understanding transcoding

[sub]

So MPEG2 files are streamed directly!? Why others can't be? Say transcoded "on-the-fly" (streamserved). Avisynth script looks like uncompressed video for application ... or, it has to be MPEG2? VLC can stream to network but I don't know if this can be used with MVP

EDIT: Becuse I'm playing mostly DivX/XviD files so leaving in MPEG2 doesn't work for me.

If you mainly want to do DivX/XviD, then you bought the wrong hardware. The MVP hardware is only capable of playing MPEG1/MPEG2.

I've included basic DivX/XviD support for those that have the occassional movie in avi format that they'd want to watch, but really if you're using an MVP you should stick with MPEG2.

[IgiLama]

If you mainly want to do DivX/XviD, then you bought the wrong hardware. The MVP hardware is only capable of playing MPEG1/MPEG2.

Hmm ... but MVP + GB-PVR has a great potential to become full home multimedia system. It would be cool, wouldn't be? And it's not too far from achieving it.

Or you are not interested in that?

Maybe you can recommend some other hardware which has similar features like GB-PVR + MVP and has no problem with DivX/XviD then ... I haven't seen anything yet but I wasn't really searching for it.

[wtg]

No such hardware exists that will integrate with gbpvr natively.

With sub being a guy that doesn't personally care about transcoding AVI's on the fly, I think he's provided quite a lot of support actually. Especially when you consider how much you have to pay for this software. The ffmpeg integration works nicely.

Would it be nice if you could skip or FF? Sure, but that ability would be no small feat and it's not like sub's sitting around lollygaggin' As I understand it, he's got a substantial To Do list, not to mention the all-important "Honey Do" list.

[djtaylor]

Would it be nice if you could skip or FF? Sure, but that ability would be no small feat and it's not like sub's sitting around lollygaggin' As I understand it, he's got a substantial To Do list, not to mention the all-important "Honey Do" list.

To add, I find that I can FF *if* I leave it long enough to get a headstart. At the end of the day, if that sort of thing is needed, just convert the AVI's to MPG's in the first place and if the task of doing that is too onerous, just start one playing back, pause gbpvr then when it has finished, rename the temp mpg to the filename required.

David.

[IgiLama]

No such hardware exists that will integrate with gbpvr natively.

Then I have no many options left ... I have to try it with MVP.

With sub being a guy that doesn't personally care about transcoding AVI's on the fly, I think he's provided quite a lot of support actually.

Yes, I don't doubt that and many thanks for sub's support. I understand that time is valuable and I don't want him to inspect the feauture if he isn't interested in it. It's just it sounds like he completly denies that idea (playing DivX/XviD on MVP)

Especially when you consider how much you have to pay for this software.

Maybe if it was open-source more people can contribute to its development and help with implementing new features. But it looks like this is not going to happen

The ffmpeg integration works nicely.

Can't tell because I have problems to get it work in the first place

Would it be nice if you could skip or FF? Sure, but that ability would be no small feat and it's not like sub's sitting around lollygaggin' As I understand it, he's got a substantial To Do list, not to mention the all-important "Honey Do" list.

I wish I understand more how gb-pvr and mvp works and contribute myself by helping with that issue.

[wtg]

Maybe if it was open-source more people can contribute to its development and help with implementing new features. But it looks like this is not going to happen

Yeah, you and a lot of others wish it was. Me, only so I could look at the code, learn some stuff and perhaps tweak it to suit my specific desires. But, I don't blame sub for keeping it to himself. It's his baby and he wants to keep it that way. And who knows... maybe someone will come along and offer him a gazillion dollars for it. We still get a nice product with a tremendous amount of free support.

Can't tell because I have problems to get it work in the first place

One of the support threads around here mentions changing the bitrate from the default 2500 down to 2000. This made a huge difference for me even though my machine seems to have enough horsepower to handle it at the higher rate standalone. You can review and adjust the command line used by FFMPEG in the config.xml file. If you haven't tried it yet, start there. Take the command line and run FFMPEG stand-alone and see how it works for you.

[Talondale]

Well with MediaMVP's latest beta version I'm able to view DivX encoded videos with just the Hauppauge server client/software and DivX codec installed but haven't gotten XviD to work yet. Keeps saying can't connect to a decoder, even though I've installed the XviD codec. I use Gbpvr to record video at a different location and then just use the MediaMVP to view it. Anyone able to get XviD to work on MVP?

[djtaylor]

I use Gbpvr to record video at a different location and then just use the MediaMVP to view it. Anyone able to get XviD to work on MVP?

I use gbpvr to play back divx or xvid encoded stuff through my MVP's no problem.

David.

[IgiLama]

Just a thought ... Doing on-the-fly trancoding/streaming would be probably really not so easy job. But I was thinking about "workaround" to do seeking and I noticed "- ss" option with FFmpeg.

Documentation says:

`-ss position'
Seek to given time position in seconds. hh:mms[.xxx] syntax is also supported.

If I understand it correctly it can be used to start transcoding from given time.

What about to use this option to seek or maybe more suitable some form of "jump-to-time" function?

Imagine you have seen first 20 minutes of a movie (or have another non interesting stuff there - commercials/trailers) and you don't want to watch it again so you press a button on remote, window appears and you enter time (using number buttons on remote) where you want to "jump". Transcoding starts over again with -ss parameter, wait few seconds to buffer (ffmpeg) and movie resumes from time you entered.

One disadventage comes to my mind. Movie lenght would not be displayed correctly - it'll appear as movie is beginning from "jump position".

Don't know if this functionality can be made as plug-in but it don't seem to be very hard to implement. What do you think about this? It's possible/desired?

[wtg]

`-ss position'
Seek to given time position in seconds. hh:mms[.xxx] syntax is also supported.

If I understand it correctly it can be used to start transcoding from given time.

What about to use this option to seek or maybe more suitable some form of "jump-to-time" function?

That'd definitely be nice for resuming a previously viewed AVI. Since gbpvr keeps track of how much you watched already this seems like it'd be pretty easy. Of course, once it started there'd be no skipping back to the earlier portions of the video.