Installing this software and configuration of a virtual webserver

To install this software you need a well running linux system as well as an apache server with php support and a mysql database server. As there are many different types of linux systems it's not my intention to explain how to setup apache, for this please use all the available information on the internet. If your apache is installed and running just unpack my provided tar.gz file and install it in the apache application space (/srv/www/vhosts on SuSE or /var/www on RedHat systems). When done define and setup this software as a new virtual host.

The first test should be done with a browser like Firefox or Mozilla. Starting the Linux MTPCenter 2.0 you just need to call the main page of the virtual server for example http://192.168.01:8001 or on the port you have defined. As soon you see the main menu you have succeeded the first part of the setup. Before doing so please ensure the following php modules and the gd library with jpeg support is installed on your system

• gd (with JPEG and PNG Support)
• mysql
• php4-gd
• php4-exif
• php4-session
• php4-sockets
• php4-mysql

For sure you can also use the packages for php5

Please ensure that the following settings in the php.ini are set as listed below, otherwise please correct to ensure MTPCenter's function.

session.auto_start=0
register_globals=Off
session.cookie_httponly = 0 (only on very new systems)

   $WebserverName          = "192.168.0.11";
   $WebserverPort          = 8010;

If the Linux MTPCenter 2.0 is installed on a apache webserver these settings are not needed because Apache will serve this information. However in case you use a different webserver please ensure to configure these values.

   $ProxyName              = "192.168.0.1";
   $ProxyPort              = 3128;

At the moment no proxy server is used, this may be added in future version.

   $DatabaseServer         = "localhost";
   $DatabaseName           = "mtpcenter2";
   $DatabaseUser           = "root";
   $DatabasePassword       = "";

Here you need to configure the mysql server settings for login of the Linux MTPServer 2.0. If you have used earlier versions of the Linux MTPCenter please don't use the old database name as in this case afterwards both versions will not work correct.

   $MTPServer_Usage        = false;
   $MTPServer_IP           = "192.168.0.1";
   $MTPServer_Port         = 3010;

With this setting you are able to define if the MTP Streaming server should be used for streaming media data or if the streaming will be done by the apache server. More information about the streaming server can be found in the section MTPStreaming.

   $VDR_USAGE              = false;

In the case you have a running vdr server installed and you want to feed Live TV or Live Radio please enable this setting. In this case please also go through the config_vdr.inc configuration file.

   $tftfont                = "/usr/java/jre1.5.0_03/lib/fonts/LucidaSansRegular.ttf";

For radio and music background images as well as for exif information in the picture show the MTPCenter is adding addional information to the images. Therefor we need a true type font which must be installed in your system. The font we have configured here is coming with the java jre, so in most cases it should also be available at your system (but maybe in another path).

   $Database_Update_Cycle  = array ("channels" => "0",
                                    "music" => "0",
                                    "picture" => "0",
                                    "epg" => "6");

In the Linux MTPCenter 2.0 you have two different options for updating the database system. You can define an automatic update cycle (in hours) for the different database tables. If the specific value is not set to "0" the database tables will be updated in the background each "x" hours whenever you starting the main menu. Or the update will be done whenever you start it through the menu. Please don't set the "epg" value to "0" as this database table can only be updated in the background!

   $PlaylistType          = array(".m3u");

At the moment only "m3u" playlists are supported, so please don't change this value.

   $VideoType             = array(".mpg", ".dvx", ".vob", ".iso", ".avi");

At the moemnt all video types are configured which are supported in most of the media clients. However feel free to add addional video formats if they are supported from your system. AVI format is added here even till now I have not found a single avi file which has been shown on my Showcenter clients. ISO DVD images are only shown in the menu selection if the MTP streaming server is enabled.

   $AudioType             = array(".mp3", ".ogg");

At the moment we only support "mp3" and "ogg" audio format so it makes no sense to add additional audio types here. In case you like to have support for other formats as well be contact us in our forum.

   $PictureType           = array(".jpg");

Also for pictures the support is limited to jpg file format at the moment. If you need support for other picture formats please contact our forum.

   $Mem_Size              = "400M";

The memory which is used for picture conversion. Normally the here assigned memory should be ok for pictures up to 10GByte. In the case you have problems building the photo database please enhance this value, also if the thumbnails are not showing up

   $Picture_Single_Stay   = 120;
   $Picture_List_Stay     = 10;

The duration of photo's in the photo show for manual and automated shows. In "manual" mode you can either switch the picture with your remote control or the next picture will come up after 2 minutes.

   $Picture_Rotate        = true;

If this entry is enabled pictures will be rotated according to the exif information in the picture. As this is already influecing the production of the thumbnails when creating the database you should decide the needed setting before starting the Linux MTPCenter 2.0 the first time.

   $Picture_Transition    = 0;

The definition of the transition which is used between two photos. The list below can be different if you are using a compatible client. If random is used this feature will be emulated by software if it is not supported from the media client.

0=Random, 1=WipeDown, 2=WipeUp, 3=OpenVertical, 4=CloseVertical, 5=Split Vertical1 6=SplitVertical2, 7=Interlace, 8=FadeToBlack

   $Pic_ShowTime          = true;
   $Pic_ShowName          = true;

If these values are enabled exif information (filename and creation date/time) are added to the picture in the photo show and also in single picture view.

   $HDTV_CUT              = true;

In HDTV mode pictures are cutted so that that they perfectly fit on the HDTV screen.

   $Pic_Direct            = false;

If this value is enabled the Linux MTPCenter is resizing the picture according to the used TV resolution. This is the preferred options and should be used if your server is not too slow. If disabled the picture is transferred to the media client as it is and the media client will do the resizing. In this case we cannot add any exif information to the photo, also automatic rotation is disabled. Pictures over 8MBit could cause your media client crashing if it has to do the resizing.

   $Pic_Direct_Single    = false;

Same as above but for the single picture view in MTPCenter.

   $Music_Stream         = false;

If the MTP Streaming server is not used and you have a Pinnacle Showcenter 200 you should enable this setting to ensure that vdr mp3 files are played without problems. In the case this feature is used it's not possible to fast forward or rewind.

   $Music_Title_Generation = true;

When this value is enabled the Linux MTPCenter 2.0 will try to build title information out of the filename.

   $Music_Filename       = array ("Album", "Artist", "Title");

Setting which information can be found in the filename, the order should be the same then used in your filenames.

   $Music_Delemitter     = "_-_";

To seperate the information out of the filename please define the way how the information can be seperated with a delimitter string.

Example Filename: Albumname_-_Interpret_-_MyTitle.mp3
In the database you will see the following information Album with "Albumname", Artist with "Interpret" und Title with "MyTitle".

   $Music_IDTAG          = true;

If ID3 tags are available in your music file this information will be used when creating the music database. In case this option is disabled only the information out of the filename is used.

   $CoverArt             = "coverart.jpg";

During music playback you can add a music picture which will be used if no picture is included in the file itself. The picture must be available in the same directory as the music file.

   $Music_Continue_Value = "20";

This is a setting which can be only used with MTP streaming server enabled and only for Pinnacle Showcenter clients. If you have bigger music files (as set in the value above) as for example audio books its possible to stop listening whenever needed and to restart later at nearly the point where you have stopped. Please do not use values below 10 as it makes no sense because of the media client buffer. The value 0 is disabling this function.

   $INET_RADIO_USE       = false;

If you have direct Internet access and you like to receive Shoutcast or also MP3 Radio streams please enable this setting.

   $Preferred_Genre      = array ('Hits','Rock', 'Pop', '90s', '80s');

Sort these genres to the top of the genre list if available. All other available genres will be listed below in alphabetical order.

   $INET_RECORDING_SHOW  = false;

Is this value true and you have configured the settings for saving internet radio streams you will be able to replay all radiostreams which have been recorded before.

   $Recording_Sort       = false;

If enabled directories are listed at the beginning in the movie recording menu.

   $Time_Show            = false;

If enabled this actual time is shown in the right upper part of the screen. The time is only updated when a new screen is loaded.

   $Switch_VMode         = false;

When enabled you can switch the media client between 2 preferred settings with the keys "C" or "?" (or compatible keys) in the main menu. The settings are defined in the user configuration. I have tested this function on a Showcenter 1000 and 200, I can not ensure that this is also working on other clients. The predefined values which can be selected are the values available on a Showcenter 200, please understand that other clients may only have a subset of the here defined video settings.

ATTENTION: When you are using the feature plase check which settings are really available on your media client. A setting which is not available on your media client may corrupt your media client so that in worsest case it will no longer boot!!!!

   $Database_Rebuild     = false;

If database tables are out of function try setting this value to true, but only if really needed! As soon you start the MTPCenter again it will try to rebuild all database tables.

