Another MVP newbie wanting to play dvr-ms

[Foamy]

I have a HVR-1600 and I like to record HD clear-QAM programming. The playback quality on my PC is really nice. I have been using the default dvr-ms encoding.

Just this week I got a MVP to play around with. I immediately tried to play one of the HD recordings, and of course, no luck. I checked the forums, and found that this issue has been covered numerous times (should have done my homework I suppose).

Anyway, there seem to be some who indicate that it is possible, with the correct transcoding. (I have installed ZProcess and and trying to get that working, but that is another thread.) Others say that if I change encoding from dvr-ms to TS or something else, it may work.

Has anyone been actually been successful doing this? If so, could you please share your setup?

Thanks!

[zehd]

Has anyone been actually been successful doing this? If so, could you please share your setup?

Thanks!

Yes. Either DVR-MS or TS will transcode on the fly to a MVP playable MPG

[sub]

To play a .DVR-MS file on the MVP, you need to have the Cyberlink mux installed on the PC.

[Foamy]

Yes. Either DVR-MS or TS will transcode on the fly to a MVP playable MPG

Great! That gives me hope. :-)
When I tried playing a dvr-ms file, the video looked OK but the audio was distorted and out of sync.

On the Misc2 config panel I changed BDA Multiplexer to Cyberlink. Now the recorded file is a mpg, and it plays OK on the MVP. Is this the best option?

Thanks for all the support.

[sub]

On the Misc2 config panel I changed BDA Multiplexer to Cyberlink. Now the recorded file is a mpg, and it plays OK on the MVP. Is this the best option?

Unfortunately there isnt really any good options for using US digital recordings on the MVP, since these rceordings often include AC3 audio or high def video, either of which will make the MVP suffer a brown trouser error.

Probably the best you can get on the MVP is recording .ts files (using the TS Mux) option, then editing the <MVPFFmpegTranscodeTS> setting in config.xml to convert the video to standard definition with standard MPEG1-Layer2 audio. It should be OK for watching recordings, but you wont be able to use live tv.

The Popcorn Hour client is better suited to these types of recordings, since it can play high definition video, and AC3 audio, and .ts files, all natively.

[zehd]

Great! That gives me hope. :-)
When I tried playing a dvr-ms file, the video looked OK but the audio was distorted and out of sync.

On the Misc2 config panel I changed BDA Multiplexer to Cyberlink. Now the recorded file is a mpg, and it plays OK on the MVP. Is this the best option?

Thanks for all the support.

What you'll have to do is make available a TS file and a DVR-ms file for me to play with. I can get either to transcode on the fly for you with ZProcess

[zehd]

For those of you who are confused, sub and I will have conflicting answers to these questions.

Sub is the author of GB-PVR, and has sole control over the direction this project goes. His answers are based on features and functions that he has built into the core application. He refers to using only his app and not any third party solutions.

He has also made certain 'hooks' available so that others can extend it's features. When I answer these questions, it is based on my own experience, seeing the limitations to the Core app and working towards going past those limitations.

GB-PVR by default (and whenever I say 'default' I mean WITHOUT third party applications or advanced tweaks to GB-PVR) has some trouble playing some TS and DVR-MS files. There are differences between regions, with how these files are created and with what codec, so sometimes the default settings GB-PVR uses will not work with your files.

By default, DVR-MS file conversions, requires the CyberLink mux to be installed and the default 'Trans2MVP.exe" to be used, for on the fly transcoding to DVR-MS to MVP playable MPG.

ZProcess doesn't use that approach, and its technique and GB-PVR's default tecnique are incompatible with each other. ZProcess replaces the 'Trans2MVP.exe' file with its own, to gain access and control of your DVR-MS files

TS files are also transcoded on the fly by GB-PVR and FFmpeg but I find that for my tests, my North American TS files will not transcode using GB-PVR's defaults..

ZProcess uses an Alternate version of FFmpeg to transcode my TS files.

I hope this helps you choose in which direction you'd like to go...

[Foamy]

Unfortunately there isnt really any good options for using US digital recordings on the MVP, since these rceordings often include AC3 audio or high def video, either of which will make the MVP suffer a brown trouser error.

Probably the best you can get on the MVP is recording .ts files (using the TS Mux) option, then editing the <MVPFFmpegTranscodeTS> setting in config.xml to convert the video to standard definition with standard MPEG1-Layer2 audio. It should be OK for watching recordings, but you wont be able to use live tv.

The Popcorn Hour client is better suited to these types of recordings, since it can play high definition video, and AC3 audio, and .ts files, all natively.

I'll get a PH sooner or later, but it is not in the budget at the moment.

When I select TS Mux and play back a recording, the audio is extremely distorted (sounds like it is very very slooooooooow) on my PC. If I try to play the ts file on the MVP, it crashes.

The audio is fine if I play the ts file with VLC.

[sub]

When I select TS Mux and play back a recording, the audio is extremely distorted (sounds like it is very very slooooooooow) on my PC.

Some users have had this problem (on the PC) with the latest release. Its usualy fixed by changing audio decoders. I've put a fix in the next release that'll hopefully correct it will all decoders.

If I try to play the ts file on the MVP, it crashes.

Do you mean with <MVPTranscodeTS> set to false? If thats the case, sorry I dont know. This is not something I've ever used myself. It may come down to the audio/video steam types within your ts file.

If you have <MVPTranscodeTS> set to true, you may need to tweak the settings in <MVPFFmpegTranscodeTS> to make a standard definition MPEG2 file with MPEG1-Layer2 audio. This what the broadcasters usually transmit in the DVB parts of the world, so the defaults usually work fine. In north america this isnt the case, so your MVP wont like the streams carried within the TS file.

[Foamy]

Do you mean with <MVPTranscodeTS> set to false? If thats the case, sorry I dont know. This is not something I've ever used myself. It may come down to the audio/video steam types within your ts file.

If you have <MVPTranscodeTS> set to true, you may need to tweak the settings in <MVPFFmpegTranscodeTS> to make a standard definition MPEG2 file with MPEG1-Layer2 audio. This what the broadcasters usually transmit in the DVB parts of the world, so the defaults usually work fine. In north america this isnt the case, so your MVP wont like the streams carried within the TS file.

Hmmm, I don't see MVPTranscodeTS in my config.xml file. Am I looking in the wrong place?