homeTVstream

HomeTVStream is a software solution for watching TV on LAN computers. It is comprised of shell scripts and a PHP-based webpage built using VLC, which encodes and streams video using port 8080 in an MMS stream. Users have the option to watch the stream on VLC using URL mmsh://yourserverip:8080/ or any other MMS-capable player using URL mms://yourserverip:8080/. Alternatively, users can open the TV directly from the webpage.

To use HomeTVStream, users must have a Linux server with a TV tuner card (preferably BT878-based) and a sound card, as well as VideoLan VLC, libdvbpsi, ffmpeg libs, libmp3lame, libxvidcore, and webserver with PHP support. The software installation entails downloading the VLC source and putting it into /usr/src/vlc-..., in addition to putting the sources of other essential software components (libdvbpsi, ffmpeg, libxvidcore, Lame MP3 encoder) into the same directory. Users must then compile and install Lame MP3 encoder and xvid, while configuring ffmpeg, libdvbpsi, and VLC with specific parameters to optimize their performance.

Once the software is installed, users must move HomeTVStream into the webserver's www folder and edit config.inc.php to change the $nst_streamURL and the TV channels list. Users may also need to edit the shell scripts in /bins if their TV tuner card is not on /dev/video1. Before using the software, users must give write permissions to their webserver's user (www-data) for the ./recorded directory.

HomeTVStream is user-friendly and provides users with the ability to change the logo.gif based on their preferences. The best part is that it can be opened easily in a web browser, such as Firefox, making it very easy to watch TV. However, if recording won't work, users must change the www-data user's shell in /etc/passwd from /bin/false to /bin/sh and restart the www server. Overall, HomeTVStream is a great option for those who want to watch TV on their LAN computers without using any additional hardware.