Dvbviewer TERRATEC Edition Manual
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DVBViewer TERRATEC Edition Manual Version 1.1 - January 2014 DVBViewer TERRATEC Edition Manual 1. Introduction to DVBViewer ..................................................3 2. Installing DVBViewer and starting for the first time ...............................6 3. The program interface .....................................................9 4. Settings ...............................................................11 5. EPG . 13 6. Teletext................................................................14 7. Scanner / Channel scan...................................................15 General information ......................................................15 A station search .........................................................17 8. Recording / Playing and Timeshift function . 17 Video recording .........................................................19 Video recorder programming ...............................................20 Timeshift...............................................................21 9. Display settings . .22 10. Channel list ............................................................23 Delete folder or channel...................................................23 Add channel to favourites..................................................24 Sort channel list .........................................................24 11. Further information on installing DVBViewer ...................................25 DVBViewer in restricted user accounts . .26 2 3 1. Introduction to DVBViewer This chapter introduces the program and its most important features and describes the software and hardware requirements. About these instructions: There are two sections to these instructions. The first section helps you get started. How do I install the software and what do I have to do to watch television. The second section should also serve the following purposes: ● As a Tutorial for new users wishing to get to know DVBViewer in more detail. ● As a Guide for anyone encountering problems while using DVBViewer. ● As a Reference Guide for advanced users. What can DVBViewer do? In short, DVBViewer is a modern multimedia application which allows digital television and radio reception via satellite, cable and aerial to a PC. Here is an overview of the most important features: ● Digital DVD-quality flicker-free picture. ● Hard drive recorder for recording and archiving television and radio programmes with no loss of quality. ● Handy teletext function with page memory navigation, with no waiting times when you click on page numbers, just like the internet. ● EPG – an electronic programme guide providing extensive information on television and radio programmes, convenient programming of timer recordings and an option to saves as an HTML listings magazine. ● Playing any multimedia files, providing the decoders required are installed on the system 2 3 DVBViewer TERRATEC Edition Manual What are the requirements for DVBViewer? As this software gives you access to digital television, you need an appropriate receiver unit which allows you to receive digital signals such as DVB-T, DVB-S or cable. Your PC needs to be suitable for unrestricted video streaming in terms of both hardware and software. In concrete terms, this means: ● 2.0 GHz Intel or AMD CPU / Multi-core for HDTV ● 1 GB RAM / 2 GB for HDTV ● Graphics card with hardware acceleration for HDTV ● Windows XP SP3 (32 bit) / Windows Vista SP2 / Windows 7 SP1 / Windows 8 The requirements are slightly higher than for standard applications such as word processing or file management. The playback of television and video could be too much for PCs which are a few years old - a critical evaluation of performance specifications is required. PCs bought since around 2008 should, in general, be up to the requirements. A little bit trickier ... To avoid disappointment, we should also make clear what DVBViewer cannot do without further intervention. The ability to record videos to the hard drive often throws up more detailed requirements: cutting out adverts, recording the videos to CD or DVD, playing them in a DVD player, etc. Although these are all possible, they generally require additional software tools. For technical reasons, DVBViewer cannot convert the video data into a SVCD (Super-Video CD) or DVD-compatible format during live recording. This kind of "realtime conversion" requires computing capacities which are beyond even the most modern of PCs. DVBViewer therefore records the data exactly as broadcast. You should also know that post-editing video on a PC is not as easy as many believe - especially if using a battery of freeware and shareware tools. Experience shows that anyone expecting sim- ple, immediate Plug & Play solutions will end up frustrated. As a general rule, you need to try out various things, learn the skills and research online ... if you are prepared to do all this, you will doubtlessly be able to achieve what you want. The DVBViewer Forum can offer useful advice: http://www.dvbviewer.com/forum/ It allows you to swap tips and ideas with others, learn from the experience of other users, share your own experiences or use the search function to search the knowledge basis which has been built up over time. 4 5 2. Installing DVBViewer and starting for the first time Before starting with the installation of the software, there are two things you need to do. ● Close any programs which are still running, if you are updating DVBViewer it is especially important to close the existing version of DVBViewer. ● If you are using Windows XP, make sure you have administrator rights. As soon as the installation begins, a Setup Wizard automatically appears to guide you through the installation process. Follow the instructions shown by the wizard. As you continue, you have the option of clicking on Back to take you back a step or clicking Cancel to cancel the entire installation process. If there are no error messages, the installation process is complete as soon as you click on the Finish button to confirm the last stage in the last window. Now check that the device is connected correctly to the USB port and the aerial cable is plugged into the device. If there are error messages when you first start DVBViewer or there is no picture or sound, check the back section of this manual. 4 5 DVBViewer TERRATEC Edition Manual First startup! 1. Click on the Settings button in the top menu bar. 2. Now click on the Hardware table and then on the Scan Devices button. If nothing happens, check the USB stick is properly connected, the PCI card is properly fitted and the drivers are correctly installed. You can find out more about this in the support section of the TERRATEC homepage, for example. If an entry appears under Device, you can click on OK to close the window. The next stage is the actual channel search, which you can find under Scanner. 6 7 3. Click on Scanner to open the channel search window. Select the "Reception Type" menu option and then the Reception Type you want. A complete scan takes hours, narrowing down to a specific area shortens the waiting time considerably. Then confirm by pressing the Scan Range button. The channel search now begins. 4. Finally, close the window and select a channel. You can now select a channel and enjoy digital television. The channel list can now be found on the right-hand side of the display. Your current scan is shown as: "Scan XX.XX.XX“. You can also select your favourites from this list or alter the list of channels by dragging and dropping. You can save a favourite by right-clicking on the channel and selecting "Add to Favourites". 6 7 DVBViewer TERRATEC Edition Manual 3. The program interface This chapter describes basic options available in the menu bar below the display area. A tool-tip indicating the meaning of the icons appears if you hover over the icon for a couple of seconds with the mouse pointer. Top menu bar: File This function allows you to select audio and video files directly and play them. Recordings Displays the video recorder window where you can program a recording. EPG Clicking on this option displays the Electronic Programme Guide. Teletext This option starts the teletext. Options Opens the options window. Info Shows the current software version of the DVBViewer. Bottom menu bar: 2. Play/Pause/Stop 3. Record 4. Last-viewed channel 5. Channel list 6. Switch channel 7. Opens the TERRATEC website in a browser window 8. Volume control 9. Mute button 10. Mini EPG 8 9 The context menu There are more options in the context menu which appears when you right-click anywhere in the DVBViewer screen. More detailed information can be found later on in the manual, although most menu options should be self-explanatory. 8 9 DVBViewer TERRATEC Edition Manual 4. Settings Click on the Settings button in the top menu bar to access the options. This window shows the general software settings. It contains the following tabs: General, Hardware, Scanner, Renderer, Decoder, Remote and Favorites. General You can configure the general program settings in the top half of the window. Language: Set the language from the drop-down menu. Address: This restricts the search range and speeds up the channel scan process. The bottom half of the window contains recording settings. Recorder: Storage location for your recordings, you can edit this by clicking in the box next to it. Timeshift: Storage location for timeshift buffer, you can edit this by clicking in the box next to it. 10 11 Hardware This tab shows all connected devices and other settings options. Device: