshare.de/files/40444427/VDR.zip.html
Jack
Gamester17
2008-09-11, 13:51
Great!, however for clarification is it a plugin or a script? ???
(does it go into the "plugins" or the "scripts" directory?)
PS! Short term here is something that you might find interesting:
http://sourceforge.net/projects/xbmcmythtv/
Long term here is something that you should find interesting:
http://xbmc.org/wiki/?title=GSoC_-_Unified_PVR_Frontend
:;):
Its a plugin and goes into the plugin/video dir.
I`m aware of the two other projects but I hate mythtv (X server for backend config) and the other will take some time. This was the fastest way to get my VDR into XBMC
frostwork
2008-09-18, 15:28
cheers!
thanks a lot for your excellent plugin!!!
in order to get it to work on my gentoo vdr/xbmc machine
with vdr-1.6.0_p2 and vdr-streamdev-0.3.4
i had to "hardcode" the server IP in settings.xml / server_url
as the server value wasn't read. I also had to add a PES/ after the
port in server_url.
so in my localhost config the settings.xml it looks like this:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="yes" ?>
<settings>
<setting id="server" value="127.0.0.1" />
<setting id="port" value="2001" />
<setting id="server_url" value="http://127.0.0.1:3000/PES/" />
</settings>
sledgehammer
2008-09-20, 12:34
Hey this is good news. I'm going to download this and have a look. I might have to steal some ideas :-).
My script and server back end is nearly ready for release. Heck I might release it even sooner with this announcement. My version is derived from the old xstreamdev code but almost completely replaced with my own and uses the project mayhem theme.
We might have to chat to avoid duplication of effort.
BTW how well is the streaming of the liveTV as I have found audio/video sync a problem on some channels as well as picking the wrong audio stream?
I'm learning Python as I go as well, I really wished I had learnt the basics before starting.
Best regards
Sledeghammer
It works really good! However, I can only get audio on HD streams. Is it possible to make channel flipping less painful?
Hi Jack!
I just wanted to try your plugin, but it somehow crashes (actually it doesn't even start) on start-up. How should I debug the plugin?
Sadly, I couldn't find a debug log or something like that... do I need to enable debug-logging first? If yes, how?
Thanks for your help in advance!
Gamester17
2008-09-25, 23:29
Enable debug logging in System Settings (http://xbmc.org/wiki/?title=System_Settings#Hardware). The log (xbmc.log) can be found in the same place as the XBMC executable OR "/var/temp for Linux", OR "~/Library/Logs/" on the Mac, OR "C:\Documents and Settings\Username\Application Data\XBMC\" under Windows. Please do not paste logs to the XBMC forums, instead upload it to one of the many pasting sites such as pastebin.ca (http://pastebin.ca) instead and link to it.
Just wanted to say that I tried this plugin last night streaming my CaptiveWorks 3000HD FTA receiver and so far it works great! Kudos to Jack83! Great work!
Hi everyone
I'm back from my summer vacation. Its really nice to see that some people are using my plugin.
I just tested with Beta1 and its still working :grin:
The question is, should we really develop further, as the "Unified_PVR_Frontend" is already planed? (I don't know the status of that project)
The minimum features I wanted are already working, but there are many things that could be implemented using python and some effort e.g. channel zapping, recordings
@dm71: Your receiver is using VDR?
Jack
Hi everyone
@dm71: Your receiver is using VDR?
Jack
Yes. It's basically a PC with a customized version of gentoo linux with vdr, and a proprietary java interface. But Captiveworks does market it as an FTA receiver/media center. It works quite well. Probably the most flexible receiver in North America.
WhiningKhan
2008-09-27, 22:37
The question is, should we really develop further, as the "Unified_PVR_Frontend" is already planed? (I don't know the status of that project)
The minimum features I wanted are already working, but there are many things that could be implemented using python and some effort e.g. channel zapping, recordings
I've had a VDR system running for some years, but I'm planning to move it as recording server only and use a Windows machine as frontend for it. XBMC looks to be the most promising media center package so far.
I looked at myTV script, and it seems it would be really easy to make SVDRP-based EPG data importer and save scheduler for it, and implement EPG-based timer programming that way. I'll just have to learn some Python first... The usual lack-of-time problem is the biggest obstacle, I can probably allocate something like 1 hour per night for this stuff. I'd also like to see what I could do for DVB subtitle support in XBMC's player at some point, if I miraculously had spare time.
So, I won't mind if you go ahead with your experiments... My gut feeling is that the unified frontend won't be there for a while.
WhiningKhan
2008-09-28, 21:39
Hmm, I just found out that XStreamdev (http://www.orciatico.it/xstreamdev/) has existed for some years already. It's targeted for primarily for XBOX and could use some updating otherwise, too, but it's pretty polished.
So, I guess the most fruitful target would then be video plugin which could handle VDR recordings over SMB share elegantly - that means handling one subdir containing the .vdr files as one playable object and showing info of the recording. Maybe I'll dig into it...
So, I guess the most fruitful target would then be video plugin which could handle VDR recordings over SMB share elegantly - that means handling one subdir containing the .vdr files as one playable object and showing info of the recording. Maybe I'll dig into it...
