[mythtv-users] capturing DVB-T MPEG-4 streams

[Arthur Green]

Frank Lynch wrote:

[ ... ]

> I understand it they are using DVB-T with MPEG-4 in Ireland[1], I 
> believe that France uses MPEG-4 for HD DVB transmission and that MPEG-4 
> is also used with DVB in Estonia, Norway, Poland & India. I'm hoping 
> that I can use a pretty standard DVB-T usb stick to capture one of these 
> streams. If your in one of those countries and have are capturing MPEG-4 
> with DVB can you please reply as  I'd love to hear about what your using 
> ( I'm about to purchase hardware). Ideally I'm looking for a 
> recommendation for a DVB usb stick as I'd like to run the server in a 
> msi wind or eee box.

I'm another Ireland-based MythTV user and hence am in a similar position 
to Frank. The requirements document for the receivers says that the 
transport stream is ISO/IEC 13818-1[3] and a video profile/level of 
ISO/IEC 14496-10[6]: High Profile @ L4.0. Audio will be ISO/IEC 
14496-3[7] (HE-AACv1). As far as I can tell, this is MPEG-4 with H.264.

The mythtv wiki has an article on the Terratec Hybrid XS (link is 
http://www.mythtv.org/wiki/index.php/Terratec_Hybrid_XS). The author 
says that he had the unit working with the trials in Dublin, but since 
the article dates from 2006, I don't know if it's still applicable. The 
closest match I can find on Terratec's web site is a Cinergy T USB XXS 
HD, which at €60 might be worth trying. According to Terratec's web 
site, it can handle MPEG-4/H.264.

I'm not sure however if I'll get a good signal without a rooftop 
antenna, as my home doesn't face towards the transmitter. This might do 
for the trials, but I don't know how it will fare with the production 
service, which I presume will require a card of some sort.

Seeing as how this device has been got to work with Linux (see 
http://www.linuxtv.org/pipermail/linux-dvb/2008-March/024280.html), I'm 
tempted to give this a go.

> cheers,
> --Frank
> 
> [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DVB-T_in_Ireland
> 

  - Arthur