Setting up oscam.dvbapi 2026: a complete guide

If you have already set upOScam, the reader responds, but the channels do not open — most likely, the problem lies in oscam.dvbapi. This file controls how OScam interacts with the demultiplexer of your receiver. I will break down the setup of oscam.dvbapi 2026 from syntax to diagnostics, because most guides simply provide a ready-made file and do not explain what each part is responsible for.

Green screen, freeze every few seconds,OScam does not connect to the demux — all this can be fixed if you understand the logic of the file. Let's go.

What is oscam.dvbapi and why is it needed

OScam itself can share cards and receive ECM. But for the receiver with Enigma2 to actually open the channel — a bridge between OScam and the receiver's DVB stack is needed. This bridge is DVBAPI.

The role of DVBAPI in the decoding chain

When the tuner receives a signal, it transmits the encrypted stream to the demultiplexer (demux). DVBAPI is the interface through which OScam receives information about the PIDs and CAIDs of the channel from Enigma2, makes a request to the reader, receives the CW (control word), and writes it back to the demux. This entire exchange is regulated by the oscam.dvbapi file along with the section[dvbapi] inoscam.conf.

Without a correct file, OScam either does not know which CAID to request in multi-crypt, or sends unnecessary ECM requests to readers that will not respond anyway.

Where the file is located: paths to the config

The path depends on the image. The main options are:

• /etc/tuxbox/config/oscam.dvbapi — classic on old OpenDreambox and Gemini images
• /var/etc/oscam.dvbapi — OpenPLi, OpenATV, some VTi builds
• /etc/oscam/oscam.dvbapi — if OScam is started with-c /etc/oscam/
• /usr/keys/oscam.dvbapi — found in non-standard builds

The exact path is determined by theConfigDir parameter — see with which flag the daemon is started:ps | grep oscam. If you seeoscam -c /var/etc/, it means all configs are read from there. Creating a file elsewhere is pointless.

Connection with oscam.conf and the [dvbapi] section

The oscam.dvbapi file is only half the story. Without an active section[dvbapi] inoscam.conf it is not read at all. The minimum working set in oscam.conf:

[dvbapi]

If the section is missing orenabled = 0 — oscam.dvbapi is simply ignored. This is the first thing to check in case of any issues.

File syntax: priority, ignore, map, delay

The file is read from top to bottom, line by line. The first match by CAID/PROVID/SID is applied, the rest are ignored. This is important: the order of lines directly affects which CAID will be requested first.

Line format: P/I/M/D and CAID:PROVID:SRVID

The basic format of any line:

[type]: [CAID]:[PROVID]:[SRVID]

Examples of real lines:

P: 0500:032830

CAID — a four-digit hex identifier of the conditional access system. PROVID — provider within the system. SRVID — Service ID of a specific channel. Fields can be omitted or replaced with0000/000000 for wildcard behavior.

The priority (P) parameter — selection of the required CAID

The lineP: tells OScam: "When using multiple crypts, request this CAID first." If both 0500 and 1702 are present on the transponder — without P: OScam will request in random order or according to internal weights. This often leads to delays when switching channels.

# Request Viaccess first, provider 032830

Lines with a specific SID have a higher priority over general ones. This allows different behavior to be set for different channels on the same transponder.

The ignore (I) parameter — filtering out unnecessary ECMs

The lineI: completely excludes the CAID from processing. This is not "request last", this is "do not touch at all". A typical use case is to remove the local CAID of the smart card that is physically inserted into the receiver, but its sharing is not needed or it does not work with this provider:

# Exclude Seca CAID — no reader for this system

WithoutI: OScam will try to find a reader for each CAID present in the channel's PMT. If there is no reader — it will just waste time on a timeout. On channels with 4-5 CAIDs, this noticeably affects the speed of opening.

The map (M) and delay (D) parameters

The lineM: remaps the CAID — tells OScam to process one CAID as another. It is rarely used, but can be necessary when working with readers that do not know the original CAID of the channel:

# Map CAID 0600 to 0100

The lineD: sets a delay in milliseconds before the ECM request. Format:D: CAID:PROVID:delay_ms. Used when multiple readers are chasing one CW and creating load — the delay gives the main reader an advantage:

# Delay request for CAID 0500 by 500 ms

Configuration of the [dvbapi] section in oscam.conf

This section ties everything together. An error here — and oscam.dvbapi simply does not work, even if the file itself is written perfectly.

Choosing boxtype (dreambox, enigma, dbox2, coolstream)

Parameterboxtype determines which API OScam uses to communicate with the demultiplexer. Current values:

• dreambox — for Dreambox and most Enigma2 images (OpenPLi, OpenATV, OpenDreambox)
• enigma — for Enigma1 (old DBox2 receivers)
• dbox2 — legacy, practically not used
• coolstream — for CoolStream Neo, Trinity, and compatible ones
• pc — for running OScam on PC with a USB DVB tuner

Incorrect boxtype — and OScam will not find demux at all. On Dreambox DM900/DM920 with OpenPLi 8.x you needdreambox. On VU+ with OpenATV — alsodreambox.

pmt_mode and request_mode

These are the most important parameters for diagnosing freezes.pmt_mode determines how OScam receives the list of PIDs from Enigma2:

• 0 — standard mode, OScam reads PMT by itself through /dev/dvb
• 3 — Enigma2 itself sends PMT to OScam (recommended when there are issues with auto-updating)
• 4 — similar to 3, but with different logic for updating when changing channels
• 6 — combined mode, often helps with freezes on dual-tuner receivers

request_mode = 0 means that OScam requests a new CW only after the old one has expired.request_mode = 1 — requests in advance, before expiration. In unstable lines, mode 1 reduces the likelihood of freezing.

user and listen_port for connection

Parameteruser in section[dvbapi] binds DVBAPI to a specific user fromoscam.user. This user must exist and have access to the required groups of readers through the parametergroup:

# oscam.conf

If the user does not have access to the reader group — ECM will not go anywhere. This is a common mistake that is easy to overlook.

