2. DVB Frontend API

The DVB frontend API was designed to support three types of delivery systems:

• Terrestrial systems: DVB-T, DVB-T2, ATSC, ATSC M/H, ISDB-T, DVB-H, DTMB, CMMB
• Cable systems: DVB-C Annex A/C, ClearQAM (DVB-C Annex B), ISDB-C
• Satellite systems: DVB-S, DVB-S2, DVB Turbo, ISDB-S, DSS

The DVB frontend controls several sub-devices including:

• Tuner
• Digital TV demodulator
• Low noise amplifier (LNA)
• Satellite Equipment Control (SEC) hardware (only for Satellite).

The frontend can be accessed through /dev/dvb/adapter?/frontend?. Data types and ioctl definitions can be accessed by including linux/dvb/frontend.h in your application.

Note

Transmission via the internet (DVB-IP) is not yet handled by this API but a future extension is possible.

On Satellite systems, the API support for the Satellite Equipment Control (SEC) allows to power control and to send/receive signals to control the antenna subsystem, selecting the polarization and choosing the Intermediate Frequency IF) of the Low Noise Block Converter Feed Horn (LNBf). It supports the DiSEqC and V-SEC protocols. The DiSEqC (digital SEC) specification is available at Eutelsat.

• 2.1. Querying frontend information
• 2.2. Querying frontend status and statistics
• 2.3. DVB Frontend properties
• 2.4. Example: Setting digital TV frontend properties
• 2.5. Frontend Function Calls
• 2.6. DVB Frontend legacy API (a. k. a. DVBv3)