Streaming Live TV over Internet

[arthur-b]

I have looked around and haven't been able to find a thread detailing the solution to this dilema.I apologize if it has been covered already somewhere.

OK I currently have a HW encoder card (PVR 350) from Hauppauge that seems to work great. I love the cards ability to do time shifting with live TV (pause, rr, ff etc). I have discovered that this card is unable to provide live TV streaming over the internet. I have read that the software encoding cards are capable of this streaming, however I have read that the software encoding cards can't do the other time shifting stuff. Is there a way to have the best of both - have the ability to have both the time shifting features and live tv streaming. If so - what capture cards / configuration would I need?

Unfortunately I have only 1 video source (3100 Bell Receiver) so even if there are 2 cards they would be set to same source (somehow).

Any advice / ideas would be appeciated,

Arthur

[geoffstewart]

well, I don't need to stream that often, but when I do, I use vlc (videolan.org) to do it. My method requires the ability to control my BTV machine remotely... I use VNC (vnc.com) to do that.

1. remotely connect to my BTV box using VNC... this requires port forwarding on my cable router.

2. I get BTV recording the show I want to stream (using Web Admin, snapstream.net or viewscape... whichever).

3. Open vlc and open the file that BTV is writing to... the live show

4. In vlc, select "stream output" and open the options dialog

5. Select HTTP for the Output Method and specify the IP of your BTV box and a port in your network that vlc will use for the HTTP server. This IP and port are for inside your network only. Use port forwarding on your router to make this available to the internet. I suggest using non-standard ports, but that's your choice.

6. If you were to start now, the HTTP server in vlc would start streaming the MPEG2 which wouldn't work very well over low bandwidth... you have to transcode on the fly. So in the Transcode options panel on the same dialog choose a video codec and audio codec. I use wmv1, 256 kb/s scale 0.5 for video and mp3, 32 kb/s and 2 channels for audio. Also, you must change the encapsulation to ASF so you can use the WMP to view the stream. Now press ok.

7. On the Open... dialog, press OK... this starts the HTTP server

8. With windows media player, open an url... http://yourexternalip:externalport/ and the video will pop up no problem.

depending on your connection, you may need different compression parameters in step 6.

Very heavyweight process but works well since I don't do it very often.

Hope this helps.

Geoff

-edit: Update on the encapsulation method and codec selection based on latest attempt when watching Olympic hockey.

[Wareagle]

BTW, for "3. Open vlc and open the file that BTV is writing to... the live show"

The file is located at

C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Shared Documents\Snapstream\BeyondTV\shows\

[gambitpvr]

Another option is to use Slingbox. Since I connect my BTV box to my TV via component cables, I looped a Slingbox into the connection. Works fairly good most of the time with the crappy upload speeds that comcast has in my area. Of course, the main two downsides are that 1). Slingbox isn't free 2). you are controlling the BTV box so, if anyone else is at home trying to use it, you will be fighting them for control.

I put up a how-to post here: How-To: Control BeyondTV with a Slingbox

I had mixed luck with other ways of streaming over the internet so, this is the route I took. It's not free, but it is another option.

[Terminal]

I wonder if the original poster is still using the same system he was back in 2006. He probably has it figured out by now.

[gambitpvr]

LOL ! I didn't even notice the date on the orginal post

[Nistevo]

I have been streaming live tv over the internet since ver. 2 just using Snapstream. Works great with the current version as well, just took me awhile to find the option as it is turned off by default when beyond tv is first installed. I'm here today just looking to find if anyone has been able to stream live HD over the internet yet. SD works great as always just HD gives me a black screen.

[curbside]

Originally Posted by Nistevo

I have been streaming live tv over the internet since ver. 2 just using Snapstream. Works great with the current version as well, just took me awhile to find the option as it is turned off by default when beyond tv is first installed. I'm here today just looking to find if anyone has been able to stream live HD over the internet yet. SD works great as always just HD gives me a black screen.

Where is that option? I've been looking for it and can't find it. Probably right in front of me!

Thanks!

[NickHark]

Originally Posted by curbside

Where is that option? I've been looking for it and can't find it. Probably right in front of me!

Thanks!

Web Admin >> Recorded Shows >> (at bottom of page) Change Play Options >> Placeshift

I have been steaming all my recordings from my server in San Jose, CA to France for two and half months.

Placeshifting, ( it uses Microsoft's Silverlight ) has been fantastic!

[curbside]

Originally Posted by NickHark

Web Admin >> Recorded Shows >> (at bottom of page) Change Play Options >> Placeshift

I have been steaming all my recordings from my server in San Jose, CA to France for two and half months.

Placeshifting, ( it uses Microsoft's Silverlight ) has been fantastic!

Thanks for this info! I've enabled that option. Where can I find instructions for setting up the server and accessing the recorded shows?

much appreciated!

[Terminal]

That option will allow you to stream recoded shows, doesn't allow live TV to be streamed. You can start a show recording and then watch it I guess, don't know that I have ever tried that. As far as setting up the server that is all that is required. You should now be able to click play for any recorded show in the web admin and it should start streaming.

[NickHark]

Originally Posted by Terminal

That option will allow you to stream recoded shows, doesn't allow live TV to be streamed. You can start a show recording and then watch it I guess, don't know that I have ever tried that. As far as setting up the server that is all that is required. You should now be able to click play for any recorded show in the web admin and it should start streaming.

Sorry I missed the "Live" part.

I don't think you can start watching a show while it is recording, although I haven't tried because of the 9 hour time difference, I don't need that.

I just tried to watch a manually created recording in France, and the option to "Play" the show is not available. So, no, you can't watch a program "live" or with the short delay.

[curbside]

Ok, from what I understand, I would just log into my server on port 8129 and that would give me the web admin page.

[Terminal]

Originally Posted by curbside

Ok, from what I understand, I would just log into my server on port 8129 and that would give me the web admin page.

That's right.

[TheAlien]

I really hate to do this, but is there a thread somewhere on how to setup my home computer so I can watch the recorded programs remotely (like from work or whatever)? Ya'll don't have to explain it all here again if it's somewhere else. I just can't find it. A link would be greatly appreciated.

p.s. I have no idea how to do this so I would need step-by-step instructions on what I need to do on my local machine, setting the router, setting the IP address, all that really technical stuff. I can do it, I just don't know the steps. I'm using Windows 7, 64 bit on my home machine where BTV installed.