This wiki provides us with the VDR as a way of supplementing local firewall. Especially in the private area it is certainly interesting that IPFire couldn't only be a powerful firewall solution. With IPFire you incidentally could have a file-, print-, multimedia-, server and even a digital video recorder / streaming server for DVB-C/T/S/S2 and ATSC.

VDR is a "video recorder/streaming server" for digital television cards DVB-C/T/S/S2 & ATSC).

VDR Installation

The VDR-Addon is simply installed on the Pakfire.
Either in the WUI (WebUserInterface) or the CLI (Command Line Interface)

pakfire install -y vdr

Addons

Testet DVB Cards

You'll find them in our HCL-DVB.

Transmitter lists

VDR needs a suitably sender list in the file /etc/vdr/channels.conf. The provided one is for DVB-S and Astra 19,2°. By the use of more or other satellites/sources you have to adapt this file.

For DVB-C/T/S/S2 is it possible to produce the list with the application w_scan.

Installation of w_scan

pakfire install -y w_scan

Scan for transmitters

/usr/bin/w_scan_start

VDR server

The VDR server has its own initscript with which you may control it.

/etc/init.d/vdr (start|stop|restart|status)

VDR access regulation / svdrphosts.conf

The file /etc/vdr/svdrphosts.conf defines who has access to the VDR. This can be a single IP address or entire networks.

Most of the VDR plugins has its own configuration file to control access to the possible functions of the plugin. For simplicity, these were replaced by links on the /etc/vdr/svdrphosts.conf. Thus, the access policies are defined here for the installed plugins.

Content of the svdrphosts.conf

#
# svdrphosts    This file describes a number of host addresses that
#               are allowed to connect to the SVDRP port of the Video
#               Disk Recorder (VDR) running on this system.
#
#               Gehört ins Konfigurationsverzeichnis des VDR, per Default also /video
#               ( bzw "-c /Verzeichnis" Option beim vdr start
#
# Syntax:
#
# IP-Address[/Netmask]
#

127.0.0.1             # always accept localhost

#192.168.100.0/24     # any host on the local net
#204.152.189.113      # a specific host
#0.0.0.0/0            # any host on any net (USE THIS WITH CARE!)

Advanced usage options

Listen to the Radio over MPFire

If you have installed MPFire on the IPFire, you can enter the URL of the desired transmitter in to the field for the user-internetradios. Therefor is it important that IT" be indicated in a streaming format. The URL can be determine over the webinterface from VDR.

For example:

:localhost:3000/ES/S19.2E-133-7-169 for sunshine-live over Astra 19.2°

It is also possible to listen to the audio track from a television transmitter.

For example:

:localhost:3000/ES/S19.2E-1-1078-28676+1 for the audio from VIVA

Extended functions

For extended functions like EPG, record or timer exists several clients like for example Easystream.

If you want to use Easystream, it is advisable to install Samba and to create a share, so that Easystream is able to playback the records.

[video0]
path = /var/video
comment = Video0 - VDR Video
browseable = yes
create mask = 0777
directory mask = 0777
public = yes
force user = samba
writeable = no