Just remember that all those re-writes your doing need to get to me before the 2nd week of Jan.
My busy season starts and I will not have much time to get it completed till the spring thaw.
STREAMING from AZBox > PC
- Thread starter AcWxRadar
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Just remember that all those re-writes your doing need to get to me before the 2nd week of Jan.
My busy season starts and I will not have much time to get it completed till the spring thaw.
Putney, thanks for the information. I am able to stream many file types the AZBox won't play. Also able to stream numerous files via a playlist. Like having my own TV channel!
STREAMING FROM PC > AZBOX
With a lotta help from my friends (you guys) and some tutorials from VLC media player, I managed to get streaming from my PC to my AZBox functioning very well for at least one specific scenario. That scenario involves streaming a DVD (or a VIDEO_TS file) from a DVD.
In this one particular scenario, I am using a Windows XP PC, VLC Media Player 1.1.5 and a store bought DVD (Young Frankenstein to be specific). The AZBox is set to use a static IP address (192.168.1.102).
The first step was to create an IP Channel in the AZBox channel list. This is very straight forward and easy to complete.
Select SETTINGS > TV CHANNEL > IP CHANNEL
PROTOCOL: Enter or select UDP
NAME: Leave at default VideoLAN (or type in your own specific channel name)
IP: Enter the IP address of your PC
PORT: Enter 9000 or 1234 (or any open port available) Remember the port used.
BUFFER SIZE: I have not determined the minimum limit here for functionality, but the obvious maximum is limited at 99999 KBytes. I simply entered 10,000 KBytes as a random number.
Highlight and click on SAVE. If all parameters are within the acceptable ranges, you will be notified that "IP CHANNEL WAS ADDED SUCCESSFULLY".
When you exit out of the menus and go to your channels list, switch to the satellite listing view and scroll through the list of satellites. You will find a selection named IP_CHANNEL. If you highlight and click on this selection just like any other satellite, it will open up to display the list of channels that you added. In the beginning, you will have only one, but you could add numerous channels.
The second step wasn't so simple.
Without going into all the explanations of each step, I will just type out precisely what I did. NOTE: The items in RED are optional, but are of interest if your DVD has multiple titles recorded on it.
1] Insert a DVD into the PC's DVD drive (named drive D on my laptop).
2] Open the VLC Media Player program.
3] Select MEDIA in VLC's upper toolbar.
4] Select OPEN DISC from the drop down menu.
5] Select BROWSE function in VLC.
6] Locate the DVD drive in the browse list.
7] Click on the DVD drive to open the drive folder.
8] Select the desired VIDEO_TS file folder and click OK.
9] IMPORTANT: Select the starting position as TITLE 1 (chapter can remain at 0)
10] Observe the PLAY option below and click on the down arrow next to it to open the drop down menu and select STREAM.
11] The SOURCE should be displayed as dvd://D:\VIDEO_TS@1
12] Click NEXT
13] At the NEW DESTINATION, click on FILE to open the drop down menu.
14] Select UDP (Legacy).
15] Click on ADD.
16] For the address, enter the AZBox's IP address, in my case 192.168.1.102..
17] For the port, enter the same port you entered for the IP channel in the AZBox (i.e. 9000 or 1234).
18] For the Transcoding Options, uncheck the ACTIVAT TRANSCODING box.
19] Click NEXT.
20] You will next be shown the generated stream output string which should appear as:
:sout=#udp{dst=192.168.1.102:9000}?: no-sout-rtp-sap?: no-sout-standard-sap?:ttl=1?:sout-keep
The ? symbols indicate spaces. There are no spaces in between the : and the word no. I had to insert pseudo spaces in the string otherwise the ":" + "no" together displays this icon...
Next, click on STREAM and your film should be rolling!
I found that it was necessary when using a store-bought DVD to select the starting point as TITLE 1. I believe that this is because if you start at TITLE 0, it starts at the setup screen where you select the language and other selections and ultimately, PLAY. This interactive menu doesn't seem to stream or display so that you can access the PLAY command. Therefore, it won't stream because you cannot start the video rolling in the first place.
As I stated, I tested this with the DVD Young Frankenstein. It played all the way through the entire movie with no hiccoughs and the picture quality was excellent!
I then tested this with a homemade DVD (one that does not have the interactive menu at the start) and I do not need to adjust the starting position to TITLE 1, it starts right up.
Well, this is looking up! Lots of work still to be done to cover everything for the A-Z Manual, but at least we have progress.
RADAR
With a lotta help from my friends (you guys) and some tutorials from VLC media player, I managed to get streaming from my PC to my AZBox functioning very well for at least one specific scenario. That scenario involves streaming a DVD (or a VIDEO_TS file) from a DVD.
