Calling all MP New Zealanders (Both of you!!)

[mruane]

Mcraenz, hi, you will have noticed in the DVB-T tests and from the announcements, that OTA EPG seems to be just this program and next with the seven day EPG only available on the MHEG5 stream. Has this been raised with the development team to your knowledge, so that we can get MHEG5 capability included in TVServer3?

PS: I have been busy reconfiguring my MP server/client setup to use a Mini Mac as the client. What a significant improvement in the WAF!!! The Mini Mac is so small it cannot be seen behind the TV with only the MCE IR receiver poking through underneath it. What a great choice. The TV Server is now in the office and I use the Mini Mac as a client in the living room. It drives the 42" Plasma no problem and is as quiet as a mouse. Perfect solution for me and at $829 including the Mac OS its a good price. I had a copy Windows XP to install which the MAC enables using Bootcamp. So you can hop between Windows and OS X very easily.

Cheers Mike

[Kiwi]

Re DVB-T, can anyone advise what channels are on each mux? Is it the same throughout the country?
I want to know how many DVB-T tuners are needed to cover all bases
BTW, DVB-T tuners seem a bit rare in NZ at the mo, I'm looking for a dual tuner which I think will cover just about all eventualities with TVE3. Hauppuage Nova-t 500 seems a good dual tuner, if only the standby / resume issues could be resolved.
Cheers

[mcraenz]

Has this been raised with the development team to your knowledge, so that we can get MHEG5 capability included in TVServer3?

MHEG5 is only used in the UK and now NZ. There is some work underway to get this working in MP but it's a BIG job:
UK Digital Interactive - Red Button (MHEGPlugin)
Not such a simple thing as getting AAC audio working :-) (Not that I'm saying that's simple either!)
In any case it will be nice to have eventually but don't expect it to be fully working for NZ any time soon. Plan to use an alternate EPG source.

Re DVB-T, can anyone advise what channels are on each mux? Is it the same throughout the country?

Check out the geekzone Home Theatre forum:
Geekzone: technology news, blogs, forums

DVB-T tuners seem a bit rare in NZ at the mo, I'm looking for a dual tuner which I think will cover just about all eventualities

The WinTV HVR 2200 looks very nice Dual DVB-T/Analog HW Encoder. It's PCI Express, but I guess if you're planning on decoding h.264 you will probably have a PCIe architecture anyway? au-Review



p.s. I've still got a few silent fans left

[mruane]

I guess it depends where you are located. For the most part, it looks like three channels are being use (certainly here in Wellington).

TV ONE, TV2, TVNZ6, TVNZ7, TVNZ SPORTS EXTRA are all on one transmitter.
TV3, C4 are on another transmitter
Parliament, MTS, Maori and the reserved channels are on the third transmitter

If TVEngine3 can handle DVB-T like it does DVB-S (i.e. grabbing the whole mux) then two tuners will get you the bulk of what you need - but not everything. For that you will need three tuners.

Cheers Mike

Thanks Mcrae...

I tried out the MP-TVClient earlier with VLC as the player and I do get a great picture from TV1, TV2 but the rest are not good. Of course, no audio even though I have PowerDVD installed. Looks like Satellite is going to be around for a while yet.

Looks like we will be suffering for the DVB-T decisions made at TVNZ for some time to come. Why do we always pick the hard way of doing anything....

PS Have you got the AAC audio working?

Cheers Mike

[mcraenz]

If TVEngine3 can handle DVB-T like it does DVB-S (i.e. grabbing the whole mux)

Yep applies to any DVB

Looks like we will be suffering for the DVB-T decisions made at TVNZ for some time to come

What do you mean? I think the entire Freeview project has been absolutely spot on for everything so far.

[mruane]

I agree the satellite side has been sweet as - but surely the DVB-T is turning into a technical swamp for projects such as this! Whilst the decision for Audio and Video are technically sound, they place us on the outside of "normality" which we will pay for. For instance, how long will it take to get TV's produced with built in DVB-T tuners when there is only two markets for the specific combination of audio/video that we have selected?

Again, sound technical decisions for sure, but they did not think about HTPC's when planning this implementation.

Cheers Mike

[Paranoid Delusion]

Whilst the decision for Audio and Video are technically sound, they place us on the outside of "normality"

MediaPortal tries to be abnormal, that's why we have been recommended for things by a Microsoft CEO, whose only media support is "normal".

These things are only insurmountable in the eyes of the unenlightened.

That's why people are working to get the filters\mheg5 into this project for everyone to have the choice.

Regards

[mruane]

You raise a good point Ray, we are priviledged to use a system (i.e. MP) that has some real and creative "brain power" behind it.

It takes a little time to get it configured the way one want's it, but I have not come across a better system anywhere and I (probably like most of us) have tried a number of different systems. For me, MP now does all that I want of it and does it very well. DVB-T - I can live without frankly - if its there and works - great. If not, DVB-S is quite adequate.

Cheers Mike

[mcraenz]

TV's produced with built in DVB-T tuners when there is only two markets for the specific combination of audio/video that we have selected?

It might take a little while but the change has to be made at some point we can't go on using MPEG2 for ever.

DVB-T - I can live without frankly - if its there and works - great. If not, DVB-S is quite adequate.

DVB-T is perfect for HD, bandwidth is cheap (compared with sat) and for HD h.264 is the best compression option. If Freeview had gone with a MPEG2 for there HD DVB-T platform it would have been very disappointing just Look at the crap situation Australia is in with their MPEG2 DVB-T HD, I real wasted opportunely now there are thousands of MPEG2 STBs out there and they're stuck with that platform (of course hindsight is a wonderful thing) but Freeview has built a platform that will last. MPEG2 is legacy. And as for MHEG5, again planning for the future, beats teletext!

No freeview looked at the situation and thought "what's the best platform we can build?"; not what's the easiest or cheapest and kudos to them for that.

Ok I'm done. That's my rant for the day

[mruane]

Fair enough... Guess I am just getting frustrated in the codec hunt! Having said that, I am happy with my HTPC setup now for the first time - and for sure, the DVB-T picture I am seeing is very good quality. Hopefully, one day, the hardest part will be finding the remote!!!

Cheers Mike