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Media Address Format

In Astra, the media source or destination is described using a media address that resembles a typical URL. This format makes it easy to understand and work with the different components involved in managing media streams.

Understanding the Media Address Format

Section titled “Understanding the Media Address Format”

The media address format consists of three main components: type, address, and options. It follows the structure:

type://address#options
  • type: represents the protocol or method used for receiving or transmitting media streams
  • address: is a type-specific string that indicates the source or destination of the media stream. This can vary depending on the protocol being used
  • options: protocol-specific and general settings that affect the behavior of the media stream. Options are separated by an ’&’ symbol

Example of a complete media address:

dvb://a001#pnr=100&cam

In this example:

  • dvb: is the type, indicating that the media source is a DVB Adapter
  • a001: is the DVB Adapter identifier, specifying the specific adapter to be used
  • pnr=100: option to select the program number 100 from the stream
  • cam: option to enable CAM (Conditional Access Module) for decrypting the stream

Let’s take a closer look at each of these components and their respective roles in the address format.

Receiving Media Types

Section titled “Receiving Media Types”

Transmitting Media Types

Section titled “Transmitting Media Types”

Type-Specific Addresses

Section titled “Type-Specific Addresses”

In the media address format, the type-specific address component determines the source or destination of the media stream based on the chosen protocol. To learn more about the address formats for each media type, please refer to the article links above.

Introduction to General Input Options

Section titled “Introduction to General Input Options”

General input options play a critical role in fine-tuning the receiving and processing of media streams. These options allow you to modify various parameters that affect the behavior of the media stream, such as filtering, analyzing, and modifying.

Most common options:

  • pnr=PNR: the program number/SID (Service ID) retrieves the channel with the specified number from the stream. Read more in MPEG-TS Demultiplexing
  • set_pnr=PNR: to change PNR. The value must be between 1 and 65535
  • filter=N,...: stream filtration, used to remove the specified PID. Identifiers are separated by commas. Read more in Filtering Stream PIDs
  • filter~=N,...: stream filtering, used to remove all data except specified PID and service tables. Identifiers are separated by commas
  • order: sort PID in the PMT table. Often used with the lang parameter to select a priority audio track. Read more in Reorder audio streams
  • lang: set the language code for the audio track. Example: lang.1241=eng where: 1241 - pid, eng - language code

Other options:

  • set_tsid=TSID: to change TSID (Transport Stream ID)
  • biss=1122330044556600: use BISS key for decrypting stream. Read more: Decrypt streams with BISS CAS
  • cam: use DVB-CI for decrypting stream
  • cam=CAM-ID: use CAM Client for decrypting stream
  • ecm_pid=PID: define ECM PID for CAM Client (not recommended)
  • cas: skip service data about conditional access systems. Used to transmit an encrypted stream
  • map.SRC=DST: change PID to the specified values. SRC - the original identifier or data type. Possible types: pmt, video, audio, ait, language code. DST - required identifier. The value can be between 32 and 8190. Read more in Remapping Stream PIDs
  • no_sdt: to delete channel information: channel name, operator name (SDT Service Description Table)
  • pass_sdt: SDT transfer without processing. By default, if pnr is set, Astra transmits information only on the selected stream
  • no_eit: delete EPG event information (EIT - Event Information Table)
  • pass_eit: EIT transmission without processing. By default, if pnr is set, Astra transmits information only on the selected stream
  • no_analyze: disables checking for changes in the stream
  • cc_limit=N: set CC error limit. If the number of CC errors exceeds the set limit, Astra will switch to the backup source (if available). Default: no limit is set
  • bitrate_limit=RATE: set the minimum bitrate for the analyzer in Kbit/s. The source will be considered non-working if the stream bitrate is less than the specified value. Default: 16 Kbit/s for stream without video data and 128 Kbit/s for stream with video data
  • pass_data: retain packets with the private data (data-pid). Read more in MPEG-TS Demultiplexing
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