   $DataLog              = false;

Activate Logging for database creation and update

   $Logging              = false;

Activate Logging in all standard function if available.

   $VDR_Logging          = false;

Activate Logging for communication with the vdr SVDRP interface.

   $VDR_ADDR             = "192.168.0.1";
   $VDR_PORT             = 2001;
   $VDR_STREAMPORT       = 3000;

VDR Server settings, port of the http stream (Streamdev Server) and port of the svdrp Interface. these are the vdr standard ports so normally these settings should work out of the box. please ensure that the streamdev plugin is activated and configured as needed.

   $VDR_SLEEP            = false;

If the vdr is running on another server and the vdr server is allowed to be switched off please enable this setting. The MTPCenter will check whenever reaching the main menu if the vdr server is available and will add / hide all vdr menu options. If enabled you have additional menu entries in the configuration screen to start or shutdown the vdr server.

0 = Browser                     1 = Showcenter 200       2 = Showcenter 1000
3 = Auvisio Box (Newston FW)    4 = ADS Media Player     5 = Transgear Media Player 
6 = Auvisio Box Original        7 = Elgato Exehome       8 = All other clients

In case you are changing the next two settings please ensure you are just changing the setting for your specific media client. We tried to set good defaults, however if you are reaching better results with different settings please let us know.

   $VTP_USE              = false;
   $Vtp_Port             = "2004";

You can define per Client if VTP or HTTP protocol is used. The usage of an external remuxer has also some problems so we recommend vtp only with the usage of Showcenter 200 client.

The vdr stremdev server has two different options of feeding, the standard way is working with http protocol, the other option is called vtp and is providing better communication and better error messages. So whenever possible please enable vtp streaming in the options of the streamdev plugin and enable this setting here as well. VTP is only possible when using the MTP Streaming Server.

   $Vtp_TV_Remux_Software      = "ts2ps";
   $Vtp_Radio_Remux_Software   = "ts2es";

In vtp mode the streamdev plugin is only providing ts mpeg format which is not accepted by most media clients. So we need to remux the stream into ps mpeg format, therefore an external remuxer software is needed which is able to convert the format on the fly. We have tested several programs, best results have been reached with the program ts2ps (for video) and ts2es (for audio). The programs must be available in a normal shell (terminal) or must be specified with the complete path so that they can be called by the streaming server.

   $VDR_Start_Delay      = 5;
   $VDR_End_Delay        = 10;

Start and stop delay for vdr recordings. The start delay define the number of minutes a recording is started prior to the official start time of the broadcast, the end delay will ensure that the recording will continue some more minutes after the offical broacast ending time.

   $VDR_Prio             = 99;
   $VDR_Dura             = 99;

The priority of the used timer (0-99), if there is another timer at the same time the priority will define which broadcast is recorded..

   $EPG_CharSet          = "utf-8";

Defines which character set is used on the vdr for EPG information. In case of any problems please change the setting to "latin1"

0 = Browser                     1 = Showcenter 200       2 = Showcenter 1000
3 = Auvisio Box (Newston FW)    4 = ADS Media Player     5 = Transgear Media Player 
6 = Auvisio Box Original        7 = Elgato Exehome       8 = All other clients

In case you are changing these settings please ensure you are just changing the setting for your specific media client. We tried to set good defaults, however if you are reaching better results with different settings please let us know.

   $TV_Stream_Type         = "PES";

Here you can define in which format video data are requested (only in case of http protocol). Accepted values are "PS", "PES", "TS" and "Extern". For VTP protocol please use "TS" (for browser only) or "EXTERN".

   $TV_Stream_Extension    = ".mpg";

Most of the media clients need a file extension to detect which type of file is feeded. Till now mpg as extension is acepted by all clients we have tested, so normally you need not to change this setting.

   $TV_Stream_Wait         = 7000;

Some Media clients are stuttering when their internal buffer is not enough filled when feeding live TV or live Radio. To resolve this problem the MTPStreming Server is collecting the here defined number of bytes (multiplied with 1000) before he is starting to feed the content. The disadvantage of the solution is that it sometimes needs quite long till live TV is started, on the other hand playback is stable and I think this is more important. However you can play around with this setting when needed. If you don't use the MTPStreaming server you do not need to care about this setting.

   $Radio_Stream_Type      = "ES";

Here you can define in which format radio data are requested (only in case of http protocol). Accepted values are "ES", "PES" and "Extern".

