Watch Beyond TV recordings on your Mac

[rakeshagrawal]

Created this thread to discuss this blog posting:
http://blogs.snapstream.com/2009/01/...s-on-your-mac/

[mayhem70]

So does this mean that BTV does real-time transcoding for all 3 options now (unofficially)?

[rakeshagrawal]

"Place-shift" is the only one that does any real-time transcoding.

[cfaslave]

Very cool Rakesh! The next obvious questions:
Is live

• TV on the to-do list for some future point?
• Would this work with linux also?
• Any mobile devices possible?

[mayhem70]

Ah, so BTV is using Silverlight to perform the transcoding as well. The ASX is just creating a stream to do the remote hand off on a LAN machine only. Thanks for clarification.

[Jakesty]

Originally Posted by cfaslave

• Would this work with linux also?

This is the first thing I thought of too. I have several older systems that would make perfect Link machines, but not a single Mac. I don't ever plan to own one either.
I don't just want a browser-based version or one that works with VLC, but a fully developed product which I can use like an extender. Even better would be an install that configures the PC for linux and installs the most recent version of BTV Extender edition.

[Jakesty]

duplicate

[ZetaVu]

I just setup my Wii with the Wii browser (Opera) and was hoping there would be a way to use that as a link as well. Sadly I don't see a way to install vlc there either.

Orb does work on the Wii, leading me to ask why doesn't BTV do something similar with their placeshifting?

Also, for this to work on linux you would have to fool Firefox to think it were on linux (or fool SS to think it was approached by a linux version). Now the community webadmin used to work with vlc, why not have that work regardless of platform?

BTW typo, November 2o07, should be 2008?

[rakeshagrawal]

Originally Posted by ZetaVu

Also, for this to work on linux you would have to fool Firefox to think it were on linux (or fool SS to think it was approached by a linux version).

It may not be so complicated... This might run just fine in a Linux environment that has Firefox and VLC installed. I'll have to test that out.

Originally Posted by ZetaVu

BTW typo, November 2o07, should be 2008?

Fixed... thanks for the catch. (the font that Wordpress uses is in its editor makes the number zero, 0, and a lower case 'o' look indistinguishable!)

[ZetaVu]

Ok, works fine in linux on my home network, had issues over the internet. Biggest hassle was finding where vlc was installed (/usr/bin). Plays mpeg, divx and ota HD fine, H.264 files do not play natively, but I think if you change the extension to .ts they work (need to try that, not today).

Also, moonlight 1 is released but moonlight 2 won't have alpha until March, that should work with silverlight 2 on linux. Any suggestions for the Wii?

[rakeshagrawal]

ZetaVu-- what distribution of Linux are you running? I'm going to post a note about your test as an update to the blog posting.

[ZetaVu]

I've tested on ubuntu 8.10 (Intrepid Ibex) and 7.10 (Gutsy GIbbons). Build shouldn't make a difference, just install vlc (I used Synaptic). Mine installed in /usr/bin (you need that to tell firefox where the program is for playing asx. I have latest Firefox and vlc which is also recommended. However, you may need additional codecs to play all formats. On my 8.10 machine I can play mpeg, divx, xvid, and OTA tp files. HD PVR files play audio and get stuck on images, need to look into the settings and se if I can adjust (this might affect windows and mac versions of vlc as well) On my 7.1 machine, the OTA .tp files do not have audio, so I need to see if I installed a codec on my 8.10 that I did not on my 7.10. I'll play around with both types of .tp files to get them working, but go ahead and post, maybe other users can help.

Do me a favor and make sure the blog title lists both mac and linux, at least give them equal billing, and next update (4.9.1 would be nice) add linux to the message in "change play options".

[ZetaVu]

Ok, I confirmed the audio on .tp files is a vlc issue, not linux (I get the same problem when I use vlc in windows), so you shouldn't have to install additional codecs in linux to use vlc. I need to see what settings in vlc I changed to play .tp files with audio. I'll update as soon as I figure that out unless someone else knows.

[ZetaVu]

Wow, I am so annoyed it is poetic!

Ok, all my vlc installs are the same. One vlc install played my ota hd .tp file with audio, I thought the others did not and I needed another codec/ WRONG! I tested a different ota HD file on those. When I tested that second file on my first (I thought good) machine, no audio. What was different about the files? THE CHANNEL THEY WERE RECORDED ON!!!!!

So now to find where the common factor is. I assume the automatic streamsnip is to blame (I blame that for everything). Not so fast, here is what I've found in my testing:

Channel 2 (cbs)- no sub channel, 1080i - no audio
Channel 9 (WGN) - 1 sub channel, 1080i - AUDIO
Channel 7 (ABC) - 2 subchannels, 1080i or 720p - no audio
Channel 32 (FOX) - no subchannels, 720p - AUDIO

No rhyme or reason. The only thing I did find different (between ch 2, 9 and 32) is that 9 and 32 have default (English) audio at pid52, while ch 2 has default audio at pid51!!! When I look at audio tracks in vlc, both are listed for the cbs ch2 file but neither has audio. Then the other two options for audio are grayed out. For the other two files, all audio options are available and work.

Oh, in Zoom player, the ch 2 cbs file has both audio tracks, pid51 plays audio (English) pid52 (Spanish) has no audio.

So, I wonder if any transport stream which only has audio in pid51 (vs pid52) will be mute in vlc? I have not tried enough files to see if there is one with audio in both pid 51 and 52. All the recordings from CBS ch 2 only have audio in pid51 and pid52 is there but has no audio. I'll see if there are any settings that can be adjusted to fix this, any ideas would be appreciated.

[ZetaVu]

Ok, the plot moistens (2 1/2 men episode title, sticks with me). I'm still trying to get ota HD files to work in VLC (regardless fo platform, windows, linux, I assume mac)

I ran a whole bunch of short recordings. Turns out all my Chicago OTA HD channels work except 2 (CBS) and 7 (ABC). I thought 5NBC was an issue but it plays fine, so do all other channels.

Initially I thought it was because the audio was in pid 51 vs 52, but ch7 ABC records in pid 52, so not a track location issue.

I used Mediainfo http://mediainfo.sourceforge.net/en to read the details of each file. What I found is the recordings from Ch2 and 7 have two things that make them different from other recordings. First, neither have durations or nominal bitrate (at least calculated by mediainfo) secondly, the audio Menu id 1 (0x1) where all other channels are either 3 (0x3) or 4 (0x4). Not sure if this makes any difference.

So, question is: are these Issues with the local stations or are these issues with beyondtv? I cycled my tuners so this should not be an issue related to which tuner is recording (I'll try in more detail tonight). Also, I can try recording via another program and see if that file is affected. I currently don't have that setup so if someone else does, please try this.

Anyway, question is is anyone else having issues playing CBS or ABC recordings in vlc? Is it isolated to Chicago or network wide? I know those channels are in the 0-12 range of the HD range, (ch 5 is actually higher) which might be that 1 (0x1) meaning. Also, if anyone has tried playing these channels in vlc and has no audio, can they try a different recording software and see if that gives them audio. If it is software, SS can deal with it. If it is broadcast stations, then its something that needs to be dealt with at vlc.

Otherwise, OTA HD seems to work in vlc. I still have to try tweaking the h.264 settings in vlc to try and playback HD PVR recordings, maybe this weekend.