How do I record a 1080 channel at 720?

[canned_heat]

Not view, but record.

(Why: I move recorded programs from the PC to a flash drive for viewing on the big screen. The BS is only 720. I want to reduce file size (among other reasons) by recording at 720 to begin with.)

Thanks for your help.

Edit: guess I should mention: SiliconDust HD Homerun.

[blade]

You can't. Digital streams are simply written to the disk by digital tuners not actually encoded by them so you can't change the bitrate or resolution of the capture.

[canned_heat]

Well, snap! That's not the answer I wanted!

Thing is that I'm also having problems with the 1080 files being a little too thick for VLC on the laptop (stuttering / breaking). Don't understand why, tho because I can play thicker Metroska (spelling?) files just fine.

Oh, well. Thanks for the reply, tho. 'Preciate it.

[Fuzzy]

The reason it works harder on the 1080i vs 720p files is because it has to deinterlace the video as well. That takes a couple more steps, which, if your system is on the edge of being able to handle it, might be enough to push it over the edge. That said, any system built in the last 5 years should be capable of decoding the MPEG-2 1080i content without any problems. Have you tried using a hardware acceleration capable player instead of VLC? (VLC only decodes in software, putting a LOT more work on the CPU)

[canned_heat]

Thanks for the reply.

Yes, seems to play ok in WMP Classic. But I've always liked the options and capabilities of VLC more. Laptop is about 3 years old, w/ Vista. Don't know the processor off the top of my head.

Used to have the same (VLC) problems with Metroska HD's, but did some research and made some fine tune settings in VLC that helped. Perhaps I'll do the same for the MPGs.

Regards,
-Dan

[Fuzzy]

Have you tried SageTVClient? ;-)

[canned_heat]

No, but thanks. I'll look into it.

[ericscottf]

Are you playing off the flash drive you're moving with, or moving it to the HD?

Flash drives typically read slower than HD -- might make enough of a difference.

Also, while i really like VLC, there are other players to try if you're having issues with it stuttering. It is a great program, but it is not the fastest by any means. I've found that even old versions of WMP play certain files better.

[CollinR]

If you simply want smaller filesizes you can use the built in convert option. It supports specific destinations.

You can also make a custom profile to use with conversions. To have a 720p output.

With a plugin like SJQ you can have it done automagically.

[canned_heat]

Originally Posted by CollinR

If you simply want smaller filesizes you can use the built in convert option. It supports specific destinations.

You can also make a custom profile to use with conversions. To have a 720p output.

With a plugin like SJQ you can have it done automagically.

I am very new to SageTV and do not know what custom profiles are or about the SJQ plugin. But thanks for the reply, it gives me something to look into.