Streaming How to for a Dreambox

Basic guide for setting up streaming with a Dream box for the peeps at DataCave by Cookie.

Tools and software needed:
Dreambox (DB)
Internet connection, ideally using a router
Dynamically updated IP address

VLC media player 0.8.5 > www.videolan.org
dreamView 0.1.4> http://usbhell.deephit.com/

Obtaining an Dynamic IP address (DNS)
For anyone to connect to your DB, you will need an address that will remain the same as ISP’s tend to lease numerical address’s and change these quite often.

Simply sign up to www.dyndns.org and create an account and then select services > create a DNS. Most routers will have a facility to update the DNS account, you need log in to your router’s set up page, enter the username, password, DNS address (eg the address you have created to update your IP address to whatever.kicks-ass.net) and that’s it. If the DNS is not updated when the IP changes the clients will not be able to connect.



Port Forward the port for the DB
For the DB to allow connections from the outside world, it will need to have the relevant ports forwarded through your router.

On you routers set up page, select port forwarding and forward ports 8080 (stream), 21 (ftp), 80 (http) through to the DB. My DB local address is 192.168.1.2, it’s preferable to make it static.

To test if you have set everything up OK, open IE and put the address http://whatever.kicks-ass.net and you should find the web control page appears (whatever.kicks-ass.net = your own DNS address). You should be prompted for the UN (root) and PW (dreambox). Also, try using your ftp program to connect to your DB using the DNS address if you have forwarded port 21. NOTE it is advisable to change the password as anyone with your server details can log in to the web page or ftp.

Install software on PC
It is important that the above software version numbers or greater are used.

1. Install VLC media player and ensure the ActiveX component is installed. VLC will be used for viewing the stream on remote computers and also for editing the ‘stream’ settings.

2. Make a directory and extract dreamView to it. dreamView connects to the Dream Box and downloads all of your channel bouquets. You simply click on the channel and it should appear on the screen. You can then choose to display, dump the stream or output the stream.

If you get a warning missing OCX files, they are available from the dreamView download page.


dreamView set up

1. Options > Preferences

Connection
Enter your DB local IP address, UN and PW. Leave ports as is.

Auto Soundtrack
1st = eng

2. Options > Update Channels

3. Options > Preferences > Stream Output String > Server Output (important bit, copy & paste the code below):
:sout=#transcode{vcodec=mp1v,vb=256,scale=0.5,acodec=mp3,ab=64,channels=1}:duplicate{dst=display,dst=std{access=http,mux=mpeg1,dst=192.168.1.2:8080}} :sout-all

The above code means (from left to right) stream output and transcode it in to a mpv1 video stream @ bitrate 265 kb/s, picture scaled to half original size, with mp3 audio stream @ 64 kb/s and just one channel (mono), play locally and stream using MPG1 encapsulation method to 192.168.1.2:8080. Select all elementary streams.

Should look like this:



Lastly file > save settings on exit = ticked

To alter theses settings, it is probably best to use VLC player. Select the channel you want to watch in dreamView and select Stream > Edit stream data.

Copy the stream address and paste it in to VLC player (file > open network stream), and then paste the address in to the HTTP URL box. Remove the UN, PW and @.

Then tick Stream/Save and you should be looking at the following screen, these are the settings as above:



To broadcast and view the stream
1. Start dreamView, and select the channel you want to stream.

2. Stream > Output > Server Output = ticked

3. Stream > Output > Start Output

You should now see a poorish quality picture playing in dreamView, and may pause quite a lot, don’t worry. This is normal. If you see a massive orange and white cone, click on the channel again on the left and pause for a few seconds, you may have to do this several times until the picture appears.

Open note pad and type in http://whatever.kicks-ass.net:8080 and save it as a .m3u file eg. Mystream.m3u. Right click it and associate it with VLC player.

Double click on the saved file and it should open VLC player and your stream should appear. You can send this file to your mate for viewing.

I can watch the stream on my mobile if I have a wireless network available.

You can tinker with settings to improve the quality of the picture and use different encapsulation methods to allow the stream to open with other viewers eg windows media player uses mmsh (I have never got to this work though, wmp gives codec errors).