Zprocess transcode onMVP - "Transcoder died early"

[zehd]

[SIZE="4"]Summary[/SIZE]

There are several other options that we could have tried, but mostly this should get you started with trying a couple of different things...

ZProcess is supposed to be a turn key install. It asks two questions on first run and then is ready to go.

If it doesn't work for you, you have to see whether your computer is even transcoding files properly in the first place.

1. Check if GB-PVR and the MVP can play on-the-fly videos using default configuration
   
   
2. Check if ZProcess can manually transcode with default ffmpeg
   
   
3. Check if ZProcess can manually transcode at a quick frame rate using the alt ffmpeg
   
   
4. Try viewing a file with MVP. Try increasing PrePlay delay so that the video plays completely.
   
   
5. Try again with MEncoder...
   

Good luck

[zehd]

Must be a hard problem, No replies at all. Not even any suggestions?!

An update:

I have now (hopefully) ruled out the laptop/PC side setup. I had a 2nd clean install (OEM) HP lappie from work. Loaded up BPPVR and then all the Zprocess stuff as per instrutions. Exactly the same problem.

I now hope/think it is a MVP issue.

I am using the WirelessMVP H3 model (although i am using it wired).

Does anyone else have Zproces working with a H3 wMVP?

Thanks,
S.

Have you tried defaults? have you tried the Hauppauge software?

I'm sure that it shouldn't be the wireless model, although something could be wrong with your particular unit...

[opi]

Hi Frank,

thank you for this detail explanation.
So I made several test as you requested and find ot following:

Default GBPVR without ZProcess are working fine but Picture ratio by .avi are not corrrect. Both version from FFmpeg working.

GBPVR with ZProcess and FFmpeg (both version) working manually but via MVP the MVP crashed.

GBPVR with ZProcess and MEncoder (ver. RC2) crashed manually and also via MVP.

GBPVR with ZProcess and MEncoder (ver. RC1) works perfect manually and crashed via MVP.

Final results is:
For me works FFmpeg manually, but I dont like the Picture ratio.
MEncoder version RC1 works also manually and the pic ratio is perfect.
So I will use MEncoder RC1 for transcoding.

But: No version from MEncoder and FFmpeg works via MVP.
Every time i get " Trancoder died early" regardless wich transcoder version I used.

So I can transcode all my avi files manually in .mpg but I think thats not the solutions what do you want to arrive.

I guess that GBPVR have a problem with ZProcess or backwards?
Now I am complett helpless.

Did you need some logs??

[zehd]

Did you need some logs??

You're right. GB-PVR doesn't like ZProcess. It' doesn't mind calling ffmpeg. but doesn't like calling ZProcess.

I would like all the ZProcess logs and files mentioned in my instructions, plus, config.xml...

Try one more time with the MVP, ZProcess and MEncoder RC1 and then gather all gbpvr logs fro the devnz/gbpvr.logs folder...

I'll look, but we might have to bring sub into this...

[the.tangoman]

Frank,

Thanks for your long and thorough reply. your many suggestions have at least help me understand the issues a little more.

Though i can help in the software development side of things, i hope that i am about to help with this testing stuff.

Some are the answers to your questions, some more observations, and all the logs. (the logs a named with the tests you asked for, they should all contain all the files and configs you need)

1. Check if GB-PVR and the MVP can play on-the-fly videos using default configuration
Yes - i can play the MPG videos you provided and all other MPG videos

2. Check if ZProcess can manually transcode with default ffmpeg
I thought it was working with my long sample clip, but with you short wmv it doesnt. It freezes at 71% and keeps generating log files, looks like it is a endless loop until i manualy stop it

3. Check if ZProcess can manually transcode at a quick frame rate using the alt ffmpeg
Same as above

4. Try viewing a file with MVP. Try increasing PrePlay delay so that the video plays completely.

5. Try again with MEncoder...
I can transcode the .wmv file with mencoder, but not through the MVP.

• My MVP is a H4 wMVP
  
• I have now also tested on a Different Ethernet switch
  
• Installed newest version of Zprocess2
  
• Tested and tested with all versions of FFmpeg (see logs)
  
• hauppauge MediaMVP version 3.3.25.032 installed
  
• Transcoding works fine with Hauppauge (but with normal picture in the top only of the screen issues)
  
• Your test videos were very helpfull. My test video yas 45min long, and i also stopped the testing before it finished. With your .wmv i let it run all the way through, and it always but stuck at 71% with FFMpeg (mencode works OK).
  

I am starting to think that maybe my machine is not up to the task and the FPS rate is droppping too low when GBPVR need to transcode and stream it to the MVP at the same time? But It does work with the hauppauge software?

Let me know if i can do any other tests for you, i may not be able to get back right away will ASAP (I also have a job and a new little baby ;-)

Thanks again for your excellent work in the project, I hope my little bit helps to make it even better.
S.

[zehd]

Frank,

Thanks for your long and thorough reply. your many suggestions have at least help me understand the issues a little more.

Though i can help in the software development side of things, i hope that i am about to help with this testing stuff.

