ZPROCESS: Audio sloooooow on MVP

[goobie]

Hello Zehd,

after a hdd failure I did a clean installation of GBPVR 1.3.11 and Zprocess 2.0.278. Now I have a new set of problems, which I'm not sure if it is codec related (I'm leaning that way, hoping you can help).

Without ZProcess (refs removed), GBPVR on the MVP works great (without aspect ratio correction as expected). When I add the refs of Zprocess with FFMpeg as transcoder then the AVI movie plays with stuttering video (every few seconds) and audio that is slow, guessing here but it sounds at like half the rate it needs to be. As said, GBPVR without ZP via MVP plays the same file without a problem. Playing same AVI on server works fine. Regular TV recordings via MVP play without a problem. Movies in MPG format plays fine via MVP, so I don't think it is a bandwidth issue over the network.

I'm attaching the logs, movie starts around 16:26.

thanks for your help

[zehd]

Hello Zehd,

after a hdd failure I did a clean installation of GBPVR 1.3.11 and Zprocess 2.0.278. Now I have a new set of problems, which I'm not sure if it is codec related (I'm leaning that way, hoping you can help).

Without ZProcess (refs removed), GBPVR on the MVP works great (without aspect ratio correction as expected). When I add the refs of Zprocess with FFMpeg as transcoder then the AVI movie plays with stuttering video (every few seconds) and audio that is slow, guessing here but it sounds at like half the rate it needs to be. As said, GBPVR without ZP via MVP plays the same file without a problem. Playing same AVI on server works fine. Regular TV recordings via MVP play without a problem. Movies in MPG format plays fine via MVP, so I don't think it is a bandwidth issue over the network.

I'm attaching the logs, movie starts around 16:26.

thanks for your help

I'll reiterate a couple of things just in case.

Typically, ZProcess, FFmpeg, (MEncoder) and MVP aren't concerned with codecs. (yeah they use them, but not the ones on your computer)

There are some video types that just won't play properly using the version of ffmpeg and ZProcess you are using. ZProcess very specifically sets the frame rates and other parameters that are actually not in the original command line from GB-PVR. That's why the original might work and ZProcess fails.

There were reasons I did things like that. It helped transcode other files, that would not transcode using GB-PVR defaults.

Tell me, the file you're having trouble with... did it play with ZProcess/FFmpeg before your crash?

An easier way of testing a file's compatibilty is loading ZTranscode, loading the file, starting the transcode and then clicking 'view'. If it doesn't play there, it won't play on the mvp...

[goobie]

Hello Zehd,

Tell me, the file you're having trouble with... did it play with ZProcess/FFmpeg before your crash?

Yes it did.

An easier way of testing a file's compatibilty is loading ZTranscode, loading the file, starting the transcode and then clicking 'view'. If it doesn't play there, it won't play on the mvp...

I tested that and it plays fine on the server while transcoding. When playing the resulting mpg back through the MVP it sounds horrible again. It seems like the MVP only has an issue with MPGs that were generated with ZProcess, I have no idea if that is even possible, so I'm just guessing.

thanks for your help

PS: I don't know if this is at all relevant (cause my head is too flat to know how all of this works), but out of curiosity I loaded the transcoded generated MPG file into GSPOT and it reports the SYS BITRATE: 294015 kb/s compared to one other MPG I have which is only 1386 kb/s

[zehd]

PS: I don't know if this is at all relevant (cause my head is too flat to know how all of this works), but out of curiosity I loaded the transcoded generated MPG file into GSPOT and it reports the SYS BITRATE: 294015 kb/s compared to one other MPG I have which is only 1386 kb/s

Indeed the bitrates are incorrect.

I don't really know. The other possibility is the Hauppauge dongle is handling ZProcesses output differently. or You're not using the ffmpeg that comes with GB-PVR 1.3.11 Are you using the default ffmpeg, or have you upgraded?

I actually don't do a heckuva lot with ffmpeg. I am playing with a very new version of ffmpeg, but it hasn't been officially 'sanctioned' by GB-PVR or ZProcess.

I use MEncoder. ZProcess does do things differently between ffmpeg and mencoder, and maybe you'll have the success that I always have...

[goobie]

Zehd,

I'm using the ffmpeg that came with GBPVR.

I tried MEncoder before the hdd crash and again after and I consistently get bad results. The audio is fine but the video shows pixelation around the edges of moving objects, almost like they stick in a position while the object has already moved on...sorry don't know how to describe it any better.

Just to be clear, if I were to redo the installation (I'll just load a disk image back created from right before I did the GBPVR installation), all that is needed is XP with SP3, GBPVR software and required additional software as described in the wiki, and ZProcess with additional required software also described in the wiki. No need for any other codecs and stuff?

thanks

[zehd]

Zehd,

I'm using the ffmpeg that came with GBPVR.

I tried MEncoder before the hdd crash and again after and I consistently get bad results. The audio is fine but the video shows pixelation around the edges of moving objects, almost like they stick in a position while the object has already moved on...sorry don't know how to describe it any better.

Just to be clear, if I were to redo the installation (I'll just load a disk image back created from right before I did the GBPVR installation), all that is needed is XP with SP3, GBPVR software and required additional software as described in the wiki, and ZProcess with additional required software also described in the wiki. No need for any other codecs and stuff?

thanks

That's right, but then as the codecs are all mutually exclusive between Windows and FFmpeg, a reimage probably won't make ZProcess working any better.