help with my new Plextor PX-TV402U

[nexx9]

Thank you for that.

Last test has been successful. Don't know how long it took for the file to become avi - or unwrapped - because I was otherwise occupied, but it did, and I've stuck it on an RW to watch on one of my Phillips 642s. Very nice. I'm impressed.

As for the WinDVR 5 software that I tried for a bit, it kept crashing. Over-reaching into areas of mem apparently. No worries. Sage does it all so much better. Nex

[prowler2000]

Originally Posted by Opus4

If mmc/enable_mpeg4_timeshifting=true is set, DivX/MPEG4 recordings will always be stored in an MPEG2 wrapper until the recording is over. At one point, you had to also install the WinDVD Creator software on the Plextor CD in order for the files to be unwrapped. I think this was changed for v2.2 so that it no longer requires that additional installation. You could either install WinDVD Creator or use SageTV v2.2.

- Andy

Thanks Andy ... that's useful info (as always). I can't remember if I left WinDVD on my system or took it off when I was having trouble with two Plextor's hooked up... I'll need to check. When I had a single Plextor unit hooked up to the system, I definitely saw the creation of an MPEG file ... and then the "unwrapped" version at the end (AVI file).

I understand the MPEG2 wrapper is needed for live tv viewing ... with time shifting ... but could you explain more why this is done. What exactly is the wrapper ... does it fool SageTV so things work or what? I'm assuming the AVI file is really inside the MPEG2 wrapper since the compression is done inside the Plextor. Why can't SageTV just work with AVI from the onset like a MPEG2 file?

Oh, and if I set If mmc/enable_mpeg4_timeshifting=false, will the files be created as AVI from the start? I rarely watch a show while the recording is happening ... and won't care about the time shifting aspect.

[Opus4]

Originally Posted by prowler2000

I understand the MPEG2 wrapper is needed for live tv viewing ... with time shifting ... but could you explain more why this is done. What exactly is the wrapper ... does it fool SageTV so things work or what? I'm assuming the AVI file is really inside the MPEG2 wrapper since the compression is done inside the Plextor. Why can't SageTV just work with AVI from the onset like a MPEG2 file?

I don't know. All I know is that SageTV has to store the AVI inside an MPEG2 file in order to be able to play it while recording.

Oh, and if I set If mmc/enable_mpeg4_timeshifting=false, will the files be created as AVI from the start?

Yes, that is what will happen if you set that to false. If I remember & understand the previous posts correctly, though, when there are 2 Plextors, the shows only get recorded in MPEG2 format? (Not just a wrapper, but actual MPEG2 data.) If so, I would contact tech support, since it sounds like either SageTV or the Plextor drivers are not handling 2 devices properly.

- Andy

[prowler2000]

Originally Posted by Opus4

If I remember & understand the previous posts correctly, though, when there are 2 Plextors, the shows only get recorded in MPEG2 format? (Not just a wrapper, but actual MPEG2 data.) If so, I would contact tech support, since it sounds like either SageTV or the Plextor drivers are not handling 2 devices properly.

- Andy

Yes you have it 100% correct, that problem does exist ... but I could have removed the WinDVD at that point, so I need to check on it when I return to Denver in two weeks. The SageTV service was having a huge memory leak ... with the program consuming 900 megs and more of memory (you could watch it climbing at an astronomical rate even without a program recording) (on a brand new install of XP pro), so I removed some of the Plextor bundled programs to be on the safe side, which may have included WinDVD. The problem went away to a degree ... but the software can consume an average of 400 megs of memory which I know is way too high (but not a first ... it uses hardly any memory on bootup).

When I get back, I'm going to reload the machine with Windows 2000 ... or do you suggest I use XP pro for some compatibility reason. In either case I'm reloading the machine to be on the safe side. Thanks Andy!

[Opus4]

Originally Posted by prowler2000

The SageTV service was having a huge memory leak ... with the program consuming 900 megs and more of memory

That is something that shouldn't be happening. I don't know if there is some problem with v2.1 that v2.2 might have fixed, but I don't remember any major memory leaks like that. The one I am aware of is Norton AntiVirus chewing up memory as it scanned mpeg files -- it was finally beaten into me quite a while back that NAV should be set to exclude the video recording dirs from its auto protection.

When I get back, I'm going to reload the machine with Windows 2000 ... or do you suggest I use XP pro for some compatibility reason.

Here's another "I don't know" (tm). I use XP Pro, both SP1 and SP2, w/o problems. I know others use 2000, but I certainly don't know whether one should be preferred over the other... other than the fact that I already have XP. I'm sure it has been discussed before, but you could always ask in the General forum what people's OS experiences have been.

- Andy

[korben_dallas]

W/ the ConvertX and running in service mode, SageTV on my system usually hovers around 450MB memory usage.

[nexx9]

So while fooling around before setting

mmc/enable_mpeg4_timeshifting=false

I generated a couple of hour-long shows that didn't change to avi at the end. Temp files were created, then nothing.

Since I can't nudge STV (2.25) to re-wrap them, is there a prg that can? Or can I somehow persuade STV?

If I stop the SageTV service and then start it again, the tmp files zero out, then rebuild, then nothing. Each time. Frustrating to say the least. I've tried virtualdubmod, but the best it could do was to create an uncompressed avi file that quickly ate-up my partition. A gig per minute or so.

Both files play Fine in STV, but in nothing else (elc, classic media, wmp, zoomplayer, bsplayer). This is an indexing problem? Nex

[Opus4]

I keep forgetting that I'm not recording in DivX format & I think you both are, so maybe that would make a difference in terms of memory usage. (?)

- Andy

[prowler2000]

Originally Posted by korben_dallas

W/ the ConvertX and running in service mode, SageTV on my system usually hovers around 450MB memory usage.

That's pretty much my last findings on memory usage ... it seems incredibly high, especially when it's idle. I figured something was wrong with my system ... even though it was a new load of Windows XP pro. Did you try it out of service mode and get different memory usage ... I have yet to try that.

[prowler2000]

Originally Posted by nexx9

I generated a couple of hour-long shows that didn't change to avi at the end. Temp files were created, then nothing.

Once in a while I get temp files that are created and never deleted. No avi file in the end, just the temp file and the original mpeg2 file. Wasted space ... hate that!

[nexx9]

Yes exactly. With those two files there must be a way to prod STV or use something else to finish creating the intended product?

It's happened to me a few times now and I've gone back to mpeg4_timeshifting=false solely to avoid that problem. Fine as a quick fix, but I want to eventually go back to 'true'. Nex

[nexx9]

Just recorded through the s-video input (From digicable) on the 402U using SageTV. Recorded just fine. Quality set to Divx highest theater. At the end, I 'close file' but nothing happens. Plays fine in SageTV but in nothing else.

Since SageTV ostensibly converts the files at the end but doesn't always, wouldn't it be useful to have a trigger? I have all these useless mpg files now. Possibly worse, I've no way to predict if STV is going to actually convert when done recording or not. I wouldn't mind using some manual finishing procedure or utility till this is all sorted out. Is there anything? Nex

[nexx9]

Well, found one way to goose SageTV into doing its job with the divx files in mpg wrappers:

Stop the STV service from windows management while watching something through the SageTV gui. A message appears that service connection has been lost. Black screen, no main menu access with a right-click. Restart the service and a minute or so later it'll be possible to get back to the main menu; choose a channel to watch from the live tv guide and sit back. More often than not within about 5 minutes all the unfinished files in the save dir will have - at last - been finalized into proper avi files. I've tried lots of other things that didn't work. This did, not all but most of the time.

If anyone's sleuthing the problem, hope this helps. Nex

(2.2.6)