TV - MMS with VDR-Streamdev

Attention

Meanwhile there exists another possibility of VDR-Intergration. This method doesn't work remote, but it allows a seamless VDR-integration with just one remote control. Read here more about it.

Description

Author: Roman Müllenschläder

Just a little instruction, to use MMS together with VDR for watching TV (streamdev-streams from VDR) over netwotk with mplayer.

VDR with MMS - using vdr-sxfe

Scenario 1 (network):

VDR-server (headless) & MMS-client (vdr-sxfe as tv-app)

• In this case integration works ootb as long as VDR's remote.conf is set to the same lirc-keys as MMS is, cause lirc connection to VDR is done by vdr-sxfe.

VDR using lirc as input does not matter in any way!

Scenario 2 (local):

VDR-server (headless only) & MMS-client (vdr-sxfe as tv-app) In this case starting up VDR without lirc-input is neccessary. This could/has to be done in several ways:

• selfcompiled VDR

Just leaving away '--lirc' option is your choice

• VDR from debian-packages

Use 'update-alternatives --config vdr' to choose between vdr-daemon, vdr-kbd, vdr-lirc or vdr-rcu

• for VDR from Tobi's packages

Add '--lirc=/dev/null' to OPTIONS in /etc/default/vdr to disable lirc-input

Note: This one works for debian packages as well! 

After disabling lirc-input for VDR integration works ootb as long as VDR's remote.conf is set to the same lirc-keys as MMS is, cause lirc connection to VDR is done by vdr-sxfe.

Scenario 3 (local):

VDR-server (with and without head) & MMS-client (vdr-sxfe as tv-app)

Example for this setup: 
http://forum.mymediasystem.org/viewtopic.php?p=2783#2783

If one wants to run both, VDR (with head) and MMS (with DXR3-output or vdr-sxfe) on the same machine and beeing able to use just one lircd.conf with both, there are these possibilities:

• Patch VDR to add SVDRP-Command like skrzyp posted in the thread above or like helau posted it here:

http://vdr-portal.de/board/thread.php?postid=523662#post523662. This way one is able to make VDR listening to lirc temporarily and switch listening on and off with SVDRP-command

• Use two different lircd.confs and link/copy them as described in this thread together with using 'mmslircdwrapper' as provided in my mms-debs to SIGHUP lircd as normal user for to make it read the new config.

Advantage here is that one does not have to patch VDR and is therefore able to just use packaged VDR without recompilation!

• Simply use two different remotes with two different lircd.confs and MMS and VDR setup accordingly

Simple Version (recommended)

Required conditions

You need a running VDR together with streamdev-server to stream tv-channels with http.

configuring MMS

We have to add a new filetype for movies in mms' config to be able to play playlists (*.pls).

nano /etc/mms/config

add the following at the end in "Movie filetypes":

filetypes_m = pls, pls

Now you can see pls-files in movie-playback, too.

configuring Lirc for Mplayer

In

/etc/mms/lirc.conf

add two buttons for channel switching like this:

nano /etc/mms/lirc.conf

begin
  button = CHDOWN
  prog = mplayer
  config = pt_step -1
  repeat = 1
end

begin
  button = CHUP
  prog = mplayer
  config = pt_step 1
  repeat = 1
end

CHUP and CHDOWN are only examples!

The Channels-Playlist

We do need a playlist file :) Both examples are possible ...

playlist with channel-details

http://willi:3000/PES/S19.2E-1-1101-28106 # Das Erste
http://willi:3000/PES/S19.2E-1-1079-28006 # ZDF
http://willi:3000/PES/S19.2E-1-1101-28111 # WDR Köln
http://willi:3000/PES/S19.2E-1-1089-12003 # RTL Television,RTL
http://willi:3000/PES/S19.2E-133-33-46 # SAT.1
...

or

playlist with channelnumbers

http://willi:3000/PES/1
http://willi:3000/PES/2
http://willi:3000/PES/3
http://willi:3000/PES/4
http://willi:3000/PES/5
...

Attention Please use your own dns-name or ip adress of the vdr-server instead of willi here.

Save the playlist

your_name.pls

in the movie-directory you added in mms' config.

test-run

Go ahead and see ...

VDR

Be sure VDR is up und running and streamdev is configured to serve http-streams

MMS

startup mms

Menu

Choose "Movie playback from HD"

File

Choose your playlist-file

Replay

After a short amount of time (mplayer has to fill it's cache) the first channel will be played

Zapping

With your configured remote-buttons CHUP or CHDOWN you can zapp through the channels

That's all ... have phun :)

Enhanced Version (not explicit)

Description

More comfortable switching will be possible when you use mplayer's own OSD. Here we have a menu called "jump to" with which we can select a channel in our playlist directly and _on screen_

short how-to

Define some keys for keyboard or Lirc in

/etc/mplayer/input.conf

to use mplayer's OSD. All corresponding commands start with

menu

for instance

menu up

Even the menu "jump to" is directly accessible with a seperate key.

Please edit your

/etc/mms/config

and add the mplayer-option "-menu" to be able to use the OSD-menu!!

Example

If you want you can test easily with keyboard as input

in

/etc/mplayer/input.conf

add:

X menu up

(big X)

and startup mplayer like this one:

mplayer -vo xv -menu -playlist VDR.pls	

(-vo is your choice here)

When mplayer starts playing the first stream, you can hit (shift+x)

X

to open the OSD. Go to:

Jump to

and you'll see your playlist and be able to choose a channel directly. The keyboard navigation is done with cursor-keys, Enter and ESC.

For Lirc you have to define all buttons like MENU UP/DOWN/OK/BACK naturally on your own.

For a more detailed description see this forum-thread

Another Tip

Another way is to seperate the channels into single pls-files to be able to play a channel directly