Satellite Source Modules
First generation satellite tuner cards generally worked with just DVB-S systems. Some first generation cards also support DSS. This is a non-MPEG-2 transport stream system that's used by DIRECTV for their direct-to-home service in Ku-band. TSReader doesn't decode any DSS tables, but some people user TSReader to record parts of the DSS stream. These cards use the following command-line format:
freq pol sr lnbf 22khz {DiSEqC}
| freq | The frequency to tune in MHz (for example 11.700 GHz would be 11700) |
| pol | The polarity of the signal. H, V, L or R |
| sr | The symbol rate in Ksps. |
| lnbf | The frequency of the local oscillator in the LNB. For C-Band, this is 5150, for the FSS Ku-Band, it's 10750 and for the DBS band 11250. |
| 22khz | Turns the 22 KHz tone on with a value of 1. Useful to switch between signals with an external switch. |
| DiSEqC | Optional. Sends DiSEqC command to select LNB input on a DiSEqC switch. See the Option Values page for a list of input values. |
Newer tuners support modes such as DVB-S2, DVB-SNG, Digicipher II and Turbo 8PSK. These modes generally require more parameters to tell the tuner which type of signal is present. One big exception to this are satellite tuners from TBS DTV - these cards handle both DVB-S and DVB-S2 and automatically detect the transmission mode so use the DVB-S format above.
freq pol sr lnbf 22khz mode fec {DiSEqC}
| freq | The frequency to tune in MHz (for example 11.700 GHz would be 11700). |
| pol | The polarity of the signal. H, V, L or R |
| sr | The symbol rate in Ksps |
| lnbf | The frequency of the local oscillator in the LNB. For C-Band, this is 5150, for the FSS Ku-Band, it's 10750 and for the DBS band 11250. |
| 22khz | Turns the 22KHz tone on with a value of 1. Useful to switch between signals with an external switch. |
| mode | Modulation mode to select. 0 = DVB QPSK, 1 = Turbo QPSK, 2 = Turbo 8PSK, 3 = Turbo 16QAM, 4 = DCII combo QPSK, 5 = DCII split QPSK I, 6 = DCII split QPSK Q, 7 = DCII OQPSK, 8=DVB S2, 9=DSS |
| fec | FEC selection - varies depending on mode. See the Option Values page for a list of input values. |
| DiSEqC | Optional. Sends DiSEqC command to select LNB input on a DiSEqC switch. See the Option Values page for a list of input values. |
DVB-C (cable) source modules
DVB-C is a worldwide system that supports various bandwidths, modulation methods and symbol rates. DVB-C is also known as Annex A QAM in the ITU-T Recommendation J.83 standard.
freq sr QAM inversion bandwidth
| freq | frequency to tune in KHz (for example, 520.167 MHz would be 520167) |
| sr | The symbol rate to use |
| QAM | The QAM mode to use: 0=QAM-16 1=QAM-32 2=QAM-64 3=QAM-128 4=QAM-256 |
| inversion | inverted spectrum (0 or 1) |
| bandwidth | bandwidth of signal (0 = 6, 1 = 7, 2 = 8 MHz) |
DVB-T (terrestrial) source modules
DVB-T is also used worldwide. Later versions use the second generation DVB-T2 modulation scheme however, demodulators will automatically select between DVB-T and DVB-T2.
freq inversion bandwidth
| freq | frequency to tune in KHz (for example, 520.167 MHz would be 520167) |
| inversion | Spectrum inversion. Set to 0 or 1 as appropriate for your area |
| bandwidth | Bandwidth of the COFDM transmission. 0 = 6 MHz 1 = 7 MHz 2 = 8 MHz |
ATSC (terrestrial) source modules
The ATSC system uses 8-VSB modulation system with a fixed symbol rate and 6 MHz bandwidth. The ATSC specification also defines a 16-VSB system designed for cables, but this has never been implemented in the real-world. ATSC is used in North America and South Korea.
freq
| freq | frequency to tune in MHz. Prefix with 0 to specify a standard channel number |
SCTE QAM (cable) source modules
SCTE QAM is uses either 64 or 256 level QAM modulation with fixed symbol rates in a 6 MHz bandwidth. This system is used within North America and is also known as Annex B QAM in the ITU-T Recommendation J.83 standard.
freq
| freq | frequency to tune in MHz. Prefix with 0 to specify a standard channel number |
Unicast UDP, RTP and HRTP (IPTV) source modules
Unicast is typically used for testing only as it is sent to a single IP address.
port
| port | The UDP port to listen on. |
Multicast UDP, RTP and HRTP (IPTV) source modules
Multicast streams may be received on multiple computers connected to a network. On some systems, each switch port contains the stream but on most systems, the IGMPv3 protocol is used where the switch only relays the stream to the port when a "join stream" message is sent to the switch address.
ipaddr{@switch} port {ethernet-addr}
| ipaddr | The IP address of the stream. |
| switch | The IP address of the switch if a managed switch using IGMPv3 is being used. The @ symbol tells TSReader to use IGMPv3. |
| port | The UDP port to listen on. |
| ethernet-addr | This optional parameter is the address of the Ethernet adaptor to listen on in the case of multiple network connections on the PC. |
TSReader.exe 224.0.0.1 1234
Whereas a managed switch may use a command-line like:
TSReader.exe 239.0.1.2@192.168.0.1 1234
TCP/IP (IPTV) source modules
These streams use the reliable delivery method afforded by the TCP protocol. The server address and port are required.
ipaddr port
| ipaddr | The IP address of the server. |
| port | The UDP port of the server. |
HTTP (IPTV) source modules
These streams use the HTTP protocol. HTTP works in two different modes - one where the HTTP server sends a continuous MPEG-2 transport stream. This is both reliable and simple to implement. The second method uses the MPEG-DASH/Apple HLS standards where the HTTP server provides a playlist using the HTML & M3U formats. The playlist contains either a list of various stream rates or a list of files that make the stream. TSReader automatically detects the two types of playlist and will prompt for the various stream rates should the server provide multiple resolution streams. Unlike playback applications, TSReader does not switch streams based on bandwidth - it concentrates on one of multiple rate streams at a time.
URL
| URL | The URL of the stream or playlist. |
http://10.0.1.51:8080/hdmi
But an HLS stream might point to an HTML or M3U URL:
http://devimages.apple.com/iphone/samples/bipbopall.html
File source modules
TSReader can process a previously recorded MPEG-2 transport stream using the File source module. TSReader also includes the File Loop source module which reads a file and then starts at the beginning of the file once it has been entirely read. Additionally, TSReader includes the File Continuous source module. This reads the entire file and when the end of file is reached, TSReader waits for more data to be written before continuing. This is useful for processing a file that is being currently recorded by another instance of TSReader or other application.
file
| file | The name of the file to process. |