Got my 9200t a few days ago, i chose it mainly because i could back up the recordings to my pc. i tranfered a relativley short clip (15min) to see if it worked. After a good few hours i worked out that i had to add *.ts as a file extension and then run it throught 'auto gordian knot' which converted it to an .avi file.
Now however i have tried a longer recording (about 1hr) and followed the same procedure but Auto GK says it cant find a video stream.
Are there any circumsatnces in which the file from the pvr would have changed, i.e. do different channels record in different formats, or could something have changed between the pvr and the pc, i've noticed a few comments about there being alot of errors in transfers.
Hope this made sense and was in the right thread, any suggestions would be great.
After a good few hours i worked out that i had to add *.ts as a file extension and then run it throught 'auto gordian knot' which converted it to an .avi file.
Why are you converting to AVI? It ruins the video quality and takes forever.
As long as you have MPEG2 codecs installed (installing a DVD player is usually enough) you can play the Humax files directly with Videolan or Media Player Classic. If you want to use less capable players HDTVtoMpeg will convert the files to normal mpeg2.
Search the forum for HDTVtoMpeg and ProjectX, they have all you need to know about conversion, viewing and DVD fun.
Converted it to avi because i already had the program on my pc seemed easy, your right though does take ages.
i've got 'Cyberlink PowerDVD' however if i add .ts and try to play the file i just get a blank screen and a a high pitched noise, HDTVtoMPG2 converts the file and i get a picture but still no sound?
i've got 'Cyberlink PowerDVD' however if i add .ts and try to play the file i just get a blank screen and a a high pitched noise, HDTVtoMPG2 converts the file and i get a picture but still no sound?
You need VLC (aka Videolan) or MPC to actually play them, the DVD software just supplies the mpeg codec they need.
Missing audio: many DVB programmes contain 2 audio streams, you need to select the correct audio PID in HDTVtoMPEG. Personally I just use ProjectX in demux mode because its easier to work out which is the correct audio stream. M2P mode will give you directly playable mpegs, demux will repair a lot of annoying problems in them.
For just straight playback Media Player Classic usually just gets it right, drag'n'drop the files or rename them as .mpg or .ts and associate MPC with them. You'll have some interesting delays and stalls while it tries to sync audio and seeking can be hit&miss but it works.
Otherwise, go read the threads about remultiplexing.
Current method:
Got the .ts files off the hummy fine and error free
Videoredo to editout the ads
Studio9 to make menu and burn CDs
All the above works fine, BUT there's 2 probs
1. It takes a few hours for S9 to re-render the films
2. They increase in size even if all the bitrates etc stay the same so many films fall outside the cheap 4.7gb disk limit unless downgrading quality (I know it's only slight)
HOWEVER
I can make .VOB files with VideoReDo in about 5 minutes for a 2 hour film.
What I need is software that takes .VOBs and allows me to make menus without re-rendering them - any ideas?
or do I have go for DVD-Studio. I know it does same as videoredo editing wise, but I really like VRD as I am so quick with it. Will DVD-Studio open other VOBs and make DVDs or only ones it has created?
I can create MPEGs or VOBs no problem, (Studio 9 uses MPEG), What I am trying to find is a program that will author DVDs from VOBs already created (because VideoReDo makes them really quickly with no size increase from the mpeg originals) in a small amount of time.
I just wish they would hurry up sorting the USB link, I bet a lot of poeple are just waiting for it to be sorted so thay can backup to their PCs..........
I have lost the HDD once, keeping my fingers crossed it is sorted before it happens again!
Come on Hummy, what's happening?????????
What about the recovery tool that was mentioned?
And don't you get REALLY pizzed-off trying to edit programme names when you have a PC there with a keyboard, not too much to expect e-linker to do , is it?????
mfmf & Son_T
Thanks, I tried both, ifoedit was a bit beyond me. I had tried DVD Styler before and dismissed it as too 'thin'. But on putting more effort in, It's surprisingly versatile. With a bit of thought it's possible to make picture menus with picture buttons, chapters and all - it's very fast and doesn't recode the output of the hummy so file sizes are low and it's free - So I have a great solution - thanks
Having been suffering about 5 per hour of video when transferring over USB, I was quite keen to find a solution. Andy Chappell's program is great but does take a lot of time (thanks Andy) so I kept trying to reduce errors.
I am using a cheapo 1.5m lead.
