Codec Setup to get all Online Videos to play (3 Viewers)

[globaldonkey]

Just by way of an update for those using SAF as their codec base (ie Haali Splitter, FLV splitter, MPC-HC decoder (h.264) and Power DVD (mpeg 2 and DVD) )

I re-installed my system with no codec packs and just SAF so I could get DXVA working. Not sure that I really should have bothered until the subtitles issues with DXVA was fixed, as just about all my hi def h.264 video has subs, and all hi def TV in AUS is MPEG 2 , but hey, I was bored......

Out of the box, with SAF installed, everything worked for online videos, except the MP4 streaming sites (Ted Talks, NASA etc). Per this earlier post in this thread:

https://forum.team-mediaportal.com/...-get-all-online-videos-play-58837/#post412627

I installed QT Lite and Medialooks QT filter, and now all the MP4 sites work. Medialooks takes over any MP4 splitting from Haali.

Only downside is that now I get no DXVA on any MP4's. Medialooks takes over both the splitting and decoding.

I didn't try the MPC splitter on this new install. I did try it previously, but couldn't get the MP4 sites to work. If I could get this to work, then I guess I could get DXVA. Hmmm maybe another weekend when I'm bored.....

BTW, why can't Haali handle MP4 streams??? Things sure would be a lot simpler if Haali did all the splitting.

 

[MichelC]

... BTW, why can't Haali handle MP4 streams??? Things sure would be a lot simpler if Haali did all the splitting.

Hi Globaldonkey!

Well... Haali can split MP4 because that is what I've been using since I got my first HTPC. I guess it's the mix of all those codecs and different configurations that cause problems. I've never had any with Haali (knock on wood). Here's a graph from GraphStudio while OnlineVideos is playing a clip from TED Talks.

​

 

[globaldonkey]

So I tried setting everything to ffdshow in configuration, and set the ffdshow video decoder to the highest merit. All I get (in the logs) when I try to play a TedTalks clip is:

1/06/2009 4:42:24 PM.296 [ MediaPortal] [Info.][MPMain]: Set the stopDownload to true 2
1/06/2009 4:42:24 PM.343 [ MediaPortal] [Info.][MPMain]: VideoPlayerlay http://video.ted.com/talks/podcast/JonathanDrori_2009U_480.mp4
1/06/2009 4:42:24 PM.390 [ MediaPortal] [Info.][MPMain]: VideoPlayerVMR9: Enabling DX9 exclusive mode
1/06/2009 4:42:24 PM.453 [ MediaPortal] [Info.][MPMain]: VMR9: added Video Mixing Renderer 9 to graph
1/06/2009 4:42:24 PM.453 [ MediaPortal] [Info.][MPMain]: added filter:ffdshow Video Decoder to graph
1/06/2009 4:42:24 PM.468 [ MediaPortal] [Info.][MPMain]: added filter:ffdshow Audio Decoder to graph
1/06/2009 4:42:24 PM.468 [ MediaPortal] [Info.][MPMain]: added filter:ffdshow Audio Decoder to graph
1/06/2009 4:42:24 PM.468 [ MediaPortal] [Info.][MPMain]: DirectShowUtils: First try to insert new audio renderer Default DirectSound Device
1/06/2009 4:42:24 PM.468 [ MediaPortal] [Info.][MPMain]: DirectShowUtils: Found audio renderer
1/06/2009 4:42:24 PM.515 [ MediaPortal] [Warn.][MPMain]: VMR9: Pin: 0 not connected: 80040209
1/06/2009 4:42:24 PM.515 [ MediaPortal] [Warn.][MPMain]: VMR9: Pin: 1 not connected: 80040209
1/06/2009 4:42:24 PM.515 [ MediaPortal] [Warn.][MPMain]: VMR9: Pin: 2 not connected: 80040209
1/06/2009 4:42:24 PM.515 [ MediaPortal] [Info.][MPMain]: VideoPlayer9:cleanup DShow graph
1/06/2009 4:42:24 PM.515 [ MediaPortal] [Info.][MPMain]: VMR9: ReleaseComObject(): 0
1/06/2009 4:42:24 PM.531 [ MediaPortal] [Info.][MPMain]: VideoPlayerVMR9: Disabling DX9 exclusive mode
1/06/2009 4:42:24 PM.453 [ VMR9] [44c]Vmr9Init
1/06/2009 4:42:24 PM.453 [ VMR9] [44c]----------v0.37---------------------------
1/06/2009 4:42:24 PM.453 [ VMR9] [44c]vmr9:AdviseNotify()
1/06/2009 4:42:24 PM.515 [ VMR9] [44c]Vmr9Deinit
1/06/2009 4:42:24 PM.515 [ VMR9] [44c]CVMR9AllocatorPresenter::Release()
1/06/2009 4:42:24 PM.515 [ VMR9] [44c]CVMR9AllocatorPresenter::Release()
1/06/2009 4:42:24 PM.515 [ VMR9] [44c]CVMR9AllocatorPresenter::Release()
1/06/2009 4:42:24 PM.515 [ VMR9] [44c]CVMR9AllocatorPresenter::Release()
1/06/2009 4:42:24 PM.515 [ VMR9] [44c]CVMR9AllocatorPresenter::Release()
1/06/2009 4:42:24 PM.515 [ VMR9] [44c]CVMR9AllocatorPresenter::Release()
1/06/2009 4:42:24 PM.515 [ VMR9] [44c]CVMR9AllocatorPresenter::Cleanup()
1/06/2009 4:42:24 PM.515 [ VMR9] [44c]CVMR9AllocatorPresenter dtor
1/06/2009 4:42:24 PM.515 [ VMR9] [44c]Vmr9Deinit:m_vmr9Presenter release:0


