GNOME DVB Daemon User Guide

Setup

Automatic setup

This is the easiest way to setup devices.

• Run gnome-dvb-setup

• Select the device you want to use to search for channels (if there's only one device that hasn't been configured, yet, it is selected automatically)
• Choose initial tuning data or use brute force scan if you have DVB-T and you don't know what to choose
• Select the channels you want to save
• Optionally, repeat the process for additional adapters

Manual setup

Creating channels.conf

You can use alternative tools to scan for channels and import them into GNOME DVB Daemon. Make sure that the channels.conf is in zap format. If you use w_scan you have to specify the option -X.

For example for dvb-apps scan the following command creates a channels.conf:

scan /usr/share/dvb/dvb-t/de-Bayern > channels.conf

Where /usr/share/dvb/dvb-t/de-Bayern contains the initial tuning data, check /usr/share/dvb for all available files.

Configuring device

If you want to configure a device with a channels.conf created by another application or you don't like the way gnome-dvb-setup configures your devices follow these steps.

• Run gnome-dvb-control

• Go to Edit -> Preferences

• You will see unconfigured devices at the bottom and configured devices at the top.

• Select an unconfigured device from the bottom and press Create new group

• Choose the channels file for the device you created earlier and a directory where the recordings should be stored
• If you have more than one DVB device you can either create a new group for this device or add it to an existing group. If more than one device is part of a group recordings that would overlap are automatically distributed among the devices of the group. The devices of one group must be of the same type. E.g. you can put two DVB-T devices in one group, but not one DVB-T device and one DVB-S device.

Scheduling recordings

You're set to schedule recordings now:

• Run gnome-dvb-control

• If you have more than one group configured you can choose one from the drop-down menu on the left

• Click on Recording schedule

• Press the Add button and choose the channel, start time and duration of the recording

Browsing the Program Guide

In addition, you can browse the program guide:

• Run gnome-dvb-control

• If you start the application you are presented with the What's on now view which shows you the currently running and next show for each channel.

• Double clicking on an entry will bring a window which contains more information about the selected show, you can also schedule a recording.
• If you select a channel you see the program guide for a single channel.
• Double clicking on an entry will schedule a recording for the selected show.

Watching live TV and recordings using Totem

• Make sure you configured dvb-daemon with --enable-totem-plugin

• Start Totem and select Digital TV in the sidebar

• Double click on a channel or a recording to watch it

• The windows to schedule recordings and configure devices can be accessed from the Edit menu

Grouping channels

If you wish to group channels start gnome-dvb-control

• Go to Edit -> Channel Lists

• Press the Add button on the upper right to create a new group of channels and give it a name or select a group that already exists

• You can add channels to the group by selecting one from the list on the left and pressing the Add button at the bottom

To display groups in Totem

• Go to View -> Order channels -> By group

UPnP/DLNA support

GNOME DVB Daemon is currently integrated into two different UPnP/DLNA applications.

Coherence

Coherence comes with a plugin for GNOME DVB Daemon where you can access channels and recordings within Totem. A screencast and steps to set it up are available at http://k-d-w.org/node/50

Rygel

Rygel support already comes with GNOME DVB Daemon in terms of the Media Server Spec.