[mythtv-users] Recording from an IPTV source

[Jan Ceuleers]

On 23/11/2022 19:19, John P Poet wrote:
> You could write a custom "external recorder" for mythtv, but the
> included `mythexternrecorder` application might be able to do what you
> want. It uses configuration files to tell it  how to obtain a valid
> transport stream and that is fed into mythbackend.
> https://www.mythtv.org/wiki/ExternalRecorder#Using_the_.22Generic.22_External_Recorder <https://www.mythtv.org/wiki/ExternalRecorder#Using_the_.22Generic.22_External_Recorder>
> https://www.mythtv.org/wiki/Example_Configuration_files
> <https://www.mythtv.org/wiki/Example_Configuration_files>
> 
> I can aid you in crafting up a conf file if you need it.

I tried setting this up myself, resulting in the following (extracted
from the backend log):

Nov 26 16:39:30 hobbiton mythbackend: mythbackend[23328]: I
TVRecEventtv_rec.cpp:1648 (HandlePendingRecordings) TVRec[1]:
ASK_RECORDING 1 29 0 0
Nov 26 16:40:00 hobbiton mythbackend: mythbackend[23328]: I TVRecEvent
tv_rec.cpp:1077 (HandleStateChange) TVRec[1]: Changing from
RecordingOnly to None
Nov 26 16:40:00 hobbiton mythbackend: mythbackend[23328]: I TVRecEvent
tv_rec.cpp:1077 (HandleStateChange) TVRec[1]: Changing from None to
RecordingOnly
Nov 26 16:40:00 hobbiton mythbackend: mythbackend[23328]: I TVRecEvent
tv_rec.cpp:3600 (TuningFrequency) TVRec[1]: TuningFrequency
Nov 26 16:40:00 hobbiton mythbackend: mythbackend[23328]: E TVRecEvent
tv_rec.cpp:3891 (TuningSignalCheck) TVRec[1]: TuningSignalCheck:
SignalMonitor failed
Nov 26 16:40:00 hobbiton mythbackend: mythbackend[23328]: I CoreContext
scheduler.cpp:717 (UpdateRecStatus) Updating status for "FIFA WK voetbal
2022":"Groep D: Frankrijk - Denemarken" on cardid [1] (Pending =>
Recorder Failed)

So I wonder what it is that makes the TuningSignalCheck fail. The
recording is shown as in progress in mythweb, but with a zero-byte size.

MythTV version info:
MythTV Version : v32.0+fixes.202211251949.2af1c2064e~ubuntu20.04.1
MythTV Branch : fixes/32
Network Protocol : 91
Library API : 32.20200101-1
QT Version : 5.12.8
Options compiled in:
 linux profile use_hidesyms using_alsa using_oss using_pulse
using_pulseoutput using_backend using_bindings_perl
using_bindings_python using_bindings_php using_dvb using_firewire
using_frontend using_hdhomerun using_satip using_vbox using_ceton
using_joystick_menu using_libcec using_libcrypto using_gnutls
using_libdns_sd using_libfftw3 using_libxml2 using_lirc using_mheg
using_opengl using_egl using_qtwebkit using_qtscript using_qtdbus
using_taglib using_v4l2 using_v4l2prime using_x11 using_system_libbluray
using_systemd_notify using_systemd_journal using_drm using_bindings_perl
using_bindings_python using_bindings_php using_freetype2
using_mythtranscode using_opengl using_egl using_drm using_vaapi
using_nvdec using_vdpau using_ffmpeg_threads using_mheg using_libass
using_libxml2 using_libmp3lame

Running on Ubuntu 20.04; MythTV was installed from the ppa.

The configuration file I set up for the external recorder is as follows:

mythtv at hobbiton:~$ cat mythexternrecorder1.conf
[RECORDER]
command="/usr/bin/ffmpeg -hide_banner -nostats -loglevel panic -i
udp://192.168.1.44:5004 -vcodec copy -codec:a aac -b:a 128k -f mpegts
pipe:1"
cleanup="/home/mythtv/stop_streaming hdmicap1.xperim.be"
desc=hdmicap1 %CHANNUM% %CHANNAME% %CALLSIGN%

[TUNER]
channels=/home/mythtv/hdmicap_channels.conf
command="/home/mythtv/tuner_command hdmicap1.xperim.be %CHANNUM%"
newepisodecommand="/home/mythtv/tuner_command hdmicap1.xperim.be %CHANNUM%"
timeout=20000

If I run the RECORDER/command manually I do see garbage on the screen,
so ffmpeg is indeed producing output.

The script called from TUNER/command does the following:

mythtv at hobbiton:~$ cat tuner_command
#!/bin/bash
#
# $1: FQDN of the streaming device
# $2: channel number

### Turn the STB on

### Wait for video lock

### Tune the STB to the required channel

### Start streaming
/home/mythtv/start_streaming $1


As you can see there are still placeholders (e.g. the signal is assumed
already to be present, and the STB is assumed already to be set to the
correct channel). The start_streaming script is as follows, and this
works (otherwise the above ffmpeg test would not have produced output):

mythtv at hobbiton:~$ cat start_streaming
#!/bin/bash
myIPaddr=$(hostname -I)
sourceIPaddr="$(host -t A ${1} | awk '/has.*address/{print $NF; exit}')"
URL="http://$sourceIPaddr/dev/info.cgi?action=streaminfo&rtp=on&multicast=on&mcastaddr=$myIPaddr"
curl --silent --output /dev/null $URL




Cheers, Jan