This how-to describes which hardware and software components I used to build my Home Theater PC, with the ability to watch satellite television too. It includes a step-by-step guide for installing and configuring the required software, which appeared to be quite an adventure if you want to use a softcam, because the information was scattered around the internet.
Some people consider the use of a softcam illegal. My opinion is that a softcam can be used illegally, but if you use it in combination with a valid subscription on one PC only it is perfectly legal. In fact I see no difference with a real CAM, which contains the same kind of software (firmware).
For installing the software at least some experience using the Linux CLI is required.
Comments, corrections and additions are as always very welcome!
Hardware


Goal
- Small size
- Low power
- Low noise
- HD ready
- Satellite reception
- Softcam
- Linux compatible
- Affordable
Guide
Power usage
Asrock ION 330HT-BD + TeVii S660
| |
watt |
kWh/year |
Per year |
| Powered down |
~3 |
26 |
€5,55 |
| Ubuntu running |
~29 |
254 |
€53,60 |
| VDR running, no client |
~31 |
271 |
€57,29 |
| Watching SD channel |
~36 |
315 |
€66,53 |
Assuming an average of 21,1 cent per kWh
Software


Goal
- Open source
- Repositories, only compilation when really necessary
- User friendly
- Recent, stable, supported, actively developed software
Guide
- Install Ubuntu Karmic Koala 32 bit (use CD or unetbootin)
- Pin kernel 2.6.31-14 (see issues)
- sudo gedit /etc/apt/preferences
- Package: linux-generic linux-headers-generic linux-image-generic
- Pin: version 2.6.31-14
- Pin-Priority: 1001
- Setup network (wireless or wired)
- Install NVIDIA driver
- System | Administration | Hardware Drivers: Activate
- To prevent tearing
- System | Preferences | Appearance: Visual Effects: None
- Install TeVii S660 driver
- sudo apt-get install unrar
- Download and extract to home folder
- cd linux_tevii_ds3000
- sudo -s
- cp *.fw /lib/firmware
- tar xjvf linux-tevii-ds3000.tar.bz2
- cd linux-tevii-ds3000
- make -j2
- make install
- Cycle power
- dmesg | grep dvb
- Check TEVII S660 DVBS2 USB2.0 successfully initialized and connected
- The V4L-DVB device drivers contain almost the same code
- Redo when new kernel
- Install newcs card server newcs
- Install softcam sasc-ng
- sudo apt-get install linux-headers-`uname -r` build-essential mercurial openssl libssl-dev gettext
- cd ~
- hg clone http://85.17.209.13:6100/sc (bleeding edge!)
- cd sc
- gedit Makefile
- Find and remove -O3 from CSAFLAGS
- cd ~/sc/contrib/sasc-ng
- chmod +x configure
- chmod +x ./dvbloopback/module/config_dvb.pl
- ./configure --dvb-dir=~/linux_tevii_ds3000/linux-tevii-ds3000
- make
- make module
- sudo -s
- cp sasc-ng /usr/bin
- mkdir /lib/modules/`uname -r`/misc
- /usr/bin/install dvbloopback.ko /lib/modules/`uname -r`/misc/
- depmod
- modprobe dvbloopback
- ls /dev/dvb
- Check adapter1 (assuming one tuner)
- mkdir /etc/sc
- cp cardclient.conf /etc/sc
- When FTDI bug is fixed: cp cardslot.conf /etc/sc
- Redo when new kernel
- Create card server / softcam startup script
- Download script
- sudo -s
- cp sc /etc/init.d
- update-rc.d sc defaults 19
- /etc/init.d/sc start
- Install CIR receiver driver
- Download and install
- Remote control configuration
- 1st config: None, None
- 2nd config: Nuvotron Transceivers/Remotes, None
- Redo when new kernel (because it is a patch actually)
- Install VDR
- deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/the-vdr-team/vdr-ubuntu-karmic/ubuntu karmic main
- System | Administration | Software Sources, Other
- sudo -s
- apt-key adv --keyserver keyserver.ubuntu.com --recv-keys 6CF20474
- apt-get install vdr vdr-plugin-xineliboutput xineliboutput-sxfe
- gedit /etc/default/vdr
- OPTIONS="-w 60 -D 1 --lirc=/dev/null"
- More than one LNB
- gedit /etc/vdr/diseqc.conf (Astra 19E2/23E5)
- gedit /var/lib/vdr/setup.conf (create file)
- gedit /var/lib/vdr/setup.conf (create file)
- Download channels.conf (syntax)
- grep -v ':-' channels.conf | grep 'CANALDIGITAAL' >/var/lib/vdr/channels.conf
- grep -v ':-' channels.conf | grep -v 'CANALDIGITAAL' >>/var/lib/vdr/channels.conf
- Or scan channels
- sudo apt-get install w-scan
- sudo /etc/init.d/sc stop
- w_scan -fs -sS19E2 -o7 -D0c >channels.conf
- w_scan -fs -sS23E5 -o7 -D1c >>channels.conf
- sudo /etc/init.d/sc start
- Make channels FTA:
- awk -F: '{if ($1 == "" ) print $0 ; else \
- print $1":"$2":"$3":"$4":"$5":"$6":"$7":"$8":0:"$10":"$11":"$12":"$13}' \
- channels.conf >>/var/lib/vdr/channels.conf
- cp remote.conf /var/lib/vdr (info)
- sudo /etc/init.d/vdr start
- Optional: apt-get install vdr-plugin-femon vdr-plugin-eepg
- Update Ubuntu
- System | Administration | Update Manager
- Watch
- Disable screen saver
- System | Preferences | Screensaver: Active ...: Never
- System | Preferences | Power Management -> Display: Never
- Dowload vdr-sxfe.sh to home folder
- System | Preferences | Startup Applications: Add
- Command: browse to vdr-sxfe.sh
- Alternative
- Put .lircrc in the home folder
- Add irexec -d to startup applications
- Start/stop vdr-sxfe using Enter/Clear on the remote control
- Easy when vdr-sxfe crashes
Issues
- FTDI bug
- Linux kernel must be pinned
- newcs is needed to read smartcard, which it sometimes fails to do at startup
- Communication sasc-ng/newcs sometimes fails
- Zap time encrypted channels >= 5 sec
- The German FTA HD channels work, but NederlandHD has only sound sofar
- No official repositories, some compilation necessary
- I have to set the listed frequencies about 25 MHz lower to get signal. This is annoying, because scanning channels does not work properly. The cause is most probably the TeVii S660 device, since using Windows doesn't make any difference (assuming the drivers are different) and because my LNB has been replaced in the meantime. My local supplier will replace the device when it is restocked (probably within a week).
- The fans of the Asrock are little noisy, however the high pitch can be canceled:


To remove the heatsinks the motherboard has to be removed (four screws and some cables).
Questions
- Does anybody know how to compile vdr-plugin-sc without compiling vdr too?
- Without getting the message below when starting vdr
- WARNING: The following plugins have been left out due to really binary incompatibility: sc.
Links
VN:F [1.8.1_1037]