HD mpgs - how to play on MVP

[wtg]

I know the MVP can't play high def content, but the nice thing about GB-PVR is that you can do on the fly transcoding of HD avi's to the MVP. It shows it in lower resolution of course, but it still works and it means I don't have to keep a lower-res transcoded copy of the video for MVP viewing.

Now I'm recording some stuff in HD mpg format though, and these videos fail when selecting it for viewing on the MVP, regardless of whether I record in MPG or .TS format. Does anyone have any suggestions for how I might transcode these real-time for viewing on the MVP, like AVI's are handled?

Would ZProcess work for this?

[HtV]

I added the following line to config.xml custom-ffmpeg-conversions (something like that). I "borrowed' it from GUI4FFmpeg. Now I can transcode any movie to mpeg in video library. Just add your recordings-dir to the video library dirs in config.

Code:

<Conversion name="MPG-DVD" cmd="-y -i {SOURCE_FILE} -target pal-dvd -b 4500k -aspect 16:9 -s 720x576 -acodec mp2 -ab 224 -ac 2 -mbd 2 -qmin 2 -async 1 {DEST_FILE}" targetExtension=".mpg" />

You might have to adjust it for ntsc. This is the link to the ffmpeg docs: http://ffmpeg.mplayerhq.hu/documentation.html

[wtg]

Thanks HtV... that's a good start.

I'm still hoping there is a way to configure GB-PVR to transcode the HD MPGs on the fly like it does with AVIs, but this helps.

[sub]

I didnt specifically add it for this purpose, but you'll be able to do what you want in the next release if you're recordings using the 'TS Mux' option, which will cause it to run a special ffmpeg conversion.

[bits]

I didnt specifically add it for this purpose, but you'll be able to do what you want in the next release if you're recordings using the 'TS Mux' option, which will cause it to run a special ffmpeg conversion.

I think this is a cool feature but I think it will require a very beefy computer? Transcoding any video file on the fly in real time is extremely cpu intensive. How fast a cpu do think will be required? Maybe this is an ideal use for dual core systems!

[sub]

How fast a cpu do think will be required?

I dont know exactly, but you'd be safe to assume you need a very grunty PC.

[wtg]

Thanks sub... I look forward to testing the option.

But will it really take that much CPU? I have a 1280x720 HD AVI file that my lowly AMD 2500 can transcode on the fly for my MVP? I use the standard FFMpeg transcode line except I have the bitrate set at 2000 instead of 2400, and it works fine. Wouldn't AVI transcoding be more costly CPU-wise that an MPEG?

By the way, the inability for the MVPs to display or GBPVR to transcode the HD MPGs on the fly caused me to run into another peculiar problem. Like many people, I have HD and SD channels that are identical except for their resolution. Now that I can record HD I've been recording a lot of stuff using it, but when those are shows that my kids want to watch with their MVPs later, they schedule them to record the SD channel too. So two devices record the same program at the same time on different channels. GBPVR doesn't handle this very well.

The first recording to start gets the standard filename, the second one to start gets the same name with a -2 suffix. Later during playback GBPVR thinks this is a recording that failed mid-recording and restarted, so it always tries to playback the first recording (w/o the -2 suffix), thus as my HD recorder always beats the SD recorder to the punch and gets the first filename, it's simply not possible to view the SD channel via the MVP from the Recordings screen. If it was possible to control the format of the filename, I'd put the channel number in it.

I do believe I can probably see the -2 file from the Video Library plugin - I've not tried it. So far I've just listened to my kids complain and told them to go downstairs and watch it on the HD TV. It's lowered the KAF though.

[sub]

But will it really take that much CPU? I have a 1280x720 HD AVI file that my lowly AMD 2500 can transcode on the fly for my MVP? I use the standard FFMpeg transcode line except I have the bitrate set at 2000 instead of 2400, and it works fine. Wouldn't AVI transcoding be more costly CPU-wise that an MPEG?

It doesnt matter whether the source is AVI or MPEG, you'll still incur the CPU cost of first decoding the video to raw video, added to the cost of encoding that raw video to an MPEG stream. If you taking 1080i video and decoding it, then re-encoding as standard definition video, then there will be a fairly decent CPU requirement.

[wtg]

Ok, I just thought the decoding requirement of AVI was higher than MPG, that's all.

I look forward to trying the new feature.

[sub]

Nah, they've fairly similar - but obviously can vary greatly depending on resolution and bitrate.