STB Firewire (IEEE-1394) Support

[aperry]

Well, to start the second thousand posts, I'm having some sound problems.

I had a couple of things record (non-HD, just digital) last night, and this morning, I played them for a second, and everything seemed fine.

However, tonight, I get no sound from those recordings. I'll restart my SageTV after my nightly shows finish recording and post whether that fixes it.

This is a straight dump, the really simple graph, generating the files, for what it's worth.

Also, note that these files play fine in Media Player.

I am running the SageTV service if that matters.

[mangriotis]

So, everything was great for a while... and now Comcast has 5c'd all channels except for the networks (ABC, NBC, CBS, WGN, WTTW, and FOX). At least, that's what I think is going on. Can anyone verify this?

I used to get output from all channels via Firewire connection, now if I tune to an allegedly encrypted channel, the box changes channels, but no data is recorded. Is this what 5c does?

Under the assumption that's what's going on, I set up a second tuner via S-Video in order to record (non-HD) shows from HBO, ESPN, etc. However, when I tune to another channel using this method, the firewire connection no longer serves to change the channel. Is there any way to set this up so the channel change functions with both "tuners"? i.e. the s-video in, and the SGR input?

Note: I just talked to "tech support" at Comcast, and the guy (who didn't really know what I was talking about, but asked someone there) confirmed that they did indeed turn on encryption, and that "there's no way for you to turn it off".... great.

[DCipher]

Thanks for this great thread - outstanding information!

My question is:
What kind of a "wrapper" does sage put on the captured video/audio stream?

Here's what happens:
1. Outside of sage, use GraphEdit with very simple graph: Tuner->dump. That's it (Motorola DCT-6412). Run the graph, open VLC, .ts file plays back perfectly.

2. Setup that same graph for use with sage, works perfectly, changes channel, captures video to mpeg file, playback within sage is perfect.
Exit sage, open same file in VLC - no dice. no audio, video skips, lots of artifacts, etc. Basically, garbage.

I've actually tried streaming these files to my Roku HD1000. The file captured outside of sage works perfectly. The file captured inside of sage streams video perfectly, but no audio.

Anyone know what's going on?

Thanks,
Jeff

[AndersNolberger]

A new version of SGraphrecorder is available. See http://forums.sage.tv/forums/showthread.php?t=9767 and http://www.nolberger.se for more info.

Anders

[evilpenguin]

Thanks a bunch, Anders. I tested this build out and it works like a charm.

This should also take care of some random suttering in regular SageTV as well as the SageClient. Everyone using SGraphrecorder should upgrade grab the upgrade.

mmm... live HDTV NCAA Sweet 16...

[docluv01]

Can I ask you guys wjhat kind of delays you are using? In both network playback in the sage.properties videoframe/network_encoding_to_playback_delay=4500), and the sgraph ini file (TuningDelay=7500).

I'm using the settings above...

What happens is boot pc, launch Sage, and go to Live TV channel looks ok (some stuutering). Then, I change channel using firewire channel change, and i get Sage hang. I shut down Sage, then have to end task for sgraph.

I then relaunch sgraph, and sage, and when I try to go to a channel, the sgraph lof says "insufficient resources".

If I reboot pc, then i get get video again, until I change channels. In which case the above happens again.

I'n geussing it has something to do with my delays settings.

Any advice?

[davey_fl]

your timings are reversed. You need to have your sgraph timing lower than the sage.properties timing. Try say 2000 in sgraph and 4000 in sage.properties...

[docluv01]

thanks, that did it for me! I made Sage delay to 4000, and sgraph to 2000.

I also realized, I was using an outdated setup guide for it. Basically My graph is now the capture tuner going into teh dump.

Ok, I have another weird problem.

lets say, I tune to a firewire channel, channel 702. I wait a few sec, then eventually the channel comes in. If I change channels, Sage will change, I will get a few sec of the old channel, then black screen. At this point, If i click Stop Playback, go into main menu, then choose Live TV, then the channel works fine and I get playback. The problem lies with changing channels. Once I change a channel, I have to stop playback, then go to live TV to get the channel to play.

This causes a problem when I schedule recordings, because if sage has to do channel changes, then all it records is a black screen

Ive played with the delay settings, but havent been able to narrow where the issue lies.

I searched the forums, but havent been able to find anyone else who had this same probkem (unless i didn tlook hard enough).

Can anyone give any suggestions, as to where I may start looking?

Thanks!

[mangriotis]

Anyone have any thoughts on this?

