Decklink support VLC, FFMPEG

Questions about ATEM Switchers, Camera Converter and everything live!
  • Author
  • Message
Offline

dmemphis

  • Posts: 33
  • Joined: Mon Jan 13, 2014 10:55 am
  • Real Name: Douglas Crawford

Decklink support VLC, FFMPEG

PostSat Sep 11, 2021 7:28 pm

I've spent days on looking into using decklink cards from VLC and FFMPEG.
It seems I'm faced with building my own versions of these programs to add decklink support.
Why is the most ubiquitous serious video cards not supported in these programs?
Apparently it has to do with not being able to redistribute...what... the libraries?
Might something ever change here?
Want to know before I spend more countless days setting up for builds that are surely going
to be fraught with issues...
Offline

eMilty

  • Posts: 164
  • Joined: Mon Oct 22, 2018 9:54 pm
  • Location: The Netherlands
  • Real Name: Marco Miltenburg

Re: Decklink support VLC, FFMPEG

PostSat Sep 11, 2021 8:41 pm

Not tested myself, but did you see this project?: https://sites.google.com/site/videofan3 ... n-decklink
Offline
User avatar

Roman Pytkin Pekarek

  • Posts: 2312
  • Joined: Tue Oct 30, 2012 1:11 pm
  • Location: SVK

Re: Decklink support VLC, FFMPEG

PostSat Sep 11, 2021 11:44 pm

u need compile sdk into ffmpeg .. im using it in linux and works good ..
http://tally.pytkin.sk
http://chucktv.eu
http://www.stonepp.tv
http://www.media-planet.sk
Offline

dmemphis

  • Posts: 33
  • Joined: Mon Jan 13, 2014 10:55 am
  • Real Name: Douglas Crawford

Re: Decklink support VLC, FFMPEG

PostSun Sep 12, 2021 4:44 am

Thank you for the replies. The plug in sounds like a winner compared to rebuilding VLC.

However, I'm bumming on the whole concept because I've been testing VLC and FFPlay
receiving streams from a playout system on Windows in formats RTMP (NGINX server) and RTP direct from IP port and just displaying in a window. I was very excited to get streams displaying at will
on the PC.

But neither VLC nor FFPlay can reliably recover from a network error like disconnecting and
reconnecting the network cable. Sometimes they start rolling again, sometimes not.
ffplay, run from the command line won't even exit so that I could put it in a reconnect loop
in a script. Without reliability I'm stuck.
I'm left with no solution to receive streams and do something with them (and I
need three concurrent inputs going to three different destinations).
I see posts related to this but no definitive solutions.
Are fully working versions of these kept proprietary? Hmmmm......

So as usual with these free tools I get stuck just as I think I 'm getting going.

I suppose I need to try it under Linux... more later for anyone interested.
Only after passing this will I bother trying to get them talking to decklink.

Anyway this is off topic now for this board, so I'll see if there is anything meaningful to
be had on the VLC and FFMPEG boards.
Offline
User avatar

Roman Pytkin Pekarek

  • Posts: 2312
  • Joined: Tue Oct 30, 2012 1:11 pm
  • Location: SVK

Re: Decklink support VLC, FFMPEG

PostMon Sep 13, 2021 12:07 am

for RTMP stream playback is OBS much better than VLC .. And have builtin support for output to Decklink ..

But for RTMP stream playback im using small raspberry pi .. Its cheap, small , works great .. If U need SDI , then u can add small HDMI to SDI converter (powered from RPI) .. Its all together cheaper then single Decklink card :) .. On RPI is raspbian with OMXplayer (commandline utility) running in infinity loop script ..

