HDMI Source for ONE channel (HDMI output from STB to HDMI input)

[djronnieg 1]

I'm happy HDHomerun owner and happy user of Emby "Live TV". My issue is that a single channel that my father watches is DRM protected (if I were him I'd just stop watching that channel, clearly they don't care about my needs as a customer). 

 

Before the HDHR DVR app, I could record using WMC and and play recordings on a single PC. I think the HDHR app does this too, but DRM recordings cannot be played in on the Roku app in a different room. I could run the HDMI output into a capture card (after passing it through a HDCP splitter), and record that but this method doesn't quite work like a DVR. I could also use a harmony hub and issue commands to an STB which would be hooked up to an HDMI capture card. 

Now, I can record that channel or play it live and forward it to the kitchen but can't rewind the live stream.

 

Is there a way to take a stream from OBS (or something else) and relay to Emby as a IPTV channel?

The way I see it, if this one odd-ball channel stream could treated like a Live TV  channel, then I'd be able to pause or record the live content within Emby.

 

Am I making sense here? If anyone can help and needs further clarification, I'll do my best to keep it short (this is my 3rd draft, the first two drafts were obscenely long posts). 

 

Backstory:

Before switching to FiOS, my entire channel line-up was DRM protected and I was only able to use WMC or HDHR DVR (after waiting years for it to support DRM), and even then was only able to watch the recorded content on a single device. No copying or re-encoding, no streaming.... I sometimes was able to use TeamViewer and Parsec while watching live DRM content but most of the time this would generate a HDCP error message. I could also didn't bother setting up a complex IR blaster config because it was my hope the the lack of DRM on FIOS would be the answer to my prayers. 

It was the answer to my prayers, but it just so happens that my father watches the only freaking channel that is DRM-protected. It's infuriating, but my task is somewhat simplified... I just need some guidance on how I can do what I'm trying to do as stated in the bold text above.

[Luke 37099]

Hi, can you import it into emby server as an m3u?

[djronnieg 1]

I'll certainly try... it appears that would do the trick. As I understand it, if a video stream is made availlable through an M3U, I can select it from within Emby, as well as pause and record it. Is this correct?

My next steps: On my end I must figure out how to take an HDMI source and make it available as or within an M3U.

I found an OBS plug-in that was really easy to setup, but apparently it only streams audio  The other plug-ins seem to demand a bit more effort. Well, I'll have to sit down when I get off work and give it a bit of elbow grease.

[Luke 37099]

Yes that would work. Or if they don't have an m3u but do have a video URL, then you can always just design the M3U yourself.

[djronnieg 1]

Progress made: using another M3U as a template, I was able to add my entry (video URL). Once I did that, it was super easy to add the M3U as a  source or "tuner". I really like how this works so far.

I also managed to resolved that I was having with the OBS plug-in, so now I can receive both video and sound from within Emby.  So as it stand right now, it looks something like this:

Cable TV STB HDMI ouput --> HDMI splitter --> HDMI capture --> OBS --> RTSP server plug-in --> Emby (also plays in VLC, for example)

This is quite excellent, but with the caveat that I cannot record this "channel" from within Emby. As I understand it, I can only record content that comes up on the EPG (Electronic Program Guide). For my purposes, I don't need a genuine EPG entry.. if my only option was to add a channel called "Ron's butt" with one hour time blocks named "Some Show", I'd be quite satisfied with that. Whimsical examples aside,  I'm open to any ideas, suggestions, even if it were a stop-gap measure. 

EDIT: While investigating I stumbled into this post mentioning "xTeVe", an M3U Proxy. Will review the post and the GIT page to see if I can wrangle anything together. Original reply continues henceforth...

Potentially crazy idea:

It appears that protected channels are not listed in the EPG because they are not usable. The channel guide data does exist in the TV listings and it is accurate. In my case, by using the HDMI-input sans DRM and a STB that is set to a single channel...  I would only need to find a way to make Emby include that channel in the EPG update (or to un-filter it, if that's even how it works). From there, I would need to edit the entry so that it references the M3U playlist or the RTSP address.

For my second idea:

Normally Emby updates the EPG data based on my FiOS TV channel line-up which was configured when I added my HDHR tuner. Assuming I could find the file or "database" which contains the EPG data, and assuming it is in a format that I can edit.... I would add one additional channel entry (maybe even edit an existing entry for a channel that I don't like, if that turned out to be more doable), and then I would assign one hour time blocks ("some show"). 

Okay great, in this hypothetical scenario I have this channel in the EPG, I can tune-in from the Emby client and click "record". If a given program happens to span 90 minutes, I would just rerecord two hours. So far so good UNTIL, the EPG get's updated (as it should). At which point the manually-added entry would no longer be present. So then what? Perhaps I could write a script or .bat file (Windows) that re-adds my imaginary channel to the EPG (automate the steps above). I could perhaps run the script on a scheduled interval, or ideally find a way to make it run automatically right after Emby refreshes the EPG (every time). 

In any case, I'm happy that this all works as well as it does and if I could submit a wish, the wish would "the ability to add a custom channel to the EPG from an M3U tuner."

 

Edited November 6, 2022 by djronnieg