ffdshow and .ts files

[justinteract]

Hi,
I can not get ffdshow to play back .ts files.
I have set
- MPEG-2 video decoder: ffdshow
- H.264 video decoder: ffdshow
- Audio decoder: ffdshow

for TV and Movies, but MP never succeeds to load ffdshow when playing .ts files or watching Live TV with TVE3 (essentially the same as watching .ts)

2008-03-29 19:29:30.890000 [Info.][MPMain]: TSReaderPlayer: add codecs
2008-03-29 19:29:30.995000 [Info.][MPMain]: added filter:ffdshow Video Decoder to graph
2008-03-29 19:29:30.999000 [Info.][MPMain]: failed:unable to add filter:ffdshow Video Decoder to graph
2008-03-29 19:29:30.999000 [Info.][MPMain]: failed filter:ffdshow Video Decoder not found
2008-03-29 19:29:31.004000 [Info.][MPMain]: added filter:ffdshow Audio Decoder to graph

"Gooses" guide on ffdshow just uses MPV for MPEG-2...
Did anybody here managed to get ffdshow to work for .ts files / live TV ?

And if not, how do you deal with the fact that MPV does not handle 4:3 correct, and since German TV has constant 16:9 <-> 4:3 switches MPV is basically not usable for TV ....

Cheers


TV-Server Version: TVE3 SVN 18359
MediaPortal Version: 0.2.3.0 SVN 18359
MediaPortal Skin: Basic wide
Windows Version: Vista 32bit Home Premium
CPU Type: Core 2 Duo
HDD:
Memory: 2 GB
Motherboard:
Motherboard Chipset:
Motherboard Bios:
Video Card: ATI 2400 pro
Video Card Driver: 7.10
Sound Card:
Sound Card AC3:
Sound Card Driver:
1. TV Card: TT-S3200
1. TV Card Type: DVB-S2
1. TV Card Driver: 5.0.0.12
2. TV Card:
2. TV Card Type:
2. TV Card Driver:
3. TV Card:
3. TV Card Type:
3. TV Card Driver:
4. TV Card:
4. TV Card Type:
4. TV Card Driver:
MPEG2 Video Codec:
MPEG2 Audio Codec:
Satelite/CableTV Provider:
HTPC Case:
Cooling:
Power Supply:
Remote:
TV:
TV - HTPC Connection:

[Paranoid Delusion]

Gabest has good recognition of these aspect switches, unless you go for a proprietry codec ie powerdvd7 which does this with even better results.

[Pascal]

What about the ViewModeSwitcher? It can decide on the content playing, what to do with it (zoom / normal / stretch / etc.) Did you try that one:

ViewModeSwitcher plugin (Version 0.3)

Not sure about the ffdshow codec, but did you also try to use the ffdshow raw video decoder?

greetz,

Pascal

[justinteract]

TO Paranoid Delusion:
Not sure what you mean by "Gabest has good recognition", but in my installation Gabest MPV codec does not recognize the AR settings in the TS file and defnitely not if they change while playing a file. At least here in Germany some channels constantly switch the AR, e.g. one show is in 4:3 the next in 16:9 and sometimes even between single commercials.
The MPV codec does not switch. As far as I understand it, the codec has to signal that it is capable of "dynamic" AR switches and if one filter in the graph is not, the AR just stays whatever it is at the beginning.
Now with MPV its even worse since it never scales 4:3 correct.

The PowerDVD codec doesnt do it either, at least not with MP. The only codec that does it correct is the Microsoft MPEG2 codec that comes with Vista HP. However it generates terrible image quality. Areas of red seem to keep jumping...

The best codec over all I found in my testings is ffdshow. But it can not play .ts or in other words the MP TSReader and ffdshow do not connect. Outside MP if used with the Haali Splitter connected to its input pin it plays well.


TO Pascal:
Yeah I checked the ViewModeSwitcher... if nothing else works I have to go with MPV and this plugin... I just always try to keep the number of plugins to a minimum and would love to use ffdshow also for its flexibility in settings...

Cheers
justInteractive

[justinteract]

Thanks to post in the German forum
Probleme mit MPG Videos und TV(ffdshow wird nicht benutzt)
ffdshow works now together with TSReaderPlayer.
The solution is to set in the
DirectShow Options -> multiple ffdshow instances to no limit

WORKS!
that is the good news

The bad news: the reason why it didnt work before. TSReaderPlayer loads two instances of ffdshow. I can see that on the multiple try icons and when connecting to the Graph.
In the graph I see that the ffdshow video decoder was loaded as "ffdshow Video Decoder" which is not used
and as "ffdshow Video Decoder 001" which is used.
Unfortunately after stopping the video only one is released and with every movie start/stop you can more and more instances of ffdshow in memory.

This is definitely a bug in the TSReaderPlayer. With MPEG the codec is loaded only once, that is why MPEG worked fine in the first place (without the allow multiple instances setting)

Hope somebody can help me on fixing this... I am not firm in the filter C++ stuff yet..

EDIT:
using EVR under Vista the all loaded codecs are getting released, so they are not piling up. Still the double loading is done and
that is why you also need to enable the FFDshow option (DirectShow Options -> multiple ffdshow instances to no limit) under EVR.

Cheers
justInteractive

[ChillyWilly]

I have the same problem. i can get ffdshow to work with mpeg2 when multiple instances is set in ffdshow, but h.264 is a no go. If i select another h.264 codec, like coreavc does the following:

1. I goto a h.264 broadcast and afterwards to a mpeg2 broadcast:
First graph is build correct, it connects to coreavc, but when going to the mpeg2 broadcast there is one ffdshow filter in the graph (not connected) and suddenly there is a MPV filter which it connects to

2. I goto a mpeg2 broadcast and afterwards to a h.264 broadcast:
First graph connects to the ffdshow filter, but after i switch to the h.264 broadcast it's still connected to the ffdshow filter. And I get no picture or sound.

So: ffdshow+h.264+ts is a no go

But I really need ffdshow because of the "kernel bob" deinterlacing.

[Gatorfreak]

Just wanted to chime in that I seem to be having the same problem. Playing the .ts files in WMP outside of MP, ffdshow gets loaded and everything plays perfectly. Inside MP, ffdshow doesn't get used. Doesn't sound like we have a good solution yet.

[ChillyWilly]

Yes, I can get ffdshow to work... once, when I change channel MPC gets used.

For me the only mpeg2 decoder that works 100% (SD and HDTV) is MPC. ffdshow, mainconcept, elecard, etc al have problems.

[Gatorfreak]

I did the "enable the FFDshow option (DirectShow Options -> multiple ffdshow instances to no limit)" and I'm very pleased to report that after some testing, there doesn't appear to be any accumulation of ffdshow instances. Everything is perfect! As far as I can tell, right now I have everything working absolutely perfectly in MP! What a wonderful product!

[ChillyWilly]

When I switch to and h.264 ts hdtv stream ffdshow hangs.