What's Needed & How To Stream DirecTV HD To Networked Computers? (1 Viewer)

[oPEEPINGTOMo]

First I will start with what I am trying to accomplish.

I want to stream the audio/video signal coming out of a DirecTV HD receiver over the network to any client computer that wants to access the stream (multiple computers a a time).

I do not care about recording or anything else other than streaming whatever channel the receiver is set to via a network stream to client computers.

So far I am assuming I will need the following:

• PC Running Media Portal TV Server
• PC(s) Running the Media Portal Client
• HD Capture/Tuner Device w/ Component Input

Is there anything else I am going to need to make this work?
If not, what would be the most reliable HD Capture/Tuner device in regards to working with MediaPortal?
Also, is there a step-by-step on how to do this, or could someone tell me if they know?
Thank you.

 

[mm1352000]

Hello and welcome

I think you're on the right track. What you're asking for is doable, though it can be a tad complicated depending on how you want to control the receiver.

The easy way would be to manually change the channel on the receiver with its original remote.
The harder way is to enable the client computers to change the channel on the receiver. If you want this option, I'd suggest you do some background reading here:
http://wiki.team-mediaportal.com/1_...ins/TV-Server_Plugins/DirecTV_SHEF_IP_Control
(I'm not sure if the plugin supports all DirecTV receivers, but I think it would be worth a try.)

Direct answers to your questions:

Is there anything else I am going to need to make this work?

Possibly not, depending on how you intend to control the receiver and whether the plugin works for you. Some people might need what's called a "blaster" which transmits IR commands to the receiver as if it were you pressing buttons on the remote control. Setting up a blaster is one of the harder tasks you could attempt with MP as MP really wasn't designed for it... but it can be done.

If not, what would be the most reliable HD Capture/Tuner device in regards to working with MediaPortal?

As far as capture devices go: we support the Hauppauge HD-PVR and Colossus (note: I have not heard any reports about whether HD-PVR 2 works or not). You could possibly also get a tuner with capture inputs to work, but quite honestly the picture quality would probably be not-so-great and the setup hassle would be significantly higher than with an HD-PVR or Colossus. I really do *not* recommend a regular tuner - I strongly recommend you go with the Colossus or HD-PVR if you're going to do this.

Also, is there a step-by-step on how to do this, or could someone tell me if they know?

All depends on how/if you want the clients to control the receiver. Please let us know what you're thinking on that topic, then we can try and direct you to useful resources.

mm

 

[oPEEPINGTOMo]

Hello and welcome

I think you're on the right track. What you're asking for is doable, though it can be a tad complicated depending on how you want to control the receiver.

The easy way would be to manually change the channel on the receiver with its original remote.
The harder way is to enable the client computers to change the channel on the receiver. If you want this option, I'd suggest you do some background reading here:
http://wiki.team-mediaportal.com/1_...ins/TV-Server_Plugins/DirecTV_SHEF_IP_Control
(I'm not sure if the plugin supports all DirecTV receivers, but I think it would be worth a try.)

Direct answers to your questions:

Is there anything else I am going to need to make this work?

Possibly not, depending on how you intend to control the receiver and whether the plugin works for you. Some people might need what's called a "blaster" which transmits IR commands to the receiver as if it were you pressing buttons on the remote control. Setting up a blaster is one of the harder tasks you could attempt with MP as MP really wasn't designed for it... but it can be done.

If not, what would be the most reliable HD Capture/Tuner device in regards to working with MediaPortal?

As far as capture devices go: we support the Hauppauge HD-PVR and Colossus (note: I have not heard any reports about whether HD-PVR 2 works or not). You could possibly also get a tuner with capture inputs to work, but quite honestly the picture quality would probably be not-so-great and the setup hassle would be significantly higher than with an HD-PVR or Colossus. I really do *not* recommend a regular tuner - I strongly recommend you go with the Colossus or HD-PVR if you're going to do this.

