1 .. SPDX-License-Identifier: GFDL-1.1-no-invariants-or-later
6 *************************
7 Sliced VBI Data Interface
8 *************************
10 VBI stands for Vertical Blanking Interval, a gap in the sequence of
11 lines of an analog video signal. During VBI no picture information is
12 transmitted, allowing some time while the electron beam of a cathode ray
13 tube TV returns to the top of the screen.
15 Sliced VBI devices use hardware to demodulate data transmitted in the
16 VBI. V4L2 drivers shall *not* do this by software, see also the
17 :ref:`raw VBI interface <raw-vbi>`. The data is passed as short
18 packets of fixed size, covering one scan line each. The number of
19 packets per video frame is variable.
21 Sliced VBI capture and output devices are accessed through the same
22 character special files as raw VBI devices. When a driver supports both
23 interfaces, the default function of a ``/dev/vbi`` device is *raw* VBI
24 capturing or output, and the sliced VBI function is only available after
25 calling the :ref:`VIDIOC_S_FMT <VIDIOC_G_FMT>` ioctl as defined
26 below. Likewise a ``/dev/video`` device may support the sliced VBI API,
27 however the default function here is video capturing or output.
28 Different file descriptors must be used to pass raw and sliced VBI data
29 simultaneously, if this is supported by the driver.
34 Devices supporting the sliced VBI capturing or output API set the
35 ``V4L2_CAP_SLICED_VBI_CAPTURE`` or ``V4L2_CAP_SLICED_VBI_OUTPUT`` flag
36 respectively, in the ``capabilities`` field of struct
37 :c:type:`v4l2_capability` returned by the
38 :ref:`VIDIOC_QUERYCAP` ioctl. At least one of the
39 read/write, streaming or asynchronous :ref:`I/O methods <io>` must be
40 supported. Sliced VBI devices may have a tuner or modulator.
42 Supplemental Functions
43 ======================
45 Sliced VBI devices shall support :ref:`video input or output <video>`
46 and :ref:`tuner or modulator <tuner>` ioctls if they have these
47 capabilities, and they may support :ref:`control` ioctls.
48 The :ref:`video standard <standard>` ioctls provide information vital
49 to program a sliced VBI device, therefore must be supported.
51 .. _sliced-vbi-format-negotitation:
53 Sliced VBI Format Negotiation
54 =============================
56 To find out which data services are supported by the hardware
57 applications can call the
58 :ref:`VIDIOC_G_SLICED_VBI_CAP <VIDIOC_G_SLICED_VBI_CAP>` ioctl.
59 All drivers implementing the sliced VBI interface must support this
60 ioctl. The results may differ from those of the
61 :ref:`VIDIOC_S_FMT <VIDIOC_G_FMT>` ioctl when the number of VBI
62 lines the hardware can capture or output per frame, or the number of
63 services it can identify on a given line are limited. For example on PAL
64 line 16 the hardware may be able to look for a VPS or Teletext signal,
65 but not both at the same time.
67 To determine the currently selected services applications set the
68 ``type`` field of struct :c:type:`v4l2_format` to
69 ``V4L2_BUF_TYPE_SLICED_VBI_CAPTURE`` or
70 ``V4L2_BUF_TYPE_SLICED_VBI_OUTPUT``, and the
71 :ref:`VIDIOC_G_FMT <VIDIOC_G_FMT>` ioctl fills the ``fmt.sliced``
73 :c:type:`v4l2_sliced_vbi_format`.
75 Applications can request different parameters by initializing or
76 modifying the ``fmt.sliced`` member and calling the
77 :ref:`VIDIOC_S_FMT <VIDIOC_G_FMT>` ioctl with a pointer to the
78 struct :c:type:`v4l2_format` structure.