Some are the answers to your questions, some more observations, and all the logs. (the logs a named with the tests you asked for, they should all contain all the files and configs you need)

1. Check if GB-PVR and the MVP can play on-the-fly videos using default configuration
Yes - i can play the MPG videos you provided and all other MPG videos

2. Check if ZProcess can manually transcode with default ffmpeg
I thought it was working with my long sample clip, but with you short wmv it doesnt. It freezes at 71% and keeps generating log files, looks like it is a endless loop until i manualy stop it

3. Check if ZProcess can manually transcode at a quick frame rate using the alt ffmpeg
Same as above

4. Try viewing a file with MVP. Try increasing PrePlay delay so that the video plays completely.

5. Try again with MEncoder...
I can transcode the .wmv file with mencoder, but not through the MVP.

• My MVP is a H4 wMVP
  
• I have now also tested on a Different Ethernet switch
  
• Installed newest version of Zprocess2
  
• Tested and tested with all versions of FFmpeg (see logs)
  
• hauppauge MediaMVP version 3.3.25.032 installed
  
• Transcoding works fine with Hauppauge (but with normal picture in the top only of the screen issues)
  
• Your test videos were very helpfull. My test video yas 45min long, and i also stopped the testing before it finished. With your .wmv i let it run all the way through, and it always but stuck at 71% with FFMpeg (mencode works OK).
  

I am starting to think that maybe my machine is not up to the task and the FPS rate is droppping too low when GBPVR need to transcode and stream it to the MVP at the same time? But It does work with the hauppauge software?

Let me know if i can do any other tests for you, i may not be able to get back right away will ASAP (I also have a job and a new little baby ;-)

Thanks again for your excellent work in the project, I hope my little bit helps to make it even better.
S.

Thanks for your help. I think I know why my test video is failing at ~71 % with FFmpeg, I will be trying to add some more checking to a new version soon...

You've been quite thorough, thanks. Give me some time to read the logs.

In the meantime, what are your system specifications?

[the.tangoman]

Frank,

Jut re-reading my post from yesterday - My English was very bad. I hope it made sense, it was a late night and i had a crying baby on one arm.

As Requested my system specs are:

• HiGrade laptop Pentium 4 2.4 with 1gb RAM (all the tech details in the Logs) 80gb HDD. Nvidia geforce4 440 go 64M - strange OEM card that i cant find updated drivers for, PVRx2 doesnt fully work on it (some menu items get all artifact'd) but does effect anything else i have ever run.
  
• XP Pro - SP2 (plus all other patches)
  
• Heaps of other software installed - nothing wildly strange.
  
• AVG free virus scanner (tested with it turned off)
  
• I also turned off the windows firewall and dont have any other firewall installed.
  
• I normally use a 802.11 G wifi card, but all my testing is done with a 100mb wired connection
  
• Router is a linksyswrt54gs with dd-wrt. I also tested with a plan wired switch.
  
• I have a wMVP H4, connected via UTP. (strange thing about the MVP is that when it gets a DHCP address, it has no host name registered in the DHCP DB and therefor i have to use the IP address not a nice DNS name)
  

Happy hunting, let me know if i can help or assist with anything else.

S.

[zehd]

Frank,

Jut re-reading my post from yesterday - My English was very bad. I hope it made sense, it was a late night and i had a crying baby on one arm.

As Requested my system specs are:

• HiGrade laptop Pentium 4 2.4 with 1gb RAM (all the tech details in the Logs) 80gb HDD. Nvidia geforce4 440 go 64M - strange OEM card that i cant find updated drivers for, PVRx2 doesnt fully work on it (some menu items get all artifact'd) but does effect anything else i have ever run.
  
• XP Pro - SP2 (plus all other patches)
  
• Heaps of other software installed - nothing wildly strange.
  
• AVG free virus scanner (tested with it turned off)
  
• I also turned off the windows firewall and dont have any other firewall installed.
  
• I normally use a 802.11 G wifi card, but all my testing is done with a 100mb wired connection
  
• Router is a linksyswrt54gs with dd-wrt. I also tested with a plan wired switch.
  
• I have a wMVP H4, connected via UTP. (strange thing about the MVP is that when it gets a DHCP address, it has no host name registered in the DHCP DB and therefor i have to use the IP address not a nice DNS name)
  

Happy hunting, let me know if i can help or assist with anything else.

S.

Just a couple of thoughts before I crack into the logs... Your system should be fast enough, but, with heaps of software, I wonder if there is a service or running program that is competing with ZProcess. You actually have a faster computer than me, and as such you should be transcoding at a fps close to 90....

what you could do is run msconfig, and disable all non micorosoft services, and all items in startup folder (make note of what you disabled so you can reenable later)... With nothing else running, you might have much better speed and therefore a much better chance...

Also, the rest of your network should be fine (even wirelessly) but you could have network tweaks that are bottlenecking your speed, even with a wired connection.

[the.tangoman]

Frank,

Just ran MSconfig and restarted with all the 3rd party services turned off except all but the MS core essential services.

No difference at all - ran at the same fps and still no success on trancoding via MVP.

Let me know if you need any other tests.

S.

[zehd]

Frank,

Just ran MSconfig and restarted with all the 3rd party services turned off except all but the MS core essential services.

No difference at all - ran at the same fps and still no success on trancoding via MVP.

Let me know if you need any other tests.

S.

I hate to say, but I'm at the end of my tests. I can't think of anything else.

It would be a lot of work, I'm not sure if you wanna do it, but I know that ZProcess works well, and is easy to configure. There's something wrong on your system. So I would actually reinstall your system. I know I had nothing but trouble using mvpmc, so I bit the bullet, reinstalled and it started working lickety split...

Good luck