Converting .avi to .mpg for MVP use.

[Society]

I have a number of AVI files which I'd like to convert to mpg so as to have pause/skip control over them like TV recordings when playing from my server via MediaMVPs

How might I best achieve this?

The conversions I've attempted result in files that play with the following characteristics:

AVI via VLC on clientPC = plays.
AVI via PVRX2 client = Sound; no video
AVI via MediaMVP = Video; no sound

MPG via VLC on clientPC = plays.
MPG via PVRX2 client = Video; no sound
MPG via MediaMVP = plays but no time-bar and skip is very unreliable/unpredictable, readily causes loss-of-sync, restart or even a hang.

AVIs are XviD(624x352)/MP3. MPGs are MPG2/AC-3 but I guess I need mpeg audio somehow or, perhaps, extra codecs/whatever on the server or, most probably, a better understanding of GB-PVR dependencies for various tasks.

For completeness: used mpegImport to generate an xml file for mpg files which I imported using GB-PVRConfig.

[Society]

I have a number of AVI files [...]

AVI via VLC on clientPC = plays.
AVI via PVRX2 client = Sound; no video
AVI via MediaMVP = Video; no sound
[...]
AVIs are XviD(624x352)/MP3.

Back to looking at this - and concentrating on just this aspect - what do I need to load onto the server to be able to get sound from these files via MediaMVPs? (I don't use PVRX2 on client PCs to view files - merely to schedule the odd recording - so not having video on the client PC isn't a major problem.)

I was hoping to keep the server fairly unencumbered rather than throw shedloads of stuff at it until things worked. There's no sound card and the onboard VGA graphics are presumably why PVRX2 on the server does nothing other than open a "transparent" empty window.

Clues would be much appreciated.

[mvallevand]

Code:

MPGs are MPG2/AC-3

The MVP doesn't properly support AC3, try transcoding to MP2 audio.

Martin

[Society]

Code:

MPGs are MPG2/AC-3

The MVP doesn't properly support AC3, try transcoding to MP2 audio.

Thanks for your reply. I had acknowledged that I probably needed mpeg audio but I was putting aside the mpg aspect for now and just hoping to get avi files (XviD(624x352)/MP3) to play with sound via the MVP.

What do I need on the server (and where) to accomplish this?

Is there a "preferred" set of codecs for the "MPEG-2 Playback" and "Advanced Codec" entries of the Playback tab of Config for use with MVPs? I have the Intervideo NonCSS codec mentioned in the Dummies' Guide.

[HtV]

I have added these 2 lines to the <CustomFFmpegConversions> section in config.xml.

Code:

<Conversion name="MPG-MVP 16:9" cmd="-y -i {SOURCE_FILE} -target pal-dvd -b 5000k -aspect 16:9 -s 720x576 -acodec mp2 -ab 224 -ac 2 -mbd 2 -qmin 2 -async 1 {DEST_FILE}" targetExtension="mpeg.mpg" />
<Conversion name="MPG-MVP 4:3" cmd="-y -i {SOURCE_FILE} -target pal-dvd -b 5000k -aspect 4:3 -s 720x576 -acodec mp2 -ab 224 -ac 2 -mbd 2 -qmin 2 -async 1 {DEST_FILE}" targetExtension="mpeg.mpg" />

Open config.xml in Notepad or some other simple text-editor, NOT in Word or Wordpad. Backup first ofcourse.
Now you can choose one of these 2 profiles for transcoding in the video tab in GBPVR (PVRX2).

Hans

[philly_phenom]

Have you tried Any Video Converter?

[martint123]

Back to looking at this - and concentrating on just this aspect - what do I need to load onto the server to be able to get sound from these files via MediaMVPs?

The server does nothing for an MVP other than just send the file to it, so as the MVP only handles standard mpeg audio/video then that is what you have to convert it to.