TS Transcode for MVP

[Bobins]

Just an update on today's testing.....

Tried playing a SD TS file on the MVP. The file was transcoded successfully "on-the-fly" and played but the video lagged the audio by about 1 second. Tried multiple different files same result always out of sync. (Hadn't noticed this on previous tests as they were cartoons)

Repeated the above but manually transcoding using Ztranscode... same out of sync. Tried again with the same 4ts profile but changed to the default GBPVR ffmpeg. File transcoded and audio was in sync. Is there a way for me to change the audio sync when using ffmpeg-alt?

Tried a manual transcode from within PVRX2 using the TS to MPEG setting. The transcode failed. Checking the logs, it looks like PVRX2 is trying to run the default GBPVR ffmpeg.exe with the 4ts profile

Whilst the config.xml has a line <AutoConvertTSCommand exe="ZTools\ZProcess2.exe">4ts "{SOURCE_FILE}" {DEST_FILE}</AutoConvertTSCommand>

The PVXR2 log shows......
TS Conversion: "C:\Program Files\Devnz\GBPVR\Third Party\FFmpeg\ffmpeg.exe" 4ts "E:\Recordings\Manual Recordings\Channel 4_20090126170000.ts" "E:\Recordings\Manual Recordings\Channel 4_20090126170000.mpg"

By all accounts it looks like the exe="****" in the config file is being ignored. I wonder has SUB hardcoded the TS transcode encoder selection to the GBPVR ffmpeg ?

The above means autoconvert after recording also fails.

The test HD file is now ready for download.

[zehd]

Just an update on today's testing.....

Tried playing a SD TS file on the MVP. The file was transcoded successfully "on-the-fly" and played but the video lagged the audio by about 1 second. Tried multiple different files same result always out of sync. (Hadn't noticed this on previous tests as they were cartoons)

Repeated the above but manually transcoding using Ztranscode... same out of sync. Tried again with the same 4ts profile but changed to the default GBPVR ffmpeg. File transcoded and audio was in sync. Is there a way for me to change the audio sync when using ffmpeg-alt?

Tried a manual transcode from within PVRX2 using the TS to MPEG setting. The transcode failed. Checking the logs, it looks like PVRX2 is trying to run the default GBPVR ffmpeg.exe with the 4ts profile

Whilst the config.xml has a line <AutoConvertTSCommand exe="ZTools\ZProcess2.exe">4ts "{SOURCE_FILE}" {DEST_FILE}</AutoConvertTSCommand>

The PVXR2 log shows......
TS Conversion: "C:\Program Files\Devnz\GBPVR\Third Party\FFmpeg\ffmpeg.exe" 4ts "E:\Recordings\Manual Recordings\Channel 4_20090126170000.ts" "E:\Recordings\Manual Recordings\Channel 4_20090126170000.mpg"

By all accounts it looks like the exe="****" in the config file is being ignored. I wonder has SUB hardcoded the TS transcode encoder selection to the GBPVR ffmpeg ?

The above means autoconvert after recording also fails.

The test HD file is now ready for download.

I've got your file...

This is the line you should be looking at in config.xml

Code:

<MVPFFmpegTranscodeTS exe="ZTools\ZProcess2.exe">4ts "{SOURCE_FILE}" "{DEST_FILE}"</MVPFFmpegTranscodeTS>

The entry in the log file indicates that your line doesn't look like this... because GB-PVR is calling ffmpeg and not ZProcess

(BTW, if you ever run something and aren't sure what the engine is doing, look in the task manager, you'll see ffmpeg, ffmpeg-alt or mencoder running...)

However you have given me an idea... in the meantime make sure you are using the latest prerelease (I won't be updating for a couple of days so if you have updated in the last week, you're good)

Remove Refs, Save settings, and then add refs, save settings. Check the config.xml, you should have the line looking mine (above)


Regarding your test file, maybe you can do some leg work... So far I have been unable to detect the dimensions. It doesn't play that well in VLC, but still the audio appears in sync...

One good thing is, if I can get this, I should also be able to display subtitles and teletext, but I don't want to get anyone's hopes up.

Can you find out what dimensions your Channels are broadcasting in, so I can do some playing...

[Bobins]

BBC HD broadcasts in 1440 x 1080i and encodes H.264/MPEG-4 AVC so I'm assuming that's what's in the TS file.