80 The sliced VBI API is more complicated than the raw VBI API because the
81 hardware must be told which VBI service to expect on each scan line. Not
82 all services may be supported by the hardware on all lines (this is
83 especially true for VBI output where Teletext is often unsupported and
84 other services can only be inserted in one specific line). In many
85 cases, however, it is sufficient to just set the ``service_set`` field
86 to the required services and let the driver fill the ``service_lines``
87 array according to hardware capabilities. Only if more precise control
88 is needed should the programmer set the ``service_lines`` array
91 The :ref:`VIDIOC_S_FMT <VIDIOC_G_FMT>` ioctl modifies the parameters
92 according to hardware capabilities. When the driver allocates resources
93 at this point, it may return an ``EBUSY`` error code if the required
94 resources are temporarily unavailable. Other resource allocation points
95 which may return ``EBUSY`` can be the
96 :ref:`VIDIOC_STREAMON` ioctl and the first
97 :c:func:`read()`, :c:func:`write()` and
98 :c:func:`select()` call.
100 .. c:type:: v4l2_sliced_vbi_format
102 struct v4l2_sliced_vbi_format
103 -----------------------------
109 \setlength{\tabcolsep}{2pt}
111 .. tabularcolumns:: |p{.85cm}|p{3.3cm}|p{4.4cm}|p{4.4cm}|p{4.4cm}|
113 .. cssclass:: longtable
124 If ``service_set`` is non-zero when passed with
125 :ref:`VIDIOC_S_FMT <VIDIOC_G_FMT>` or
126 :ref:`VIDIOC_TRY_FMT <VIDIOC_G_FMT>`, the ``service_lines``
127 array will be filled by the driver according to the services
128 specified in this field. For example, if ``service_set`` is
129 initialized with ``V4L2_SLICED_TELETEXT_B | V4L2_SLICED_WSS_625``,
130 a driver for the cx25840 video decoder sets lines 7-22 of both
131 fields [#f1]_ to ``V4L2_SLICED_TELETEXT_B`` and line 23 of the first
132 field to ``V4L2_SLICED_WSS_625``. If ``service_set`` is set to
133 zero, then the values of ``service_lines`` will be used instead.
135 On return the driver sets this field to the union of all elements
136 of the returned ``service_lines`` array. It may contain less
137 services than requested, perhaps just one, if the hardware cannot
138 handle more services simultaneously. It may be empty (zero) if
139 none of the requested services are supported by the hardware.
141 - ``service_lines``\ [2][24]
144 Applications initialize this array with sets of data services the
145 driver shall look for or insert on the respective scan line.
146 Subject to hardware capabilities drivers return the requested set,
147 a subset, which may be just a single service, or an empty set.
148 When the hardware cannot handle multiple services on the same line
149 the driver shall choose one. No assumptions can be made on which
150 service the driver chooses.
152 Data services are defined in :ref:`vbi-services2`. Array indices
153 map to ITU-R line numbers\ [#f2]_ as follows:
161 - ``service_lines``\ [0][1]
166 - ``service_lines``\ [0][23]
171 - ``service_lines``\ [1][1]
176 - ``service_lines``\ [1][23]
181 - :cspan:`2` Drivers must set ``service_lines`` [0][0] and
182 ``service_lines``\ [1][0] to zero. The
183 ``V4L2_VBI_ITU_525_F1_START``, ``V4L2_VBI_ITU_525_F2_START``,
184 ``V4L2_VBI_ITU_625_F1_START`` and ``V4L2_VBI_ITU_625_F2_START``
185 defines give the start line numbers for each field for each 525 or
186 625 line format as a convenience. Don't forget that ITU line
187 numbering starts at 1, not 0.
190 - :cspan:`2` Maximum number of bytes passed by one
191 :c:func:`read()` or :c:func:`write()` call,
192 and the buffer size in bytes for the
193 :ref:`VIDIOC_QBUF` and
194 :ref:`VIDIOC_DQBUF <VIDIOC_QBUF>` ioctl. Drivers set this field
195 to the size of struct
196 :c:type:`v4l2_sliced_vbi_data` times the
197 number of non-zero elements in the returned ``service_lines``
198 array (that is the number of lines potentially carrying data).
