Access to additional video inputs on Sweetspot capture card (1 Viewer)

[The Crow]

Hi,
I have a Sweetspot Capture Card http://www.pluggedin.tv/sweetspot/ which I use to get RGBs into my PC .
I would like to be able to use FFDShow in MP 0.1.0.9 to scale this input for display @ 1280x768 on my plasma.
The Sweetspot comes with a WDM driver that gives access to various input configurations.
I have this working fine in MP except I can only access the first two CVBS inputs and the first S-Video input.

Here is a clip of my Capture log:-

03/03/2005 18:50:44 Card:2 CreateGraph
03/03/2005 18:50:45 SWGraph:GetCompressors() find video compressor filter DV Video Encoder...
03/03/2005 18:50:45 SWGraph:GetCompressors() find audio compressor filter MPEG Layer-3...
03/03/2005 18:50:45 SWGraph:GetCompressors() using mpeg2 compressors:False
03/03/2005 18:50:45 SWGraph:CreateGraph()
03/03/2005 18:50:45 SWGraph:create new filter graph (IGraphBuilder)
03/03/2005 18:50:45 SWGraph:Get the Capture Graph Builder (ICaptureGraphBuilder2)
03/03/2005 18:50:45 SWGraph:Link the CaptureGraphBuilder to the filter graph (SetFiltergraph)
03/03/2005 18:50:45 SWGraph:Add graph to ROT table
03/03/2005 18:50:45 SWGraph:CreateGraph() add capture device PMS SweetSpot PDI Deluxe Capture
03/03/2005 18:50:45 SWGraph:CreateGraph() add capture device C-Media Rear Panel Audio
03/03/2005 18:50:45 SWGraph:Find TV Tuner
03/03/2005 18:50:45 SWGraph:CreateGraph() FAILED:no tuner found
03/03/2005 18:50:45 VideoCaptureDevice:ctor
03/03/2005 18:50:45 VideoCaptureDevice:Found preview pin
03/03/2005 18:50:45 VideoCaptureDevice:Found capture pin
03/03/2005 18:50:45 capture:found video preview pin
03/03/2005 18:50:45 capture:found video capture pin
03/03/2005 18:50:45 capture:look for pin 656 (PVR150)
03/03/2005 18:50:45 capture:look for pin I2S (WinFast PVR2000)
03/03/2005 18:50:45 capture:No MPEG Video or MPEG Audio outputs found
03/03/2005 18:50:45 capture:HW MPEG2 encoder:False MCE device:False
03/03/2005 18:50:45 capture:get Video stream control interface (IAMStreamConfig)
03/03/2005 18:50:45 capture:got IAMStreamConfig for Capture
03/03/2005 18:50:45 capture:got IAMStreamConfig for Preview
03/03/2005 18:50:45 VideoCaptureDevice:change capture Framesize :320x240 ->720x576
03/03/2005 18:50:45 VideoCaptureDevice:change preview Framesize :320x240 ->720x576
03/03/2005 18:50:45 SWGraph:capture FrameRate set to 25
03/03/2005 18:50:45 VideoCaptureDevice: capture FrameRate done :25
03/03/2005 18:50:45 VideoCaptureDevicereview FrameRate set to 25
03/03/2005 18:50:45 VideoCaptureDevice: preview FrameRate done :25
03/03/2005 18:50:45 Card:2 start viewing VHS
03/03/2005 18:50:45 SWGraphtart viewing
03/03/2005 18:50:45 SWGraph:TuneChannel() tune to channel:10000
03/03/2005 18:50:45 SWGraph:TuneChannel() tuningspace:0 country:44 tv standard:None cable:False
03/03/2005 18:50:45 FixCrossbarRouting: use tuner:False use cvbs#1:False use cvbs#2:False use svhs:True
03/03/2005 18:50:45 Find crossbar:#1
03/03/2005 18:50:45 crossbar found:1