If I download the file and play it, it works and I get the same graph as you did. Attached below.

Furthermore, I could turn off all the applicable filters in MPC (ie MP4 Source, h.264 and aac) and it would follow DS merits and split it with Halli and decode it with ffdshow. In fact, I found I could configure MPC in about 6 different ways (ie use / don't internal splitter, use / don't use internal h.264, use / don't use internall AAC), and in all cases, MPC could play the stream.

So you're spot on with the fact that Haali can handle MP4 streams..... I just don't get what's going wrong on my system.

 

[globaldonkey]

Ummm hang on Michel..... your graph shows Video Renderer, not VMR9, as the renderer. How is this possible?

UPDATE.... OK this has officially driven me nuts, but here's what I found.

I could not get Haali to split the MP4 streams under any circumstances. I tried different combinations of h.264 codec (CoreAVC / MPC Decoder, ffdshow) and VMR / EVR for the video renderer. Mediaportal simply won't connect the pins in the graph when Haali is splitting an MP4 stream on my system. It will play dowloaded MP4 files fine. This is definitely a MP problem, because I can stream the URL's in MPC, using Haali and any combination of decoders / renderers.

I uninstalled Haali and registered MPC splitter. As expected, MP4 streams started working, BUT the MPC splitter broke all my MKV's with embedded subtitles.

So I re-installed Haali, but unchecked the option to split MP4's. Now all the MKV's were good again, and confirmed MOV's / MP4's were being split by MPC Splitter and MKV's were being split by Haali. Happy days.

What I also noticed though was that even though I had CoreAVC or ffdshow selected as my h.264 codec, and the MP4's and MKV's with h.264 inside were using this decoder, the MOV's insisted on using the MPC decoder. If I unregistered MPC decoder, Apple Trailers stopped working.

So in summary, I can get MP4 / MOV streams working on my system in one of two ways:

1. Install the MPC Splitter as per the original post (but note I had to have MPC Decoder installed for MOV's, and if I want to keep using Haali for MKV's, it needed to be installed with the MP4 option unchecked).

2. Install Medialooks QT Plugin, which was a solution posted on about the 3rd or 4th post in this thread, but I had performance problems with this filter playing 1080p MP4's, so I uninstalled this and gave up on this option.

There is something weird about the MPC splitter's behaviour with MOV's though. MP just can't play MOV's without the MPC decoder when this splitter is used. When Haali splits MOV's, it can use any decoder as defined in MP player configuration.

Now, one final problem. Why don't I get any thumbs with the MP4 sites?

 

[hoborg]

... BTW, why can't Haali handle MP4 streams??? Things sure would be a lot simpler if Haali did all the splitting.

Hi Globaldonkey!

Well... Haali can split MP4 because that is what I've been using since I got my first HTPC. I guess it's the mix of all those codecs and different configurations that cause problems. I've never had any with Haali (knock on wood). Here's a graph from GraphStudio while OnlineVideos is playing a clip from TED Talks.

View attachment 41287​

Can i ask from where you got Haali 1.9.63.13?
BTW - you play your file from temp = no stream.
Stream = direct stream from http xyz.
There are no problem at all to play MP4 from disk.

And i doubt your graph is from MP (becouse Video Renderer are in use instead of VMR9/EVR) ...

 

[MichelC]

Ummm hang on Michel..... your graph shows Video Renderer, not VMR9, as the renderer. How is this possible?

And i doubt your graph is from MP (becouse Video Renderer are in use instead of VMR9/EVR) ...

You're both right, sorry. I took 2 screen captures to see the differences between streaming with MP and playing the file locally. I ended up posting the wrong one. Here is the graph from MP.


