Update Core.Transcoding to handle more in / out formats

Update the transcoding function in core to handle more than a dvr-ms to mpeg2 converstion. The ability to handle ATI VCR files along with conversion from MPEG2 to a format like DivX, XVID, WMV to reduce space usage would be helpful. I would like to create a plugin that doest this based on a user selected schedule or monitors the recording folder, and rewriting the transcoding section seems like a waste. If someone is more familiar with it I can give them the filter graphs for ATI VCR to MPEG2 or ATI VCR to DivX. If there is no one available I can look at doing it myself by either rewriting transcoding or implementing it within my plugin, but it would probably take a little bit longer and produce redundant code.

If the transcoding function ran off of the XGR files from GraphEdit and all you had to do was add a .XGR file to a directory within MediaPortal to add a new conversion type to the transcoding function, then if it is not supported users could create their own filter graph and have that functionality without having to wait on development. This would also prevent new hardware from having to be purchased by the core development team to handle issues like converting .VCR files to MPEG2 or some other new format developed.

[dfbb]

It would be great if my ATI could finally use it's full potential

[CoolHammer]

Hmm, add comskip processing and we have superior product.


http://www.sage-community.org/index.cgi/wiki/ComSkip


CoolHammer

The plug-in I want to create will allow you to schedule transcoding of your files to take place during off peak hours or whenever you want, and I intend to include a comskip function.

[Mars Warrior]

If the transcoding itself would be based on the same concept as the graph definitions used for the TV Engine, any conversion could be implemented.

I see no reason why the current Transcoding engine could not be modified to support these transcoding definition files and create generic transcoding capabilities to MP...

Other things mentioned like scheduling and choosing the conversion are of course other issues and require extra functionality, user interfaces en possibly remote support...

The XML file that drives the TV engine might not be able to handle all of the vairious transcoding graphs. What I was hoping for was a method based on the xml exports from graphedit. If we have a directory full of xgr files with a class that will update the filename for the input and output file it would be a lot more versatile.

[dman_lfc]

I believe Gucky already has this in his long term plans.

DVR-MS to WMV is easy.
DVR-MS to DivX is also in the tips & tricks section.

MPG to whatever is also easy enough.

It really needs to be gui'fied to allow quality adjustments for the destination format to be set.

DMAN

[tomtom21000]

Originally Posted by dman_lfc

I believe Gucky already has this in his long term plans.

That is right. But he has not started on this part (I just asked him some minutes ago on the german forum)
I think in the my burner section, he is concentrating on a cutting feature first.

He said sportkastics suggestion would be a good completion, but could of cause also be a stand alone plugin,

tomtom

I could implement transcoding in a stand alone plugin for my needs. I do not have a need to do it on the fly, unlike the dvr-ms to wmv stuff. I really just want to have it do it either as soon as possible or on a schedule to mainly create standardized formats which makes it easier to use on the wireless media receivers and to reduce hard disk space requirements. But since core.transcoding already exists it just seems like a better approach to just expand the functionality to that of a full transcoding class rather than implementing the same transition twice. I might just rewrite that class and post it for review, if I keep the compatibility with what is there it will not cause any problems, what I would really like to do is be able to take a file to a stream, transcode one stream to another, write a stream to a file. Doing that will make the code much more reusable. When I have more ideas I will post them, maybe with some sample code that can run stand alone.

[dman_lfc]

Sounds good to me.

DMAN