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  • Use VLC to capture/record DVB-T2 channel, or...

    From Jim Lesurf@21:1/5 to All on Sun Sep 18 13:11:25 2022
    XPost: uk.tech.digital-tv

    I can get VLC to watch/hear the TV channels OK. Had to spend some time
    looked at various webpages, but that turned out to be quite simple. Works nicely for SD and HD..

    Question is how to then get it to record the channel to a file? Ideally
    with no transcoding but just containering in a convenient format like mpv
    or similar.

    The web page I read that explained the simple way to get them to play OK
    simply said "then press ctrl+R to record". However that just pops up a
    window with blanks to enter more info. Not sure what to do from that point
    on. I'd hoped it would default to whatever was being found and rendered for display.

    So is there a simple way to do that, and then just press a magic key to end
    the recording when done?

    I've found loads of pages showing loooooong command line ways, often
    telling me different things!

    Or is there a desktop prog I can use to do this more easily? In the past I wrote my old very simple run-in-a-terminal one using the dvb-apps, etc. But that just gut the raw transport stream for the channel, and I think being
    able to see what I'm getting and ensure I got it right, etc, may be useful whilst vlc does any useful trans-packing etc as it goes.

    Ta,

    Jim

    --
    Please use the address on the audiomisc page if you wish to email me. Electronics https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/~www_pa/Scots_Guide/intro/electron.htm
    biog http://jcgl.orpheusweb.co.uk/history/ups_and_downs.html
    Audio Misc http://www.audiomisc.co.uk/index.html

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  • From Marco Moock@21:1/5 to All on Sun Sep 18 15:16:28 2022
    XPost: uk.tech.digital-tv

    Am Sonntag, 18. September 2022, um 13:11:25 Uhr schrieb Jim Lesurf:

    Question is how to then get it to record the channel to a file?

    Enable "extended control" in the view button in the menu bar
    (translated from German, may differ in English).
    A new toolbar appears with a big red button, press it to record, press
    it again to stop. It will be saved to your home directory on Linux,
    maybe to Videos if that folder exists.

    I tried it out with a .wav playing, it works.

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  • From Jim Lesurf@21:1/5 to All on Mon Sep 19 12:37:19 2022
    XPost: uk.tech.digital-tv

    In article <tg75nc$g59q$2@dont-email.me>, Marco Moock <mo01@posteo.de>
    wrote:
    Am Sonntag, 18. September 2022, um 13:11:25 Uhr schrieb Jim Lesurf:

    Question is how to then get it to record the channel to a file?

    Enable "extended control" in the view button in the menu bar (translated
    from German, may differ in English). A new toolbar appears with a big
    red button, press it to record, press it again to stop. It will be saved
    to your home directory on Linux, maybe to Videos if that folder exists.

    I tried it out with a .wav playing, it works.

    Thanks! :-) Yes, got that working.

    Here the name is "Advanced controls".

    I can then playback and record OK from DVB-T2. I'm letting it record as .ts
    at present as I'm not sure what recontainers might ensure no transcoding.

    One struggle was that I couldn't initially see the 'red button'. But then
    found a red 'blob' beside "record" at the bottom of the "playback" menu.
    :-)

    FWIW The automatic choice of mux bandwidth doesn't seem to work. Have to
    set it to 8MHz each time. Maybe this is because the UK UHF TV band is now packed almost solid with the transmissions. Dunno. But it works. :-)

    Output goes to the "Downloads" directory on the machine. I think the
    'capture' option on a menu may also work the same but perhaps doesn't then render and display the video as it goes. Not tried it for this yet although
    I have occasionally used it to convert things in the past. However the
    machine I'm using is fast enough that symultaneously rendering it and
    recording it is trivial. So I'll probably let it show what it is getting as
    it records as a check that all is well.

    Thanks again,

    Jim

    --
    Please use the address on the audiomisc page if you wish to email me. Electronics https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/~www_pa/Scots_Guide/intro/electron.htm
    biog http://jcgl.orpheusweb.co.uk/history/ups_and_downs.html
    Audio Misc http://www.audiomisc.co.uk/index.html

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  • From NY@21:1/5 to Jim Lesurf on Mon Sep 19 21:37:44 2022
    XPost: uk.tech.digital-tv

    "Jim Lesurf" <noise@audiomisc.co.uk> wrote in message news:5a2a5a62benoise@audiomisc.co.uk...

    FWIW The automatic choice of mux bandwidth doesn't seem to work. Have to
    set it to 8MHz each time. Maybe this is because the UK UHF TV band is now packed almost solid with the transmissions. Dunno. But it works. :-)

    That's odd. I've found that VLC records perfectly well:

    - Media | Open Capture Device
    - Capture Mode = TV-digital
    - Tuner card 0 (the default), Delivery system DVB-T (even for a T2 mux!),
    Mux frequency = 482 kHz (yes, really!) or 482000 kHz, Bandwidth=Automatic or
    8 MHz.
    - Play button

    There is something rather cool about being able to record a whole multiplex
    to a single .ts file, and then being able to play back that ts file and
    select one of the several channels that it contains.

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  • From Jim Lesurf@21:1/5 to me@privacy.invalid on Tue Sep 20 10:25:43 2022
    XPost: uk.tech.digital-tv

    In article <tgakbq$182li$1@dont-email.me>, NY <me@privacy.invalid> wrote:
    "Jim Lesurf" <noise@audiomisc.co.uk> wrote in message news:5a2a5a62benoise@audiomisc.co.uk...

    FWIW The automatic choice of mux bandwidth doesn't seem to work. Have
    to set it to 8MHz each time. Maybe this is because the UK UHF TV band
    is now packed almost solid with the transmissions. Dunno. But it
    works. :-)

    That's odd. I've found that VLC records perfectly well:

    Maybe its a quirk of the dongle I'm using. Dunno. But if I leave the
    bandwidth 'automatic' it goes on searching until I tell it to stop.

    There is something rather cool about being able to record a whole
    multiplex to a single .ts file, and then being able to play back that
    ts file and select one of the several channels that it contains.

    Yes. FWIW many years ago I wrote a simple capture prog for the dongle to do that so I can then run some stats on the details of the info streams in the multiplex. Think I used it for a webpage or article, but now can't recall
    the details.

    Until now I've tended to use a similar 'home brew' prog to record a
    selected station. But VLC looks now a simpler way to go. And useful that it
    can show what is being recorded.

    Jim

    --
    Please use the address on the audiomisc page if you wish to email me. Electronics https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/~www_pa/Scots_Guide/intro/electron.htm
    biog http://jcgl.orpheusweb.co.uk/history/ups_and_downs.html
    Audio Misc http://www.audiomisc.co.uk/index.html

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