Please delete my account (2 Viewers)

[Lyxalig]

There is a hell of a lot to explain what I find wrong with Media Portal so therefore I will be posting a lot in the same forum.

No problem.. bring it on.

I also wanted Media Portal to record as a Windows service in the background, even when not loggged in because others use my computer.

This is not possible at the moment. Currently, the devs are focusing on making MP best for a dedicated HTPC. This might be implemented down the road, but for now it's a no-go.

When you play DVD and video clips, the big progress bar appears to be a seek bar but doesn't work.

I can agree on this one, and it should be working that way. On the other hand most using MP has a dedicated MP box (I believe) and using a remote. Using the progress bar as a searchbar seems like a good idea, and probably will be implemented ?

The aspect ratio always 1.78:1 on digital television in normal mode, even for non widescreen 1.33:1 broadcasts and therefore distorted. Therefore I always have to switch aspect ratios manually.

You can configure standard A/R in the TV section of config.exe

Camcorder DV files are not deinterlaced when in VMR mode and therefore left as a weave.

No Clue on this one.


Keep it coming

 

[Lyxalig]

Alternatively, I tried using GraphEdit to make a very simple application as shown at http://www.maisenbachers.de/dokuw/install:capturecards:start?s=graphedit where I attach audio and video renderers to the end. When I click play, I just get a black window because there's no way you can tune the card. None of the filters have pin properties, etc.

I was about to develop my own Digital TV application but I just don't have the time and don't have enough programming experience. I am also fed up of downloading massive Microsoft SDK's.

Have you contacted Dman on this one. Get on IRC, and he might be able to help you out.

 

[jackelectronics]

No that was his first post - we'll leave the account open - he'll be back :wink:

DMAN

This was actually my third post. I posted earlier complaining that PVR Scheduler was not working and mPod just simply locked the topic explaining I should contact PVR Scheduler. As for seeing my topic locked, it gave me bad luck so I asked Admin to delete it and then gone!

Many people believe that PVR Scheduler violates the GPL because no source code is available.

I have a split decision whether to keep the card and wait for Media Portal to become bigger and better a year later or just have my cash back. If I return a product, I don't really like buying them again.

As Media Portal is Direct3D based, it generally creates instabilities, especially switching from windowed mode to full screen and vice versa or cancelling a screen saver, bringing computer out of standby, etc.

I have a Matrox P650 and I will always use Matrox because they are the best quality such as ultra sharp display even at 1600x1200. NVIDIA and ATI only cares about superfast 3D graphics and nothing else.

If you wanna know my specs, I fill out a template here. You may wish to move this forum to the support section if that suits.

Area: Media Portal Program
MP Version: 0.1.20
Skin: MCE
Windows Version: Windows XP Professional SP2
CPU Type: Intel P4 2400MHz 533MHz FSB (Normal clock)
Memory: 1024MB DDR333
Motherboard Chipset: ABIT BE-7 (No RAID)
Video Card: Matrox P650
Video Card Driver: 1.09.01.014 HF
Video Render Type: VMR9
Video Codec Type & Version: MPEG2DEC
Audio Codec Type & Version: MPEG2 Audio Dec
TV Card: LifeView DVB-T Duo
TV Card Type: DVB and Analogue
TV Card Driver: BDA Driver 2.7
Optional Log: N/A
Optional References: N/A

 

[jackelectronics]

Another reason why I'm tempted to return my TV Card is because I have many other personal priorities. I should be getting on with those rather than wasting time messing about. I've spent the whole weekend playing with my TV Card rather than my other priorities. I am extremely easilly distracted that turn me away from those priorities.

 

[jackelectronics]

Recording in the latest pre-release 0.1.30 is broken. It just didn't record and just kept freezing things up.

 

[Lyxalig]

Hmm -.You're a bitter, bitter man

Well its your choosing if you want to play around with mediaportal. If you want to get help, there are lots of people ready to help you, but not if you don't work on it yourself.

Come back when you want to, and enjoy the fantstic app MediaPortal when it suits your needs.

Good luck with your priorities..... :?:

 

[jackelectronics]

My card maybe on it's way to the post office tommorow because I have not had an returns authorisation from the supplier yet. Media Portal is the only software I can use with my card and nothing else. The bundled one crashes and the rest are payware.

GB-PVR is absolutely horrible and awkrard to set up. You have to download an EPG which contains channels that don't exist and missing channels already broadcasting. You have no other choice and when you do a scan, it thinks there are no channels available.

When I use MP, I have a dedicated login as well as my general login. My dedicated login has to be as simple as possible, which has the following:
- Sets the display to 1024x768 @ 1 billion colors, 100Hz (2xPAL framerate)
- Starts Media Portal automatically
- Annoying Windows sounds disabled
- Annoying screensaver disabled
- Automatic lock computer disabled
- Task bar not on top of windows
- Start menu only containing MP
- All desktop icons hidden
- Least startup programs
- Quick Launch hidden
- etc.

In the UK, the Digital Terresteral service is called FreeView for the free service and Top-Up TV for the budget pay service.

It also has the following features that most TV cards don't utilise.
- Logical Channel Numbering gives a particular channel a dedicated and fixed number, for example E4 is always channel 14 on FreeView.
- Active Format Descriptor contains information about the aspect ratio and the areas in the picture which contain the important information.
- MHEG based teletext which is much nicer than the traditional 800 page DOS-like teletext as used by many other broadcast platforms.

Most importantly, MP delevopers must get the software rock stable before adding extra features such as the three that I've mentioned above.

 

[jackelectronics]

I bought this card primarily for recording broadcasts in the original MPEG 2 format because I already have a standalone set-top box on my TV right next to my PC but is attached to a crappy outdated VHS recorder. Although my camcorder is DV, it of course has no timer record on it.

