Remote Streaming of DM800 using VLC

BlightyExPat

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I have a DM800 wired directly to my Router in the UK, BT fibre with typical uplink of 20M.

If I try to stream from the UK DM800, using VLC, remotely, here in Cape Town, it DOES stream, but only for a couple of seconds, buffers and dies.

Does anyone have any idea why I can't stream, despite having a good uplink at the DM800. My local downlink is probably about 2-3M and I can stream video via various web options, such as UK TV, using my proxy connection, so I assume I have sufficient bandwidth to stream?

openSuSE 12.2, VLC for Linux 2.0.5
 

hairybadger

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BlightyExPat said:
I have a DM800 wired directly to my Router in the UK, BT fibre with typical uplink of 20M.

If I try to stream from the UK DM800, using VLC, remotely, here in Cape Town, it DOES stream, but only for a couple of seconds, buffers and dies.

Does anyone have any idea why I can't stream, despite having a good uplink at the DM800. My local downlink is probably about 2-3M and I can stream video via various web options, such as UK TV, using my proxy connection, so I assume I have sufficient bandwidth to stream?

openSuSE 12.2, VLC for Linux 2.0.5
The VLC documentation hxxp://www.videolan.org/vlc/streaming.html says you need 3/4Mbps for streaming MPEG2 from a satellite card. Are you hitting this limit?
 

Hixxy1

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I don't think your 2-3meg downstream is sufficient bandwidth for most sd channels. Just checked ITV and the bitrate is around 3mb/s, you could try a lower bitrate channel like cbs action but you will be close to 2meg.
 

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BlightyExPat

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Thanks for the feedback. I'm getting a local download speed of about 7.4M but only about 3.6M to Sheffield (nearest server to my UK home). I guess that could be why I struggle.

Family visiting from the UK are hooked on streaming Coronation Street on the itvPlayer and that, plus anything on the BBC iPlayer streams are fine (very, very occasional buffering). However, I note these feeds are low quality video, whereas when I do manage a few seconds of the DM800 via VLC, it's very good quality video.

I'll check the 'CBS action' to see if it makes any difference.
 

BlightyExPat

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Hixxy1 was right, I just checked 'CBS action' and I can view it, no problem. So I guess it's a bandwidth issue that I can't do much about!

As a matter of interest, is there a list, somewhere that would indicate the bit-rate of each channel, so that I know which channel might stream OK?
 

Hixxy1

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Afaik there isn't a list of bitrates. I would say only a small handful of channels are below the 3meg threshold. Obviously all the cbs channels, I think it's a case of trial and error.
 

Analoguesat

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If its a dozen or so channels you are interested in list them & I'll give you the approx bit rate off my 7020, but Im not doing a few hundred!.
 

BlightyExPat

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Thanks. It was only purely for interests sake. At the end of the day, we still only really want to watch BBC1, 2, 4, ITV and Ch4, and all of these buffer. Until broadband speeds improve, I have to either record it on the remote DM800, download to my local DM800 and watch, or stream the iPlayer via my Proxy (I don't feel too guilty about doing this, as I do pay my UK TV licence every year! :) )

Thanks for the help, at least I now know why I can't use VLC to stream my UK Dreambox.
 

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BlightyExPat said:
Thanks. It was only purely for interests sake. At the end of the day, we still only really want to watch BBC1, 2, 4, ITV and Ch4, and all of these buffer. Until broadband speeds improve, I have to either record it on the remote DM800, download to my local DM800 and watch, or stream the iPlayer via my Proxy (I don't feel too guilty about doing this, as I do pay my UK TV licence every year! :) )

Thanks for the help, at least I now know why I can't use VLC to stream my UK Dreambox.
Can VLC not transcode on the fly?
 

Captain Jack

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You can set up a small server to transcode on the fly. I have done this in the past with my Uno and it generally worked fine but the video quality was obviously reduced - still watchable though!

Check this out - www.m4rtin.nl/re-stream/index.php?page=screenshots

There's another similar project there somewhere (TimoTV?)...
 

BlightyExPat

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Am I right in thinking that I would use VLC at the remote end to stream, or set up some sort of Server on my remote PC?

Unfortunately, the remote PC is connected wirelessly to the UK network so that would introduce additional latency which I want to avoid. Only the DM800 is wired directly to the Router.
 

Captain Jack

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Why are you worried about latency? It will have no effect on your streaming. It's the bandwidth between the two remote locations that matters.

Yes, you need to set up VLC on your remote PC - there are instructions on that page on how to set it up. It will in conjunction with Apache web server.

On your local PC, you'll simply open the web page, which will be controlling your remote PC (and the Dreambox)... You'll need a VLC plugin in your web browser to view videos.
 

BlightyExPat

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At my UK location, I currently connect the PC (upstairs) wirelessly to the Router (downstairs). I used (far from cheap) Netgears for the wireless link, but they were unreliable and often slowed and almost died. I replaced these at Christmas with TP-Links (highly rated by customers on Amazon) but one of them occasionally freezes. I've since found others in forums that experience similar problems.

So, I was hoping to have to rely ONLY on my Router and DM800 to do the job. However, I will investigate the VLC/Apache web server.
 

Captain Jack

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A router will not transcode any stream to a lower bitrate needed to accomodate your downstream connection in South Africa. Only a separate server will do that. Maybe the new solo2 can do it as well with its 1.3GHz CPU but even then, I wouldn't put my money on it.
 
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