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TV Brick - Open Source TV Streaming?

Posted by simoniker on from the swap-channels-with-friends-in-other-countries dept.

Anders Jacobsen writes "Nexedi has released the TV Brick - an open source-based box for TV capture and streaming over the Internet. Primarily targeted towards Japanese families living in France (seeing that popular Japanese channels like Yomiuri TV and NHK Sogo are unavailable outside Japan), the idea is that is you plug one of these boxes to a TV antenna and a broadband connection in Japan, and the other to a broadband plug and a TV in France; instant 'magic' happens and all the goodness of Japanese TV is in your living room." We also covered the OpenBrick project a few months back.

8 of 236 comments (clear)

  1. Poor name choice? by ...+James+... · · Score: 4, Informative

    How long until they get sued by these guys:
    VBrick Systems

    Seems like it's essentially doing the same thing and, to me, the name seems awfully similar...

    --
    get nemulator
  2. some more info by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative
    Since it looks like they are currently watching Japanese television and have no bandwith for a Slashdotting, here is more info from the site:

    TV Brick Systems > en > affiliate > TV Brick Systems > Personal Multimedia > TVBrick
    Home Server

    TVBrick: it's like Home! Watch all Home TV Channels from abroad by connecting to
    your Home TV antena from abroad.

    Features

    TVBrick is a Home Server designed for International Families who must stay abroad
    and who need to keep a tight relation with their Home country and family.

    Current Features:
    * View all Home TV channels from abroad
    * Connect to the Internet by Wireless network when you stay at Home
    * Improve communication with your family when you stay abroad

    Future Features
    * Talk by Internet Phone with your family for free
    * Share digital snapshots of life abroad with your family in your Home country

    System

    In order to watch Home TV channels from abroad, a TVBrick Home Server appliance must
    be installed at your Home in your home country and connected to the broadband
    Internet access of your home family. It becomes then possible to watch all Home TV
    channels from abroad by connecting to your home TVBrick either with a standard PC or
    with the optional TVBrick player. A password will be required to connect to your
    home TVBrick in order to make sure that only people of the same family can access
    Home TV channels. Because reproduction of home TV channels happens in a private
    manner within the same family, the use of TVBrick to watch home TV channels is
    compatible with international Copyright Law.

    Easy Setup

    Using the TVBrick appliance is very easy: remote users connect to the TVBrick secure
    home page with a standard PC and Web Browser which can be operated anywhere in the
    world. It is also possible to connect with the optional TVBrick player which
    includes a joystick based user interface similar to a video game. Once the TVBrick
    home server is connected to family broadband Internet access and to television,
    there is absolutely nothing to change.

    World Class Technology

    TVBrick uses the Linux Open Source / Free Operating System developped by American,
    European and Japanese engineers. The TVBrick appliance is based on the OpenBrick
    platform (www.openbrick.org). Because it includes no fan, no hard disk and no moving
    parts, TVBrick is 100% silent and can be operated 24 hours a day. This is a major
    difference with other Home Servers: the use of TVBrick when you stay abroad will not
    disturb your family asleep because TVBrick simply makes absolutely no noise.

    Service

    NipponBrick TV is sold online by Nexedi (www.nipponbrick.com). After ordering and
    paying your NipponBrick TV home server, Nexedi will ask you some information about
    your broadband Internet connection in Japan. In case your family in Japan does do
    not use yet a broadband Internet connection in Japan, Nexedi will assist you to
    subscribe to a high quality broadband Internet Connection. Nexedi will then
    configure your NipponBrick TV home server in our laboratories and test it. Once it
    is fully tested, we will ship it by UPS World Wide Express. Your family in Japan
    will then receive your NipponBrick TV home server by Takkyubin, UPS partner in
    Japan. Nexedi native Japanese staff will then call your family in Japan to assist
    them connect your NipponBrick TV home server to the Japanese TV network and to the
    Internet. Nexedi will test connectivity to make sure your NipponBrick TV home server
    is fully operational. Our international staff will then contact your family abroad
    to provide assistance how to use OpenBrick, either with your personal computer or
    with the optinoal NipponBrick TV personal view. Our international staff can speak
    the following languages: Japanese, Engl

  3. Quality? by ad0le · · Score: 2, Informative

    I can't imagine that the quality of a TV signal across a DSL connection could obtain reasonable enough framerates for cross-country viewing. What about censorship legalities of people receiving signals that are not allowed in their country. Networks are gonna have a field day with this one.

    --
    My mother never saw the irony in calling me a son-of-a-bitch.
  4. Re:Here's what you're missing on Japanese TV by tomlouie · · Score: 2, Informative

    The poor Geocities page is overloaded. Here's the Google cache:

    http://216.239.39.100/search?q=cache:DjSPfHvc4_U J: www.geocities.com/Pentagon/Bunker/5921/psycho.html +%22super+jockey%22&hl=en&lr=lang_en&ie=UT F-8

  5. 9FPS?? by indole · · Score: 5, Informative

    From the FAQ:

    How good/bad is the image quality?
    The sound quality is very good. The image quality is poor. This is due to the fact that international Internet connectivity is not yet fast and stable enough to transmit high bandwidth streams. TVBrick is now tuned to provide a sub-VHS quality image at 9 frames per second.[emphasis mine] ...This is expected to change within 2 years.
    Oh yeah, this is a real viable alternative.
    --
    (2,3-Benzopyrrole)
  6. Re:Excellent technology by GreyPoopon · · Score: 2, Informative
    Sorry to double-reply, but I just got through to the site. It looks like they cover this area:

    Because reproduction of home TV channels happens in a private manner within the same family, the use of TVBrick to watch home TV channels is compatible with international Copyright Law.
    --

    GreyPoopon
    --
    Why is it I can write insightful comments but can't come up with a clever signature?

  7. Re:Been there, done that by 73939133 · · Score: 2, Informative

    it introduces latency for which you'd have to compensate

    There is no need to "compensate for latency" if all you are doing is watching video.

    Note also that there are a number of X-extensions supporting image and video decompression on the display. So, sending a video stream through the X protocol to the display can actually be quite reasonable.

  8. Re:Been there, done that by 73939133 · · Score: 2, Informative

    You probably have neither the server software nor the X extensions to be able to do this the X11 way. My point was simply that, in principle, it's quite feasible to use X11 for video streaming through the X11 protocol. In fact, it's a shame that people haven't built more software to do this because it would be much cleaner and nicer than the DRI hacks and viewers people are kludging together right now.

    In any case, the simple answer to your question is: use VideoLAN.