OTA show is not recording

[dschlic1]

I have a HTPC running Windows 7 Pro, Kodi, NextPVR and Silicon Dust HDHR3 as the tuner. I really like the setup and it is working great with one exception. I am trying to record the show Woodsmith Shop which shows locally on a PBS station sub channel. The show appears to record, shows up in the listing of recorded shows, and when I start to play the show is shows that some 33+ minutes have been recorded. However when the playback gets to the actual start of the show, the time jumps ahead to 32 minutes and none of the actual show is shown. When looking at the file sizes on the disk it is apparent that the show did not record, just the extra time before and after the show. I can however record the show on a Channel Master PAL7000 that I also have.


Any ideas? Perhaps DRM?

[johnsonx42]

I'd have to assume they're doing something weird with the stream id's or program id's when the show starts. Seems like if it was just a screwed up pts timeline which caused the playback to skip like that, the data would still be in the file. But I know just barely enough about mpeg-2 transport streams to sound smart while being completely wrong.

If this is reliably repeatable, seems to me the best course of action would be to capture a 3-5 minute full transport stream of that frequency from a minute or two before the show starts to a minute or two after it starts, and then upload it somewhere. Then someone who actually does know about mpeg-2 transport streams could look at the data and see what changes when the show starts (that'd be sub and probably mvallevand). If it's something the software should adjust for, then sub could fix it for the next release.

I'd suggest using TSCapture (http://www.tscapture.com), except that the free version can only capture 1 minute. If you can nail down the start time close enough, you could try capturing 30 seconds before and after the start, and hope you catch the change in there.

[sub]

I'd have to assume they're doing something weird with the stream id's or program id's when the show starts. Seems like if it was just a screwed up pts timeline which caused the playback to skip like that, the data would still be in the file. But I know just barely enough about mpeg-2 transport streams to sound smart while being completely wrong.

If this is reliably repeatable, seems to me the best course of action would be to capture a 3-5 minute full transport stream of that frequency from a minute or two before the show starts to a minute or two after it starts, and then upload it somewhere. Then someone who actually does know about mpeg-2 transport streams could look at the data and see what changes when the show starts (that'd be sub and probably mvallevand). If it's something the software should adjust for, then sub could fix it for the next release.

I'd suggest using TSCapture (http://www.tscapture.com), except that the free version can only capture 1 minute. If you can nail down the start time close enough, you could try capturing 30 seconds before and after the start, and hope you catch the change in there.

Yep - excellent advice. That'd definitely be the best thing to do.

[ReplayHarry]

Interesting. I have a similar problem. On the MOVIES channel (58.2). This OTA station pretty much shows old movies and nothing else. I have tried to record "Sherlock Holmes in the Pearl of Death" several times. It appears to record (but a very small file), but when I watch it I see the preliminary stuff (adds, etc), but as soon as the actual movie starts it ends. I have recorded it 3 times now and got the same results. I am thinking it is some kind of DRM (copy protection) in the movie. For fun the last time I tried to record it, I went on Kodi live TV at the same time and I could actually watch it live (just watched enough to verify that), but the recording was the same.

I have never heard of an OTA station having copy protection on a show/movie, but that is the only explanation I can come up with.

It's airing again in a few days and I am going to try to record it on my old ReplayTV, just to see it it will do it. Of course I am using a digital converter box to do that as ReplayTV does not directly handle digital TV signals.

++++updated 4/18/2016
As I expected, the Sherlock Holmes movie recorded fine via ReplayTV. Since it wasn't a "stream" and was just recording with video in, I figured it would work. Still strange that an OTA TV Station finds it necessary to protect certain content, especially a 60-70 year old movie.

[dschlic1]

Just to add to the confusion, last week the program recorded correctly. This after not recording a single show (weekly) for three months!