Dvbv5-zap

dvbv5-zap is a command line tuning 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-zap 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.

The dvbv5-zap tool can be used on several different modes, depending on the parameters used.

The typical use is to tune into a channel and put it into record mode:

$ dvbv5-zap -c dvb_channel.conf "trilhas sonoras" -r
using demux '/dev/dvb/adapter0/demux0'
reading channels from file 'dvb_channel.conf'
service has pid type 05:  204
tuning to 573000000 Hz
audio pid 104
  dvb_set_pesfilter 104
Lock   (0x1f) Quality= Good Signal= 100.00% C/N= -13.80dB UCB= 70 postBER= 3.14x10^-3 PER= 0
DVR interface '/dev/dvb/adapter0/dvr0' can now be opened

The channel can be watched by playing the contents of the DVR interface, with some player that recognizes the MPEG-TS format.

For example (in this specific case, it is an audio only channel, but the same could be used for audio/video):

$ mplayer -cache 800 /dev/dvb/adapter0/dvr0
MPlayer SVN-r37077-4.8.2 (C) 2000-2014 MPlayer Team
TS file format detected.
NO VIDEO! AUDIO MPA(pid=104) NO SUBS (yet)!  PROGRAM N. 0
==================================================================
Opening audio decoder: [mpg123] MPEG 1.0/2.0/2.5 layers I, II, III
AUDIO: 48000 Hz, 2 ch, s16le, 192.0 kbit/12.50% (ratio: 24000->192000)
Selected audio codec: [mpg123] afm: mpg123 (MPEG 1.0/2.0/2.5 layers I, II, III)
==================================================================
AO: [alsa] 48000Hz 2ch s16le (2 bytes per sample)
Video: no video
Starting playback...

The dvbv5-zap tool can also be used to monitor a DVB channel:

$ dvbv5-zap -c dvb_channel.conf 573000000 -m
using demux '/dev/dvb/adapter0/demux0'
reading channels from file 'dvb_channel.conf'
service has pid type 05:  204
tuning to 573000000 Hz
Lock   (0x1f) Quality= Good Signal= 100.00% C/N= -13.90dB UCB= 384 postBER= 96.8x10^-6 PER= 0
  dvb_set_pesfilter to 0x2000

PID	FREQ	SPEED	TOTAL
0000	9.88 p/s	14.5 Kbps	1 KB
0001	1.98 p/s	2.9 Kbps	376 B
0010	18.77 p/s	27.6 Kbps	3 KB
0011	48.42 p/s	71.1 Kbps	8 KB
0012	1455.53 p/s	2137.8 Kbps	270 KB
...
1fff	1033.60 p/s	1518.1 Kbps	192 KB
TOT	25296.44 p/s	37154.2 Kbps	4700 KB

Lock   (0x1f) Quality= Good Signal= 100.00% C/N= -13.90dB UCB= 384 postBER= 96.8x10^-6 PER= 0

Syntax

$ ./dvbv5-zap 
Usage: dvbv5-zap [OPTION...]
            <channel name> [or <frequency> if in monitor mode]
DVB zap utility

  -3, --dvbv3                Use DVBv3 only
  -a, --adapter=adapter#     use given adapter (default 0)
  -A, --audio_pid=audio_pid# audio pid program to use (default 0)
  -c, --channels=file        read channels list from 'file'
  -C, --cc=country_code      use default parameters for given country
  -d, --demux=demux#         use given demux (default 0)
  -f, --frontend=frontend#   use given frontend (default 0)
  -I, --input-format=format  Input format: ZAP, CHANNEL, DVBV5 (default:
                             DVBV5)
  -l, --lnbf=LNBf_type       type of LNBf to use. 'help' lists the available
                             ones
  -L, --search=string        search/look for a string inside the traffic
  -m, --monitor              monitors de DVB traffic
  -o, --output=file          output filename (use -o - for stdout)
  -p, --pat                  add pat and pmt to TS recording (implies -r)
  -P, --all-pids             don't filter any pids. Instead, outputs all of
                             them
  -r, --record               set up /dev/dvb/adapterX/dvr0 for TS recording
  -s, --silence              increases silence (can be used more than once)
  -S, --sat_number=satellite_number
                             satellite number. If not specified, disable DISEqC
                            
  -t, --timeout=seconds      timeout for zapping and for recording
  -U, --freq_bpf=frequency   SCR/Unicable band-pass filter frequency to use, in
                             kHz
  -v, --verbose              verbose debug messages (can be used more than
                             once)
  -V, --video_pid=video_pid# video pid program to use (default 0)
  -w, --lna=LNA (0, 1, -1)   enable/disable/auto LNA power
  -W, --wait=time            adds additional wait time for DISEqC command
                             completion
  -x, --exit                 exit after tuning
  -X, --low_traffic          also shows DVB traffic with less then 1 packet per
                             second
  -?, --help                 Give this help list
      --usage                Give a short usage message
      --version              Print program version

Mandatory or optional arguments to long options are also mandatory or optional
for any corresponding short options.

Report bugs to Mauro Carvalho Chehab <m.chehab@samsung.com>.