Sat>IP support

Channels DVR Server Feature Requests
#224

I'll get moaned at if I try it now - checked for latest pre-release?

When I tested satip:// URLs, I was running 2021.01.09.2109

#225

Re-read the PDF for the Kathrein, think I was wrong...

Suspect you are/were right on OneCable/UniCable being the same - this allows multiple signals, down 1 cable but requires a Unicable LNB and/or Unicable switch between the dish/LNB and the Sat>IP box (to take 4 feeds from the dish, down to 1 cable to the Sat>IP box). I think, anyway.

Perhaps the Kathrein MUST have either:

  • 4 feeds from a Quattro or Quad LNB
  • Single UniCable/OneCable feed (providing aggregated feeds from the dish, over 1 cable)

i.e it can't work properly with just a Single or Dual LNB.

  • In Quattro/Quad mode, RF1 only gives you V Low, so 1 of the 4 bands.
  • In OneCable/UniCable mode, it's expecting the aggregated feeds over the single cable

I've been keeping an eye out for a spare Megasat 3 on eBay, seeing as they don't seem to be generally available any more - trying to pre-empt potential failure at some point and not being able to get another. Kathrein looks a good like-or-like with 8 tuners, anyway :slight_smile:

#226

Yes I'm using the latest pre-release.

#227

For whatever it’s worth. I used 2 cables to the Digibit set to quad and worked fine until I needed 3 channels simultaneously. In fact it was only working on 1 for a while but that’s because one of the cables was loose! I then connected to 4 cables and all working fine through Telly.

#228

So is it worth me getting a new dish/LNB with 4 cables or go for a "unicable" ?

Still cannot get satip:// or http:// working. I may have to go back to a TVHeadEnd setup.

#229

What do you have at the moment? Single LNB? Really depends how many concurrent channels/Mux you need to record.

As far as I can tell, UniCable/OneCable gives the same possibilities as a 4 cable Quad/Quattro LNB - the benefit being it only requires 1 cable from the dish to the box, presumably in places such as flats/apartments where running extra cable is problematic.

Digitbit R1 - With 4 cables, Quad/Quattro, would permit 4 Mux to be recorded at once. If you use TVHeadend and the channels are on the same Mux (BBC One HD and BBC Two HD, for example) you can record at the same time and use 1 Input/tuner. Channels DVR cannot do this 'mux sharing'.

Kathrein - With 4 cables, Quad/Quattro, would permit 8 Mux to be recorded at once, because it has 8 tuners. This can be MORE than 8 channels at once, if you use TVHeadend before Channels DVR, depending on how many Mux are required to fetch the total channels. I tested up to 12 channels on my Megasat, with TVHeadend in between Sat>IP and Channels.

#230

Just tested with my M3u from Github:

Seems to work ok for me, on version 2021.02.01.0345:

channels 166207 2.3 0.1 84660 21252 ? S 11:56 0:00 /home/channels/channels-dvr/2021.02.01.0345/ffmpeg -hide_banner -nostats -loglevel warning -rtsp_flags satip_raw -fflags discardcorrupt -copyts -probesize 8000000 -i satip://10.8.12.11/?src=1&freq=11685&pol=V&msys=DVBS2&mtype=8PSK&sr=23000&pids=0,1,16,17,259,2335,2337 -enc_time_base -1 -max_muxing_queue_size 4096 -muxdelay 0 -ignore_unknown -map 0 -c copy -c:v copy -c:a copy -c:s copy -f data -

Channel tuning on some channels, BBC One HD etc, is just too slow for me - when I remove TVHeadend from the mix, plus I like the Mux sharing that TVheadend does.

1 Like
#231

I wonder does those flags work with Telly? I was trying to find a way to reduce the probesize to help speed up the tuning. I’ll have a look later

#232

You’d have to build it yourself, to change the ffmeg options, but it’s easy enough:

1 Like
#233

I’m very much a novice at this aspect. Would this work on Windows or just Linux? Thanks.

#234

I think one of the advantages of Go, although I don't know too much about Go myself, is that the build process is more or less the same. The steps are below, you'd obviously have to edit the file with the ffmpeg options in, after checking out and before building:

You'd have to setup the build environment, the below seems to have the steps for Windows:

1 Like
#235

I’ll check it out. Thanks for the tips. Really appreciate it.

#236

It seems something to do with the Digibit R1, or the way Channels is asking for the stream. Given I've also got this double satip:// satip:// issue despite the M3U looking very similar to yours...!

#237

Yeah - you might have to email support, tag @tmm1 ... and/or do the submit diag thang :slight_smile:

#238

Double satip:// issue is a bug. I fixed it for the next prerelease.

3 Likes
#239

thanks @tmm1 !

1 Like
#240

Thanks it’s all working with satip:// now!

1 Like
#241

Thanks for sharing this. I’m curious how Docker is working now with Apple Silicon M1. It’s still in tech preview, so I haven’t introduced it to my Mac mini system. I’m eager to get Custom Channels up and running, but I’m willing to wait until Docker is production ready for Apple Silicon.

#242

Hi Everyone

Just been reading through the posts above and finally decided to get a Kathrein EXIP 418 box. I have a SKY 'Smart' LNB which is model number EL010. I did think I had a 'hybrid' LNB but found out with a bit of googling that there is a subtle difference. The 'Smart' LNB does NOT have any specific connectors for a wideband connection as opposed to the newer hybrid LNB's that do have two separate connections for wideband and four other connections on them for non wideband mode (not sure what the name for it is!).

I thought seeing as my old sky box which required a wideband signal worked through this LNB there would be no issue with hooking up this EXIP 418 to it and changing it to wideband. It looks like there is an issue however as I am down to eliminating all other possible causes and its pointing to the LNB not being compatible. The box has no issue receiving a stream request as the blue light starts flashing when a channel is selected however I am not getting any 'lock' when I view the tuner status. I am starting to think that it would have been better to have a standard 'hybrid' LNB with two separate wideband connectors on itself or just a standard wideband LNB head. The reason I had the hybrid LNB at the time was that I still wanted to retain freesat in some of my rooms and have the wideband box in another room. The only way is to get a hybrid LNB at the time but it looks like this could be the reason why my EXIP 418 is not working with it.

Any suggestions?

Thanks guys and keep up the great work - it really looks like a great system.

#243

Just an update to my post above..

Connecting the Kathrein EXIP 418 box to a hybrid LNB with a wideband connection setup in the Kathrein is simply not possible. I thought I was going to have to change my LNB over which would be a pain due to access.

Anyway that to @bakerboy we connected up four of the cables coming off this LNB to the 418 box and changed the settings to quad mode, After this we had success with 8 tuners all locked on at the same time and no messing around changing the cables around for the correct polarity. Either I lucked out with the correct order or the LNB I have is doing this work for me.

So if anyone has a sky hybrid LNB model number EL010 then it will work but NOT in wideband mode. As explained above I think it’s only sky boxes that have the correct connection with the LNB to tell it to go into wideband mode but not a kathrein box.

Is there any downsides to using this box in quad mode as opposed to wideband? Cant see any yet...