Is off peak compression possible?

[Sharky112065]

Hello,

I would like to set SageTV to do compression at off peak times without using a plugin. Does anyone know how or if it can be done? My computer locked up the other day with all 4 cores maxed out. Beyond TV had an option to set the time period/window that compression could take place and I'm hoping that SageTV does as well. I have searched the forum and looked through the PDF manual and cannot find it. Well I did find one post on this forum from a couple of years ago and someone said to use a plugin. I'm hoping they have added this ability since then.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[Fuzzy]

No, there is no such setting. That said, compression should have maxed out any more than a single core, as it is single threaded, and only processes one job at a time.

[Spectrum]

As fuzzy said, there is nothing direct built in. You could do something like this using SJQ. There would be a bit of a learning curve and a (small) donation to Slugger but AFAIK that would be the only way to automate compression and control when it happens.

[Sharky112065]

Well seems multi-threaded to me. I watched it tonight after recording was done and SageTV service was taking up 48% CPU usage and all 4 cores were being utilized about the same. When compression was complete the CPU usage went back to minimal usage.

[Fuzzy]

IT's the SageTVTranscoder process doing the conversion.

[Sharky112065]

SageTVTranscoder.exe 15 threads 40% CPU usage. This is what Microsoft Resource Monitor reports.

So it is multi-threaded.

It would be nice if off peak compression was made available at some future version.

Update:

It does seem that only one show is being compressed at a time (Resource Monitor Disk activity) but does use multiple threads.

[GKusnick]

Originally Posted by Sharky112065

It would be nice if off peak compression was made available at some future version.

As previously mentioned, it's available now via a plugin. Generally speaking, features that are well covered by plugins are less likely to be implemented in the base product unless there's some substantial advantage to doing so that a plugin can't match.

[Sharky112065]

Originally Posted by GKusnick

As previously mentioned, it's available now via a plugin. Generally speaking, features that are well covered by plugins are less likely to be implemented in the base product unless there's some substantial advantage to doing so that a plugin can't match.

I don't trust Plugin's. Plugins are not native code and could be buggy. Also a Plugin developer could simply cease development at any time.

For example... SageTV 8 comes out in the future and the plugin is not compatible with it and the plugin developer no longer is updating that plugin.

I want to use a rock solid product and thus choose not to use plugins.

Since compression is being done in SageTV (without a plugin) it would be nice if it allowed off peak compression It is the only thing I miss from BeyondTV.

[Fuzzy]

Originally Posted by Sharky112065

I don't trust Plugin's. Plugins are not native code and could be buggy.

Plugins are coded no different than the core product. And if there is a demand for a plugin, it will end up being re-implemented in whatever form necessary by someone if a current one is obsoleted. Not embracing plugins is ignoring SageTV's single greatest strength.

[GKusnick]

Originally Posted by Sharky112065

I want to use a rock solid product and thus choose not to use plugins.

That's your choice, of course. I'm just warning you that the Sage devs have chosen to put their effort into the plugin system, so you may be waiting quite a while for the features you want if you decline to use it.

[Sharky112065]

Originally Posted by GKusnick

That's your choice, of course. I'm just warning you that the Sage devs have chosen to put their effort into the plugin system, so you may be waiting quite a while for the features you want if you decline to use it.

I understand that. But I believe that it should be a core feature.

I went through this when I used to play World of Warcraft (I know it was a huge time suck). I would pick addons to use and an expansion would come out and then the addon developer had stopped playing the game and thus stopped developing the addon. I would then have to search for and find a addon that did the same thing and learn all over again to do the same thing/s I did in the past with the old addon. Same principle.

I could see maybe using a plugin to do some stuff but not something that should be a core feature. If they provide a mechanism for doing the compression in the core code, they should also allow a time period for that compression to take place. I would understand if there was no native compression.

[Fuzzy]

It already runs low priority - it really shouldn't have any impact, especially as just a single run at a time.

[domotics]

Originally Posted by Fuzzy

It already runs low priority - it really shouldn't have any impact, especially as just a single run at a time.

Sorry, but on my server also (SageTV 7.0.16), SageTVtranscoder occupies the maximum CPU and the 2 cores (C2D E8400 @ 3GHz) in both SD and HD recordings.

I also would like to know how SageTVTranscoder encodes, because my HD records can not be treated by known encoders/editors (TMPGenc, Handbrake, VideoReDo, avidemux, ...). MediaInfo shows there are MPEG files with h264 video Program Stream encoded by Lavf52.x.y.

(Sorry, it's a google translation)

[Fuzzy]

Originally Posted by domotics

Sorry, but on my server also (SageTV 7.0.16), SageTVtranscoder occupies the maximum CPU and the 2 cores (C2D E8400 @ 3GHz) in both SD and HD recordings.

I also would like to know how SageTVTranscoder encodes, because my HD records can not be treated by known encoders/editors (TMPGenc, Handbrake, VideoReDo, avidemux, ...). MediaInfo shows there are MPEG files with h264 video Program Stream encoded by Lavf52.x.y.

(Sorry, it's a google translation)

Stated correctly, SageTVTranscoder occupies the maximum CPU AVAILABLE. It is run at low priority, which means it only processes in the CPU time that isn't being used for anything with normal or higher priority, meaning it shouldn't cause any problems, regardless of the time of day it is run.

As for how it works, it is actually just ffmpeg.exe, with a couple extensions for the placeshifting added.

[domotics]

Originally Posted by Fuzzy

As for how it works, it is actually just ffmpeg.exe, with a couple extensions for the placeshifting added.

