BlackGold BGT3620 DVB-T2 card - Where are the HD channels? (1 Viewer)

[Bucky O'Hare]

I tried copying one of the HD TV .ts files to my laptop and can play it using PDVD or VLC player fine. Audio & Video. WMP & Nero 9 Showtime plays but no audio.
I can't get GraphStudio to connect remotely to any of these apps to see what codecs they are actually using.

I don't have DivX installed on the laptop so they can't be using that for audio!!

PowerDVD 10 uses its own codecs and file splitter and we know that the powerdvd audio codec plays back the HE-AAC LATM/LOAS audio stream perfectly from a recording of an HD channel. VLC uses its own built in codecs as its a standalone video player doesn't need to be installed either. WMP uses the system codecs that win 7 comes with, Nero 9 not sure but I would have thought it again uses neros own codecs.

Now you can change which codecs for windows apps lke WMP and WMC by using a codec pack like Sharks007 Win 7 if you have Win 7 x64 they have a 64bit components add on that needs to be installed on top of the std 32bit codec pack, SAF is another one but not had experience with that one there might be other packs as well but I have used the Sharks007 before and it does work.

Right I have finally got MP installed on the HTPC after installing Windows 7 Pro x64 on it and I have disabled WMC using the TVServer 3rd Party section. See attached thumbnail for the graph its a bit on the weird side as I only put in as a test the usual bits like the network provider, receiver, capture, mpeg2 demuxer, MS DTV-DVD Video & Audio codecs Mpeg 2 Sections. BDA Mpeg Trans info filter, EVR and Default Directsound device the rest was added when I did the render pin on the Capture section. well at least it shows the MS DTV-DVD Audio codec can be used as its connected ok.

Update

Ok even though the graph shows the MS DTV-DVD Audio is connected its not giving any sound when forced in mediaportal.xml

 

[mm1352000]

Nice picture Bucky
I did tell you that the outputs of the demuxer seem to prefer to connect to certain things...

wrighta and Bucky (and anyone else that is following)
Your experiments over the past couple of days have convinced me that MediaPortal is not going to be able to use either the Microsoft or Cyberlink codecs at the moment. I encourage you to try the CoreAAC one, but the old free version of that may not work and the new version is a pay-for item, so not really a great general stop-gap solution. I'd also be interested to see how Nero AAC or FFDShow goes...

wrighta, the reason why you can't connect to the Cyberlink graph is because it is my understanding that you can "hide" graphs. For whatever reason some applications just don't make their graphs available for connection. Also, I understand that you can't connect to graphs if the program uses the Overlay renderer (instead of the VMR 7/9, EVR). Could be wrong about all the reasons, but the fact remains - sometimes you can't connect. Generalisations aside, the point is that you won't be able to connect to the PDVD or VLC graphs (VLC uses internal codecs - no graph)...

Ultimately this is a MediaPortal issue right now, specifically a TsReader issue. You can play your recordings in other applications but that won't prove or change anything in relation to MediaPortal. I apologise for the problems - I wish we were more ready for DVB-T2, but we're just not right now. This is an issue that we as a team need to tackle at the code level and unfortunately I don't have the expertise. I am seriously considering asking one of the more experienced team members for some advice and then jumping in the deep end to try and implement the NAL thing. The thing is that I'm flat out at work and busy with other issues too. I guess what I'm trying to say is that... reality: DivX may be the only work around for a while.

 

[Bucky O'Hare]

Nice picture Bucky
I did tell you that the outputs of the demuxer seem to prefer to connect to certain things...

@wrighta and Bucky (and anyone else that is following)
Your experiments over the past couple of days have convinced me that MediaPortal is not going to be able to use either the Microsoft or Cyberlink codecs at the moment. I encourage you to try the CoreAAC one, but the old free version of that may not work and the new version is a pay-for item, so not really a great general stop-gap solution. I'd also be interested to see how Nero AAC or FFDShow goes...

I have tried the free version of CoreAAC now and it doesn't work I may try and find an extended trial version of the new CoreAAC codec and I will have a go at the Nero one when I have installed Nero 10 again.

