.ts file playback

[JJarmoc]

Okay, so I've heard and read that Sage supports .ts file playback. After getting a hold of a few ts files after searching long and hard, I can't get it to work. I read a post on this issue earlier, but since I can't search for '.ts' or 'ts' as a criteria, I haven't been able to find it.

I've tried putting the files in my import directory, to no avail. I found the line in sage.properties which specifies the seeker import extensions, and added .ts. I've also added .ts to the backup properties file. When I launch sage, .ts is removed from these files.

So, how do I play back .TS files? I'm anxious to try this out and give what feedback I can on sage's playback of HD material, but so far am not having much luck.

[JJarmoc]

Well, okay.. I realized I needed to close sage before editing the file, silly me. They import now.

However.. when playing them I get a display of a weathermap for the detroit area. If I play them back in the dvico fusionhdtv software (downloadable from their website) the expected content displays.

I suspect this is an issue with sage playing the undesired subchannel. Is there a way to tell it which subchannel to play, or even to examine what subchannels are available in a file, or is this something that hasn't been done with the .ts support in sage thus far?

[Narflex]

The TS demux for Sage selects the audio/video streams based on the rules that are passed in the Program Tables in the stream. (can't remember which exact ones right now) Can you give me some more details on the identifying information between the two streams?

I'd like to fix this, but I don't have any content that exhibits this problem so I haven't been able to see whats going on.

[JJarmoc]

Well, I'm not quite sure how to get any further information on the subchannels contained in these files. As I've stated before, they're available online and are fairly small (52M and 36M).

I'm not 100% sure about the legality of these being online, but they're very short clips, and I'd say developing software to playback HD falls under fair use. Rather than post the link here, I'll send you a PM.

If I can do anything else to help, just ask. Bear in mind I'm new to HD, so it may take me a little while to figure it out. Hopefully having the files yourself will make it easier on you.

[RBTConsultants]

Does SageTV officially support Transport Stream (.TS) file playback? Because if it foes officially support it, then I would like to report that the DMUX has bugs in properly playing back some types of transports streams. Some with multiple sub channels, and some have problems even without multiple sub channels.

So, if Sage's position is official support of playback of thes types of files, what can we do to help to resolve these problems? Can we submit samples of transport streams that Sage has trouble with?

Thanks,

BOb

[Narflex]

Yes, those samples would be very useful. You can send them to support@freytechnologies.com (or send links if they're posted somewhere).

Thanks.

[lovingHDTV]

I tried to play the demo files from DVICO on SageTV and they do not play correctly. There is no audio and the video seems to be half speed. I downloaded them from the DVICO web site.

thanks,

[JJarmoc]

Strange that you get no audio on the DVICO files. They give me audio, but it's horribly garbled.

[mikbro]

I recently tried playing .ts files in SageTV and was met with interesting results. I get video where the picture is off horizontally, as if the picture were moved to the right 1/3 and is wrapping to the left side of the screen. The video also breaks up regularly and the audio cuts in and out. What I can hear appears in snyc.

The .ts file was recording using TSReader and when I use a tool such as HDTVtoMPEG2 it converts to standard MPEG's just fine. This occurs whether or not the TS stream is made up of one program or several.

Any thoughts? I know ts playback is not supported, just hoped someone would have some clues. I am using the NVidia 4.0 codec.

[stanger89]

Jeff, FWIW here's the link to the DVico samples (they're Korean though):
http://www.dvico.com/hdtv/download.asp

I've got a few more if you want to see them, but since I didn't capture any of them, and some of them aren't broadcast I hadn't wanted to bother you with them.

Let me know if you want to see them.

[DFA]

Mikbro:

This last Friday I did some testing playing SD and HD TS files with Sage. These particular TS streams were captured from an STB over Firewire. I viewed some chosen SD stations and HD stations live via firewire to confirm that they looked OK. I then captured some 1 minute clips of SD and HD streams from 2 HBO-SD channels and from their 2 companion HBO-HD channels (SD=700 & 701; HD=790 & 791). I then analyzed the clips with TSReader to be sure they were clean and that they were free of continuity errors which they were. I then played these streams back through GraphEdit with a graph consisting of nVidia filters and codecs and the MS DEMUX. All SD and HD clips played w/o issue. I then copied the clips to the Sage Video Library to play them from there. This is where it got interesting. The HD clips played just fine. However, the SD clips played badly. Video and audio dropouts for both SD clips. The dropouts repeated exactly with subsequent replays. Additional SD clips from other channels proved same problem when trying to play with Sage. Some would not even play at all giving an error dialog box and even Sage locking up. Clips would play in GraphEdit OK.

I suspect this is an issue with the Sage DEMUX. I tried to use the Sage DEMUX in GraphEdit in place of the MS DEMUX to confrim the behavior outside and independent of Sage but could not get it to connect.

