STV Import: SageMC Video Tools v3.0

[mrdrbdt]

Hey All!

This is my first time using Video Tools and I'm having some problems getting it to work. I've spent the last week trying to debug(), but I'm running out of ideas. There are two types of files I'm trying to encode, the first is H.264/AAC from an HD-PVR and the second is MPEG-2 from a PVR150.

Neither file type seems to want to encode. I've been starting the compression using "Send To" and I've tried the autoencode profile, mencoder, and handbrake. There are a few things I've noticed:

1)For the h.264 file I keep trying to do, it seems to create several copies of ShowTitle.AutoEncode.XX.compress.log and the .work and .qdvd files as well. Where the XX is some number (79,43,51,32, etc). I don't know yet if it does this for mpg files, I just started one up so we'll see.

2)When I look at some of the logs, it looks like perl2dvd is running comskip on the files. Why does it do this? The edl and txt files are already in the folder with the original show. I'm using the donators version which is newer than the version in perl2dvd, so I'd rather it use those edl's. Oh, and I use comskipmonitor to do the comskiping (working pretty well).

This plugin looks like it would be VERY useful for achiving videos and I'd love to get it working.

Oh, and the "seeker" blip in sage.properties seems to help with mine (I mean, I don't have any compressed shows to test against, but shows that I didn't record just browsed over live are not deleting). It's not deleting ANYTHING anymore. -.-

In case it matters, I'm running sage as a service on a dual core E6320 @ 3ghz. I'm also running the client on the same PC and doing the config through that client.

I've got debugging on but I musta generating 20 mb of logs now. If you want to see them, just let me know which one (H264 or MPG or both!).


ps. What are good settings for running on an SD extender? Should I have compression enabled on those? I'd like to be able to access the autocompress settings for favorites from my extenders.

[Jetracers]

Originally Posted by mrdrbdt

Hey All!

This is my first time using Video Tools and I'm having some problems getting it to work. I've spent the last week trying to debug(), but I'm running out of ideas. There are two types of files I'm trying to encode, the first is H.264/AAC from an HD-PVR and the second is MPEG-2 from a PVR150.

Neither file type seems to want to encode. I've been starting the compression using "Send To" and I've tried the autoencode profile, mencoder, and handbrake. There are a few things I've noticed:

1)For the h.264 file I keep trying to do, it seems to create several copies of ShowTitle.AutoEncode.XX.compress.log and the .work and .qdvd files as well. Where the XX is some number (79,43,51,32, etc). I don't know yet if it does this for mpg files, I just started one up so we'll see.

As for number 1 the reason those numbers are there are because some of us were having problems when shows didn't have the episode names built into the titles and the autoscheduled QDVD files were overwriting previous files sent to compression for instance "American Idol" had same episode/title name though it was on two different nights. So each one of those logs is from a different autoencode try.

As for the logs post those up so we can see whats going on they are in this format "ShowTitle.AutoEncode.XX.compress.log"

[mrdrbdt]

Here are all the logs for the attempts it made at compressing This Old House. IIRC, this should be h264/AAC.

[evilpenguin]

Well, for #1, HD-PVR files just don't work. I wrote this plug-in long before it even existed. Heck, i'm still having trouble getting it to work even today. There's not really anything I can do about it, the encoders I use (mencoder/handbrake) just don't support it well enough yet.

As for #2, I use comskip for my auto-crop detection so I've got to run it a few times with special settings.

[mrdrbdt]

I thought I read somewhere that Video Tools could do HD. I guess that's why I kept trying!

Thanks for the response though!

I guess this means there's no way to recompress HD-PVR captures?

[evilpenguin]

Well it can do MPEG-2/AC3 HD, but not HD-PVR H.264/AAC HD.

I really can't do anything myself to support the HD-PVR, tI just have to wait for the tools I use to be able to handle the format. Its pretty new so support will trickle in slowly.

[mrdrbdt]

Originally Posted by evilpenguin

Well it can do MPEG-2/AC3 HD, but not HD-PVR H.264/AAC HD.

I really can't do anything myself to support the HD-PVR, tI just have to wait for the tools I use to be able to handle the format. Its pretty new so support will trickle in slowly.

No worries! I'm sure I feel the same as everyone else here that we're just appreciative that you've taken the initiative to create something like this.