I set up a second tuner via S-Video in order to record (non-HD) shows from HBO, ESPN, etc., because of the 5c encryption. However, when I tune to another channel using this method, the firewire connection no longer serves to change the channel. Is there any way to set this up so the channel change functions with both "tuners"? i.e. the s-video in (on the PVR250), and the SGR input?

I guess I am wondering if there's a way to use the channel change feature of the firewire (on the DTC-6200) to record the s-video input of a PVR250 card. Any thoughts?

I am also having an issue when I watch a different recorded program while recording content via firewire. This seems to mess up the feed. I will get a clip of video every few seconds, and the file size is extremely small, as if it's just recording a couple of frames every few seconds.

[PhillJones]

Originally Posted by mangriotis

Anyone have any thoughts on this?

I set up a second tuner via S-Video in order to record (non-HD) shows from HBO, ESPN, etc., because of the 5c encryption. However, when I tune to another channel using this method, the firewire connection no longer serves to change the channel. Is there any way to set this up so the channel change functions with both "tuners"? i.e. the s-video in (on the PVR250), and the SGR input?

I guess I am wondering if there's a way to use the channel change feature of the firewire (on the DTC-6200) to record the s-video input of a PVR250 card. Any thoughts?

I am also having an issue when I watch a different recorded program while recording content via firewire. This seems to mess up the feed. I will get a clip of video every few seconds, and the file size is extremely small, as if it's just recording a couple of frames every few seconds.

That's quite a coincidnece, I was just reading this thread to see if I could find an answer to that very same question.

I suspect that the answer may lie in girder but I have no experience with girder and haevn't tried it yet. I know that SgraphRecorder has settings in it's ini file for using girder rather than exetuner (Is that what it's called, I forgot), which implies that it is at least possible.

Here's what I think I might try.
I'm going to turn off both channel changing methods in SGR and try to set up girder externally to control channel changes via firewire. If anybody has done this, could they post some instructions or the configuration files needed?

I wonder what would be required to create a plugin just for firewire channel changing. Seperating the channel changing from the recording would expand the flexibility of firewire I think.

Cheers,
Phill

[docluv01]

Originally Posted by docluv01

thanks, that did it for me! I made Sage delay to 4000, and sgraph to 2000.

I also realized, I was using an outdated setup guide for it. Basically My graph is now the capture tuner going into teh dump.

Ok, I have another weird problem.

lets say, I tune to a firewire channel, channel 702. I wait a few sec, then eventually the channel comes in. If I change channels, Sage will change, I will get a few sec of the old channel, then black screen. At this point, If i click Stop Playback, go into main menu, then choose Live TV, then the channel works fine and I get playback. The problem lies with changing channels. Once I change a channel, I have to stop playback, then go to live TV to get the channel to play.

This causes a problem when I schedule recordings, because if sage has to do channel changes, then all it records is a black screen

Ive played with the delay settings, but havent been able to narrow where the issue lies.

I searched the forums, but havent been able to find anyone else who had this same probkem (unless i didn tlook hard enough).

Can anyone give any suggestions, as to where I may start looking?

Thanks!

Hi Guys, any suggestions on this?

Thanks...

[PhillJones]

I haven't tested mine but I thought that this is only an issue if you're actually watching TV and change channels. If the graph is open, it'll hang when you change channels. According to SpacGhost's documentation, the only work arround is to stop playback before changing channels. I guess this means that if you're actually watching TV when it changes you have to fix it but you've gone out, you have to stop streaming before turning off youre TV.

it's a work arround rather than a fix but I think that's all there is.

[cohnhead]

The channel change problem went away for me when I went to a Client and Server, with the SGR running on the server machine. Don't know why, but now I can change HDTV channels no problem, and i can minimize the delays I had to enter.

[cohnhead]

PhilJones,

You can use the exetuner plugin to call channelw.exe to change channels on your set top box when recording on the S-video port. Do a search on sage for this plugin. It took me a while to figure it out, but it works well. I can help you with the registry setting if you need it.

One note, for the 5c HD channels, try recording those through the S-video port as well, the quality on those channels is much better then the SD versions of the channels.

[Bohica]

Originally Posted by cohnhead

PhilJones,
One note, for the 5c HD channels, try recording those through the S-video port as well, the quality on those channels is much better then the SD versions of the channels.

Hey - when you do this does is scrunch your picture down into a 16x9 within a 4x3 window? Mine does... meaning I get a black border all around a 16x9 image when I go through the Svideo...
Also -- how do you handle recording conflicts in this configuration?

[PhillJones]

Originally Posted by Bohica

Hey - when you do this does is scrunch your picture down into a 16x9 within a 4x3 window? Mine does... meaning I get a black border all around a 16x9 image when I go through the Svideo...
Also -- how do you handle recording conflicts in this configuration?