Parameterlisten_port is only needed if OScam and Enigma2 are running on different machines (for example, OScam on the router, Enigma2 on the receiver). In this case, Enigma2 connects to OScam via TCP, and the port must match the plugin settings on the receiver.

delayer and au for autoupdate

au = 1 enables auto-updating EMM for cards that support it. Without it, cards will stop working over time.delayer sets the delay in ms between requests — useful under heavy load on the reader:

[dvbapi]

Diagnostics: why the channel does not open

When something does not work — first check the log. OScam writes quite detailed information if the debugging level is set correctly.

Reading the log: found, group, no matching reader

Enable debugging inoscam.conf:

[global]

Key lines for DVBAPI in the log:

• dvbapi: New program number XXXX — OScam received the PMT of the new channel. If this line is missing — the problem is with pmt_mode or boxtype
• dvbapi: Found ECM stream — encrypted stream found
• no matching reader — no reader for this CAID. Check the groups of the dvbapi user
• ECM rejected — the reader exists, but CW did not return. Problem with the line or card
• found (XXX ms) — successful response, time in milliseconds

Green screen and freeze every N seconds

A green screen almost always means: OScam is not writing CW to demux. Reasons:

1. Incorrect boxtype — OScam cannot open /dev/dvb/adapterX/demuxY
2. pmt_mode does not match the image expectations — try sequentially 0, 3, 4, 6
3. The dvbapi user does not have rights to the required reader

Freeze every few seconds — this is usually a CW update problem. CW lasts about 10 seconds, and if OScam does not manage to get the next one — the picture freezes at the moment of key change. Here it helpsrequest_mode = 1 or reducing the reader's delay.

Another freeze scenario: CAID competition. If there are 0500 and 1702 on the transponder, OScam requests both, receives a response from both with different times — and if the second response comes later than the key change, we get choppy decoding. Here it helpsI: for the extra CAID.

Checking ecm.info and response time

File/tmp/ecm.info (or/var/volatile/ecm.info depending on the image) shows the last successful ECM response:

CaID: 0x0500

Time over 3000 ms — the line is bad. Over 9000 ms — the channel simply will not open stably, the key will expire faster than the response arrives. The norm is up to 1500 ms, good — up to 500 ms.

Logs via WebIF and oscam.server

WebIF is available athttp://IP_receiver:8888 (the port is set inoscam.conf in the section[webif]). The "Services" tab will show active channels and their status. The "Readers" tab — the status of each reader. The "Reload" button re-reads the config without restarting the daemon — it is important to use after editing oscam.dvbapi.

Fine-tuning priorities for multikey

Multikey is when one channel is encrypted by several systems at once. A typical example: a satellite channel with 0500 (Viaccess), 1802 (Nagravision), and 0604 (Irdeto) in PMT simultaneously. Without a proper oscam.dvbapi, OScam will request all three and compete with itself.

Distributing channels with multiple CAID

Correct strategy: remove viaI: those CAID for which there is no reader, and viaP: specify the preferred one. If there is both a local card and a network reader with one CAID — this is a separate case. OScam will launch two ECM requests in parallel, and whoever responds first — wins. This is normal behavior, but if the local card is slow — it is better to place it in a separate group with low priority or even addD: for it.

# Prefer Viaccess, ignore Irdeto (no reader)

Link with oscam.services and groups

Fileoscam.services (oroscam.srvid depending on the version) allows you to limit which channels each reader sees. If you have two readers — one for package A, the other for package B — throughservices you can strictly delineate what each one decodes. This reduces the number of ECM requests and the load on the lines.

Inoscam.server for each reader, you can specifyservices = +package_a — and the reader will only process channels from this service list. The combination of oscam.dvbapi + oscam.services + oscam.server gives complete control over who decodes what.

Order of lines and performance

Since the file is read from top to bottom, place the most frequent and specific lines higher. General wildcard lines (P: 0500:000000) — lower. This speeds up processing when switching channels: OScam finds matches faster and does not go through the entire file.

On dual-tuner receivers, when watching and recording simultaneously, two demuxes are active at the same time. OScam processes them in parallel — each as a separate "program number." There will be no conflicts if the file is written without binding to a specific SID where it is not needed. But if you are recording a channel with a dynamic SID (which occurs on some satellites) — a strict binding of SID in lines P: or I: will break the decoding. For such channels, write lines only with CAID and PROVID, without a third field.

If you understand how each line works — configuring oscam.dvbapi 2026 stops being magic and becomes an ordinary config. The main thing to remember: this is not just a list of rules, it is active management of how your receiver communicates with the conditional access system.