PiipTV: LiveTV & remote PVR for Nokia Video Center

[manniainen]

Plugin features:

- FREE no costs

- Works globally: where IP - there PiipTV

- Operator independent!

- plugin can be used over GPRS / 3G / WLAN

- plugin provides LiveTV feature, Live TV can be used eg when travelling abroad or in city bus.

Watch LiveTV on GO!

- LiveTV function includes EPG program guide in XML-format

- you can set reminders to your mobile phone for your favourite TV-shows

- also channel icons are used

- plugin can be used also with PC, eg with VLC player

- You can activate & schedule recordings from your cellular phone (programs are recorded to your PC)

- Recorded TV shows can be viewed later from phone Videocenter application using PiipTv plugin. There are two ways to watch programs, streaming mode and download mode. When you want to save disk space from phone and you have network connection, use streaming mode. Download mode can be used when you don't have online network connection. In download VOD-mode clips can be downloaded to phone from MRSS feed eg. using Videocenter shedule option, during night time

-Supported phone models: Nokia N95 / N95 8gb / N82 / E90 / E51

Official site: Freeware PiipTv XMLTV / IPTV plugin for Mediaportal & Nokia N95

User guide: http://piiptv.japo.fi/Mediaportal_Pi...ies_phones.pdf



Any future improvement ideas? Bugs? Positive feedback?
use forum or piiptv(a)japo.fi

[cubii]

Very nice Plugin!

Tried to use it, installed everything and after starting the service, i can watch tv with vlc

But whats not realy working is the streaming, if i test local ip, vlc works, if i `ll test outside ip streaming Vlc is crashing...(error something with libviacodec )


But i tried the rtsp local ip streaming link in my phone and:

ITS working. Very good.

But not long. After 1 min my phone is buffering, than stops playing tv.

i think there is a problem with vlc, will play with it ...


One Question:

Is the adress of the streaming link every time the same?

like this : rtsp://lokal-ip:8554/ptv_NAMEofChannel ?


Because i`m using UIQ3 Phone i cant install videocenter, but i could make my own channel xml file with the rtsp links, if they keep the same...

[uggabugga]

I'm impressed
I have a N95 Black 8GB.
Right in the middle of a re-build of my htpc system, but will def. try when I'm finished.

[manniainen]

Cubii, yes links are same. Maybe you can create your own html page, where to put your streaming links and then use your phone browser if your UIQ supports this?

BTW, in latest plugin version streaming link is also printed to WEB UI, so you can easily see those

==========

There is also new version of plugin available in http://piiptv.japo.fi/

News:

25.4.2008

-New version (0.5.1.04) of plugin released!

+Scheduling implemented and some other small fine tunings

Features coming on next releases:
-TV-Server V1.0.0.0 RC1 fine tuning
-Mediaportal TV-server build-in EPG usage
-make sure no .mp4 converting during scheduled recording
-New set for enable/disable .mp4 converting/downloadable vod
-'If modified' hash table to vod
-Http autentication
-Upnp automatic port open
-Several sessions to RTSP server

[cubii]

hi tried your new version and i get every time the same error with vlc, but it works.

Could you make it possible to select 3gp as codec, because my phone doesnt like mp4( it only plays 5 min or so, than it buffers, stops playing and then it doesent respond anymore, seems to low memory. And iv got 3gp streams running without problems)

Thanks

[manniainen]

Hi,

PiipTV installation & demo video added to piiptv.japo.fi

http://piiptv.japo.fi/video/piiptv_p...h_res_divx.avi (High res 22mb)
http://piiptv.japo.fi/video/piiptv_p...w_res_divx.avi (Low res 11mb)

[manniainen]

HI,

Someone was asking TV-server build-in EPG usage, this one does it now!

Get latest version from piiptv.japo.fi

6.5.2008

-New version (0.5.2.03) of plugin released!