One last thing I found this graph sitting in the c:\ProgramData\Team Mediaportal\MediaPortal TV Server\ folder have attached it below. It shows another module between the capture and the Mpeg2 Demuxer, wonder if this might shed some more light on the subject? I will add to the graph and attach the result in this post later.

Seems a pity that MP is not ready for DVB-T2 as it is being rolled out in a number of different countries now UK has a working system in the process of a rollout and Sweden has gone live with their DVB-T2 system as well not to mention south africa and india adopting the std.

 

[mm1352000]

Hi again Bucky

You can try adding the inf tee. Don't know if it will help as I think it is only so you can connect the "TS Analyser" which is actually the "TS Writer" - the thing that writes the timeshift/record file to your HDD.

As far is readiness goes: personally speaking, it is not that I don't want to be ready for DVB-T2 or that I don't know that it is being rolled out. It is just that I (like most of the team I guess) have a real job and family and I'm doing this purely for "fun". You should also be aware that there is a lot of effort going into other development, including MP2. If you want this bad enough and right now then you can help us by adding support, or if you don't feel able to do that I ask you to wait patiently. I've already said this issue is on the team's radar - the things that need to be done *will* be done. I just can't put a time frame on it right now...

 

[Bucky O'Hare]

Well I will wait patiently for a compatible version MP isn't the only Media Centre thats having issues with DVB-T2 WMC support is just as lacking at least I can watch anything I record in Power DVD or if I want cut the ads which at least gives the AAC stream some consistancy ie no switching between 2 and 6 channel mid stream (BBC HD is the biggest culprit here) which I think is the main cause of the Divx AAC codec and stuttering and artifacted sound that can happen whilst watching a program or a recorded program.

If I want to archive any recordings I'll run it through Handbreak 0.95 and create an mkv file that has an AAC stream which isn't AAC LATM.

The positive thing in all this is that I have finally moved my HTPC/TVServer over to Win 7 x64 which I have been delaying for over a year now because the Vista one worked ok.

 

[allanp81]

I just got my card today so will install when I get home and see what results I get.

 

[allanp81]

I'm having no joy with this card. I see 6 devices in MP TV server, 2 DVB-C, 2 DVB-t and 2 DVT-T (faked).

Is this right? I'm unable to tune on any of these. My aerial lead definitely works as I have the BGT3595 installed as well and that works fine.

 

[Bucky O'Hare]

Have you tried and an all regions scan? as MP doesn't have the DVB-T2 muxes in the tuning parameters file for different area transmitters an all regions scan, scans all channels used for DVB-T/T2 this is assuming you are in the UK of course, I have submitted to MP and had accepted a modified file for my UK Region.

I disabled the 2 DVB-C and the 2 Fake DVB-T and the analogue one and also disabled the epg capture for the both of the cards that were left as thats been reported to cause issue's (i use xmltv plugin in TV server for epg grabbing). I couldn't get the card to work with another card in my HTPC and I had to remove my Hauppauge Nova DVB-S2 sat card then everything stabilised.

Also you'll need the Divx codec for the audio to work this is the only one that works with the AAC LATM/LOAS audio streams, it gets confused on bitrate and when the stream is dynamically switched between 2 and 6 channels which also changes the bitrate of the audio stream.

You could use ScanChannelsBDA-UK to check that the card is working. I have attached a zip of it for you

 

[allanp81]

I rebooted my server and suddenly it then decided it wanted to tune so as far as I can tell, it's all working well using the DIVX AAC decoder. I installed the CoreAAC decoder (a fairly old version, 1.2 I think from back when it was free) and it doesn't appear in the list of available codecs for TV (although strangely it's there under the video codecs tab).

 

[allanp81]

I've just looked at the coreaac page:

CoreAAC (for Windows) | CoreCodec

It's extremely cheap so I might just give it a ago. It specifically says it can deal with HE-AAC and the LC AAC stuff, so in theory it should work perfectly.