dreambox

Dreambox HandBrake preset for iPad or iPhone

Posted on by Jan

Did you know that you could easily convert recordings from a Dreambox sat/cable receiver using HandBrake to watch them on your iPad or iPhone?

Here’s the preset I use on my DM800 HD. It should work for all recent Dreambox models like the DM500 HD and the DM8000 as well. The preset is optimized for standard definition (SD) recordings and takes care of deinterlacing if needed using the decomb filter in HandBrake. To import the preset open the Preset menu in HandBrake and select Import. After importing you’ll find the new preset in the preset window (use the Toggle Presets button to open it).

Download HandBrake iPhone/iPad preset for (interlaced) Dreambox standard definition (SD) recordings.

To convert HD (720p) recordings make sure you use the built-in iPad or iPhone presets in HandBrake.

Streaming video from a Dreambox to an iPad with Dreambox LIVE

Posted on by Jan

I’ve been looking for a solution to stream recorded or live video from my Dreambox DM800 sat/cable receiver to my iPad for a while. I was able to stream recorded video using an uPnP server on the Dreambox and an uPnP client on the iPad, but the iPad app involved was somewhat limited.

A few days ago, I stumbled upon an iPad app named “Dreambox LIVE”.

Continue reading →

How to install cccam, mgcamd softcams in Gemini Project GP3 (Dreambox)

Posted on by Jan

I just updated my Dreambox DM800 cable/sat tuner to Gemini Project 3 (GP3). There’s a detailed installation how-to available on how to install GP3 on the more recent Dreambox models, which include the DM500 HD, DM800 (HD/SE), DM7025 and the DM8000. GP3 is a major step forward because you don’t need to flash the Dreambox every time a new GP version is published. GP3 is independent from the DMM base image (well, with some limitations regarding the kernel version) and can be updated in the “Blue Panel”. To start, you’re best off if you flash an original Dream Multimedia image. Don’t forget to backup your channel lists and bouquets.

After installing GP3 you’ll probably notice that no software CA modules (a.k.a. softcams) are available in Blue Panel. Continue reading →

How-to: NFS mount a Dreambox from a Mac

Posted on by Jan

Gosh, it ain’t that easy to mount a remote NFS share from a Mac. At least not if the NFS server is a Dreambox DM800 sat/cable tuner.

Connecting to a NFS share using Mac OS X is usually pretty easy: open Finder, hit Command-K and enter the remote NFS share address:

My Dreambox is running at 192.168.1.35 but you have to provide your own address or hostname. In my case, the Dreambox also resolves with the hostname dm800.local. If you’re unable to connect using Finder and you’re sure there’s an NFS server running in your Dreambox you will have to do some tricks with Terminal to make it work.

Use the showmount command to see the exported NFS shares:

showmount -e 192.168.1.35
Exports list on 192.168.1.35:
/media/hdd                    Everyone

If you see a NFS share using showmount, let’s try to connect to it from the command line:

sudo mount -t nfs 192.168.1.35:/media/hdd /Volumes

You may get an output like this:

mount_nfs: bad MNT RPC: RPC: Timed out
mount_nfs: can't access /media/hdd/: Permission denied

or

mount_nfs: /Volumes: Operation not permitted

If this is the case, you will have to apply two changes to your Dreambox’s NFS server configuration in order to be able to connect using Finder. Continue reading →