How fast is the built in convert function?

[timg11]

I'm testing the built in convert function. I'm converting a 1/2 hour MPEG2 show (1080i) from the HD HomeRun to High Quality H.264 MKV.

The conversion process (SageTVTranscoder.exe) has been running at 100% CPU on two cores for about an hour.

There is a tmp file in the shows folder that is about 700Mbytes at this point in time.

Typically a 1/2 hour show in H.264 from the HD-PVR is about 1.8G, so I'm guessing it is about halfway done.

Is 25% of real time the expected conversion rate? Is there anything that can be done to accelerate the process? (I know converting at lower resolution or upgrading the hardware would help - I'm asking about configuration changes or alternatives to the transcoder).

Also, is there any way to monitor status or cancel the conversion once you start it from SageTV and click "continue using SageTV"?

[will]

Originally Posted by timg11

Is there anything that can be done to accelerate the process?

Short of getting a faster computer...no. There has been talk about rewriting the transcode service on this forum but nothing has been released as of yet. The source code is open source and it is based on a modified version of ffmpeg (an older and less efficient version).

Originally Posted by timg11

Also, is there any way to monitor status or cancel the conversion once you start it from SageTV and click "continue using SageTV"?

Under the video menu, click on video conversions.

[tvmaster2]

the converter inside Sage, I find, is relatively slow, but not outrageously so. I use Handbrake mostly, since it retains 5.1 audio in addition to a stereo track, and to convert a two-hour film to a 1280/720 resolution file (Apple TV) takes around three hours. Less time if you convert to a lower resolution

[Dargason]

SageTVTranscoder.exe is basically ffmpeg, and you can play with the various command line options in the Sage.properties file if you want to adjust how it's working.

[timg11]

tvmaster2, thanks for the tip. I was not aware the the built in converter lost the 5.1 audio. I'll look into Handbrake. Can you offer any tips on settings or options for MPEG2 to MP4 conversion with Handbrake?

[tvmaster2]

Originally Posted by timg11

tvmaster2, thanks for the tip. I was not aware the the built in converter lost the 5.1 audio. I'll look into Handbrake. Can you offer any tips on settings or options for MPEG2 to MP4 conversion with Handbrake?

all of the Apple TV profiles automatically set up a second audio channel under the "audio" tab; first, the mixed down stereo that Apple devices need, and second, the AC3 DD passthrough that is your 5.1 audio.

When playing these re-coded files in Sage, you then have to manually select
the second audio "language" from a menu for the 5.1 playback.
This is because the Apple devices need to see the stereo feed first to play back any audio at all (Apple not capable of choosing beween tracks?).

you can also manually add any number of audio tracks if you don't like the Apple presets. Select the audio tab in Handbrake, choose the audio track you want to insert from the drop-down menu to the left (if it's a Sage recording, there's likely only a 5.1 track listed), and then select "add track" (just above the drop-down item). Then click the drop-down menu above "audio codec", and you'll see a selection of what kind of audio you want to create - AC3 passthrough is the one I use for DD 5.1

You can resize the screen resolution to whatever you want, as the audio engine works independantly. For SD shows, since there's no 5.1 audio anyway, you'll just need one audio track. For HD programs, you can save alot of space by using lower resolutions like the preset for "iPhone & iPod Touch". I use that for shows that I just keep for old times sake, like the last episode of a TV series, or a news item I want to keep, or just for being able to play on older devices. A 2-hour movie can come down 8 gigs to under 1 gig this way.

[HuMan321]

What format in the Sage Transcoder gives the best bang for the buck on a tablet? (Mine is HP Touchpad running Android)
Thanks,

[jgs14]

After much experimenting, I added the following to my Sage.properties file. It converts to a H.264 MP4 in SD while preserving AC3 audio as passthrough. Plays well on PS3 (although SD, of course):

transcoder/formats/MPEG4-High\ Quality\ H.264\ MP4=f\=mp4;MCompressionDetails\=-coder 1 -flags +loop -cmp +chroma -partitions +parti8x8+parti4x4+partp8x8+partb8x8 -me_method hex -subq 6 -me_range 16 -g 250 -keyint_min 25 -sc_threshold 40 -i_qfactor 0.71 -b_strategy 1 -qcomp 0.6 -qmin 10 -qmax 51 -qdiff 4 -bf 3 -refs 2 -directpred 1 -trellis 1 -flags2 +bpyramid+mixed_refs+wpred+dct8x8+fastpskip -wpredp 2 -rc_lookahead 30;[bf\=vid;f\=h264;br\=2000000;w\=848;h\=480;fps\=29.97;][bf\=aud;]

The biggest problem with this approach seems to be that SageTranscoder's deinterlace filter is somewhat poor so you get bluring of motion. Probably not as big of an issue on a tablet size screen, however.