+TV-Server V1.0.0.0 RC1 fine tuning completed
+Mediaportal TV-server build-in EPG usage implemented
+possibility to enable/disable .mp4 converting/downloadable vod (save CPU / HD)
+Quick test buttons works now also when VLC is in IDLE
+make sure no .mp4 converting during scheduled recording +some other smaller fixes


+Demonstration video from phone UI added to downloads

[kenwonders]

That would be me I'll check it out and feedback. Thanks!

First impressions?

Utterly stunned reaction from partner and myself. It pretty much worked first time and it's going to stay installed as a perfect way to watch football without imposing it on everyone else! I have found a few issues, but I present them here merely as feedback.

- Is there any way of autostarting the plugin service via the video centre (N95) rather than having to use the web/desktop interface? I've instructed the other half to always switch it off after usage or my server will sit with vlc at 50% for no reason.

- The aspect ratio is only correct for 4:3 material, 16:9 is shown squashed. I'm guessing this is my N95 doing it because it's correct in VLC on the server. Does anyone know how to change this?

- This could be to do with my flakey DVB-T UK signal, but some channels wouldn't start first time, but would probably work second attempt.

- Any change of a record option in the video interface? This plus my first issue would remove the need to use the web interface 99% of the time.

Thanks for a great plugin!

[manniainen]

HI,
and thanks for feedback!!

"- Is there any way of autostarting the plugin service via the video centre (N95) rather than having to use the web/desktop interface? I've instructed the other half to always switch it off after usage or my server will sit with vlc at 50% for no reason."

"- Any change of a record option in the video interface? This plus my first issue would remove the need to use the web interface 99% of the time."

I have looked Video center specs from forum nokia, and i haven't found way to start service + start tops rec from Video center we have to hope that nokia implements video center some way to do that in future?? Basicly that was reason why i need to invent WEB ui.

About that VLC & cpu case, i found one bug that if you start service but don't stream VLC stays active 1 hour, but if you stream once, then VLC goes IDLE/shut downs, in 3min and starts again when you start streaming and when you stop it goes IDLE after 3min I think i can fix that to next version

"- The aspect ratio is only correct for 4:3 material, 16:9 is shown squashed. I'm guessing this is my N95 doing it because it's correct in VLC on the server. Does anyone know how to change this?"

I noticed this same one day, and it's on TO DO list to figure out if something can be done, maybe already on next release??

"- This could be to do with my flakey DVB-T UK signal, but some channels wouldn't start first time, but would probably work second attempt."

Can you get any idea for that from TV.log?

[kenwonders]

Originally Posted by manniainen

I have looked Video center specs from forum nokia, and i haven't found way to start service + start tops rec from Video center we have to hope that nokia implements video center some way to do that in future?? Basicly that was reason why i need to invent WEB ui.

I see the problem, I hadn't considered that it wasn't so programmable. Let's hope. Perhaps some kind of webservice calling functionality would make that all a breeze.

Originally Posted by manniainen

About that VLC & cpu case, i found one bug that if you start service but don't stream VLC stays active 1 hour, but if you stream once, then VLC goes IDLE/shut downs, in 3min and starts again when you start streaming and when you stop it goes IDLE after 3min I think i can fix that to next version

I'll check that out as a workaround for now, thanks!

EDIT: Didn't work for me. Although the server is saying VLC: Idle, VLC is still using 50% CPU after 10 minutes.

Originally Posted by manniainen

"- The aspect ratio is only correct for 4:3 material, 16:9 is shown squashed. I'm guessing this is my N95 doing it because it's correct in VLC on the server. Does anyone know how to change this?"
I noticed this same one day, and it's on TO DO list to figure out if something can be done, maybe already on next release??

Is there a way of getting hold of/configuring the VLC call? Hopefully there is a way to ask VLC to work it out, because this could be difficult to implement if the server can't see the video to know the desired aspect.

Originally Posted by manniainen

"- This could be to do with my flakey DVB-T UK signal, but some channels wouldn't start first time, but would probably work second attempt."

Can you get any idea for that from TV.log?

It's been fine today, so it would be likely a signal problem. Sometimes my tuner takes a little longer to tune than desired, could that cause this? Perhaps a setting for delay between card tune and VLC?

Again, thanks. My Finnish partner says 'Hei'