This is documentation for some old versions of ZapDvb (0.20 and earlier). If you are using a 2.4 kernel or are using SuSE 8.1 ... 9.0 you may still find it helpful. For a 2.6 kernel you will need newer DVB kernel drivers, see www.linuxtv.org. Even with an older system you should try to compile the new ZapDvb applications - it contains many new features! See current ZapDvb version.
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This document presents a simple and cheap way to take advantage of digital TV under Linux. It also describes some of the theory behind DVB and especially DVB under Linux. Finally some free software is provided for download (GNU Public License). This consists of the DVB driver and a tiny TV application called zapdvb (kzapdvb for KDE), a TV recorder named kzapdvr (KDE only) and the video conversion and editing tool zapcvt (and it companion zapcut).
DVB: An Introduction to Digital Video Broadcasting | |
Using the zapdvb TV Application and KDE Embedding |
The zapdvb application does not depend on programs like szap - it has a built-in szap! Don't get frustrated if you are using DVB-C or DVB-T, reading the introduction chapter will give you some help on that too. zapdvb does not use the Metzler mpegtools; again it has the required functions built-in. But it needs a viewer and probably you already use MPlayer (which is a real killer app!). zapdvb is preconfigured for MPlayer (see homepage) but you can change this. There exists also some basic DVR functionality (Digital Video Recording).
DVR: Digital Video Recording and Time-shift with zapdvb | |
Video Editing and Conversion with zapcut and zapcvt | |
Some remarks on using MPlayer and Deinterlacing |
Driver and zapdvb are available as source under GPL, but two precompiled RPM files that can be used with SuSE 8.2 (i686) are also provided. One RPM contains the zapdvb TV application, the other contains the DVB driver version 1.1.6b from Marcus Metzler.
The zapdvb Download Page |
If you want extras or do not depend on SuSE you have to compile the driver and eventually zapdvb by yourself. A step by step documentation is provided to guide you through this process. The driver is on it's way into the Linux kernel (some parts of it will be in 2.6) - so if you read this in 2004 or later you probably don't have to worry about drivers any longer.
Compiling and Installing the DVB driver | |
Compiling and Installing the zapdvb Application |
- Kernel 2.4.20 or later (probably you won't
have to compile the driver on a 2.5 or later kernel)
- A DVB card with a supported chip (currently SAA7146).
Such cards are built by KNC One
or Typhoon and by Hauppauge (Nova-S). Surely some
other cards will also work (please let me know).
- linuxtv:
This is the official Linux DVB site.
- DVR: The Digital Video
Recorder is very comfortable but needs a more expensive TV
card.
- DVB driver: The Metzler
Brothers provide the drivers for the public.
- video4linux: This is mostly
for analog cards with the bttv or saa7134 chips.