If I do record, there is a lot of work to do to back it up onto DV tape or stick it on a DVD. I then have to convert DVR-MS to MPEG-2 and then run PVAStrumento to correct errors in the stream, which doesn't always work.

If I do archive onto DVD, I then have to run IfoEdit and create even more big files and finally after all this work, I can burn the recordings. If I do archive onto DV camcorder tape, I then have to run AviSynth and then VirtualDub before finally transferring it back onto tape.

A DVD recorder is just one touch of a button and none of this hard work.

Sounds a little silly to quote from my own messages but it's some sort of follow up. If I don't get any replies by tommorow, the card is definitely going into the post.

What I would love to see in Media Portal are the following MPEG and DVD functions:
- Record directly or demux to MP2, MPA, M2V, MPG avoiding DVR-MS
- Record recorded programs to DVD
- Remove unwanted portions
- Change aspect ratio

I don't want to go through many steps as described in my quote just to archive content. I was especially put off when I got my TV Card and recorded to DVR-MS which meant an extra conversion step. Although 0.1.30 has DVR-MS to MPG, recording TV doesn't work on that version.

Video CD playback and DV camcorder functions would be helpful as well. Another bug I remembered is that with enhanced CD's with both audio and data sessions, the audio part of the CD won't play in Media Portal.

Yet another feature that could be added would be automatic adjustment of the screen resolution for PAL, NTSC, DVD, etc. Many PAL DVD movies are sped up from 24fps to 25fps and I reckon that there should be a plugin so you can slow it back down to 24fps, without using reclock.

 

[vbap]

Hi JackElectronics,

This has to be one of the most interesting threads I've ever read! You've expressed the gamut of emotions & interests, from resorting to a "One-Touch DVD Recorder" through to building your own PC-Based PVR app!!

There is no doubt that ANY PC-based PVR/HTPC/Media Box is for the domain of the "hobbyist" at the very least through to "hardcore enthusiast". Despite what others claim about some apps (eg MCE) to be "so simple, my grandmother can use it", the fact is NONE of them are as simple or as straight forward as the good ole' analogue TV set.

You appear to be quite knowledgeable about matters Audio/Visual, so PC-based solutions are probably up your alley, but at the same time, you have the stated your desire to move on with other priorities. And yet, you continue to persist with a few more tests, trials and tweaks of MP

You're right, the other PVR/HTPC solutions are not free, but along with MP's opensource come other costs. It requires time and effort on your part to use the software, report bugs / issues (with reasonable amount of detail), spend time testing and configuring, etc. You get back what you put in. Note, you would have to do the same anyway with MCE, Meedio, etc and they ask for money upfront.

In order to get such a complete solution up and running so quickly, the MP devs made a decision to leverage from Microsofts technologies. This means a DirectX9 app that records in DVR-MS and uses the Stream Buffer Engine. They are focusing on getting the basics right before getting too far into writing their own engines.

Anyway, a few answers to your questions:

- Record directly or demux to MP2, MPA, M2V, MPG avoiding DVR-MS

Not yet , but hey, this is open source, you sound like you have the skill (but maybe not the time!) to help develop this...

- Record recorded programs to DVD
- Remove unwanted portions

As you realise, there is burner plugin already for MP (I haven't used it yet), but you claim that TV "won't record". Maybe some details about his? How are you recording? What do your MP logs say?

-Change Aspect Ratio

Not sure exactly what you mean by this, but if I set up the TV/Video configuration to use the default aspect ratio setting of "Normal", when watching recorded or live digital TV, the aspect ratio changes according to whatever ratio the program / commercial is broadcast in. If I want to, I can press a button on my remote to cycle through alternative aspects.

I don't want to go through many steps as described in my quote just to archive content.

If you're not happy with the conversion/burner plugins with MP, check out similar utilities for MCE (forums at The Green Button). Also, what's wrong with archiving in DVR-MS? If you're using Windows to record the shows, why wouldn't you use Windows to play them back?

Video CD playback and DV camcorder functions would be helpful as well.

What functions? Maybe somethings you are after are already possible...

there should be a plugin so you can slow it back down to 24fps, without using reclock.

IMHO, if you are concerned about PAL being played at the wrong fps, then you've got time to be tinkering with MediaPortal! It amazes me sometimes how people ask for the program to be "so simple, it should just work" and yet want features to automatically sample down framerates, choose specific deinterlacing methods, have options to record the raw transport streams, etc. On yeah, I can see my Gandma now, calling me becuase her PVR seems to be downmixing her AC3 audio into Stereo, and why is she seeing de-interlacing artefacts on Dr. Phil's suit even though she has hardware acceleration turned on....
Either we build a program for the enthusiasts, who know how to tweak codecs and configure plugins, or we sell TIVOs. Now, that's a simplistic (and probably flippant) statement - there is a lot of middle ground between those, but the MP Devs (and the MCE devs and the Meedio devs...) have to decide who they are building for and build/fix features that help their target audience.

I also have my own "inner turmoils" about which end of the spectrum I gravitate towards. I'm a software developer by day, so maybe there is a natural tendancy to be a bit of an enthusiast with PC-based solutions. Maybe buying a consumer DVD / hard-disk recorder will solve a lot of problems and give me my evenings and weekends back, but there's this annoying tweaking and testing itch that I can't hep but scratch.... :wink:

 

[TVKiwi]

Jackelectronics

I understood PAL to be 25 frames per second (i think i remember reading it is 24.93 to be exact) unless the different versions of PAL (ie B,M,N) play at different speeds but I did not think so.

But even so - is it worth worrying about that extra 0.04 seconds difference between frame rates. I cant say I would notice. Dont sweat the small stuff dude, life is too short!