[mythtv-users] Using NetworkRecorder to watch TV streams

[Nick Rout]

On Wed, Nov 19, 2008 at 12:19 PM, Robert Johnston <anaerin at gmail.com> wrote:
> On 18/11/2008 12:40 PM, António Santos wrote:
>> Hi,
>>
>> I've been using Mythbuntu 8.04 with the latest version of MythTV
>> (0.21). I've been trying to configure the backend to provide a couple
>> of channels streamed out over the internet. I created the M3U file
>> like this:
>>
>> #EXTM3U
>> #EXTINF:-1,1 - cnn
>> rtsp://cnn-cnnlive-1-primary.wm.llnwd.net/cnn_cnnlive_1_primary/
>> #EXTINF:-1,2 - bbc world
>> rtsp://a1482.v373745.c37374.g.vm.akamaistream.net/7/1482/37374/484f7385/clipdownloads.bbc.co.uk/windowsmedia-acl/news/n5ctrl/summaries/world/bb/video/world_bb.wmv
>> #EXTINF:-1,3 - sky news
>> rtsp://live1.wm.skynews.servecast.net/skynews_wmlz_live300k
>> #EXTINF:-1,4 - extreme tv
>> rtsp://195.122.130.133/Massive%20Mag_xtreme_10
>>
>> I configured the capture card ok, then the video source and the input
>> connections, scanning for the channels which were correctly added to
>> the channel list.
>> In the frontend, I select Watch TV, but I get no image after a few
>> seconds. A pop appears saying something like:
>>
>> You should have gotten a channel lock by now. You can continue...etc...
>>
>> Does the NetworkRecorder work with these streams? Or is it an issue
>> with the MythTV internal player?
>
> As I Understand It, RTSP is not supported (as it's not actually a stream
> format, it's a stream control and setup format).
>
> Most RTSP streams actually use RTP to transport the stream. I'd suggest
> using VLC to view these streams, and see where the actual streams are
> coming from. The NetworkRecorder does support RTP (Again, AIUI).

I thought there was rtsp support from something I read this morning
when I did a little digging to help with this. I didn't come up with
any conclusions so I didn't post anything.

However on looking at the release notes for 0.21:

"Improved FreeboxRecorder's RTSP support so that other transport
methods can be used and fixes some bugs in the M3U channel parser"

see http://www.mythtv.org/wiki/index.php/Release_Notes_-_0.21

Also tickets like this:

http://svn.mythtv.org/trac/ticket/5717

support the proposition that rtsp is supported. However there could be
some slippage of terminology and rtp/rtsp are often mistakenly used
interchangeably. Finding and trying the rtp stream address might
indeed be a solution.

Another way to find that might be to use mplayer and take a good look
at the (command line) output.