I was builded stream decoder for friend .. 2 decklink quad .. 16 SDI outputs for decoding IP streams ..
http://tally.pytkin.sk
http://chucktv.eu
http://www.stonepp.tv
http://www.media-planet.sk
Offline

dmemphis

  • Posts: 33
  • Joined: Mon Jan 13, 2014 10:55 am
  • Real Name: Douglas Crawford

Re: Decklink support VLC, FFMPEG

PostMon Sep 13, 2021 6:06 am

Thank you for the suggestions!
I don't think OBS will do what I want... its not a traditional stream thing that most
people are doing.
Its a playout application. I'm having one pc produce a 3 trmp playouts via scheduled playlist
and these go to a PC that will take the 3 independent streams and play them to 3 independent Decklink HD-SDI channels.
I was having NGINX provide 3 server outputs- live1, live2, live 3 and setting up 3 iinstances

It also needs to be able to survive network outages and resume the feed when the communications
are restored.
I've recently learned that is a problem with VLC and ffmpeg (demonstrated with ffplay in my tests).
I'm using nginx as the RTMP receiver server.
Both these apps sometimes recover from network plug pull/restore, but mostly not.
Also, ffplay doesn't even start rtmp feeds reliably. Sometimes the command puts out text but
never starts the video. You have to ^c and do it again. Maybe two or three times. That's no good!

So the question now is what is the PC software solution for dependable long term running/recoverable receiver of 3 independent RTMP streams and playing of those on Decklink HD-SDI outputs?
My tests are under Windows 10. Don't know if anything would be different under Linux.
Or do I go to a hardware solution- ATEM Stream Bridge looked promising but I understand
it has header requirements that tie it to ATEM switcher streams.

3 independ
Offline
User avatar

Roman Pytkin Pekarek

  • Posts: 2312
  • Joined: Tue Oct 30, 2012 1:11 pm
  • Location: SVK

Re: Decklink support VLC, FFMPEG

PostMon Sep 13, 2021 10:37 pm

So i dont understand .. What do U want to do for test ? VLC and ffmpeg is not usable (sometime freeze) .. So what do you want to try next ?

Im using wowza servers (not nginx) and created webside app for stream videos, restream streams with management of audio tracks etc .. Im using it for lot of things .. Multiple RTMP destinations , etc .. all is based on ffmpeg .. i like it ..
http://tally.pytkin.sk
http://chucktv.eu
http://www.stonepp.tv
http://www.media-planet.sk
Offline

dmemphis

  • Posts: 33
  • Joined: Mon Jan 13, 2014 10:55 am
  • Real Name: Douglas Crawford

Re: Decklink support VLC, FFMPEG

PostTue Sep 14, 2021 7:40 am

I found a DIY stream bridge for Raspberry Pi on youtube.
It uses NGINX like I did on the PC but it uses a different player, OMXPlayer.
It looks like this player exits on a disconnect so I think I can programmatically
handle the loss, which might be to reboot.
So I'm playing with that.
Other than that I'm evaluating a three channel playout system, and it is possible
that I can use another copy of that running on another PC to receive the playout stream
and send each stream to a decklink output.
I'm asking if I can do this on one license... since i'm not technically running more than
three channels that I would pay for...
That's all I have for now, if I can't find a workable solution, then the playout machine
has to go offsite where the cable TV equipment closet is and we have to remotely
access the PC, and send files over the internet to it- slower and clumsier.
Offline
User avatar

Roman Pytkin Pekarek

  • Posts: 2312
  • Joined: Tue Oct 30, 2012 1:11 pm
  • Location: SVK

Re: Decklink support VLC, FFMPEG

PostWed Sep 15, 2021 12:28 am

I WAS talked to you about RPI and OMXPLAYER 13 Sep 2021, 01:07 here :) .. Its great...
http://tally.pytkin.sk
http://chucktv.eu
http://www.stonepp.tv
http://www.media-planet.sk
Offline

dmemphis

  • Posts: 33
  • Joined: Mon Jan 13, 2014 10:55 am
  • Real Name: Douglas Crawford

Re: Decklink support VLC, FFMPEG

PostThu Sep 16, 2021 3:11 am

Ah yes! Thank you for that, I probably found the DIY youtube because of you mentioning OMXPlayer.
Thanks again!

Return to Live Production

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: Blair Christensen and 17 guests