[fearless]

I think I may have mentioned this in a previous post that I am using the SageTV webserver plugin to trigger encoding of HD content as needed which seems to work ok because it uses the SageTV transcoder which can do HD compression.
This is only a thought but what about integrating the sagetv transcoder into the video tools?
Similar to what the webserver plugin does.
I think the DVD Burn feature is great, pity you can't get the HD recordings to DVD.
I may have had a bit of hit and miss if I compress HD content to AVI by using the sage transcoder and then send to DVD although I can't confirm 100% the circumstances, and I am still experimenting.

Regards
Mike

[mrdrbdt]

Originally Posted by fearless

I think I may have mentioned this in a previous post that I am using the SageTV webserver plugin to trigger encoding of HD content as needed which seems to work ok because it uses the SageTV transcoder which can do HD compression.

Really?? When I was letting the sage transcoder do the HD content is was really hit and miss. Most would just become unplayable. Are you using an HD-PVR?

[mp328]

Hey EP,

did u happen to try out the new 6.5.x betas, im just wondering if that bug is fixed where it deletes the converted videos like 6.4.8 did

[evilpenguin]

I haven't had a chance to update to the latest beta yet, hopefully I'll get to it this weekend.

[fearless]

Originally Posted by mrdrbdt

Really?? When I was letting the sage transcoder do the HD content is was really hit and miss. Most would just become unplayable. Are you using an HD-PVR?

No I am not, I am only using internal tuner cards.
I must admit I had the occasional failure to compress but interestingly enough the HD content which fails to compress also fails to complete comskip ... so that makes me wonder if the issue is related to recording problems rather than the content itself.

[perfessor101]

Hello, I was curious how the auto.encode logic works,
It was compressing watched favorites great for a few days ... and then it stopped.
Periodically a watched favorite configured to auto.compress will ... but for a number of favorites it isn't working and was curious where to start the debugging process.

The Sagetv_0.txt file has these lines:
Sat 12/6 0:51:31.238 AutoCompress checking mediafile Lost
Sat 12/6 0:51:31.239 Favorite ID=111459
Sat 12/6 0:51:31.239 AutoCompress checking mediafile Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
Sat 12/6 0:51:31.240 Favorite ID=113556
Sat 12/6 0:51:31.243 Auto compression not set

But I can't tell which media files have been processed as the favorite id is for the series not the specific media file.

I was also curious where custom profiles are stored?

Thanks for your time
and a great program

Bobby

[mp328]

installed the 6.5.3 beta last night with sageMC 6.3.8a and last video tools and everything seems good so far.

none of the favorites got deleted after the conversions. and sage recognizes now the file being shorter then 1hr cuz the commercials have been cut out.

but lately i have been having issues with the cut commercial features that it would cut the files way too early and only end up with half the show or so. but wont do it on all files. only on certain ones for some reason

just one example added, this one was supposed to be a 3 hour show ( i always record extra 35min on this one ) after converted there was only 1 hour left. and i used a custom profile labeled "AUTO" which cuts commercials and crops video. worked before without issues

[opy01]

ok I dont know if I just had a bad day or what but this used to work great until I updated Sage and SageMC today. Now I have no menus and when I tried to re-import it the sage window goes black and I have to do a system restore to get it working again. I have had this working before and now I just feel dumb. Does anyone know what simple step I am missing?

[evilpenguin]

No worries, its not you, I've got to update the plug-in for the latest version of SageMC

[opy01]

lmao ok good thank you thank you! Ever since I did the system restore my dirmon2 will not comskip and I was fixin to throw the entire thing out the door. Now at least I know its not all me.


And now I just realised that system restore changed my comskip files back. once I reinstalled the new comskip files it works again. Time to make a new restore point lol. No more of this for me tonight.

[mp328]

Originally Posted by evilpenguin

No worries, its not you, I've got to update the plug-in for the latest version of SageMC

what do u mean ??

mine works fine with sage 6.5.3 and sageMC 6.3.8a

[evilpenguin]

Originally Posted by mp328

what do u mean ??

mine works fine with sage 6.5.3 and sageMC 6.3.8a

You're prolly right, I don't even run the plug-in, I do it all manually

[opy01]

ok so when I ask what simple step am I missing the proper responce would be "import the xml from the correct area!" lol. I remember back in the day when I imported stuff from the detailed setup. Now I have a vague recolection of going through this before lmao. Of course when the system works flawless for so long I tend to forget these things. At least I know it still works now. Sorry for looking like an idiot... although I should be used to it by now.