03/03/2005 18:50:45 crossbar has 13 inputs and 2 outputs
03/03/2005 18:50:45 check:in#0->out#0 / Video_SVideo -> Video_VideoDecoder
03/03/2005 18:50:45 connect
03/03/2005 18:50:45 connect success
03/03/2005 18:50:45 check:in#1->out#0 / Video_SVideo -> Video_VideoDecoder
03/03/2005 18:50:45 check:in#2->out#0 / Video_Composite -> Video_VideoDecoder
03/03/2005 18:50:45 check:in#3->out#0 / Video_Composite -> Video_VideoDecoder
03/03/2005 18:50:45 check:in#4->out#0 / Video_Composite -> Video_VideoDecoder
03/03/2005 18:50:45 check:in#5->out#0 / Video_Composite -> Video_VideoDecoder
03/03/2005 18:50:45 check:in#6->out#0 / Video_Composite -> Video_VideoDecoder
03/03/2005 18:50:45 check:in#7->out#0 / Video_Composite -> Video_VideoDecoder
03/03/2005 18:50:45 check:in#8->out#0 / Video_SerialDigital -> Video_VideoDecoder
03/03/2005 18:50:45 check:in#9->out#0 / Video_ParallelDigital -> Video_VideoDecoder
03/03/2005 18:50:45 check:in#10->out#0 / Video_RGB -> Video_VideoDecoder
03/03/2005 18:50:45 check:in#11->out#0 / Video_YRYBY -> Video_VideoDecoder
03/03/2005 18:50:45 check:in#12->out#1 / Audio_Line -> Video_SVideo
03/03/2005 18:50:45 connect
03/03/2005 18:50:45 connect success
03/03/2005 18:50:45 Find crossbar:#2
03/03/2005 18:50:45 no more crossbars.:0x80004005
03/03/2005 18:50:45 crossbar routing done
03/03/2005 18:50:45 SWGraph:FAILED:render video preview
03/03/2005 18:50:45 VideoCaptureDevice:render preview
03/03/2005 18:50:45 VideoCaptureDevice:render preview pin
03/03/2005 18:50:45 SWGraph:Get overlay interfaces
03/03/2005 18:50:45 SWGraph:enable deinterlace
03/03/2005 18:50:45 EnableDeInterlace()
03/03/2005 18:50:45 EnableDeInterlace() enum filters
03/03/2005 18:50:45 VMR9k
03/03/2005 18:50:45 VMR9 Get best deinterlace mode for 720x576 format:VMR9_SampleFieldInterleavedEvenFirst 4cc:YUY2 size:36
03/03/2005 18:50:45 set VMR9 deinterlace preferences to next best
03/03/2005 18:50:45 VMR9 supports 2 interlace modes
03/03/2005 18:50:45 Set VMR9 deinterlace mode to:212dc724-3235-44a4-bd29-e1652bbcc71c
03/03/2005 18:50:45 VMR9 uses deinterlace guid:00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000
03/03/2005 18:50:45 SWGraph:run graph
03/03/2005 18:50:45 Card:2 rebuild graph done
03/03/2005 18:51:55 Card:1 stop
03/03/2005 18:51:55 Card:2 stop
03/03/2005 18:51:55 Card:2 DeleteGraph
03/03/2005 18:51:55 SWGrapheleteGraph()
03/03/2005 18:51:55 SWGraphtopViewing()
03/03/2005 18:51:55 SWGrapheleteGraph()


From this you can see the video crossbar gives access to 11 video configurations including my RGB input but currently MP only gives me access to the first three.

The Sweetspot card is unique in supporting RGBs, Component and SDI(optional) inputs at a cost of only 150 UK pounds. Unfortunately it doesn't include hardware encoding but it is a card that many HTPC enthusiasts use to enable PC based video processing.

Support for this card is already 90% in MP if someone could provide access to the other inputs on the crossbar it would be a very worth while addition to this already awesome program.

