Zprocess2: How do I know it's working?

[zehd]

Hey guys. Yes, running ZP 2.0.293


MVP is set to 16:9 through MVP Media, prior to GBPVR install.
BTW, the GBPVR interface is always 4:3 stretched out.

Still getting the You will need to set some values on the config.xml Popup upon start of the file.

Actually got a file to work today. Upon start, got the
'presented by Zprocess 2.0.293 Subtitle. Nice Touch...

Ok, the only file I got to work is 568x232
Divx 5 724kbs.

Just trying to provide data for debug.

Other files are restarting the server. In fact, even the one that was working isn't anymore.
Ill restart the PC and try again. That is needed quite a bit.

It seems we've made some progress but, at this point I don't know where else to look. In a few minutes I'll be updating yet another version, and it will grab several log and text files, into the app path Logs folder. Please zip and attach...

Just so you know, and so you don't spend too much troubleshooting, you should not ever have to reboot the server to get ZProcess to work. If you are having trouble with the MVP bouncing back from a crash, that may be something entirely different. What dongle?

Further more, I'm sure the config.xml is fine, though I'll be checking that again. That means, don't bother removing and adding references in your troubleshooting...

I think what you need to be doing is testing without the MVP...

This test I will describe (grits, do this too!) should work for both ZProcess.exe and ZTranscode.exe. THe interfaces are almost the same. But We will first nail down whether ZTranscode is working manually.

Start ZTranscode. Double click the input file text box, and select a video that you think you may be having trouble with. Double-click anywhere on the program form (gray area) It expands the program interface. It's messay and not suppsoed to be seen, but anyway...

Make sure that the combo box on the right is set to Trans2MVP. If it is, without changing, then you won't have to check this while you continue troubleshooting (That was a stab in the dark)

So to recap, all we should have really needed was to select a file for input. Then you click 'Start'.

Let it cluck away for a bit. Are any of the three numbers in the Output file box changing... Hover you mouse over those numbers, it will tell you what they are... We're looking for only hits, 0 through 20 and over again.... This is important. If you're getting strikes or fouls, you might be sent to the Minors...

If the numbers are moving at all, it's probable that MEncoder has already started and died. So, let's dig deeper. Click the 'settings' and then with the Trans2MVP profile, uncheck Hide Consoles, and click save, close settings

Click 'start' again (the input file should still be selected) You'll get a MEncoder window. If it disappears right away, then you might as well stop. Send me the logs and have a beer or go to sleep or whatever...

Anyway, assuming that the 'hit' numbers are clicking away, and you may see a MEncoder window, then you should be able to view the file in progress. Click View, and a MPLayer window should pop up and start displaying the video from the beginning, and you should see the 'presented by ZProcess' title, etc...

If all this runs consistently, then the whole ZProcess mechanism is working well.

Try again with ZProcess.exe. Select a file, click start. This, you do want to see ZTranscode (which is started automatically by ZProcess) but this time, it's hiding in the System Tray as a flasing green dot. Double click the dot and you should see, the hits clicking away, and a current fps...

This is the final confirmation that it is all working well. That means if you still have trouble, GB-PVR isn't starting ZProcess/Ztranscode correctly, or there is pathing issues etc. These things, I've been trying to trap in the logs.


whew... OK.. Ready Set Start...

[jerryheynow]

Got it. Tonight, after the day. I will post results. I did notice today, no MVP Cache directories or files, but log files in the ZTools/logs dir. Attached the one I just tested prior to seeing this test.
1. rebooted system
2. played a file that worked yesterday in previous post (You must set config.xml...message appeared)
3. MVP rebooted

[jerryheynow]

SEE COMMENTS INLINE

It seems we've made some progress but, at this point I don't know where else to look. In a few minutes I'll be updating yet another version, and it will grab several log and text files, into the app path Logs folder. Please zip and attach...

Just so you know, and so you don't spend too much troubleshooting, you should not ever have to reboot the server to get ZProcess to work. If you are having trouble with the MVP bouncing back from a crash, that may be something entirely different. What dongle?

Further more, I'm sure the config.xml is fine, though I'll be checking that again. That means, don't bother removing and adding references in your troubleshooting...

I think what you need to be doing is testing without the MVP...

This test I will describe (grits, do this too!) should work for both ZProcess.exe and ZTranscode.exe. THe interfaces are almost the same. But We will first nail down whether ZTranscode is working manually.

Start ZTranscode. Double click the input file text box, and select a video that you think you may be having trouble with. Double-click anywhere on the program form (gray area) It expands the program interface. It's messay and not suppsoed to be seen, but anyway...