So, HD MPEG2TS plays fine, SD MPEG2TS do not. This is something I would like Frey (Jeff) to take a look at. Jeff has previously acknowledged an issue
with the DEMUX if sub-channels exist but the failure to play SD TS properly is something else altogther.

PS: If using nVidia VPP, it should be taken out of the loop when playing HD files. The additional horsepower requirement for VPP for more than 4 times the bit rate of HD over SD is too much for most systems.

DFA

[mikbro]

Thanks for the info DFA - I have written a network encoder for SageTV that controls TSReader - so I am now experimenting with the best output from TSReader. The Program streams work great of course, however TSReader has problems outputing program streams on most of my local channels (and those received via my cable co - so that leaves me with the TS, which can be converted using HDTVtoMPEG2, but that is a separate non-automated process.

So my hope is that:
1. TSReader fixes it's generation of program streams - the author is aware of the problem, just have not eta if ever it will be addressed.
2. Output a .ts from TSreader and have SageTV be able to play it natively (this is where I am having problems).
3. Find a command line version of HDTVtoMPEG2 that I can use to automate the conversion. The authors of HDTVtoMPEG2 to have an older verison "bcdmux" that they make available but it does not work very often/at all for me.

If you have any insight on the above let me know - if you are interested int he SageToTSReader encoder let me know.

Mike

[DFA]

mikbro:

NOTE: See second edit below for correction!

Well, maybe the following will help but maybe you can help me as well with a network encoder.

I have a working filter graph that converts TS --> PS real time. BUT it will not handle HD bit rates. The bottle neck is at the MUX. I have tried a number of MUX's but have had one problem or another. Sage has a MUX filter in the "Common" folder but it has a huge audio/video sync problem and also will not handle HD bit rates. Currently I am using a CyberLink MUX. No sync problems but also can not handle HD bit rates. I am still looking for a MUX that can handle HD bit rates so that SD and HD streams can be handled commnonly or get Jeff to get Sage DEMUX updated / fixed so that it handles SD TS as well as it does HD TS.

Attached below is a JPEG of the working graph for TStoPS in real time.

Perhaps you can take a look at this thread here. This will explain better where I am coming from and why I am on this track which sounds a lot like what you are attempting to do.

EDIT: Couldn't GraphEdit be treated like a network encoder? It has the prerequisit "play", "pause" and "stop" controls.

EDIT EDIT: Oh man, oh man. I keep shooting myself in the foot. I warn others to take VPP out of the loop but it seems I keep forgetting to do so myself! I got to thinking this morning that maybe when I ran the HD test on the TStoPS graph that maybe I forgot to take the VPP out. I guess I might have because I used the graph to make another 1 mlnute real time HD TS --> PS clip and it played just fine in Sage! Very good. I would indeed like to figure out how to make Graphedit look like a network encoder to Sage. Help?

Regards,
Dane

[foolio]

Hi Mike:

there's a new 8psk2usb adapter that's controlled via TSreader - can you post your TSreader=>SageTV network encoder. Thanks

Originally Posted by mikbro

Thanks for the info DFA - I have written a network encoder for SageTV that controls TSReader - so I am now experimenting with the best output from TSReader. The Program streams work great of course, however TSReader has problems outputing program streams on most of my local channels (and those received via my cable co - so that leaves me with the TS, which can be converted using HDTVtoMPEG2, but that is a separate non-automated process.

So my hope is that:
1. TSReader fixes it's generation of program streams - the author is aware of the problem, just have not eta if ever it will be addressed.
2. Output a .ts from TSreader and have SageTV be able to play it natively (this is where I am having problems).
3. Find a command line version of HDTVtoMPEG2 that I can use to automate the conversion. The authors of HDTVtoMPEG2 to have an older verison "bcdmux" that they make available but it does not work very often/at all for me.

If you have any insight on the above let me know - if you are interested int he SageToTSReader encoder let me know.

Mike

[lirender]

Mike,

In case you are no longer working on the TSReader to Sage network encoder, would you consider publishing the source code?

Thanks

[r7_bubba]

I've tried the HD .ts playback, and it's a wonder to behold. With the nVidia PureVideo codec and the Sage UI, I am almost at HDTV bliss. I say almost because of how SageTV 4.1.8 beta (I also tried the 4.1.3 nonbeta release) handles a .TS stream split into multiple files. I downloaded a HD sample of the Olympics that was borken into 5 .TS files. When playing through ThearterTek 2.0, the files play continuously and seamlessly from beginning of the sample to the end. When playing via SageTV, it only plays the one file without linking to the next. Is there anything I can set to resolve this?

BTW, I like the subtle change you guys have done with the 4.1.8 interface.

Cheers,

- Ben