I used Task Manager to set the priority of Media eLinker to AboveNormal and have transferred about 10 hours of video without a single error.
I did all the other things like detaching netorking, stopping security etc. And stopping any processes that might take processor time (like realPlayer), Messenger etc.
Don't know whether changing the priority is a good thing to do but it certainly ahs worked for me
Having been suffering about 5 per hour of video when transferring over USB, I was quite keen to find a solution. Andy Chappell's program is great but does take a lot of time (thanks Andy) so I kept trying to reduce errors.
I am using a cheapo 1.5m lead.
I used Task Manager to set the priority of Media eLinker to AboveNormal and have transferred about 10 hours of video without a single error.
I did all the other things like detaching netorking, stopping security etc. And stopping any processes that might take processor time (like realPlayer), Messenger etc.
Don't know whether changing the priority is a good thing to do but it certainly ahs worked for me
Hope this helps
Nick
It sounds as if they are using a hacked USB Interface. A better and more useful approach would have been to use a Wireless USB link. Most people tend not to have their TV near thir PC. The maxinmum length for USB II is 5 meters its usually best as well not to have any other USB ports in use as power can be a problem with non powered USB hubs.
Sounds like they're using USB's isochronous mode to me (better for real-time environments like CE). Nothing hacky, just needs a second layer of software to provide error correction.
Considering that wireless USB hardware is pretty much non-existent at present, I'm glad they opted for a wired USB solution or I'd still be waiting to buy my first DVR.
OK, I want to get my mac to talk to the Humax and the first step looks like sorting out a USB driver.
It'd be easier to hack something existing, and the one that comes with Medialinker looks remarkably simple. However I can't decompile it without a Windows machine. Has anyone decompiled this (I presume it's a C variant) and can post the details?
Thanks and cheers,
Matt.
Word has it that there is someone with the eLinker source too (in C). Would be good to obtain that as we can use it as a template for writing our own eLinker file transfer application with error checking built in!
The only person who I know who has 'publically' said they are on the case is Martinlong1978 either here on the hummy forum.
You can grab some stuff from Humax Zone for elinker and the usb but martins pointed out that the elinker stuff itself is for version 2.0 not 2.1 so this is hampering his efforts for a better elinker. The usb code should be fine though I would have thought
I'd have thought a USB driver isn't strictly necessary on the Mac; certainly, with the Toppy it's not.
What you do need, though, is the source code or protocol details that tell you what the box is expecting to send and receive.
It's then a (simple :-)) matter of implementing the protocol in your Mac code.
What I would suggest, for any budding Mac coder, is that you start with someone else's work, that someone else being Nathan Oates, who wrote MacTF, for the Toppy. You'll find it at www.noates.com, and it includes GPL source code.
If nothing else, you may find that gives you some ideas of how you talk to a PVR via OS X without all that silly PC hassle of having to install a driver first.
I'm working from Nathans code as a starting point, although I also want to make the transition as smooth as possible for the user and hope to link to http://ffmpegx.com/ too. I'll let you know how I get on after playing around for a bit. Always better to do this before putting too many important files on the drive!
Thanks very much for the link to ffmpegx.com. I'd not come across that before. Now, does anyone know of a bit of software that allows quick snipping of the Humax video files on a Mac like Videoredo does?
Comments
Got my 9200t a few days ago, i chose it mainly because i could back up the recordings to my pc. i tranfered a relativley short clip (15min) to see if it worked. After a good few hours i worked out that i had to add *.ts as a file extension and then run it throught 'auto gordian knot' which converted it to an .avi file.
Now however i have tried a longer recording (about 1hr) and followed the same procedure but Auto GK says it cant find a video stream.
Are there any circumsatnces in which the file from the pvr would have changed, i.e. do different channels record in different formats, or could something have changed between the pvr and the pc, i've noticed a few comments about there being alot of errors in transfers.
Hope this made sense and was in the right thread, any suggestions would be great.
As long as you have MPEG2 codecs installed (installing a DVD player is usually enough) you can play the Humax files directly with Videolan or Media Player Classic. If you want to use less capable players HDTVtoMpeg will convert the files to normal mpeg2.
Search the forum for HDTVtoMpeg and ProjectX, they have all you need to know about conversion, viewing and DVD fun.
i've got 'Cyberlink PowerDVD' however if i add .ts and try to play the file i just get a blank screen and a a high pitched noise, HDTVtoMPG2 converts the file and i get a picture but still no sound?
