Transcoding HD

[ldavis]

This is a continuation of an earlier thread. Basically most people, at least those responding are having trouble trancoding HD. Most of the time it fails and when it doesn't fail then the audio is seriously out of sync. Well, up through RC2, I am still having the same problems. What are other's current experiences, good and bad. Has anyone submitted a bug report? I will if no one has yet.

[AndyS]

I haven't submitted a bug report yet but I'm having problems transcoding HD.

I'm running Sage on a headless Win2K3 server with a Hyperthreaded 3.2GHz CPU with 2GB Memory on an Intel D945 mobo. For HD I have a local 250GB drive in the machine (queue length approx zero for read/write) and the mobo has a gig-E connection to a Gig-E switch.

The client is an MVP. SD quality is excellent. HD stutters very badly. Watching the same show with SageClient on my HTPC I don't get stutters, so it's the transcoding causing the problem.

I find that there are three problems with SageTVTranscoder.exe:
- it uses massive amounts of CPU
- it does not terminate when the MVP is no longer watching the show
- FF/REW causes the show to lock up

Andy.

[ldavis]

Thanks AndyS,

I was just able to get Num3ers to convert which is a first. The audio is nearly in sync but the playback is very choppy. I still get failures most of the time. I will submit a bug report.

[GbrNole]

3.2 ghz ht cpu isn't really all that powerful when it comes to transcoding hd in real time.

i'd imagine that dual core is really necessary for this task or an hd capable extender.... hint hint

[ldavis]

Update: Using VideoRedo and doing a quick stream fix prior to transcoding, I have been able to get my first trancoded HD show to play correctly. I will just have to see if this is an anomoly. However, Sage should be able to do this without a third party program.

[AndyS]

Originally Posted by GbrNole

3.2 ghz ht cpu isn't really all that powerful when it comes to transcoding hd in real time.

i'd imagine that dual core is really necessary for this task or an hd capable extender.... hint hint

Luckily my mobo supports Presler CPUs.

Any thoughts about whether the 3.4GHz Pentium D (950) would be enough power, or do I need to pony up the cash for the 3.6GHz Pentium D (960) ?

Andy.

[jlabrue]

On video conversion, I have been getting failures on long HD recording conversions (2 hrs) Conversion of an hour or less work fine it is just any HD stuff 2 hours or possibly longer. I know it is not often you have recordings that long that you would like to convert but it happens from time to time. I have already submitted a bug report, just wanted to know if anyone else is experiencing pains with this. 95% of my conversion jobs are flawless it is just the long ones. They get to about 90% or more complete before they die.

I have considered using VideoReDo to cut commercials and see if that helps the conversion but I shouldn't have to do that I wouldn't think. (Love the way the conversion screen looks by the way) I used to never have conversion issues on HD source material.

[rickgillyon]

I always run a Qick Stream Fix before transcoding. Seems that real-time mpeg recordings often have sync errors and other glitches, so a QSF is always the safest route...

[ldavis]

Originally Posted by rickgillyon

I always run a Qick Stream Fix before transcoding. Seems that real-time mpeg recordings often have sync errors and other glitches, so a QSF is always the safest route...

Do you know if there is a CLI interface that will allow VideoRedo to do a QSF. I would like to see if this could be added in SageMC as an option for transcoding so that it would be more automated.

[rickgillyon]

Originally Posted by ldavis

Do you know if there is a CLI interface that will allow VideoRedo to do a QSF.

Yes, the scripts are included with VideoReDo. You'll find all the scripts you need here.

[jlabrue]

Originally Posted by rickgillyon

I always run a Qick Stream Fix before transcoding. Seems that real-time mpeg recordings often have sync errors and other glitches, so a QSF is always the safest route...

Something Sage could implement?

[rickgillyon]

Originally Posted by jlabrue

Something Sage could implement?

You'd have to ask them...

[ldavis]

rickgillyon,

I am a little dense. There are only about 5 lines in your vrd.bat. Could you explain the function of each. I think that I might be able to get flacbar (SageMC) to implement a properties file input that would allow me to call up the bat file prior to each transcoding. But I would like to know what each step is doing.

[rickgillyon]

--Set the command line for the QuickStreamFix script supplied with VRD
set vrd=cscript //nologo "C:\Program Files\VideoReDoPlus\vp.vbs"
--Filename passed as parameter
set f1=%1
--Get first 4 characters of filename to see if it's a film, which I skip
set film=%f1:~0,4%
:: If the XviD already exists, forget it - if the file is not 
:: copied to temp folder, no further processing is done
--What it says above  :)
if exist "%xvd%%1.avi" goto end
:: Exclude Films; if you use Movie, need to change this;
:: I process films differently (if at all)
--Stop if a film or no filename passed
if %film% == Film goto end
if [%1] == [] goto end
--Do the VRD thing - the only thing that you're concerned with
%vrd% %mpd%%1.mpg %tmd%%1.mpg /t1
:end

So all you really need to know is:
cscript //nologo "C:\Program Files\VideoReDoPlus\vp.vbs" source target /t1

Not sure what the /t1 is (I suspect it specified simple QSF), you can check the script (vp.vbs) for details.

[BobPhoenix]

Originally Posted by rickgillyon

--Set the command line for the QuickStreamFix script supplied with VRD
set vrd=cscript //nologo "C:\Program Files\VideoReDoPlus\vp.vbs"
--Filename passed as parameter
set f1=%1
--Get first 4 characters of filename to see if it's a film, which I skip
set film=%f1:~0,4%
:: If the XviD already exists, forget it - if the file is not 
:: copied to temp folder, no further processing is done
--What it says above  :)
if exist "%xvd%%1.avi" goto end
:: Exclude Films; if you use Movie, need to change this;
:: I process films differently (if at all)
--Stop if a film or no filename passed
if %film% == Film goto end
if [%1] == [] goto end
--Do the VRD thing - the only thing that you're concerned with
%vrd% %mpd%%1.mpg %tmd%%1.mpg /t1
:end

So all you really need to know is:
cscript //nologo "C:\Program Files\VideoReDoPlus\vp.vbs" source target /t1

Not sure what the /t1 is (I suspect it specified simple QSF), you can check the script (vp.vbs) for details.

Actually the /t1 stands for MPG, TS is /t4, VOB is /t3, and mpv is /t2. Also read this thread at VideoReDo. Doing it this way (as mentioned above) is not a 100% QSF but it is close. Of course that is an old thread so maybe that was before the newest releases.

BobP.

[ldavis]

rickgillyon,

Could you help me out on the SageMC 16x9 thread. Flachbar is asking questions that I do not think I can answer. I think that ultimately, we would need a script that would run the QSF and then copy the file back to it's original location. I just do not know how Sage would output the original file name to the script.

[BobPhoenix]

Originally Posted by ldavis

rickgillyon,

Could you help me out on the SageMC 16x9 thread. Flachbar is asking questions that I do not think I can answer. I think that ultimately, we would need a script that would run the QSF and then copy the file back to it's original location. I just do not know how Sage would output the original file name to the script.

I hope to have a Default STV and SageMC version of a new plugin for tweaking comskip files. It will also call VideoReDo to do the cuts and it automatically replaces the uncut file with the VideoReDo edited file - if you request it to do so. To get a QSF you would just specify no cut points. May have it out by the weekend - just need some testing time and to get the SageMC version import done.

[ldavis]

BobPhoenix,

That is even better. I assume it would have VRD use the project file generated by comskip or showanalyzer. Let me know when it is ready!!!!