Dvbv5-scan

dvbv5-scan is a command line frequency scanning tool for digital TV services that is compliant with version 5 of the DVB API, and backward compatable with the older v3 DVB API. It was developed as part of DVBv5 Tools suite, which resides in the v4l-utils git repositiory [1].

dvbv5-scan uses by default a new channel/service file format that it is capable of supporting all types of Digital TV standards. It can also support the legacy format used by the legacy dvb-apps.

For other dvbv5 tools, please see the main article.

A single physical channel (also called as transponder) may have several virtual channels inside it, encapsulated via a MPEG Transport stream.

Those virtual channels are called as "service" at the MPEG-TS terminology, and may have one or more audio, video and other types of elements inside it.

The dvbv5-scan goal is to scan for a list of physical channels/transponders and identify there the MPEG-TS services available.

The dvbv5-scan tool is smart enough to retrieve the information at the MPEG-TS Network Information Table (NIT) about other channels available on the stream.

Example:

$ dvbv5-scan ~/dvbc-test
Scanning frequency #1 573000000
Lock   (0x1f) Quality= Good Signal= 100.00% C/N= -13.80dB UCB= 0 postBER= 3.14x10^-3 PER= 0
Service SBT, provider (null): digital television
Service Globo, provider Globo: digital television
Service Record, provider (null): digital television
Service Band, provider (null): digital television
...
Service Trilhas Sonoras, provider (null): digital radio
New transponder/channel found: #2: 579000000
...
New transponder/channel found: #39: 507000000

The scan process will then scan the other 38 discovered new transponders, and generate a dvb_channel.com with several entries with will have not only the physical channel/transponder info, but also the Service ID, and the corresponding audio/video/other program IDs (PID), like:

[Globo]
	SERVICE_ID = 5
	VIDEO_PID = 288
	AUDIO_PID = 289
	FREQUENCY = 573000000
	MODULATION = QAM/256
	INVERSION = OFF
	SYMBOL_RATE = 5247500
	INNER_FEC = NONE
	DELIVERY_SYSTEM = DVBC/ANNEX_A

Parameters

There are several options that could be used on dvbv5-scan:

dvbv5-scan parameters

parameter	meaning
-3, --dvbv3	Use DVBv3 only
-a, --adapter=adapter#	use given adapter (default 0)
-d, --demux=demux#	use given demux (default 0)
-f, --frontend=frontend#	use given frontend (default 0)
-F, --file-freqs-only	don't use the other frequencies discovered during scan
-G, --get_frontend	use data from get_frontend on the output file
-I, --input-format=format	Input format: CHANNEL, DVBV5 (default: DVBV5). The input format is case insensitive
-l, --lnbf=LNBf_type	type of LNBf to use. 'help' lists the available ones. The LNBf model is case insensitive
-N, --nit	use data from NIT table on the output file
-o, --output=file	output filename (default: dvb_channel.conf)
-O, --output-format=format	Output format: CHANNEL, ZAP, DVBV5 (default: DVBV5). The output format is case insensitive
-p, --parse-other-nit	Parse the other NIT/SDT tables
-S, --sat_number=satellite_number	satellite number. If not specified, disable DISEqC
-T, --timeout-multiply=factor	Multiply scan timeouts by this factor
-U, --freq_bpf=frequency	SCR/Unicable band-pass filter frequency to use, in kHz
-v, --verbose	be (very) verbose
-w, --lna=LNA (0, 1, -1)	enable/disable/auto LNA power
-W, --wait=time	adds additional wait time for DISEqC command completion
-?, --help	help
--usage	Give a short usage message
-V, --version	Print program version

Please notice that, for Satellite systems, the LNBf and other corresponding settings are needed. the supported LNBf models by dvbv5-scan and dvbv5-zap are:

UNIVERSAL
	Europe
	10800 to 11800 MHz and 11600 to 12700 MHz
	Dual LO, IF = lowband 9750 MHz, highband 10600 MHz

DBS
	Expressvu, North America
	12200 to 12700 MHz
	Single LO, IF = 11250 MHz

EXTENDEDU
	Astra 1E, European Universal Ku (extended)
	10700 to 11700 MHz and 11700 to 12750 MHz
	Dual LO, IF = lowband 9750 MHz, highband 10600 MHz

STANDARD
	Standard
	10945 to 11450 MHz
	Single LO, IF = 10000 MHz

ENHANCED
	Astra
	10700 to 11700 MHz
	Single LO, IF = 9750 MHz

C-BAND
	Big Dish - Monopoint LNBf
	3700 to 4200 MHz
	Single LO, IF = 5150 MHz

C-MULT
	Big Dish - Multipoint LNBf
	3700 to 4200 MHz
	Dual LO, Bandstacking, LO POL_R 5150 MHZ, LO POL_L 5750 MHz

DISHPRO
	DishPro LNBf
	12200 to 12700 MHz
	Dual LO, Bandstacking, LO POL_R 11250 MHZ, LO POL_L 14350 MHz

Other examples

example channel list:

