[clug] stream TransACT - to file this time

[Francis James Whittle]

I have a script that utilizes the array of command line options
available to vlc, and also the 'start-stop-daemon' utility.  It records
the MPEG2 transport stream direct to disk.  You'll probably want to
modify it somewhat so it records into the directory you want (clue: it's
the bit after '--sout'), and also recently VLC decided to start
segfaulting on me when I tried to use it like this - but hopefully that
shouldn't be a problem:

#!/bin/sh

/sbin/start-stop-daemon --start --exec /usr/bin/vlc --pidfile
"/home/fudje/rectv-$2.pid" --make-pidfile --background -- -I http -V
null -A null --sout "file:///buffer/video/$2.vob"
"udp:@239.193.0.$1:8208"

sleep $3

/sbin/start-stop-daemon --stop --pidfile "/home/fudje/rectv-$2.pid"

# end

Cute little hack, ain't it?
Anyway, you execute it like "rectv.sh 10 ten 3600" to record channel 10
to /buffer/video/ten.vob for 3600 seconds (an hour).
For timed-on, you can just chuck it in your crontab.

Cheers,
	Francis

On Sun, 2004-06-06 at 21:19, Tony and Robyn Lewis wrote:
> I'm pondering the best way to manually use the PC as a small-time VCR,
> recording a transact stream to be later played back.
> 
> To view real-time, I use xine.  Have used vlc and I think mplayer as
> well.  None of these seem to have a write-to-file option.
> 
> Considered using tcpdump or tethereal to record the stream, and then
> tcpreplay to get it back, but then I need to send the IGMP membership
> packet that starts the process.  I'd rather not waste all that CPU grunt
> decoding it when I'm not watching it.
> 
> Any more elegant solutions?  For now, it's the VCR :-)
> 
> Tony Lewis
>