   $Radio_Stream_Extension = ".mp2";

Most of the media clients need a file extension to detect which type of file is feeded. Till now mp2 and mp3 as extension is acepted by all clients we have tested, so normally you need not to change this setting.

   $Radio_Stream_Wait     = 500;

Some Media clinets are stuttering when their internal buffer is not enough filled when feeding live TV or live Radio. To resolve this problem the MTPStreming Server is collecting the here defined number of bytes (multiplied with 1000) before he is starting to feed the content. The disadvantage of the solution is that it sometimes needs quite long till live Radio is started, on the other hand playback is stable and I think this is more important. However you can play around with this setting when needed. If you don't use the MTPStreaming server you do not need to care about this setting.

   $InetRadio_Stream_Wait = 100;

Same as above for Internet radio streams.

   $Radio_Stream_Inet     = true;

In case you are using the MTPStreaming Server you have 2 options to feed vdr radio to your media client. In case this option is enabled vdr radio will be feeded be simulating a internet radio stream. In this option a background picture with information of channel and actual information of the bradcast s shown, also on a Showcenter 200 the playback is started much sooner. You are not able to directly switch to other channels.

In case of disabled the stream as send as standard audio stream, the picture will be black, a Showcenter 200 will need about 20 seceonds or more before playback, but you are able to switch directly between channels.

   $External_Remux        = false;

Some Media clients have problems to playback vdr tv live streams. As the used streamdev server (part of the vdr distribution) has the functionality to start an external remuxer programm before feeding the stream over http we are now supporting this also. As far we have seen till now only Showcenter 200 media clients or clients with the same chipset do show this problem

With $External_Remux the Streamdev Server is informed to use an external remuxer software instead of it's own implementation.. Until you don't see problems with live TV you should leave the setting on false. In case of using vtp mode these settings can also be ignored.

   $External_Write_SH     = false;

With $External_Write_SH the MTPCenter is producing the needed script (for the streamdev server) externremumux.sh. Doing so we have the chance to set additional paramter like pids for Audio and Video.

   $External_Software     = "";

here it is defined which software will be used for external remuxing, in this case nothing is defined.

   $External_Software     = "/usr/local/bin/ts2ps <VPID> <APID>";

The here selected software ts2ps need two additional parameter which are generated by the Linux MTPCenter 2.0 on the fly. However ensure that $External_Write_SH is enabled.

   $External_Software     ="/usr/local/bin/replex -t DVD -v <VPID> -a <APID>";

The here selected software replex also need two additional parameter which are generated by the Linux MTPCenter 2.0 on the fly. Ensure that $External_Write_SH is enabled. Our tests have shown that ts2ps is the better option, replex has not really shown good results.

   $External_Script       = "";

Path and name of the external script. You need also to explain the streamdev server where to find the script, this need to be done with the parameter "-r" when starting the streamdev server.

   $External_Script       = "/temp/externremux.sh"; 

In this example the sript will be created in the directory /temp ansd is named externremux.sh. This will only work if the Linux MTPCenter 2.0 and the streamdev plugin are using the same directory and filename.

   $VDR_Prefer_Dolby        = false;

If enabled I will try to select a digital dolby channel wherever available, but not for the selected channel. When using an external remuxer you should disable the function because ts2ps and also replex have some problems with dolby digital audiostreams.

   $VDR_Prefer_Dolby_Always = false;

Use Dolby Digital also for the selected channel, if available.

   $VDR_NoShow              = "NoShow";

If you are using channellists in the channels.conf file, channels within a channellist with the name above will be ignored. Also we are not collecting epg data for these channels.

   $VDR_Update_Channel      = true;

If this value is on true the MTPCenter will update all channel information before dsplaying them the TV or Radio section. This is to ensure that changed channel names or PID's for audio and video are detected.

   $VDR_Invert              = true;

During broadcast streaming you can influence how Up and Down keys are working. These are used to switch to the next, pevious channel.

   $VDR_Max_Channel         = 30;

VDR channels will be send as a playlist to the media client. With this setting you can limit the number of channels transferred with the playlist. In the case above the selected channel, 14 channels before the selected channel and 15 channels behind the selected channel will be send to the media client. With program + and program - you can change the channel without returning to the menu. Settings below 10 will be ignored and will be changed to 10.

ATTNTION: Please do not delete any lines which are staring with "#", these lines are used for internal travelling in this file.