201 - :cspan:`2` This array is reserved for future extensions.
203 Applications and drivers must set it to zero.
218 .. tabularcolumns:: |p{4.1cm}|p{1.1cm}|p{2.4cm}|p{2.0cm}|p{7.3cm}|
230 * - ``V4L2_SLICED_TELETEXT_B`` (Teletext System B)
235 - PAL/SECAM line 7-22, 320-335 (second field 7-22)
236 - Last 42 of the 45 byte Teletext packet, that is without clock
237 run-in and framing code, lsb first transmitted.
238 * - ``V4L2_SLICED_VPS``
242 - Byte number 3 to 15 according to Figure 9 of ETS 300 231, lsb
244 * - ``V4L2_SLICED_CAPTION_525``
247 - NTSC line 21, 284 (second field 21)
248 - Two bytes in transmission order, including parity bit, lsb first
250 * - ``V4L2_SLICED_WSS_625``
262 Bit 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 x x 13 12 11 10 9
263 * - ``V4L2_SLICED_VBI_525``
265 - :cspan:`2` Set of services applicable to 525 line systems.
266 * - ``V4L2_SLICED_VBI_625``
268 - :cspan:`2` Set of services applicable to 625 line systems.
274 Drivers may return an ``EINVAL`` error code when applications attempt to
275 read or write data without prior format negotiation, after switching the
276 video standard (which may invalidate the negotiated VBI parameters) and
277 after switching the video input (which may change the video standard as
278 a side effect). The :ref:`VIDIOC_S_FMT <VIDIOC_G_FMT>` ioctl may
279 return an ``EBUSY`` error code when applications attempt to change the
280 format while i/o is in progress (between a
281 :ref:`VIDIOC_STREAMON` and
282 :ref:`VIDIOC_STREAMOFF <VIDIOC_STREAMON>` call, and after the first
283 :c:func:`read()` or :c:func:`write()` call).
285 Reading and writing sliced VBI data
286 ===================================
288 A single :c:func:`read()` or :c:func:`write()`
289 call must pass all data belonging to one video frame. That is an array
290 of struct :c:type:`v4l2_sliced_vbi_data` structures with one or
291 more elements and a total size not exceeding ``io_size`` bytes. Likewise
292 in streaming I/O mode one buffer of ``io_size`` bytes must contain data
293 of one video frame. The ``id`` of unused
294 struct :c:type:`v4l2_sliced_vbi_data` elements must be zero.
296 .. c:type:: v4l2_sliced_vbi_data
298 struct v4l2_sliced_vbi_data
299 ---------------------------
301 .. tabularcolumns:: |p{6.6cm}|p{2.2cm}|p{8.7cm}|
310 - A flag from :ref:`vbi-services` identifying the type of data in
311 this packet. Only a single bit must be set. When the ``id`` of a
312 captured packet is zero, the packet is empty and the contents of
313 other fields are undefined. Applications shall ignore empty
314 packets. When the ``id`` of a packet for output is zero the
315 contents of the ``data`` field are undefined and the driver must
316 no longer insert data on the requested ``field`` and ``line``.
319 - The video field number this data has been captured from, or shall
320 be inserted at. ``0`` for the first field, ``1`` for the second
324 - The field (as opposed to frame) line number this data has been
325 captured from, or shall be inserted at. See :ref:`vbi-525` and
326 :ref:`vbi-625` for valid values. Sliced VBI capture devices can
327 set the line number of all packets to ``0`` if the hardware cannot
328 reliably identify scan lines. The field number must always be
332 - This field is reserved for future extensions. Applications and
333 drivers must set it to zero.
336 - The packet payload. See :ref:`vbi-services` for the contents and
337 number of bytes passed for each data type. The contents of padding
338 bytes at the end of this array are undefined, drivers and
339 applications shall ignore them.