[CHANNEL]
	DELIVERY_SYSTEM = DVBC/ANNEX_A
	FREQUENCY = 113000000
	SYMBOL_RATE = 6900000
	INNER_FEC = NONE
	MODULATION = QAM/64
	INVERSION = AUTO

[CHANNEL]
	DELIVERY_SYSTEM = DVBC/ANNEX_A
	FREQUENCY = 121000000
	SYMBOL_RATE = 6900000
	INNER_FEC = NONE
	MODULATION = QAM/64
	INVERSION = AUTO

[CHANNEL]
	DELIVERY_SYSTEM = DVBC/ANNEX_A
	FREQUENCY = 130000000
	SYMBOL_RATE = 6900000
	INNER_FEC = NONE
	MODULATION = QAM/256
	INVERSION = AUTO

[CHANNEL]
	DELIVERY_SYSTEM = DVBC/ANNEX_A
	FREQUENCY = 330000000
	SYMBOL_RATE = 6900000
	INNER_FEC = NONE
	MODULATION = QAM/256
	INVERSION = AUTO

[CHANNEL]
	DELIVERY_SYSTEM = DVBC/ANNEX_A
	FREQUENCY = 338000000
	SYMBOL_RATE = 6900000
	INNER_FEC = NONE
	MODULATION = QAM/256
	INVERSION = AUTO

[CHANNEL]
	DELIVERY_SYSTEM = DVBC/ANNEX_A
	FREQUENCY = 346000000
	SYMBOL_RATE = 6900000
	INNER_FEC = NONE
	MODULATION = QAM/256
	INVERSION = AUTO

example service list:

[Das Erste]
	SERVICE_ID = 28106
	VIDEO_PID = 101
	AUDIO_PID = 102 103 106
	PID_0b = 2171
	PID_06 = 105 104 84
	PID_05 = 2070
	FREQUENCY = 113000000
	MODULATION = QAM/64
	INVERSION = OFF
	SYMBOL_RATE = 6900000
	INNER_FEC = NONE
	DELIVERY_SYSTEM = DVBC/ANNEX_A

[Bayerisches FS Süd]
	SERVICE_ID = 28107
	VIDEO_PID = 201
	AUDIO_PID = 202 203 206
	PID_0b = 2171
	PID_06 = 204
	PID_05 = 2178
	FREQUENCY = 113000000
	MODULATION = QAM/64
	INVERSION = OFF
	SYMBOL_RATE = 6900000
	INNER_FEC = NONE
	DELIVERY_SYSTEM = DVBC/ANNEX_A

[hr-fernsehen]
	SERVICE_ID = 28108
	VIDEO_PID = 301
	AUDIO_PID = 302 303
	PID_0b = 2171
	PID_06 = 304
	PID_05 = 2270
	FREQUENCY = 113000000
	MODULATION = QAM/64
	INVERSION = OFF
	SYMBOL_RATE = 6900000
	INNER_FEC = NONE
	DELIVERY_SYSTEM = DVBC/ANNEX_A

[Bayerisches FS Nord]
	SERVICE_ID = 28110
	VIDEO_PID = 201
	AUDIO_PID = 202 203 206
	PID_0b = 2171
	PID_06 = 204
	PID_05 = 2178
	FREQUENCY = 113000000
	MODULATION = QAM/64
	INVERSION = OFF
	SYMBOL_RATE = 6900000
	INNER_FEC = NONE
	DELIVERY_SYSTEM = DVBC/ANNEX_A

[WDR Köln]
	SERVICE_ID = 28111
	VIDEO_PID = 601
	AUDIO_PID = 602 603
	PID_0b = 2171
	PID_06 = 604
	PID_05 = 2370
	FREQUENCY = 113000000
	MODULATION = QAM/64
	INVERSION = OFF
	SYMBOL_RATE = 6900000
	INNER_FEC = NONE
	DELIVERY_SYSTEM = DVBC/ANNEX_A

[Planet HD]
	SERVICE_ID = 50003
	VIDEO_PID = 6821
	AUDIO_PID = 6822
	FREQUENCY = 130000000
	MODULATION = QAM/256
	INVERSION = OFF
	SYMBOL_RATE = 6900000
	INNER_FEC = NONE
	DELIVERY_SYSTEM = DVBC/ANNEX_A

[13th Street HD]
	SERVICE_ID = 50004
	VIDEO_PID = 6831
	AUDIO_PID = 6832 6833
	FREQUENCY = 130000000
	MODULATION = QAM/256
	INVERSION = OFF
	SYMBOL_RATE = 6900000
	INNER_FEC = NONE
	DELIVERY_SYSTEM = DVBC/ANNEX_A

[ProSieben HD]
	SERVICE_ID = 50015
	VIDEO_PID = 6841
	AUDIO_PID = 6842
	PID_06 = 6844
	FREQUENCY = 130000000
	MODULATION = QAM/256
	INVERSION = OFF
	SYMBOL_RATE = 6900000
	INNER_FEC = NONE
	DELIVERY_SYSTEM = DVBC/ANNEX_A

Also See

• Comparison of the scanning utilities