2008-07-16, 08:30 PM
Since I think these questions are going to be asked repeatedly for many years, I thought I'd give my answers just once. These are my opinions, and since YMMV feel free to share.
1. Does the MVP support 720p/1080i LiveTV?
No.
2. What about recordings?
Maybe, keep reading. Generally the MVP does a better job with on-the-fly transcoding of SD content and a fast server will always be required,
3. Does it matter if I increase the pre-buffer size?
No for HD. For SD DVB broadcasts it could help if a initial setup time is required so after 5 seconds there is diminishing value. The exception here is if you use Zprocess because two programs need to be started so you might see benefits up to 10 seconds.
4. Why do I hear no sound or sound that is badly out of sync?
The MVP only supports MP2/MP3 audio. AC3 and AAC audio are not supported. mvpmc will attempt to play AC3 audio but the video will vary from watchable to objectionably out of sync
5. Will changing codecs on the server help?
No. Codecs aren't used on files streamed to the MVP.
6. What about the digital mux?
You might be able to play digital recordings but commskip, resume and full file navigation will often not be supported. There can be extra load on the server when the file is played.
7. Can you elaborate on the various mux?
a. TS Mux
TS files will need to be transcoded to run with GB-PVR. The default TS file conversion setting in GB-PVR will not work for HD recordings or when the audio is not MP2/3. Commskip, resume and file navigation are not supported.
b. DVR-MS
Yuck, not good for media extenders. The server might transcode recordings on-the-fly to the MVP if it is fast enough.
c. ATI/Cyberlink
These only work with the MVP with standard SD DVB broadcasts (which also will support all GB-PVR functionality) SD QAM signals contain AC3 audio so the files will have no audio. HD broadcasts stay HD.
8. Can I record HD streams in SD for the MVP?
No.
9. What about h264 mpeg recordings?
I think these can only be recorded with the TS Mux.
10. What about HD PVR recordings?
No good solution for m2ts files yet either.
11. What about LATM for the N countries (Norway and NZ)?
If you have read this far you know these files will fail because the audio AND the video aren't MVP compatible.
12. What if I use the config.xml option to transcode all files?
It won't help all files but many digital files will play with a fast server. You will lose commskip, resume and full file navigation on all files including analog and SD recordings that worked previously. A better solution is to transcode files after they are recorded via postprocessing.bat to retain functionality
13. How is the quality of HD video on the MVP?
Since the MVP only does SD it can be no better than DVD quality. It is pretty much guaranteed that on-the-fly transcoding will stutter at times no matter how good your server is in 2008 anyway but I do feel that ffmpeg and meconder can be configured to create video files that are nicer than the eqivalent SD analog recordings.
14. What ffmpeg setting do you use for transcoding?
The GB-PVR defaults, except I use the NTSC settings for TS files.
Martin
1. Does the MVP support 720p/1080i LiveTV?
No.
2. What about recordings?
Maybe, keep reading. Generally the MVP does a better job with on-the-fly transcoding of SD content and a fast server will always be required,
3. Does it matter if I increase the pre-buffer size?
No for HD. For SD DVB broadcasts it could help if a initial setup time is required so after 5 seconds there is diminishing value. The exception here is if you use Zprocess because two programs need to be started so you might see benefits up to 10 seconds.
4. Why do I hear no sound or sound that is badly out of sync?
The MVP only supports MP2/MP3 audio. AC3 and AAC audio are not supported. mvpmc will attempt to play AC3 audio but the video will vary from watchable to objectionably out of sync
5. Will changing codecs on the server help?
No. Codecs aren't used on files streamed to the MVP.
6. What about the digital mux?
You might be able to play digital recordings but commskip, resume and full file navigation will often not be supported. There can be extra load on the server when the file is played.
7. Can you elaborate on the various mux?
a. TS Mux
TS files will need to be transcoded to run with GB-PVR. The default TS file conversion setting in GB-PVR will not work for HD recordings or when the audio is not MP2/3. Commskip, resume and file navigation are not supported.
b. DVR-MS
Yuck, not good for media extenders. The server might transcode recordings on-the-fly to the MVP if it is fast enough.
c. ATI/Cyberlink
These only work with the MVP with standard SD DVB broadcasts (which also will support all GB-PVR functionality) SD QAM signals contain AC3 audio so the files will have no audio. HD broadcasts stay HD.
8. Can I record HD streams in SD for the MVP?
No.
9. What about h264 mpeg recordings?
I think these can only be recorded with the TS Mux.
10. What about HD PVR recordings?
No good solution for m2ts files yet either.
11. What about LATM for the N countries (Norway and NZ)?
If you have read this far you know these files will fail because the audio AND the video aren't MVP compatible.
12. What if I use the config.xml option to transcode all files?
It won't help all files but many digital files will play with a fast server. You will lose commskip, resume and full file navigation on all files including analog and SD recordings that worked previously. A better solution is to transcode files after they are recorded via postprocessing.bat to retain functionality
13. How is the quality of HD video on the MVP?
Since the MVP only does SD it can be no better than DVD quality. It is pretty much guaranteed that on-the-fly transcoding will stutter at times no matter how good your server is in 2008 anyway but I do feel that ffmpeg and meconder can be configured to create video files that are nicer than the eqivalent SD analog recordings.
14. What ffmpeg setting do you use for transcoding?
The GB-PVR defaults, except I use the NTSC settings for TS files.
Martin