That's an easy fix. What you get is the same as when you're watching a letterboxed 16:9 image broadcast on an SD channel.

I presume you know that if you do a right mouse click when when you're watching something, you get an OSD which allows you to set the picture format to 4:3/16:9/full/source. You can map these settings to key presses or remote control commands within sage itself. I tested all these settings and found that 16:9 and full both simply stretched a 4:3 image horizontally, making everything short and fat. This is handy for material that is anamorphic but doesn't have the right flags but you don't need two of them so I went into setup-> detailed setup-> multimedia -> Aspect ratio

click for larger image


And altered the zoom vertical zoom to stretch the picture into the right shape.
Actually I haven't worked it out exactly yet, I need to sit down with a pen and paper and a calculator and work out the exact stretch to get it right.

I found this menu because I have a plasma screen with 1280x768 pixel resolution so it has ever so slightly rectangular pixels. I use this zoom setting to tweak the shape of the image and also, with having a DVI connection running at dot-by-dot resolution (ie no overscan), I zoom the image up a little to give me some overscan. I find it's unfortunatley neccersary and many videos, HD capture being one example have some junk arround the edges of the screen or are underscanned.

[PhillJones]

Originally Posted by cohnhead

PhilJones,

You can use the exetuner plugin to call channelw.exe to change channels on your set top box when recording on the S-video port. Do a search on sage for this plugin. It took me a while to figure it out, but it works well. I can help you with the registry setting if you need it.

One note, for the 5c HD channels, try recording those through the S-video port as well, the quality on those channels is much better then the SD versions of the channels.

Thanks


mangriotis, here's the link

http://forums.freytechnologies.com/f...irewire+plugin


I'll have a go at this, this week-end.

You're right about the S-video encoded HD feeds being better than the SD feeds. They're also widescreen and since I have a widescreen TV, it's really a no-brainer as they say.

Also, coming from Britain, I can't stand the sight of broadcast NTSC SD, it offends my videophile sensibilities.

[PhillJones]

Originally Posted by cohnhead

PhilJones,

You can use the exetuner plugin to call channelw.exe to change channels on your set top box when recording on the S-video port. Do a search on sage for this plugin. It took me a while to figure it out, but it works well. I can help you with the registry setting if you need it.

One note, for the 5c HD channels, try recording those through the S-video port as well, the quality on those channels is much better then the SD versions of the channels.

Fixed it, it wasn't too hard. I did have to reinstall the capture device though. I think that you only get one chance to set how sage changes channels for a given capture device so if you chnage channel change method, you have to remove the capture device and re-install. No biggie really, it's only a dozen channels or so.

As a side note to SpaceGhosts point that to 'fool' Sage TV and allow him to have different channels enabled for firewire and s-vid he had to find a nearby zip code with a similar channel line up. I don't think it's all that critical. So long as you have the channel IDs, you can use any old line-up and remap and create new channels as neccersary if the worst comes to the worst.

[bbkim]

So, let me try to recapture the solution of recording SD via S-video and HD via firewire using one HD STB. I am little slow and still need some help.

1. setup one capture device (firewire) per Bohica's document and assign only HD channels: I already have this setup working well. Thus, I just need to revise the channel lineups. (Do I use the SGR to change channel or the exetuner plugin to change?)
2. setup another capture device for s-video on my PVR250 and assing SD channels. (Channel changes via SGR or exetuner?)

Does this mean that I will need two separate SGR or GraphEdit files (one for HD and the other SD) with two differnt port numbers?

Can I use the s-video input and antenna input on the PVR250 at the same time?

I appreciate greatly for all of your great inputs.

[Morgan111]

One problem here is that Sage does not know that those two defined tuner devices share the same STB hardware. You may have the HD being recording one show and then Sage could have the SD over the PVR250 change the channel to something else for another recording. Sage has to know that it can only use one of those tuner devices at once, but there is no way to specify that (yet!!!).

Originally Posted by bbkim

So, let me try to recapture the solution of recording SD via S-video and HD via firewire using one HD STB. I am little slow and still need some help.

1. setup one capture device (firewire) per Bohica's document and assign only HD channels: I already have this setup working well. Thus, I just need to revise the channel lineups. (Do I use the SGR to change channel or the exetuner plugin to change?)
2. setup another capture device for s-video on my PVR250 and assing SD channels. (Channel changes via SGR or exetuner?)

Does this mean that I will need two separate SGR or GraphEdit files (one for HD and the other SD) with two differnt port numbers?

Can I use the s-video input and antenna input on the PVR250 at the same time?

I appreciate greatly for all of your great inputs.