Missing audio: many DVB programmes contain 2 audio streams, you need to select the correct audio PID in HDTVtoMPEG. Personally I just use ProjectX in demux mode because its easier to work out which is the correct audio stream. M2P mode will give you directly playable mpegs, demux will repair a lot of annoying problems in them.
For just straight playback Media Player Classic usually just gets it right, drag'n'drop the files or rename them as .mpg or .ts and associate MPC with them. You'll have some interesting delays and stalls while it tries to sync audio and seeking can be hit&miss but it works.
Otherwise, go read the threads about remultiplexing.
Cheers folks
Current method:
Got the .ts files off the hummy fine and error free
Videoredo to editout the ads
Studio9 to make menu and burn CDs
All the above works fine, BUT there's 2 probs
1. It takes a few hours for S9 to re-render the films
2. They increase in size even if all the bitrates etc stay the same so many films fall outside the cheap 4.7gb disk limit unless downgrading quality (I know it's only slight)
HOWEVER
I can make .VOB files with VideoReDo in about 5 minutes for a 2 hour film.
What I need is software that takes .VOBs and allows me to make menus without re-rendering them - any ideas?
or do I have go for DVD-Studio. I know it does same as videoredo editing wise, but I really like VRD as I am so quick with it. Will DVD-Studio open other VOBs and make DVDs or only ones it has created?
Thanks in advance
Nick
You can use VOB2MPEG: http://www.videohelp.com/tools?tool=VOB2MPG to convert the vob files...
I can create MPEGs or VOBs no problem, (Studio 9 uses MPEG), What I am trying to find is a program that will author DVDs from VOBs already created (because VideoReDo makes them really quickly with no size increase from the mpeg originals) in a small amount of time.
Thanks
Nick
That will create the DVD structure out of vobs but you will need burner software to get it onto the DVD disc...
I've never used ifoedit but it is free, so you can try...
I have lost the HDD once, keeping my fingers crossed it is sorted before it happens again!
Come on Hummy, what's happening?????????
What about the recovery tool that was mentioned?
And don't you get REALLY pizzed-off trying to edit programme names when you have a PC there with a keyboard, not too much to expect e-linker to do , is it?????
Trying to make a point? :-)
Ian
Thanks, I tried both, ifoedit was a bit beyond me. I had tried DVD Styler before and dismissed it as too 'thin'. But on putting more effort in, It's surprisingly versatile. With a bit of thought it's possible to make picture menus with picture buttons, chapters and all - it's very fast and doesn't recode the output of the hummy so file sizes are low and it's free - So I have a great solution - thanks
Nick
I am using a cheapo 1.5m lead.
I used Task Manager to set the priority of Media eLinker to AboveNormal and have transferred about 10 hours of video without a single error.
I did all the other things like detaching netorking, stopping security etc. And stopping any processes that might take processor time (like realPlayer), Messenger etc.
Don't know whether changing the priority is a good thing to do but it certainly ahs worked for me
Hope this helps
Nick
It sounds as if they are using a hacked USB Interface. A better and more useful approach would have been to use a Wireless USB link. Most people tend not to have their TV near thir PC. The maxinmum length for USB II is 5 meters its usually best as well not to have any other USB ports in use as power can be a problem with non powered USB hubs.
Considering that wireless USB hardware is pretty much non-existent at present, I'm glad they opted for a wired USB solution or I'd still be waiting to buy my first DVR.
It'd be easier to hack something existing, and the one that comes with Medialinker looks remarkably simple. However I can't decompile it without a Windows machine. Has anyone decompiled this (I presume it's a C variant) and can post the details?
Thanks and cheers,
Matt.
You can grab some stuff from Humax Zone for elinker and the usb but martins pointed out that the elinker stuff itself is for version 2.0 not 2.1 so this is hampering his efforts for a better elinker. The usb code should be fine though I would have thought
What you do need, though, is the source code or protocol details that tell you what the box is expecting to send and receive.
It's then a (simple :-)) matter of implementing the protocol in your Mac code.
What I would suggest, for any budding Mac coder, is that you start with someone else's work, that someone else being Nathan Oates, who wrote MacTF, for the Toppy. You'll find it at www.noates.com, and it includes GPL source code.
If nothing else, you may find that gives you some ideas of how you talk to a PVR via OS X without all that silly PC hassle of having to install a driver first.
Nigel.
cheers
Steve