My understanding of GBPVR is that the <MVPFFmpegTranscodeTS exe="ZTools\ZProcess2.exe">4ts "{SOURCE_FILE}" "{DEST_FILE}"</MVPFFmpegTranscodeTS> is used when you try to watch a TS file and causes transcode "on-the-fly" using ZProcess.
This works for a SD TS file but the audio is out of sync.

When you select autotranscode TS or a manual TS transcode from the Video Library in PVRX2, I believe it uses the <AutoConvertTSCommand exe="ZTools\ZProcess2.exe">4ts "{SOURCE_FILE}" {DEST_FILE}</AutoConvertTSCommand> line. Unfortunately it's this line where the exe="***" bit seems to be being ignored and the log implies it's been replaced with a standard GBPVR ffmpeg transcode (which fails). This makes me think the config line is being ignored and has been hardcoded by SUB.

If he's watching, he might wish to comment?

[leaded1]

I had this working a few weeks ago by making a new entry under "Custom FFMPEG conversions" (I called mine TS>MPG) in Config.xml with the Zprocess commandline and 4ts profile then choosing that for TS Transcode in the Config App.

--edit--

It looks to me like if there is a Custom Conversion in the <AutoConvertTSToFormat> tag, it will use that and ignore what is in the <AutoConvertTSCommand> tag.

Mine looks like this:
<AutoConvertTSToFormat>TS-MVP</AutoConvertTSToFormat>
<AutoConvertTSCommand>-y -i "{SOURCE_FILE}" -vcodec copy -acodec copy -f dvd "{DEST_FILE}"</AutoConvertTSCommand>

and my Custom Conversion is this:

<Conversion name="TS-MVP" exe="ZTools\ZProcess2.exe" cmd="4ts {SOURCE_FILE} {DEST_FILE}" targetExtension=".mpg" />

Hope this helps,
Leaded

[zehd]

I had this working a few weeks ago by making a new entry under "Custom FFMPEG conversions" (I called mine TS>MPG) in Config.xml with the Zprocess commandline and 4ts profile then choosing that for TS Transcode in the Config App.

--edit--

It looks to me like if there is a Custom Conversion in the <AutoConvertTSToFormat> tag, it will use that and ignore what is in the <AutoConvertTSCommand> tag.

Mine looks like this:
<AutoConvertTSToFormat>TS-MVP</AutoConvertTSToFormat>
<AutoConvertTSCommand>-y -i "{SOURCE_FILE}" -vcodec copy -acodec copy -f dvd "{DEST_FILE}"</AutoConvertTSCommand>

and my Custom Conversion is this:

<Conversion name="TS-MVP" exe="ZTools\ZProcess2.exe" cmd="4ts {SOURCE_FILE} {DEST_FILE}" targetExtension=".mpg" />

Hope this helps,
Leaded

OK. And I still have to do something so that the UK TS file doesn't default to the Trans2MVP profile... So let me have a look...

[Bobins]

Thanks leaded1.

I've created a custom transcode as suggested and now ZProcess runs when I do a manual convert from the Video Library.

At first I couldn't find the transcoded file but I've noticed some odd behaviour from ZProcess.

Irrespective of the {dest_file} setting , the output file ends up in the "Recordings" directory. Also, all the file outputs are .mpg irrespective of the targetExtension.

Do you see this behaviour leaded1?

Zehd

I've included a log file which shows some of the above odd behaviour.

[leaded1]

Yes, all automatic transcodes end up in the recordings directory. I think Zehd said that he would make that configurable in a future release.

[Bobins]

leaded1,

Thanks for the reply.

Do all your transcodes end up as xxxxx.mpg as well (even thought for example a convert to xvid should end up as a xxxxx.avi)?

[Bobins]

Zehd,

I've been looking to see if I can fix the audio sync on the transcoded SD TS files. I tried adding "async 1" to the ffmpeg command line but if anything it made the audio sysnc worse. The out of sync does look fixed in terms of its offset to the video.

Is there anyway I can adjust this?

[leaded1]

Yes, I just tried this out, and from the MVP, everything defaults to .mpg's regardless of the transcode profile you select. Looking at my logs in the MVP Cache folder, it looks like it is over-rideing to Trans2MVP for .mpeg files and overiding to 4ts for .ts files.