ATI Mux

[mrxtc89117]

I installed the avivo codecs and now have ATI Mux.

What is ATI Mux and what does it do or affect? How is it different from TS Mux or DVR-MS?

Can Avivo be used to play H.264? I don't see it in the drop-down list.
Can avivo be used to play DVDs? It's not in the drop-down list too.

Thanks, I just dont understand what a mux is for.

[bgowland]

I can't tell you anything about Avivo but to answer you question about what a mux is...

Think of it as a 'mixer' in the same sense as an audio mixer used for recording. If you have two microphones and a mono tape deck, you need an audio mixer with two inputs and one output in order to record from both mikes at the same time.

The different components (audio, video, subtitles etc.) of a digital broadcast are carried in streams that have been mixed (multiplexed). These streams first have to be separated (demultiplexed) and the ones which are needed to create a recording (normally just the AV) then have to re-multiplexed into a disk file.

A mux (multiplexer) normally takes one audio and one video input and combines them to a single output which is fed to a 'file writer' component that writes to a file on disk (normally an mpg file).

The dvr-ms mux (more accurately called the 'Stream Buffer Sink') is a combined mux and file writer. Dvr-ms files produced by gbpvr can be thought of as just 'wrappers' for mpeg files.

Don't know much about the TS Mux but the end effect is similar (combining different streams to a single file).

Cheers,
Brian

[mrxtc89117]

Is the closed caption (CC) part of the mux? I cant seem to get closed caption on. Or maybe my TV card just cannot do it. Mine is a Kworld 120 PCI, and I use it only for HD channels.

[mrxtc89117]

Oh, and i read somewhere that TS Mus is the fastest BDA muxer. However, does that really matter? It is a recording and we usually watch it after the fact, or does it generate a totally different file.

My goal is really to just use one kind of decoder, muxer, etc. I know there is no just one solution for all. But instead of using cyberlink, nvidia, ati, I just want to stick with ATI and see if it will work for all - TV, Recordings, DVD.

I guess I can experiment and see.

[sub]

North American closed captions are stored as userdata in the video stream, and recordings should contain these captions. There is nothing in GB-PVR for showing CC though.

Other than being a bit faster than other muxes, the TS Mux option makes it possible to recording multiple channels at the same time with one tuner, if those multiplex channels are on the same frequency.

[mrxtc89117]

Oh I see, like channels 5.2 and 5.2 etc. By the way, I tried switching the mux to dvr-ms and recorded. Pvrx2 would crash when I try and watch it but not on WMP (32 bit). I'm on Vista home premium. It's no big deal, I want to stay with either TS Mux or try the ATI Mux.

[pBS]

avivo can only play ipod style h.264[really low res] but it can do mpeg2 no problem...
a mux just Multiplexes video and audio streams back into one stream...
ati mux can do mpeg2 program streams,avi,mp4....w/pvrx2 it's used as mpeg2 mux...
[avivo mux output = .mpg files only]
it says it won't do dvd but have gotten it to before..still probably not the best for that..
haven't had a single hiccup using it as a mux so far...atsc in US.
works in client well for me, streaming/converting no problem also...

i also have kworld pci120 and pretty sure it doesn't save the cc's as i haven't been able to extract any...mostly the Hauppauge cards do cc's well...not many others..

[mrxtc89117]

Well, I used Avivo last night for my dvd decoder and it works ok, except I do not get the dvd menus to work. The CPU usage is below 10% so I assume it is using dxva. Live TV and Recordings are not though and CPU spikes at 100%. Looks like maybe faulty drivers. I am using catalyst 8.10 on Vista Home Premium. I read somewhere to fallback to maybe 8.5 Catalyst so I will try that.

Thanks