341 Packets are always passed in ascending line number order, without
342 duplicate line numbers. The :c:func:`write()` function and
343 the :ref:`VIDIOC_QBUF` ioctl must return an ``EINVAL``
344 error code when applications violate this rule. They must also return an
345 EINVAL error code when applications pass an incorrect field or line
346 number, or a combination of ``field``, ``line`` and ``id`` which has not
347 been negotiated with the :ref:`VIDIOC_G_FMT <VIDIOC_G_FMT>` or
348 :ref:`VIDIOC_S_FMT <VIDIOC_G_FMT>` ioctl. When the line numbers are
349 unknown the driver must pass the packets in transmitted order. The
350 driver can insert empty packets with ``id`` set to zero anywhere in the
353 To assure synchronization and to distinguish from frame dropping, when a
354 captured frame does not carry any of the requested data services drivers
355 must pass one or more empty packets. When an application fails to pass
356 VBI data in time for output, the driver must output the last VPS and WSS
357 packet again, and disable the output of Closed Caption and Teletext
358 data, or output data which is ignored by Closed Caption and Teletext
361 A sliced VBI device may support :ref:`read/write <rw>` and/or
362 streaming (:ref:`memory mapping <mmap>` and/or
363 :ref:`user pointer <userp>`) I/O. The latter bears the possibility of
364 synchronizing video and VBI data by using buffer timestamps.
366 Sliced VBI Data in MPEG Streams
367 ===============================
369 If a device can produce an MPEG output stream, it may be capable of
371 :ref:`negotiated sliced VBI services <sliced-vbi-format-negotitation>`
372 as data embedded in the MPEG stream. Users or applications control this
373 sliced VBI data insertion with the
374 :ref:`V4L2_CID_MPEG_STREAM_VBI_FMT <v4l2-mpeg-stream-vbi-fmt>`
377 If the driver does not provide the
378 :ref:`V4L2_CID_MPEG_STREAM_VBI_FMT <v4l2-mpeg-stream-vbi-fmt>`
379 control, or only allows that control to be set to
380 :ref:`V4L2_MPEG_STREAM_VBI_FMT_NONE <v4l2-mpeg-stream-vbi-fmt>`,
381 then the device cannot embed sliced VBI data in the MPEG stream.
384 :ref:`V4L2_CID_MPEG_STREAM_VBI_FMT <v4l2-mpeg-stream-vbi-fmt>`
385 control does not implicitly set the device driver to capture nor cease
386 capturing sliced VBI data. The control only indicates to embed sliced
387 VBI data in the MPEG stream, if an application has negotiated sliced VBI
390 It may also be the case that a device can embed sliced VBI data in only
391 certain types of MPEG streams: for example in an MPEG-2 PS but not an
392 MPEG-2 TS. In this situation, if sliced VBI data insertion is requested,
393 the sliced VBI data will be embedded in MPEG stream types when
394 supported, and silently omitted from MPEG stream types where sliced VBI
395 data insertion is not supported by the device.
397 The following subsections specify the format of the embedded sliced VBI
400 MPEG Stream Embedded, Sliced VBI Data Format: NONE
401 --------------------------------------------------
404 :ref:`V4L2_MPEG_STREAM_VBI_FMT_NONE <v4l2-mpeg-stream-vbi-fmt>`
405 embedded sliced VBI format shall be interpreted by drivers as a control
406 to cease embedding sliced VBI data in MPEG streams. Neither the device
407 nor driver shall insert "empty" embedded sliced VBI data packets in the
408 MPEG stream when this format is set. No MPEG stream data structures are
409 specified for this format.
411 MPEG Stream Embedded, Sliced VBI Data Format: IVTV
412 --------------------------------------------------
415 :ref:`V4L2_MPEG_STREAM_VBI_FMT_IVTV <v4l2-mpeg-stream-vbi-fmt>`
416 embedded sliced VBI format, when supported, indicates to the driver to
417 embed up to 36 lines of sliced VBI data per frame in an MPEG-2 *Private
418 Stream 1 PES* packet encapsulated in an MPEG-2 *Program Pack* in the
421 *Historical context*: This format specification originates from a
422 custom, embedded, sliced VBI data format used by the ``ivtv`` driver.
