[How-to] View Sopcast channels on your tv

[cisko]

This is a simple guide that help you to view sopcast channels on your television, tablet, smartphone, pc and any other device that can connect to your home network and support streaming channel in webTV mode.

What is Sopcast
Sopcast is a P2P streaming system that allow user to view a streamed transmission using standard internet protocol, and allow broadcaster to broadcast it without using a big server with a super-high-speed connection.
Obviously, because this is a P2P system, protocol use both your download and upload bandwith.

What's good
Quality is general good or ok. You can view many channels with an high quality without a fast connection - a standard DSL line is ok and at least this is required.
In some case is possible to stream 2 or more channels at the same time without having a premium DSL or fiber optic connection.

What's no good
Protocol use your upload speed.
Sopcast is not an open source software, but a closed source.
Sopcast is available only for X86 platform - your standard home computer.
On mobile platform Sopcast is available only for Android devices.

Due to it's limitation in the continuous of the guide I'll illustrate you how to stream a Sopcast channel from your pc to your decoder or tv using only sopcast software on your computer and WebTV function on your decoder.

Installation

For PCs platform sopcast is available for Linux, Windows and MAC platform.

Linux
Go to: _http://www.sopcast.com/download/linux.html and download all three files: sp-auth, libstdcpp5 and GUI (graphical interface).

When downloads are finished extract it in different folders then open command line, move to sp-auth folder and copy sp-sc-auth file into /usr/bin dir with the command below:

su -c 'cp sp-sc-auth /usr/bin/sp-sc-auth'

or, if you prefer sudo

sudo 'cp sp-sc-auth /usr/bin/sp-sc-auth'

After do that move to folder where you have extracted libstdcpp5 files and copy it into /usr/lib with the command below:

su -c 'cp libstdc++.so.5 /usr/lib/libstdc++.so.5'
su -c 'cp libstdc++.so.5.0.1 /usr/lib/libstdc++.so.5.0.1'

or, if you prefer sudo

sudo 'cp libstdc++.so.5 /usr/lib/libstdc++.so.5'
sudo 'cp libstdc++.so.5.0.1 /usr/lib/libstdc++.so.5.0.1'

That's all for a command line istallation.
To use write

sp-sc-auth SOPCAST_LINK RECEIVE_PORT SEND_PORT > /dev/null &

, for example

sp-sc-auth sop://broker.sopcast.com:3912/6001 3908 8908 > /dev/null &

where SEND_PORT is port used for client to connect to your pc.
If you have an active firewall open port on it according to your SEND_PORT.
With this method you can run a multiple instance of sopcast at the same time and retransmit more than one channel at the same time, but you can use different ports for any instance both for RECEIVE_PORT than for SEND_PORT.

All command line options are:

sp-sc-auth
SC Version: 3.2.6  Build time: 2009-11-09 15:09
Usage:
./sp-sc [-TpI] [-b ipaddr] [-u username:password] [-n out:total] <sop://url> <localport> <playerport>

If you would a GUI using terminal move to folder where you have extracted GUI files and write command below after you have resolved all dependency

make
su -c 'make install'

or, if you prefer sudo

make
sudo 'make install'

Dependency:

==Build Dependencies==

• python
• gettext
• python-setuptools

==Run-Time Dependencies==

• python
• libvlc-dev
• sp-auth
• hicolor-icon-theme
• python-glade2
• python-gobject
• python-gtk2

Windows
Simple, go to _http://www.sopcast.com/download/win.html download it, double click on installation file and follow on-screen procedures to install it.

Mac
I have no Mac device, but go there _http://www.sopcast.com/download/mac.html open it and follow on-screen procedures to install it.

PC Configuration

If you are using command line linux version your pc configuration has ended after you had open port on firewall, otherwise:
open sopcast player GUI (all version except command line), select edit --> preferences and check static port, select two different port for incoming and outbound port, for example 8901 and 8902 and press apply.
Now set-up your firewall to accept incoming connection on your outbound port, in the example 8902 - yes it's correct

If you do all correct pc's configuration has ended.

Note that using GUI and static port only one channel is available, you cannot stream more channels at the same time.

Decoder Configuration

You must have a TV or a decoder image that support webTV.
Note: this option is valid for all device (also smartphone, etc...) that can handle streamed channel.
Go to your WebTV option and add a channel with the following path:

http://pc_ip:out_port/tv.asf

for example

http://192.168.1.2:8902/tv.asf

where pc_ip is the IP of your computer and out_port is outbound port setted before, tv.asf do not change.
Set-up channel as live stream, if required.

Is a better idea to set up a static ip to your pc (not covered in this guide).

A practical example:
If you are using a Sparkbox decoder and you are running SparkOS turn on your stb then press menu --> networking --> WebTv, select "add new server" and write "Sopcast" or what you want into Name Field, _http://192.168.1.2:8902/tv.asf into URL field and select live-channel into mode.

[mirny]

Re: [How-to] View Sopcast channels on your tv

hello there is missing something but anyway very good guide.

make
su -c 'make install'

or, if you prefer sudo

make
su[B]do[/B] -c 'make install'