NextPVR 3.6.6 decoder selection broken?

[ran]

Just upgraded to Windows 10, missing Media Center with my TV Tuner card (ATI 650 PCI) so I am testing NextPVR.

- Installed drivers for TV Tuner (ATI Unified)
- Installed NextPVR
- NextPVR recognized TV Tuner, scanned ATSC (OTA stations) and found them.
- Installed Zap2XML and wrote little .bat file for NextPVR to get EPG udpates - worked fine.
- No live TV due to lack of MPEG2 decoder.

I have Cyberlink Powerdirector 11, and thought their decoders could be used (clm2vdec.dll). However, NextPVR does not "see" them on my system, nor do the little "3-dot" browse buttons in NextPVR Settings -> Decoders work for actually selecting anything. I even tried copying the clm2vdec.dll file to NextPVR's directory, but that didn't work.

So, how can I get NextPVR to recognize Cyberlink's MPEG2 decoders? Will this decoder work with NextPVR?

Thanks,
Ran

[Graham]

NextPVR only lists decoders that are on the computer and are known to work with NextPVR ... It may be that the decoders that you have installed aren't tested and known to work.

My stock advice is to run SAF .... http://forums.nextpvr.com/showthread.php...post414049 SAF is an installer that will install decoders and some utility tools and configure NextPVR. Send a forum private message to Hoborg and ask for the "unlocked" version of SAF to get the "best" descoders.

[ran]

Thank you Graham for your response.

From reading other posts, I was under the impression that Cyberlink Mpeg2 decoders do work fine with NextPVR, hence my confusion as to why it was not listed. Also, why can I not 'browse' for decoders? I thought that was the purpose of those little buttons to the right of the listed decoder?

[Graham]

From reading other posts, I was under the impression that Cyberlink Mpeg2 decoders do work fine with NextPVR, hence my confusion as to why it was not listed. Also, why can I not 'browse' for decoders? I thought that was the purpose of those little buttons to the right of the listed decoder?

Some Cyberlink decoders are known to work and will be listed if they are installed ... the "best" decoders in SAF might be an example. The three little dots allow you to configure the settings for a decoder after you have selected the decoder in the drop down.

[ran]

Some Cyberlink decoders are known to work and will be listed if they are installed ... the "best" decoders in SAF might be an example. The three little dots allow you to configure the settings for a decoder after you have selected the decoder in the drop down.

Ah, thank you for the clarification. I had misunderstood the purpose of the buttons.

Is there any information on the NextPVR site or forums that perhaps lists codec compatibility with NextPVR? That would be a real help. I had based my assumption of Cyberlink codec compatibility based on this and other forum threads that mention Cyberlink codecs working well with NextPVR. In fact, quite a number of forum posters seem to have very good success with many of the Cyberlink decoders, including version 11, so my confusion remains. Is there a difference in how NextPVR recognizes PowerDVD decoders vs. PowerDIRECTOR decoders, as I have the latter and many posters are using the former?

Again, thank you for the assistance, Graham.

Ran

[imilne]

You need to manually register external decoders (using an admin level command prompt). These instructions are for MediaPortal but the steps are the same as for NPVR: http://wiki.team-mediaportal.com/1_MEDIA...VD_Decoder

Iain

[ran]

Thanks so much imilne for your response. I have tried registering the Powerdirector dll, clm2vdec.dll with the following command: regsvr32 "C:\Program Files (x86)\CyberLink\PowerDirector11\runtime\decoderpack\CLCVD\clm2vdec.dll"

However, I get the following message:

"The module "C:\Proram Files (x86)\...clm2vdec.dll" was loaded but the entry point DLLRegisterServer was not found. Make sure that "C:\Program Files (x86)\...\clm2vdec.dll is a valid DLL or OCX file and then try again."

So, I guess that is either not the correct dll file or I'm doing something wrong......

[sub]

NextPVR only lists decoders that are on the computer and are known to work with NextPVR ...

Actually that latter bit is incorrect. It askes Windows for the list of decoders, for each codec type, and includes them all that are reported by Windows.

The only exception is the the Microsoft decoders, which is registered as supporting MPEG2 and AC3, but is known to not be usable in non-Microsoft apps post-Win7, so the app excludes these from the list.

[sub]

Thanks so much imilne for your response. I have tried registering the Powerdirector dll, clm2vdec.dll with the following command: regsvr32 "C:\Program Files (x86)\CyberLink\PowerDirector11\runtime\decoderpack\CLCVD\clm2vdec.dll"

However, I get the following message:

"The module "C:\Proram Files (x86)\...clm2vdec.dll" was loaded but the entry point DLLRegisterServer was not found. Make sure that "C:\Program Files (x86)\...\clm2vdec.dll is a valid DLL or OCX file and then try again."

So, I guess that is either not the correct dll file or I'm doing something wrong......

That wont be the correct dll. This will just be a regular DLL, not a COM object (the decoders are a COM object).

The decoders are usually .ax files. They'll sometimes be a .dll file though.

[johnsonx42]

Graham means well, but is steering things a bit wrong. The way he's described it implies that NextPVR only lists decoders which are known to work; this is false.

NextPVR lists all decoders which have been registered with directshow and advertise themselves as being capable of decoding the media type in question. Essentially, NextPVR says to Windows "hey Directshow, what decoders have you got for MPEG-2 Video?", and lists all that are returned. NextPVR does not presume to restrict which decoders you can use, so if you have a decoder that isn't showing up in the list, your beef is almost surely with the decoder not with NextPVR (but Iain's instructions may help if it's simply a matter of getting the decoders registered properly).

The only exception is that there are a couple of decoders that are blacklisted for certain media types on certain versions of windows, because those particular decoders are known not to work at all even though they are presented by DirectShow as available. As far as I know it's only the Microsoft DTV-DVD Audio and Video decoders that are blacklisted in certain scenarios, because Microsoft hobbled them to not function with non-microsoft applications. For example, the Microsoft DTV-DVD Audio Decoder can decode AC3 audio streams, but it won't do it if it's accessed by a 3rd party app like NextPVR so it had to be blacklisted since it's present on just about everyone's computer and would produce endless "no audio" support threads.

As to the Cyberlink decoders, it's my understanding that only some of their decoders register as Directshow decoders available for use by other apps. The Powerdirector ones probably don't (i.e. they're probably internal decoders that are part of the program, same as VLC and Windows Media Player). I believe after PowerDVD 13, they restricted their decoders to only working with their own player. So it's not a matter of NextPVR "recognizing" one decoder or another... it's up to the decoder to make itself available to Directshow.

(and as usual, while I was blathering on endlessly (and also stopping to do some actual work with a customer), sub came and said the same thing in about 10 words)