423 This format has already been informally specified in the kernel sources
424 in the file ``Documentation/userspace-api/media/drivers/cx2341x-uapi.rst`` . The
425 maximum size of the payload and other aspects of this format are driven
426 by the CX23415 MPEG decoder's capabilities and limitations with respect
427 to extracting, decoding, and displaying sliced VBI data embedded within
430 This format's use is *not* exclusive to the ``ivtv`` driver *nor*
431 exclusive to CX2341x devices, as the sliced VBI data packet insertion
432 into the MPEG stream is implemented in driver software. At least the
433 ``cx18`` driver provides sliced VBI data insertion into an MPEG-2 PS in
436 The following definitions specify the payload of the MPEG-2 *Private
437 Stream 1 PES* packets that contain sliced VBI data when
438 :ref:`V4L2_MPEG_STREAM_VBI_FMT_IVTV <v4l2-mpeg-stream-vbi-fmt>`
439 is set. (The MPEG-2 *Private Stream 1 PES* packet header and
440 encapsulating MPEG-2 *Program Pack* header are not detailed here. Please
441 refer to the MPEG-2 specifications for details on those packet headers.)
443 The payload of the MPEG-2 *Private Stream 1 PES* packets that contain
444 sliced VBI data is specified by struct
445 :c:type:`v4l2_mpeg_vbi_fmt_ivtv`. The
446 payload is variable length, depending on the actual number of lines of
447 sliced VBI data present in a video frame. The payload may be padded at
448 the end with unspecified fill bytes to align the end of the payload to a
449 4-byte boundary. The payload shall never exceed 1552 bytes (2 fields
450 with 18 lines/field with 43 bytes of data/line and a 4 byte magic
453 .. c:type:: v4l2_mpeg_vbi_fmt_ivtv
455 struct v4l2_mpeg_vbi_fmt_ivtv
456 -----------------------------
458 .. tabularcolumns:: |p{1.0cm}|p{3.8cm}|p{1.0cm}|p{11.2cm}|
467 - A "magic" constant from :ref:`v4l2-mpeg-vbi-fmt-ivtv-magic` that
468 indicates this is a valid sliced VBI data payload and also
469 indicates which member of the anonymous union, ``itv0`` or
470 ``ITV0``, to use for the payload data.
473 * - struct :c:type:`v4l2_mpeg_vbi_itv0`
475 - The primary form of the sliced VBI data payload that contains
476 anywhere from 1 to 35 lines of sliced VBI data. Line masks are
477 provided in this form of the payload indicating which VBI lines
479 * - struct :ref:`v4l2_mpeg_vbi_ITV0 <v4l2-mpeg-vbi-itv0-1>`
481 - An alternate form of the sliced VBI data payload used when 36
482 lines of sliced VBI data are present. No line masks are provided
483 in this form of the payload; all valid line mask bits are
488 .. _v4l2-mpeg-vbi-fmt-ivtv-magic:
490 Magic Constants for struct v4l2_mpeg_vbi_fmt_ivtv magic field
491 -------------------------------------------------------------
493 .. tabularcolumns:: |p{6.6cm}|p{2.2cm}|p{8.7cm}|
503 * - ``V4L2_MPEG_VBI_IVTV_MAGIC0``
505 - Indicates the ``itv0`` member of the union in struct
506 :c:type:`v4l2_mpeg_vbi_fmt_ivtv` is
508 * - ``V4L2_MPEG_VBI_IVTV_MAGIC1``
510 - Indicates the ``ITV0`` member of the union in struct
511 :c:type:`v4l2_mpeg_vbi_fmt_ivtv` is
512 valid and that 36 lines of sliced VBI data are present.