Make sure that the combo box on the right is set to Trans2MVP. If it is, without changing, then you won't have to check this while you continue troubleshooting (That was a stab in the dark)

So to recap, all we should have really needed was to select a file for input. Then you click 'Start'.

Upon Start, the 'You will need to set some values in the config.xml for MVP Screen Position lock appears.

Let it cluck away for a bit. Are any of the three numbers in the Output file box changing... Hover you mouse over those numbers, it will tell you what they are... We're looking for only hits, 0 through 20 and over again.... This is important. If you're getting strikes or fouls, you might be sent to the Minors...

After accepting the 'You will need to set some values in the config.xml for MVP Screen Position lock appears., the Hits numbers is reacting fine, 0-20 over and over.


If the numbers are moving at all, it's probable that MEncoder has already started and died. So, let's dig deeper. Click the 'settings' and then with the Trans2MVP profile, uncheck Hide Consoles, and click save, close settings

Click 'start' again (the input file should still be selected) You'll get a MEncoder window. If it disappears right away, then you might as well stop. Send me the logs and have a beer or go to sleep or whatever...

Again, the 'You will need to set some values in the config.xml for MVP Screen Position lock appears. Accepted. No window appeared or came and went.

Anyway, assuming that the 'hit' numbers are clicking away, and you may see a MEncoder window, then you should be able to view the file in progress. Click View, and a MPLayer window should pop up and start displaying the video from the beginning, and you should see the 'presented by ZProcess' title, etc...

Yes, view works as above


If all this runs consistently, then the whole ZProcess mechanism is working well.

Try again with ZProcess.exe. Select a file, click start. This, you do want to see ZTranscode (which is started automatically by ZProcess) but this time, it's hiding in the System Tray as a flasing green dot. Double click the dot and you should see, the hits clicking away, and a current fps...

Upon Start, the 'You will need to set some values in the config.xml for MVP Screen Position lock appears. After Accept, process continues

Yes, the ZTranscode is clicking away 0-20.

This is the final confirmation that it is all working well. That means if you still have trouble, GB-PVR isn't starting ZProcess/Ztranscode correctly, or there is pathing issues etc. These things, I've been trying to trap in the logs.


whew... OK.. Ready Set Start...

All Logs attached.

Thanks for the support. Also, i am using the Base Dongle with the MediaMVP install. All defaults. If i should change, no issue. Let me know.

[jerryheynow]

Ok, more testing and more findings.

If i start the film, and click the 'you must set the config.xml settings' Accept quickly, the movie plays every time. So that dialog box is holding up the processing and killing the Zprocess.

NExt, when I set the Zprocss settings to Trans2MVP, and SAVE, they don't take. Upon next open, the profile is always blank.

Finally, i have 2 movies now that are playing.

1 is in 16:9 and 1 stays full screen

16:9 working well = a 664x268 file in Divx 5 687Kbps

4:3 which plays 16:9 on PC, but not on MVP = 620x328 Divx5 728Kbps


Thanks...

[zehd]

There are two issues. The 'you must set the config.xml settings' issue and not getting the correct dimensions... I think the second one will be taken care of the first.

You're config.xml is messed. Or should I say that the default config.xml from a vanilla install is messing with my program. (Well it DID change on me !!!! )

I discovered the problem. Sub has been playing with different sample MAC addresses while he's playing with PCH...

I'll have something out for you soon... And after we have that licked, we'll look at the dimensions...

[zehd]

Scratch that. Latest version up, should be reading the config.xml correctly and you shouldn't get that nasty popup anymore.

Now that I'm so sure that it's fixed, how is the dimensions thing going...?

BTW, since I'm a stickler for aspect ratios, I thought I'd point out that:

[SoapBoxOn] = True

664x268 isn't 16:9. It works out to about 2.47:1 which is EXACTLY why ZProcess was originally born. Who ever cut that rip, hasn't a clue on standard aspect ratio... (debating whether I should insert a LOL or a smiley - I know that it wasn't you though....)

4:3 (1.33:1SD), 16:9 (1.77:1 HD), 2.35:1 (Cinescope), 1.85:1 (now rare)

What ZProcess does is it takes the dimensions, and rounds it out so that if it's closer to 2.35:1 or 16:9 or 4:3, it's handled slightly differently, but all in all, the 'strange' aspects are still maintained, and 'strange' letterbox bars are created...

