[mythtvnz] HDHomerun - VLC on Linux - Yes - well sort of!

[Tortise]

OK Steve, How's this?


Testing the HDHomeRun in VLC using Mythbuntu 8.10 from command prompt, (and also XP on different hardware) I get:

sudo apt-get install hdhomerun-config
hdhomerun_config discover
...
hdhomerun_config FFFFFFFF get /sys/version
20090305a

hdhomerun_config FFFFFFFF scan /tuner0
...

hdhomerun_config FFFFFFFF get /tuner0/status
ch=none lock=none ss=0 snq=0 seq=0 bps=0 pps=0
{Nothing happening}

{TV1}
hdhomerun_config FFFFFFFF set /tuner0/channel auto:48
hdhomerun_config FFFFFFFF get /tuner0/status
ch=auto:48 lock=t8qam64 ss=92 snq=81 seq=100 bps=0 pps=0
{Set Mux}
hdhomerun_config FFFFFFFF get /tuner0/streaminfo
1200: 0.0 TV ONE
1201: 0.0 TV2
1202: 0.0 TVNZ 6
1203: 0.0 TVNZ 7
1204: 0.0 TVNZ SPORT EXTR
hdhomerun_config FFFFFFFF set /tuner0/program 1200:
hdhomerun_config FFFFFFFF get /tuner0/status
ch=auto:48 lock=t8qam64 ss=92 snq=82 seq=100 bps=26348576 pps=0

Open VLC stream use Network, UDP, leave IP blank and use port 1234 - seems to be running - VLC says udp//@:1234 in its URL
hdhomerun_config FFFFFFFF set /tuner0/target {VLCCLIENTIPADDRESS}:1234
{Tell Homerun where to send stream to - turns on Tuner0 LED}
{ACTION!  TV1 Excellent Audio, Video stream variable from normal to disrupted and with some depixilation, CPU ranges 80% (good video) 
thru to >110% (Broken video) Much same on VLC XP}

{Set Channel to 50}
hdhomerun_config FFFFFFFF set /tuner0/channel auto:50
{Choose Mux}
hdhomerun_config FFFFFFFF get /tuner0/streaminfo
1300: 0.0 TV3
1301: 0.0 C4
1302: 0.0 TV3 PLUS1

{C4}
hdhomerun_config FFFFFFFF set /tuner0/program 1301:
{Runs ~49% CPU, some depixillation, seems more stable than XP - ie no crashes}

{TV3}
hdhomerun_config FFFFFFFF set /tuner0/program 1300:
{VLC crashes - restart}
hdhomerun_config FFFFFFFF set /tuner0/channel auto:50
hdhomerun_config FFFFFFFF set /tuner0/program 1300:
{Restart VLC}
hdhomerun_config FFFFFFFF set /tuner0/target {VLCCLIENTIPADDRESS}::1234
{Action, Audio good, screen refreshes approx every 2 seconds, VLC CPU 102%!  A tease of detail can be seen on TV3 with default size 
full screen, much same on VLC XP }


The above is on a single core Intel 3000, 2G RAM, NVIDIA AGP 7600GS, up to date Mythbuntu 8.10, 1080p video monitor via VGA.
grep processor /proc/cpuinfo
processor       : 0
processor       : 1
meaning hyperthreading was also enabled.

from top (playing TV1):
Cpu(s): 54.4%us,  2.9%sy,  0.0%ni, 41.7%id,  0.0%wa,  1.0%hi,  0.0%si,  0.0%st
Mem:   2072032k total,   721612k used,  1350420k free,    28060k buffers
Swap:   995988k total,        0k used,   995988k free,   411428k cached

  PID USER      PR  NI  VIRT  RES  SHR S %CPU %MEM    TIME+  COMMAND
14450 david     20   0  258m  93m  26m S  110  4.6  31:23.35 vlc

Subsequent testing with hyperthreading on and off (BIOS Setting) makes minimal difference, other than changing the percentage values noted in top!

Silicon Dust's website suggests the 2.8 GHz Pentium 4 (or similar) for HD playback is the minimum hardware specification.  The test rig seems to exceed that.  Seems to me the solution likely also lies in VDPAU, however for me even C4 does not play smoothly, I would have thought there was enough grunt to manage C4, certainly SD MPEG2's of the same C4 content play fine, so perhaps there are things they can address??  Problems also could lie in the antennae strength (seems unlikely given other DVB-T gear is receiving ok) VLC's ability to play, maybe the LAN or ?  Given the HDHomeRun is new to the NZ DVB-T market it would not surprise me if some firmware upgrades prove to be necessary to get this working to the standard I was expecting.

Having sent Silicon Dust some debug info, they suggest there might be two problems in my (or NZ?) system, it seems implied they think they can fix them, something coming next week?  Not sure about time frames but from what I know of Silicon Dust I think we can expect fix(es) to be forthcoming.

Seems when it is working to expectation that it is likely it would not be too hard to create desktop icons linked to scripts that open a selected channel from selected tuner, with variations on this theme. Also a web page with buttons for opening channels / tuners would seem simple for someone so skilled.  With the market place being teased with the prospect of Linux phones I can see other platforms taking advantage of such interfaces.  Silicon Dust may have been better to incorporate webserver centric graphic applications for multi-OS uniformity, rather than doing separate OS apps.  

It will be interesting to see how this runs up with MythTV and whether this experience is at all relevant in that environment.

For Myth systems with multiple front ends and knowing how the mythtv development focus is less liveTV focussed, this device also has the potential to create a complimentary multiple location live HD TV alternative.





  Would you be willing on doing a quick write up of using the hdhomerun from the CLI that I can post at mythtv.co.nz. At the moment I've mostly used the gui based tool rather than a pure command line approach for my own review.


  Steve


  Steven Ellis - Technical Director
  OpenMedia Limited
  email   - steven at openmedia.co.nz
  website - http://www.openmedia.co.nz





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