Creating a script and / or just calling rc/irsend from your VCR_CMD is certainly an easy way to do this but using an 'external tuner' plugin allows full integration into Freevo. You can both watch tv and record from an external source, and even have only a partial amount of your channels on that source.
I wrote two external tuner plugins, irsend_echostar (for echostar sat receivers since they do things a bit different) and irsend_generic (a wrapper around rc/irsend). So in your care you would have something like this in your local_conf.py:
plugin_external_tuner = plugin.activate('tv.irsend_generic',
args=('/usr/bin/rc SEND_ONCE sky', ))An example VIDEO_GROUPS entry is:
VIDEO_GROUPS = [
VideoGroup(vdev='/dev/video0',
adev=/dev/dsp1,
input_type='composite',
input_num=5,
tuner_type='external',
desc='Sky',
recordable=True),
]Here you see that we want to record/view from /dev/video0, /dev/dsp1, composite input (which is enumerated as input 5 in the drivers for this example), and we want to use an external tuner. When Freevo changes the channel it checks the VideoGroup for that chan for the tuner_type, and if it is 'external' then uses plugin_external_tuner to change the channel.
Here's another example, using a pvr-x50 / ivtv card, an dexternal tuner, and channel 4 passthrough on the coax/tuner input:
VIDEO_GROUPS = [
VideoGroup(vdev='/dev/video0',
adev=None,
input_type='tuner',
input_num=4,
tuner_norm='NTSC',
tuner_chan='4',
tuner_type='external',
desc='Bell ExpressVu',
group_type='ivtv',
recordable=True),
]Here we are using /dev/video0, no audio device (since we get a complete mpeg stream), using the tuner input which in my case is input_num=4, my norm is NTSC, and using an external tuner. It also makes sure my card's tuner is set to channel 4 so I can see what's comming from my sattelite box.
Accepted VideoGroup properties are:
vdev: The video device, such as /dev/video.
adev: The audio device, such as /dev/dsp.
input_type: tuner, composite, svideo, webcam
input_num: The number of this input according to V4L
tuner_type: internal (on a v4l device), or external (cable or sat box)
tuner_norm: NTSC, PAL, SECAM
tuner_chanlist: us-cable,
tuner_chan: If using input_type=tuner and tuner_type=external set this to what channel it needs to be to get the signal, usually 3 or 4.
recordable: True or False. Can you record from this VideoGroup.
desc: A nice description for this VideoGroup.
group_type: Special variable to identify devices like dvb or ivtv. This can be left as default, 'normal', or set to 'ivtv' or 'dvb'.
If you only have one VideoGroup here then Freevo will assume ALL of your TV_CHANNELS belong to that group.
If you use the tv.irsend_generic plugin you might have to mess around with it because I can't use irsend or rc with my transmitter and receiver. Basicly it breaks the channel command '123' up and calls irsend SEND_ONCE <remote_name> 1 2 3. I'm not sure if that will send 1, 2, then 3 so some slign modification to the setChannel method may be required.
Dave Smylie wrote:
Well, I spoke to rob about VIDEO_GROUPS, and looked briefly at trying to
set those up. However, it seemed overkill for my needs.
It is complicated to setup, I would like to simplify it.
-Rob
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