In this one particular scenario, I am using a Windows XP PC, VLC Media Player 1.1.5 and a store bought DVD (Young Frankenstein to be specific). The AZBox is set to use a static IP address (192.168.1.102).
The first step was to create an IP Channel in the AZBox channel list. This is very straight forward and easy to complete.
Select SETTINGS > TV CHANNEL > IP CHANNEL
PROTOCOL: Enter or select UDP
NAME: Leave at default VideoLAN (or type in your own specific channel name)
IP: Enter the IP address of your PC
PORT: Enter 9000 or 1234 (or any open port available) Remember the port used.
BUFFER SIZE: I have not determined the minimum limit here for functionality, but the obvious maximum is limited at 99999 KBytes. I simply entered 10,000 KBytes as a random number.
Highlight and click on SAVE. If all parameters are within the acceptable ranges, you will be notified that "IP CHANNEL WAS ADDED SUCCESSFULLY".
When you exit out of the menus and go to your channels list, switch to the satellite listing view and scroll through the list of satellites. You will find a selection named IP_CHANNEL. If you highlight and click on this selection just like any other satellite, it will open up to display the list of channels that you added. In the beginning, you will have only one, but you could add numerous channels.
The second step wasn't so simple.
Without going into all the explanations of each step, I will just type out precisely what I did. NOTE: The items in RED are optional, but are of interest if your DVD has multiple titles recorded on it.
1] Insert a DVD into the PC's DVD drive (named drive D on my laptop).
2] Open the VLC Media Player program.
3] Select MEDIA in VLC's upper toolbar.
4] Select OPEN DISC from the drop down menu.
5] Select BROWSE function in VLC.
6] Locate the DVD drive in the browse list.
7] Click on the DVD drive to open the drive folder.
8] Select the desired VIDEO_TS file folder and click OK.
9] IMPORTANT: Select the starting position as TITLE 1 (chapter can remain at 0)
10] Observe the PLAY option below and click on the down arrow next to it to open the drop down menu and select STREAM.
11] The SOURCE should be displayed as dvd://D:\VIDEO_TS@1
12] Click NEXT
13] At the NEW DESTINATION, click on FILE to open the drop down menu.
14] Select UDP (Legacy).
15] Click on ADD.
16] For the address, enter the AZBox's IP address, in my case 192.168.1.102..
17] For the port, enter the same port you entered for the IP channel in the AZBox (i.e. 9000 or 1234).
18] For the Transcoding Options, uncheck the ACTIVAT TRANSCODING box.
19] Click NEXT.
20] You will next be shown the generated stream output string which should appear as:
:sout=#udp{dst=192.168.1.102:9000}?: no-sout-rtp-sap?: no-sout-standard-sap?:ttl=1?:sout-keep
The ? symbols indicate spaces. There are no spaces in between the : and the word no. I had to insert pseudo spaces in the string otherwise the ":" + "no" together displays this icon...
Next, click on STREAM and your film should be rolling!
I found that it was necessary when using a store-bought DVD to select the starting point as TITLE 1. I believe that this is because if you start at TITLE 0, it starts at the setup screen where you select the language and other selections and ultimately, PLAY. This interactive menu doesn't seem to stream or display so that you can access the PLAY command. Therefore, it won't stream because you cannot start the video rolling in the first place.
As I stated, I tested this with the DVD Young Frankenstein. It played all the way through the entire movie with no hiccoughs and the picture quality was excellent!
I then tested this with a homemade DVD (one that does not have the interactive menu at the start) and I do not need to adjust the starting position to TITLE 1, it starts right up.
Well, this is looking up! Lots of work still to be done to cover everything for the A-Z Manual, but at least we have progress.
RADAR
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How about if the Elite was hardwired to a wireless router & then to (& from) the PC??
Or maybe wiring the Elite to a wireless print server or other wireless bridge?
You will have to give it a try to see if it will work.
Neither Radar nor I have the Elite receiver so we can only post what we used to do the procedure.
You may have an extra step or two to do, we don't know on the Elite receivers until someone who has one tries it out and reports back their progress.
So give it a shot and let us know how it works out.
My elite is on hardwired to a wireless router. My Mac is streaming via wifi. I also have a media/print server on this network.
A little glitchy if the wifi connection is weak, otherwise there is no problem.
A little glitchy if the wifi connection is weak, otherwise there is no problem.
Next questions:
1) How do you guys get your wives out of the house for several hours so that you can play with setting up your networks??
2) Is VLC a freebie media player?
3) Have any of you guys tried streaming "Netflix on demand" via your network (Netflix stream>Computer>Azbox) or better (Netflix>Azbox)? If either works, that would be a HUGE plus politically at home.
1) How do you guys get your wives out of the house for several hours so that you can play with setting up your networks??