So the short point is, that your 2.47:1 video is 2.47:1 inside a letterbox frame. It's just fine tuned and tweaked as if it was a 2.35:1

Your 620x328 is actually 1.89:1 which is pretty close to 1.777 (16/9) It's just a bit shorter than a full 16:9 video so there will be a smidgen of letterbox bars. Very close to the older format of 1.85:1, but I don't do anything special with that. I just tweak as if it's close to 16:9

I do some other averaging too, and if the black bars are really tiny, I just leave them out and hope no one complains about distortion...

[SoapBoxOn] = False

And then there's the matter of the Cache folder and logs. If you start ZTranscode, select a file, click start, let run for a few seconds, and click stop, there should be about ten files in the app logs folder. The ZProcess log will specifically tell you where it is creating the cache folder... It has to exist, or else there wouldn't be a log file copied into the log folder...

So if we need to continue, I'd like azip of the contents of that log folder ...

[jerryheynow]

Scratch that. Latest version up, should be reading the config.xml correctly and you shouldn't get that nasty popup anymore.

Now that I'm so sure that it's fixed, how is the dimensions thing going...?

BTW, since I'm a stickler for aspect ratios, I thought I'd point out that:

[SoapBoxOn] = True

664x268 isn't 16:9. It works out to about 2.47:1 which is EXACTLY why ZProcess was originally born. Who ever cut that rip, hasn't a clue on standard aspect ratio... (debating whether I should insert a LOL or a smiley - I know that it wasn't you though....)

4:3 (1.33:1SD), 16:9 (1.77:1 HD), 2.35:1 (Cinescope), 1.85:1 (now rare)

What ZProcess does is it takes the dimensions, and rounds it out so that if it's closer to 2.35:1 or 16:9 or 4:3, it's handled slightly differently, but all in all, the 'strange' aspects are still maintained, and 'strange' letterbox bars are created...

So the short point is, that your 2.47:1 video is 2.47:1 inside a letterbox frame. It's just fine tuned and tweaked as if it was a 2.35:1

Your 620x328 is actually 1.89:1 which is pretty close to 1.777 (16/9) It's just a bit shorter than a full 16:9 video so there will be a smidgen of letterbox bars. Very close to the older format of 1.85:1, but I don't do anything special with that. I just tweak as if it's close to 16:9

I do some other averaging too, and if the black bars are really tiny, I just leave them out and hope no one complains about distortion...

[SoapBoxOn] = False

And then there's the matter of the Cache folder and logs. If you start ZTranscode, select a file, click start, let run for a few seconds, and click stop, there should be about ten files in the app logs folder. The ZProcess log will specifically tell you where it is creating the cache folder... It has to exist, or else there wouldn't be a log file copied into the log folder...

So if we need to continue, I'd like azip of the contents of that log folder ...

OK, interesting.

New Files installed. Ztranscode 2.1.101

Still getting the nasty popup on each file kickoff, BUT

The aspect ratios look great on 10 files i just checked. FIRST TIME!

LEt me know how we can kill the box, and I'll be a happy man.

Great job!!

I still get no profile when i open up Zprocess Settings, but the files are playing without touching anything. Very nice.....

[zehd]

OK, interesting.

New Files installed. Ztranscode 2.1.101

Still getting the nasty popup on each file kickoff, BUT

The aspect ratios look great on 10 files i just checked. FIRST TIME!

LEt me know how we can kill the box, and I'll be a happy man.

Great job!!

I still get no profile when i open up Zprocess Settings, but the files are playing without touching anything. Very nice.....

can you zip and attach all files in the logs folder? I'm checking for differences...

If the config.xml file is not there in the log folder, than please include your original too (again)

[zehd]

I still get no profile when I open up Zprocess Settings, but the files are playing without touching anything. Very nice.....

Sorry for not answering to this one. That is normal. You don't need a profile auto selected in ZProcess. When you open a file in ZTranscode though, you'll see "Trans2MVP is the default, and actually can't be changed from default.

Actually, since ZTranscode is the one that does all the work, when ZProcess doesn't have a profile selected and hands off to ZTranscode, ZTranscode uses Trans2MVP as a default.

As far as saving settings, using the ZProcess/ZTranscode settings screen, selecting a profile, changing a setting, and click save, should save to registry.

But at this point we're just using defaults right? (I know you were just choosing a profile and trying to make it stick)

BTW, in ref to other post, do you get that popup when you only use ZTranscode and manually load a file?

[jerryheynow]

can you zip and attach all files in the logs folder? I'm checking for differences...

If the config.xml file is not there in the log folder, than please include your original too (again)

attached