I have a Hauppauge PVR-250 video card and based on information I've found on the Internet, I should be able to use it with Windows Media Encoder to stream video.
I have found I can stream video which has been recorded from the Hauppauge PVR-250 card (such as recording a TV broadcast and then streaming that), but I receive this error when trying to stream the live video directly from the PVR-250 card.
This is the setup in Windows Media Encoder. WME does recognize the PVR card as a valid choice for source.
This is how WinTV2K looks, so everything looks ok here.I thought the codecs problem may be related to the type of output, so I played around with various settings, but nothing seemed to work for live video.
Here are a couple of links describing how this is SUPPOSED to work:
http://www.hauppauge.com/pages/faq/support_faq_pci.html#5b
http://www.informit.com/articles/article.asp?p=386789&rl=1
I have been able to perform normal file conversions using WME. For example, I was able to convert a recording from WinTV2K into an ASF video appropriate for video streaming.
So far, no solution yet...
Update: So my solution was to go without WME. I used VideoLAN (free software) for both streaming and client software. In theory, I would have thought that I could use Windows Media Player as the client as well, but that does not seem to work. Anyway, it is a moot point. I use VideoLAN anyway as the client for streaming from ReplayTV. The whole purpose of streaming live video was to be able to view who is at the front door (through the front door camera) from any PC in the house. Beats actually having to get up and go to the front door. Just kidding! But we would like the ability to screen who we greet at the door, just as we screen our phone calls, and it would not help if they see us through the decorative glass we have at the front door or adjacent satellite windows.
But this does provide additional possibilities, like watching live TV from any PC. I do have sling box, but this would in theory provide a cheaper solution and does not limit the number of clients who can view at the same time.
Anyway, this does leave a challenge regarding my PCs. Now I need to have one PC in the study to run the streaming software. This PC can do other things, like it could be my MovableType server. However, it does seem to be running high on CPU.
I moved the NetVista into my home office, but since this is an older, slower machine, I am not sure this is the right machine for my office. In addition, that'll mean I should move the old printer in my office, so I should clean up my office a little bit so noone breaks their neck trying to retrieve a printout. Obviously, another choice is to put an old ThinkPad in the learning center to be the print server for the upstairs printer. Update: Ah, I had an old USB HUB I wasn't using at the moment, so I hooked up Kyoko's ThinkPad to the printer, bluetooth adaptor, and external hard drive by using the USB HUB. See! It helps to have old stuff around and to buy things even though you don't know exactly what for yet...
The NetVista could go downstairs and work double as the downstairs print server as well as a client for the front door camera. That way, we don't have to walk ALL THE WAY to the study to see who is at the front door. Life's tough.
Windows Media Encoder, although not working out for streaming, may be the solution if I want to get video into a format to play on my Zaurus. Since I moved PCs around and the one which I used to use as my "work" (ie, sandbox) PC is now streaming the video from the front door, I put the NetVista in my home office. However, it seems to be missing some codecs and does not properly play some of the MPEG2 videos. Strange, though, is that they play on WMP but not on WinDVD. I tried to re-install WinDVD from the CD but it complains that I don't have a DVD player on that PC. Of course not, I moved the DVD to a different PC! Doesn't the software know that! Grrr, so now I have to either move it back, or perhaps I'll just get that region-free DVD-ROM drive I've been thinking about. Anyway, seems like it may be a couple of months until I can get around to trying this out.
Don't I need a new PC anyway? This is a rhetorical question by the way... But don't tell Kyoko!
Update: Placing a monitor to the downstairs print server (old iSeries ThinkPad) seems to work out well. Now, I am out of monitors and cannot set up my ThinkPad for work with dual monitors while working. Does this mean I need to buy another monitor??? Actually, it's not high on my priority list right now. However, the iSeries ThinkPad (266MHz!) seems too slow for video display. In fact, I seem to remember watching MPEG movies on this ThinkPad was not possible. If I am fast enough, I can walk in the front door and go to the monitor and still see myself at the front door. Wow, I can be at two places at the same time! OK, maybe not... So anyway, I guess this really means I need another PC, maybe two! (As if there was any doubt...)
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