2) Is VLC a freebie media player?
3) Have any of you guys tried streaming "Netflix on demand" via your network (Netflix stream>Computer>Azbox) or better (Netflix>Azbox)? If either works, that would be a HUGE plus politically at home.
1) printing wirelessly won all respect from my wife.
2) yes
3) I have a computer hooked up to one LCD for online programming (Live Channels - Entertainment - Movies - English). The Netflix app is proprietary. Though I'm sure it's been hacked things like that are not discussed here.
2) yes
3) I have a computer hooked up to one LCD for online programming (Live Channels - Entertainment - Movies - English). The Netflix app is proprietary. Though I'm sure it's been hacked things like that are not discussed here.
I knew that Netflix used a 'proprietary' method for streaming to one's computer, blue ray or roku. I was hoping that there might be a way of 'restreaming' a program to the AZbox through the home network. Our main computer is in a bedroom office about 40-50 ft from the family room TV.
Buying a used computer for the entertainment center would almost be cheaper than running 50' of hdmi or vga under the house
Yeah, I'm still using a 2.4ghz that I got three years ago for $50. I should upgrade to at least a duo core with hdmi some day.
I have been unable to get streaming to work at all from or to the Azbox Ultra. I am using a wired lan connection so that might be the issue... but one would think it should work better but there does seem to be major limitations on the AzBox 10/100 port speed.
I tried to set up the AzBox (5020) as Radar (excellent instructions!) describes and I find the IP channel setup screen and input the suggested settings; UDP, source IP (in my case 192.168.1.100), and port number (9000). Channel name stays default and buffer entered 10,000. Below that MPEG2 TS is indicated and PID is auto (no options to change these) . OK on save and I get "Failed to add an IP channel"
Now if I go to TV and look for sats, "IP Channel" does show up but displays as a radio channel (background image).
I set up VLC as suggested and of course I get no picture or audio. (I am using Fierce Creatures as the DVD source)
I am able to ftp and telnet to the azbox from 100...
Like I said maybe the wired lan connection just won't do this stuff! If you think it should wonder what I am doing wrong?
-C.
I tried to set up the AzBox (5020) as Radar (excellent instructions!) describes and I find the IP channel setup screen and input the suggested settings; UDP, source IP (in my case 192.168.1.100), and port number (9000). Channel name stays default and buffer entered 10,000. Below that MPEG2 TS is indicated and PID is auto (no options to change these) . OK on save and I get "Failed to add an IP channel"
Now if I go to TV and look for sats, "IP Channel" does show up but displays as a radio channel (background image).
I set up VLC as suggested and of course I get no picture or audio. (I am using Fierce Creatures as the DVD source)
I am able to ftp and telnet to the azbox from 100...
Like I said maybe the wired lan connection just won't do this stuff! If you think it should wonder what I am doing wrong?
-C.
Wired Lan has nothing to do with it.
"Failed to add an IP channel" means a parameter was out of range, or that the entry is a duplicate. (try buffer at 512)
I'm assuming your PC has a static IP of 192.168.1.100. (usually I would expect to see a number like that for the router)
Q: with a DVD as a source, I'm assuming you are sending from the PC to the Azbox?
"Failed to add an IP channel" means a parameter was out of range, or that the entry is a duplicate. (try buffer at 512)
I'm assuming your PC has a static IP of 192.168.1.100. (usually I would expect to see a number like that for the router)
Q: with a DVD as a source, I'm assuming you are sending from the PC to the Azbox?
As you note, streaming a DVD does not require transcoding, but you might like to add that to stream files such as .flv, .wmv, .avi, .asf, .mov, transcoding is required (I have found that mp4v, 1024, mpga, 192 - on my VLC version 0.8.6b - works very well, however I did find that one .avi file would only stream if set at mp1v).
Putney,
I have my router set up so 100-120 are static IPs (my own equipment plus a few portables that wander in and out of the house randomly), and 121-150 are vlan dynamic IPs for the locals here because I share one ISP account with several families via wifi. The PC is static. The router address from the lan side is 192.168.1.1 .
I'll try this again this evening I might have a few minutes so spare. This stuff really soaks up spare time in a hurry! Holidays are almost here so might have more time to play.
I am trying to stream from the PC with the DVD rom to the AzBox.
-C.
edit..
Got it working. Have to select "view locally" in the VLC streaming setup. Shows exactly as on the computer screen. At least I must have done something right!!
I have my router set up so 100-120 are static IPs (my own equipment plus a few portables that wander in and out of the house randomly), and 121-150 are vlan dynamic IPs for the locals here because I share one ISP account with several families via wifi. The PC is static. The router address from the lan side is 192.168.1.1 .
I'll try this again this evening I might have a few minutes so spare. This stuff really soaks up spare time in a hurry! Holidays are almost here so might have more time to play.
I am trying to stream from the PC with the DVD rom to the AzBox.
-C.
edit..
Got it working. Have to select "view locally" in the VLC streaming setup. Shows exactly as on the computer screen. At least I must have done something right!!
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In what formats AZBox streams video & audio over LAN - when watching SD MPEG2 & MPEG and HD MPEG4 & AC3 encoded channels with it?
Anyone was able to stream from AZBox content recorded on its internal or connected to it USB hard drive?
Anyone is using wired Ethernet port to stream from AZBox over LAN?
Anyone was able to stream from AZBox content recorded on its internal or connected to it USB hard drive?
Anyone is using wired Ethernet port to stream from AZBox over LAN?
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Zamar, I will reply to this question first. It is a hard NO. I find no option to engage the streaming function from any recorded content and also not from You-Tube. I even attempted to "trick" it by starting the streaming on a TV channel and then switching to a recorded event. It simply prompts me that the streaming will be cancelled if I wish to proceed. I really wish that I could do this, it would be quite beneficial. But, alas, there does not seem to be any method here.
The SD MPEG2 channels are the easiest to work with. Using WiFi, they are absolutely fine. Video and audio quality is excellent over the stream and no problems exist.
Escalating up to the HD channels I find the results are virtually unusable / unwatchable via the WiFi connection. They break up badly and most of the screen is pixelated or 1/2 green and the audio is stuttering. Worst of all, when using WiFi with HD channels such as PBS HD EAST / WEST on AMC 21 @ 125°W, the AZBox will actually lock up. You cannot turn the streaming function OFF and you cannot change channels. If you SHUT-DOWN or REBOOT the receiver, it comes back up in the same mode - still streaming and still locked up on the HD channel. It requires several attempts with a hard shut down procedure to cancel the operation.
This took me a bit of doing, but I managed to get it working. I have trouble with setting up a WIRED connection directly between the PC and the AZBox, but can manage to wrap it (wired) through my router just fine. Using the WIRED connection this way allowed me to stream even the HD channels (PBS HD East and West) without all the trouble that I had when using the WiFi connection. The AZBox does not lock up. The audio is excellent and the video is very good when the action is slow. If there is a lot of action in the video scenes, horizontal streaks or blank stripes appear in certain areas of the screen. However, it is watchable with some slight annoyances, definitely a huge improvement over using the WiFi connection.
If I knew more about it all, I might be able to improve my results. As it stands, I have merely managed to make some things work so that I can state that I did it. Since I honestly have no I.T. training and very few clues as to what I am doing, I feel quite proud that I was able to manage this much! I mean, I at least achieved some positive results.
RADAR
Thanks Radar,
Did you try to SAVE into a file on your PC Hard Drive the SD & HD content streamed from AZBox instead of playing it via VLC? If yes, what was the resulting file format & extension? Btw, you can setup VLC to read and play that partial file while its being gradually saved onto your PC, thus adding sat channel Timeshifting feature on the PC. Ina similar way Network Encoder streams a channel content from Sat PC Tuner to Windows Media Center - its saved first, then played back by WMC while being saved. I think, AZBox OS can have added similar feature - a Network Encoder. I even wonder, if AZBox has the UI option or plugin now allowing to SAVE a streamed channel to a network drive instead of the local one?
Did you try to SAVE into a file on your PC Hard Drive the SD & HD content streamed from AZBox instead of playing it via VLC? If yes, what was the resulting file format & extension? Btw, you can setup VLC to read and play that partial file while its being gradually saved onto your PC, thus adding sat channel Timeshifting feature on the PC.
Ina similar way Network Encoder streams a channel content from Sat PC Tuner to Windows Media Center - its saved first, then played back by WMC while being saved. I think, AZBox OS can have added similar feature - a Network Encoder. I even wonder, if AZBox has the UI option or plugin now allowing to SAVE a streamed channel to a network drive instead of the local one?
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Thanks Radar,
Did you try to SAVE into a file on your PC Hard Drive the SD & HD content streamed from AZBox instead of playing it via VLC? If yes, what was the resulting file format & extension? Btw, you can setup VLC to read and play that partial file while its being gradually saved onto your PC, thus adding sat channel Timeshifting feature on the PC.
Zamar,
No, I didn't try saving what was streamed to a file... That excercise may be something for the future, I just hadn't thought of it.
What I would really like to learn is how far my WiFi can reach. If I could take the PC out to the barn or the shop and still stream, that would be excellent! Then, if I could use one of the PC remote control applications to start and stop the streaming and change channels from afar, that would really be awesome!
This all is not something that I really need, but I find it a neat challenge to see if I can make it work.
RADAR
