I want to stream!

[trentlott]

I apologize ahead of time if this is the wrong forum or place to ask for this information. I have HD MLB Extra innings through Direct TV and would like to payback the community I have mooched off of for so long with streaming a few games on a regular basis. With that said, I am really unsure how to get started, so if anyone can point me in the right direction, I would love to be able to help out others enjoy some good baseball.

Thank you!


~ft edit >> New streamers are most welcome! Let's get you started soon!

[trentlott]

But first... let's get some info from you.

List your PC's specs. Type, CPU, RAM, TVcard?

and also get your connection speeds... go here, run the test, then copy and paste the results back here. We need to know what your upload and download speeds are ok?

the computer that is connected all day is a Dell XPS 5000 running Windows XP Professional. Intel Core 6660 @ 2.40GHz 2.00 GB of Ram

Speed:
Download - 16.66 MB/s
Upload - 5.96 MB/s
Ping - 33 ms

currently do not have a TV card in this system, so looking for advice on what I should get (internal, usb, etc)

I do have Directv2pc software installed, which allows me to watch any recorded/playing program from my Direct TV HD DVR on the computer. It works very well, however I noticed there is about a 2-3 minute lag with Live TV (not sure if that is frowned upon here or not).

thanks!

[ft420]

the computer that is connected all day is a Dell XPS 500 running Windows XP Professional. Intel Core 6660 @ 2.40GHz 2.00 GB of Ram

Speed:
Download - 16.66 MB/s
Upload - 5.96 MB/s
Ping - 33 ms

currently do not have a TV card in this system, so looking for advice on what I should get (internal, usb, etc)

I do have Directv2pc software installed, which allows me to watch any recorded/playing program from my Direct TV HD DVR on the computer. It works very well, however I noticed there is about a 2-3 minute lag with Live TV (not sure if that is frowned upon here or not).

thanks!

great! It's much the same as my setup. I'd do a little research as far as the TV card. I've heard some good things recently about USB cards, so I don't think it's necessary to get an internal card anymore. For me... it always about the price between compareable items and what works best for my PC.


I'm going to copy and move all of this conversion to a new thread in the main MLB section if it's ok with you. That way, we can get any mods out there, like Big Mac, AC, Mt. Shast, to chime in. Big Mac is especially knowledgable about getting started, Shasta I believe was the one who mentioned the good USB card... (or maybe it was *Strategix, StxTV) <*editted>
anyway... what do you say?

[trentlott]

sounds good...

[trentlott]

alrighty...i'm here. Thanks again for your help.

[ft420]

Our pleasure mate. I'm going to go give a heads up to Big Mac so he can help... particularly with the Directv2pc question.

[trentlott]

Ok...I will continue to check back here and hope to be streaming soon.

[Big Mac]

Ok I'n here. Give me a moment to get some stuff together.

[Big Mac]

Okay this first thread deals with how to use Windows Media Encoder (WME). That is what will turn the TV program into a format that you can pass to the streaming application. You only need to understand WME, the rest of the stuff about Sopcast does not apply.

Broadcast your own channel (Guide + Info)

Once the stream is created in WME, then you need to get it into streamTorrent. This tells you how

[Guide] Broadcasting on StreamTorrent.

I really recommend using a USB capture card to start with. Why? well they are cheaper, and just as good as internal ones. Also, it avoids all that fee PCI slot and comparability issues.

I cannot recommend a brand, because the ones in UK are different to USA, but you will need a composite/hybrid card if you have a digital signal. I know there are tons of them in Best Buy when I have visited them in the USA

So have a read of these, and then come back if you have questions.

[trentlott]

Thanks for the info.... until I go out and get a capture card, what are your thoughts on doing a screen capture, as I can use the DirectTV2PC software to see the video on the computer already as I explained above.

[Big Mac]

Thanks for the info.... until I go out and get a capture card, what are your thoughts on doing a screen capture, as I can use the DirectTV2PC software to see the video on the computer already as I explained above.

Yeah, you can try. However be warned that uses a lot of CPU and RAM. Looking at your spec, you might be OK, but it may be tight My advice would be do the simple stuff first and get comfortable with the software. Then, if you move to ScreenCap, you won't be having to tweak loads of settings, because you will have nailed down the WME and StreamTorrent ones already.

But if you want, then

You can put up a Video Stream. WME Screen Capture Streaming

[ft420]

I'm not sure you have enough CPU to screen cap and stream. It usually takes a dual core at least.

Using WME + Stream Torrent is the least intensive way I know of to stream...

You're prolly looking at being able to do any bitrate up to 1.5Mb/sec... however... the limitations of the rest of the internet, your viewer's connection speeds and the amount of traffic usually suggests a bitrate of between 300k and 750k with 400-450k being the optimal. I use 300k and 240k on 2 pcs, 1 connection, with enough overhead to be able to surf like I'm doing now, although it's bit laggy... not too bad.