Cheers
Paul

 

[The Crow]

Well if no-one can help me how about a pointer to where I can find the relevent section in the source code, as it seems to me that this shouldn't be too difficult as 90% of the work has already been done.

I guess I could find it myself but someone could save me half an hour of searching.

Cheers
Paul

 

[Contour]

Hi Paul,

Just wanted to check if there has been any progress made to this feature request.

I ordered a Sweetspot-card just days ago and it should arrive to me any day now. I feel that being able to use it with MediaPortal would be a nice bonus to the card even though the primary use will be with dscaler.

Best regards
/Martin

 

[The Crow]

Hi Martin,

I have had no response from anyone on this board either good or bad and haven't actually had time myself to look at the source code as yet. Too much work at the moment.

I am hoping to find time this weekend.

I will let you know if I succeed.

 

[The Crow]

Just a quick update.

SUCCESS!

By changing one word on a couple of lines of code I am able to view the RGBs input instead of a SVHS input. This is obviously a quick bodge just to see if it would work and it does.

I now need to find a couple of hours to figure out the rest of the source code and then implement this properly.

I let you know when I've worked this out.

 

[Contour]

Hi Paul,

That sounds great. Any comments about the picture-quality compared to DScaler?

I think that using Sweetspot with MediaPortal is the future way to go, even though DScaler probably delivers higher picture-quality today. Since John Adcock is working on the DScaler-mpeg filters and FFDShow is available with its processing power the filter-way seems to be the more future-proof.

Btw: My Sweetspot arrived the friday that past and a lot of fiddeling with DScaler and the card has been made during the weekend. The picture-quality is amazing simply amazing and i dont regret buying the card so thats nice.

/Martin

 

[The Crow]

I've not really tweaked this for best PQ.
At the moment it looks good but not as good as DScaler.
My next problem is that FFDShow post processing doesn't appear to be used when viewing the Sweetspot capture stream.
It works fine in DVD playback and also using my Twinhan DVB-T. But when I switch channels between DVB-T and Sweetspot the FFDShow OSD disappears.
Maybe post-processing is unavailable with Software capture cards or when using WDM drivers? I hope this is not the case as FFDShow resize is my main reason for wanting this.

Martin: Did you know there is a version of FFDShow that is supposed to work with DScaler?
http://www.h7.dion.ne.jp/~moroheiy/ffdshow/ffdshow-20050318JP.exe
At the moment I have not got to grips with how to set this up so I am not sure if it actually works!

 

[KevL]

Ive been playing with sweetspot for a while. I use the sweetspot parallel digital input with a Realmagic Xcard Hardware Mpeg decoder for watching DVDs and also use the RGB input for connection to skybox digibox.

Playback via the hardware Mpeg decoder is silky smooth compared to all the software decoders I have tried.

Will your proposed sweetspot driver also allow access to the parallel digital input of the sweetspot?




Regards


Kev

 

[The Crow]

I am not writing a driver, that is way beyond my capabilities!
My programming abilities are self taught on a need to know basis in basic languages like Javascript, ASP and VBA. I've never used C# or MS Visual Studio before but all the hard work as already been done.

A WDM driver already exists for the Sweetspot (it's on the CD that came with the card). Media Portal is happy to use this driver to view the Sweetspot. All I have been doing is altering the existing code so that I can choose the more unusual inputs that don't appear in MPs standard configuration.

I see no reason why you couldn't choose the PDI input of the sweetspot but I don't have a Xcard and am not sure how the MPEG stream is routed from the DVD ROM into this card.

Hopefully someone else with greater skills than me could take this up for you.

 

[Contour]

Hi Paul,

I didnt know about that FFDShow-version. Maybee something to check out during the weekend i guess.

Regarding Sweetspot in MediaPortal. Exactly what did you have to modify and how did you to the configuring in MediaPortal? I guess you had to do a rebuild of the project but was any configuring required?

Would be nice to try it out and try som recording through MediaPortal etc.

Best regards
/Martin