@hoborg : Haali 1.9.63.13 was installed a while ago with Shark's Vista Codecs Pack (unless I updated it somewhere along the way). I know many people don't like codecs pack, but for me, it did the trick.

@Globaldonkey : I don't get it either. I have 2 setup for MediaPortal. One is on XP the other on Vista. On my Vista machine, everything plays fine. But on my XP setup, I get the same logs you posted earlier but for .WMV streams. I can play the WMV files just fine from my disk but not from MP.

This is very annoying...

 

[globaldonkey]

Yes, I have that problem with the WMV streams (Gametrailers, and MSDN on Vodcasts) too. It's probably something to do with the WMP components on Vista vs XP. I was focusing on the MP4 problem, hence didn't mention the WMV's for now (and yes I have WMP 11). Playing anything from disk (MP4, MOV or WMV) is never a problem, I can always get that to work. It's just streams, and pretty sure its how MP is handling them, because I can configure MPC to use the same splitters / decoders as MP uses, and can connect to all the streams. I think we need some MP developer help on this.

hoborg, I notice you recommend installing MediaLooks QT filter for QT support. When I tried this, it took over splitting and decoding both MP4's and MOV's (and could connect to MP4 and MOV streams ok). Is there any way to configure this plugin to only split and decode MOV's? I had a 1080p level 5.1 MP4 file I was testing with, and when Medialooks decoded it, I got audio running at normal speed and video running at half speed. So I backed that out and went the MPC splitter path.

Also, is there any way to reconfigure what Haali splits without uninstalling / reinstalling? These settings don't appear to be exposed in the configuration interface.

 

[hoborg]

Ummm hang on Michel..... your graph shows Video Renderer, not VMR9, as the renderer. How is this possible?

And i doubt your graph is from MP (becouse Video Renderer are in use instead of VMR9/EVR) ...

You're both right, sorry. I took 2 screen captures to see the differences between streaming with MP and playing the file locally. I ended up posting the wrong one. Here is the graph from MP.
View attachment 41304

@hoborg : Haali 1.9.63.13 was installed a while ago with Shark's Vista Codecs Pack (unless I updated it somewhere along the way). I know many people don't like codecs pack, but for me, it did the trick.

@Globaldonkey : I don't get it either. I have 2 setup for MediaPortal. One is on XP the other on Vista. On my Vista machine, everything plays fine. But on my XP setup, I get the same logs you posted earlier but for .WMV streams. I can play the WMV files just fine from my disk but not from MP.

This is very annoying...

That is very interesting. Can you share your setting with us?
Lets begin with MP LOGs.

Please, try to play Nasa->NasaCast->Nasa TV (any video from here)
Quit MP and share your MediaPortal.log.

Second - Can you share you Haali settings?
Run regedit, list "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Haali\Matroska Splitter",export settings and post here please.

 

[MichelC]

That is very interesting. Can you share your setting with us?
Lets begin with MP LOGs.

Please, try to play Nasa->NasaCast->Nasa TV (any video from here)
Quit MP and share your MediaPortal.log.

Second - Can you share you Haali settings?
Run regedit, list "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Haali\Matroska Splitter",export settings and post here please.

Sure! Here are the 2 files. I included 2 additional sections of the registry about Haali that looked interesting (or not )

 

[hoborg]

Finaly! I get MP4 streams working using my SAF package
Need more testing, but it seems to be working:

2009-06-01 23:36:55.609375 [Info.][MPMain]: VideoPlayer:play http://www.nasa.gov/mp4/353193main_TWAN_05_29_09.mp4
2009-06-01 23:36:55.640625 [Info.][MPMain]: VideoPlayerVMR9: Enabling DX9 exclusive mode
2009-06-01 23:36:55.703125 [Info.][MPMain]: VMR9: added Video Mixing Renderer 9 to graph
2009-06-01 23:36:55.750000 [Info.][MPMain]: added filter:MPC - Video decoder to graph
2009-06-01 23:36:55.750000 [Info.][MPMain]: added filter:MPC - MPA Decoder Filter to graph
2009-06-01 23:36:55.750000 [Info.][MPMain]: added filter:MPC - MPA Decoder Filter to graph
2009-06-01 23:36:55.765625 [Info.][MPMain]: DirectShowUtils: First try to insert new audio renderer Default DirectSound Device 
2009-06-01 23:36:55.765625 [Info.][MPMain]: DirectShowUtils: Found audio renderer
2009-06-01 23:36:58.093750 [Info.][MPMain]: VMR9: No H/W de-interlaced modes supported, using fallback preference
2009-06-01 23:36:58.109375 [Info.][MPMain]: VideoPlayer:Duration:358,4

EDIT:
All OnlineVideos based on MP4, MOV (trailers) and FLV working