I would like to know the parameters used by SageTVtranscoder for use ffmpeg.exe on another PC more powerful, because Handbrake can't open HD mpg files. Thanks.

[Thomas Wischgol]

The settings for the transcoder are all defined in your Sage.properties file. I do use Handbrake for HD mpg files, though, and it processes them just fine.

[domotics]

Originally Posted by Thomas Wischgol

The settings for the transcoder are all defined in your Sage.properties file. I do use Handbrake for HD mpg files, though, and it processes them just fine.

Thanks. I will see that. Handbrake can't open my HD mpg records. It say : "No Valid Source Found".

If someone can help me ...

Here the MediaInfo log of a HD mpg record :

General
Complete name : ..../1352_146_1021_2220-0.mpg
Format : MPEG-PS
File size : 9.35 GiB
Duration : 2h 10mn
Overall bit rate : 10.3 Mbps

Video
ID : 224 (0xE0)
Format : AVC
Format/Info : Advanced Video Codec
Format profile : High@L4.0
Format settings, CABAC : Yes
Format settings, ReFrames : 3 frames
Duration : 2h 10mn
Width : 1 920 pixels
Height : 1 080 pixels
Display aspect ratio : 16:9
Frame rate : 25.000 fps
Standard : Component
Resolution : 8 bits
Colorimetry : 4:2:0
Scan type : Interlaced
Scan order : Top Field First
Color primaries : BT.709-5, BT.1361, IEC 61966-2-4, SMPTE RP177
Transfer characteristics : BT.709-5, BT.1361
Matrix coefficients : BT.709-5, BT.1361, IEC 61966-2-4 709, SMPTE RP177

Audio #1
ID : 128 (0x80)
Format : AC-3
Format/Info : Audio Coding 3

Audio #2
ID : 128 (0x80)
Format : AC-3
Format/Info : Audio Coding 3
Duration : 2h 10mn
Bit rate mode : Constant
Bit rate : 384 Kbps
Channel(s) : 6 channels
Channel positions : Front: L C R, Surround: L R, LFE
Sampling rate : 48.0 KHz
Stream size : 357 MiB (4%)

================================================

Here the Handbrake Activity Window :

[08:43:58] hb_init: checking cpu count
[08:43:58] hb_init: starting libhb thread
[08:43:58] macgui: Handbrake Version: 0.9.5 x86_64 (2011010300)
[08:43:58] hb_init: checking cpu count
[08:43:58] hb_init: starting libhb thread
[08:43:58] hb_init: checking cpu count
[08:43:58] hb_init: starting libhb thread
[08:43:59] macgui: hbInstances path to this instance: /Applications/HandBrake.app
[08:43:59] macgui: hbInstance found instance pidnum:3114 at path: /Applications/HandBrake.app
[08:43:59] macgui: hbInstance MATCH FOUND, our pidnum is:3114
[08:43:59] macgui: Pid for this instance:3114
[08:43:59] macgui: HBQueueController : My Pidnum is 3114
[08:44:06] macgui: trying to open video_ts folder (parent directory chosen)
[08:44:06] macgui: Preview: Disabling HUD Controls
[08:44:06] macgui: Minimum length of title for scan: 900000
[08:44:06] hb_scan: path=..../1352_146_1021_2220-0.mpg, title_index=0
libbluray/bdnav/index_parse.c:157: indx_parse(): error opening ..../1352_146_1021_2220-0.mpg/BDMV/index.bdmv
libbluray/bluray.c:960: nav_get_title_list(..../1352_146_1021_2220-0.mpg) failed (0x1041f7800)
[08:44:06] bd: not a bd - trying as a stream/file instead
libdvdnav: Using dvdnav version 4.1.3
libdvdread: Using libdvdcss version 1.2.10 for DVD access
libdvdnav: DVDOpenFileUDF:UDFFindFile /VIDEO_TS/VIDEO_TS.IFO failed
libdvdnav: DVDOpenFileUDF:UDFFindFile /VIDEO_TS/VIDEO_TS.BUP failed
libdvdread: Can't open file VIDEO_TS.IFO.
libdvdnav: vm: failed to read VIDEO_TS.IFO
[08:44:06] dvd: not a dvd - trying as a stream/file instead
[08:44:06] file is MPEG Program Stream
[08:44:06] add_audio_to_title: added AC3 audio stream 0x80bd
[08:44:06] scan: decoding previews for title 1
[08:44:06] scan: audio 0x80bd: AC-3, rate=48000Hz, bitrate=384000 Unknown (AC3) (5.1 ch)
[08:44:06] scan: could not get a decoded picture
[08:44:06] scan: could not get a decoded picture
[08:44:06] scan: could not get a decoded picture
[08:44:06] scan: could not get a decoded picture
[08:44:06] scan: could not get a decoded picture
[08:44:06] scan: could not get a decoded picture
[08:44:06] scan: could not get a decoded picture
[08:44:06] scan: could not get a decoded picture
[08:44:06] scan: could not get a decoded picture
[08:44:06] scan: could not get a decoded picture
[08:44:06] libhb: scan thread found 0 valid title(s)

[Comitizer]

Originally Posted by Fuzzy

Not embracing plugins is ignoring SageTV's single greatest strength.

Totally agree. All of the plugins that I've used have been rock solid and haven't affected the stability of Sage in any way.

I REALLY suggest that people don't ignore them.

I would imagine that there's a plugin to resolve almost any concern people are having with the product. Go Sage!