Also, is there a step-by-step on how to do this, or could someone tell me if they know?

All depends on how/if you want the clients to control the receiver. Please let us know what you're thinking on that topic, then we can try and direct you to useful resources.

mm

Thank you for the quick response.
No I do not care about controlling the receiver from the client computers. We will change the channel manually when needed. With that being said, what would the the process to get this set up correctly.

Thanks again.

 

[mm1352000]

Thank you for the quick response.
No I do not care about controlling the receiver from the client computers. We will change the channel manually when needed. With that being said, what would the the process to get this set up correctly.

Thanks again.

Right, that should make it quite easy.
1. Buy HD-PVR or Colossus.
2. Install hardware into server PC; download and install latest Hauppauge drivers.
3. Connect STB to device, ideally using HDMI (only possible with Colossus and if STB does not have copy protection on HDMI - unlikely) or component+S/PDIF (red/green/blue + optical/toslink). For your reference: this and this.
4. Install MediaPortal on server. Follow the instructions here and just follow your nose:
http://wiki.team-mediaportal.com/1_MEDIAPORTAL_1/12_Installation/1_Deploy_Tool/0_Select_Options
Make sure you say "yes - I will use MediaPortal to watch TV".
I'd suggest to go with an advanced installation because it gives you the choice to install as "singleseat" or "dedicated TV-Server" as per the option -->here<--. Basically that means you can decide whether the server will also be used to watch TV or whether it will only be used to stream to clients.
Let MP install the database for you. It doesn't really matter whether you choose MySQL or SQL Server.
5. Configure MP TV Server.
This really only entails a few tweaks in TV Server configuration (shortcut on the Desktop).
First, come -->here<-- and check that the device is listed. If I recall correctly, you should see reference to a "... crossbar ...". That is the device. If you don't see it, you haven't installed the drivers properly. Note: you'll likely see three items in the list; you can ignore the radio webstream and DVB-IP items.
Go to the scan section for the device, which should look like -->this<--. Click "add S-Video channels".
Now go to the "TV Channels" section. You should have half a dozen or so channels in there. Each channel represents an input on the device. Use the preview button to find the channel that has both audio and video and delete the rest. Alternatively (and this might be easier), edit the first channel details (click edit, select row in bottom area, click edit - you should see something like -->this<--) and make sure the audio and video source settings are correct as per the input-to-setting mapping details at the bottom of -->this<-- post. For example, if you connect the STB to component and S/PDIF inputs on the Colossus then select "YRYBY #1" as video source and "SPDIF In #2" as audio source.
Optionally go to the "timeshifting" section "folders" tab and select the folder that timeshift files will be stored in.
6. Install MediaPortal on clients.
You can follow the same instructions as for the server:
http://wiki.team-mediaportal.com/1_MEDIAPORTAL_1/12_Installation/1_Deploy_Tool/0_Select_Options
Again, make sure you say "yes - I will use MediaPortal to watch TV".
This time you definitely want to go with an advanced installation. Make sure you choose "MediaPortal Client".
7. Install LAV codecs.
This is technically an optional step, but it makes life a lot easier.
Open the MediaPortal extension installer. Shortcut should be on the desktop. Search for the LAV filters extension and install.
8. Configure MediaPortal
Open MediaPortal configuration (shortcut on the Desktop).
Go to the TV->TV Client section (-->this<--) and enter the name of the server PC in the host name field.
Go to the "Codecs and Renderer" section "TV Codecs" tab (-->this<--) and select the LAV option for all settings.
9. Test
Open MediaPortal (shortcut on the Desktop).
Go to the TV section.
Select channels. You should see the same list of channels that you had in TV Server configuration.
Select the channel that you configured. It should start to play the content from the receiver.
If it doesn't work, make sure your firewall configuration allows MediaPortal to access the server. The installer should sort this out for you automatically if you only use Windows' firewall. Otherwise you need to do it yourself.

Don't hesitate to ask if you hit any snags.

mm