I've recently created a python plugin to handle VDR recordings in a more fancy way. Unfortunately its targeted to run on local file systems (or mounted ones) only at the moment, but i'll try to make it smb capable.
WhiningKhan
2008-09-29, 00:48
I've recently created a python plugin to handle VDR recordings in a more fancy way. Unfortunately its targeted to run on local file systems (or mounted ones) only at the moment, but i'll try to make it smb capable.
Mounted FS is just fine, because SMB does not seem to work in Windows port at the moment (using Atlantis beta, don't know about SVN head).
Hello,
First of all thanks for this job.
I gave it a try, but no image for the moment.
I also had to hard code the server IP in the settings file
Now I can see the channel list.
When I select a channel, I have a popup annoucing the start of the streaming. When the green bar is full I can very furtively see the navigation (play, ffwd, rew ...) buttons on my screen, and then it returns to the channel list.
In the log I can see that there is some connection with vdr, that the streaming starts, and then I see something like :
Onkeypressed 14, action is 7 (I don't have my machine in front of me), while I did'nt pressed any key
Afterwards I see messages that the audio and video threads are stopped.
I can't see any error message
any idea?
thanks
sp
Please check if you can stream from VDR to VLC.
Just open the URL http://<vdr-server>:<port>/1 with VLC
yes that's working also in firefox with mplayer plugin
I also did try with http://serverip:3000/PES/1 and it is also working
thanks,
sp
OK next try :)
Create a text file test.strm and write your http://serverip:3000/PES/1 in it.
Try to play that file with xbmc. If thats working, we have a problem as I only call that url in the plugin. If its not working, you have a problem with xbmc itself.
Hello,
Sorry for the delay but I have been quite busy theses days
I tried to play the file as you explained, but it is the same result.
As I don't know where to look, I posted a log in http://pastebin.com/m5c4ab9f3.
I can see an error on line 17, but don't know what it is, and if it is important.
Again it seems on line 107 that key 11 is pressed, but I don't press any key at that moment.
thanks,
sp
I found the reason, not yet the solution.
I found out that when I start XBMC via the menu, with the mouse, everything is working wel. On my tv, I use a remote, that starts a script to start xbmc. When I do it that way, your plugin (and others) is not working.
Probably, the fact that I starts with a scripts, start it in a new shell. Does that have something to di with it ?
thanks,
sp
WOW that is a handy plugin!
Nice work jack! :)
Oh, had missed this plugin completely :).
Anyway. There is now support for the streamdev vtp protocol in xbmc. Or atleast partial such. However I'm not sure that is the way to go.
I've recently created a python plugin to handle VDR recordings in a more fancy way. Unfortunately its targeted to run on local file systems (or mounted ones) only at the moment, but i'll try to make it smb capable.
I am very interested in your plugin, not in the smb support, because I use nfs.
Did you publish it somewhere? I tried hard but I didn't find something in the
forum.
I know, the thread is a little bit old, but this plugin would really be nice to have.
I don't think there is a need for smb support in your plugin, there is fusesmb,
that should be enough for all.
Gerald
I will review it once again and add it to the official xbmc-addons repository in a few days.
I will review it once again and add it to the official xbmc-addons repository in a few days.
Great news, thanks!
Gerald
Very interesting plugin.
I can't get it working with Ubuntu 8.04
VDR 1.6.0-6ctvdr1
and
streamdev 0.3.4-1
with XBMC SVN (8.10final1svn17369-hardy1)
Any suggestions? I edited the settings xml file.
Streaming with VLC/WebBrowser is possible, and the vdr confs are all correct (i use vdr since several years). I can't even see a Channel list :(
greets,
loeppel
SebaSOFT
2009-01-29, 21:59
Long term here is something that you should find interesting:
http://xbmc.org/wiki/?title=GSoC_-_Unified_PVR_Frontend
:;):
I'm sorry to say this Gamester17, but why this isn't getting the importance that it deserves? I'm not being sarcastic, I'm just curious what the dev team have as a roadmap.
It seems there are some fantastic work underway:
http://xbmc.org/trac/ticket/5595#comment:29
Haven't tried this already, but will do it with next patch set. If we can get the streamdev patches upstream this would be a rock solid solution.
greets,
loeppel
Hi jack83,
That is what I search as well. I tried your script but it doesn't work. I used the script from the first post.
I run Gen2VDR with streamdevserver and it works fine with VDR Zapper on Win boxes.
On the Xbox I run XBMC and the XStream script is working. Also the m3u file with channels.
What have I to consider that your plugin is working ?
I tried as a script and a plugin.
Thank you for your help.
Will this plugin allow me to see their own VDR-OSD?
Can someone show screenshots XBMC with this plugin, and write a detailed instruction for beginners who have't worked with the Python? For example, where to put the plugin and how to run it.
I'm trying to find some time to try this in this week. I'll post here about results.
Will this plugin allow me to see their own VDR-OSD?
Can someone show screenshots XBMC with this plugin, and write a detailed instruction for beginners who have't worked with the Python? For example, where to put the plugin and how to run it.
No, it won't. This plugin listet only the channels which then could be watched.
I have to say that I won't support this plugin anymore.:sad:With all the native alternatives comming up, it would be pointless.
If you really have the need to get this running, you can write me in ICQ and I try to help directly