515 .. c:type:: v4l2_mpeg_vbi_itv0
517 .. c:type:: v4l2_mpeg_vbi_ITV0
519 structs v4l2_mpeg_vbi_itv0 and v4l2_mpeg_vbi_ITV0
520 -------------------------------------------------
522 .. tabularcolumns:: |p{5.2cm}|p{2.4cm}|p{9.9cm}|
531 - Bitmasks indicating the VBI service lines present. These
532 ``linemask`` values are stored in little endian byte order in the
533 MPEG stream. Some reference ``linemask`` bit positions with their
534 corresponding VBI line number and video field are given below.
535 b\ :sub:`0` indicates the least significant bit of a ``linemask``
541 linemask[0] b0: line 6 first field
542 linemask[0] b17: line 23 first field
543 linemask[0] b18: line 6 second field
544 linemask[0] b31: line 19 second field
545 linemask[1] b0: line 20 second field
546 linemask[1] b3: line 23 second field
547 linemask[1] b4-b31: unused and set to 0
549 :c:type:`v4l2_mpeg_vbi_itv0_line`
551 - This is a variable length array that holds from 1 to 35 lines of
552 sliced VBI data. The sliced VBI data lines present correspond to
553 the bits set in the ``linemask`` array, starting from b\ :sub:`0`
554 of ``linemask``\ [0] up through b\ :sub:`31` of ``linemask``\ [0],
555 and from b\ :sub:`0` of ``linemask``\ [1] up through b\ :sub:`3` of
556 ``linemask``\ [1]. ``line``\ [0] corresponds to the first bit
557 found set in the ``linemask`` array, ``line``\ [1] corresponds to
558 the second bit found set in the ``linemask`` array, etc. If no
559 ``linemask`` array bits are set, then ``line``\ [0] may contain
560 one line of unspecified data that should be ignored by
564 .. _v4l2-mpeg-vbi-itv0-1:
566 struct v4l2_mpeg_vbi_ITV0
567 -------------------------
569 .. tabularcolumns:: |p{5.2cm}|p{2.4cm}|p{9.9cm}|
577 :c:type:`v4l2_mpeg_vbi_itv0_line`
579 - A fixed length array of 36 lines of sliced VBI data. ``line``\ [0]
580 through ``line``\ [17] correspond to lines 6 through 23 of the
581 first field. ``line``\ [18] through ``line``\ [35] corresponds to
582 lines 6 through 23 of the second field.
585 .. c:type:: v4l2_mpeg_vbi_itv0_line
587 struct v4l2_mpeg_vbi_itv0_line
588 ------------------------------
590 .. tabularcolumns:: |p{4.4cm}|p{4.4cm}|p{8.7cm}|
599 - A line identifier value from
600 :ref:`ITV0-Line-Identifier-Constants` that indicates the type of
601 sliced VBI data stored on this line.
604 - The sliced VBI data for the line.
607 .. _ITV0-Line-Identifier-Constants:
609 Line Identifiers for struct v4l2_mpeg_vbi_itv0_line id field
610 ------------------------------------------------------------
612 .. tabularcolumns:: |p{7.0cm}|p{1.8cm}|p{8.7cm}|
622 * - ``V4L2_MPEG_VBI_IVTV_TELETEXT_B``
624 - Refer to :ref:`Sliced VBI services <vbi-services2>` for a
625 description of the line payload.
626 * - ``V4L2_MPEG_VBI_IVTV_CAPTION_525``
628 - Refer to :ref:`Sliced VBI services <vbi-services2>` for a
629 description of the line payload.
630 * - ``V4L2_MPEG_VBI_IVTV_WSS_625``
632 - Refer to :ref:`Sliced VBI services <vbi-services2>` for a
633 description of the line payload.
634 * - ``V4L2_MPEG_VBI_IVTV_VPS``
636 - Refer to :ref:`Sliced VBI services <vbi-services2>` for a
637 description of the line payload.
641 According to :ref:`ETS 300 706 <ets300706>` lines 6-22 of the first
642 field and lines 5-22 of the second field may carry Teletext data.
645 See also :ref:`vbi-525` and :ref:`vbi-625`.