Hello,

I have yet again updated the scripts. This time, the Motorola 6200 scripts are updated to reflect the ability to tune to a channel over FireWire using AV/C commands. There are Tune to Channel scripts and Record on Channel scripts. I realize not all Comcast systems using the Motorola 6200 use the same channels; however, there are online tools for decimal to hex conversion to change the first two or three digits before the "FFFF" in the two scripts for each channel. Then, it is just a matter of changing the filenames to match up with the local system numbers.


From the Tips page...

Note:

14._ Presently, the AppleScripts used to tune the channels on the Motorola 6200 cannot tune a channel ending with "0" meaning that the Motorola 6200 Timer should be used to schedule such channels in terms of efficiency, arguably._ This is a problem with the Motorola 6200 firmware._ Alternatively, the all script workaround is to tune to an adjacent channel and then use either the Channel Up script or the Channel Down script._ This workaround requires more steps than using the Motorola 6200 Timer._ To schedule from iCal for a channel ending in zero assuming VirtualDVHS and AVC Browser are not running, first run the Enable Tune to Channel script, then the Tune to Channel (adjacent channel) script, then either the Channel Up or Channel Down script depending on what adjacent channel is tuned, then the Record script to begin recording and then the Stop and Quit script script to end recording._ Because of the Motorola bug, five scripts are needed for the all script workaround._ Using the Motorola 6200 Timer, only two scripts are required.

15._ The Record on Channels AppleScripts are Launch and Record plus Enable Tune to Channel plus Tune to Channel (specific channel)._ Remember Tip #14, however._ The Stop and Quit AppleScript must be run afterwards in order to run another Record on Channels AppleScript._ Otherwise, run the Tune to Channel script for a specific channel followed by the Record script.

16._ Tune to Channel AppleScripts only work after having clicked on the field to the right of the AV/C Command button on the AV/C Device: DCT-6200 window, causing the field to have a blue outline.

17._ Instead of Tip #16, run the Enable Tune to Channel AppleScript._ Only run this script once during the session when both VirtualDVHS and AVC Browser are running.

Updated the Tips page for edits and organization


zip file at http://mac_hdtv_timer.home.comcast.net

conversion tool at http://mic.microcontroller.com/DirectoryItemView.asp?did=92

Be sure to familiarize yourself with the main PDF and the two other PDFs at http://mac_hdtv_timer.home.comcast.net for saving the scripts in the right spot and for setting up the programs from the SDK for use with the scripts and iCal.

Question on VirtualDVHS playback (the customized version)...

Does the timecode count up linearly? I know it should (obviously!), but when I play a recording from the 3250, my timecode bounces around at random 38:38 -> 27:33 -> 37:45...

Want to know if this is just a bug in VirtualDVHS that everyone experiences, or possibly a hosed up mpeg stream from the 3250.

-Pie

Originally posted by uzun
I have tried to record with just the 40k and the SA3250HD on the bus, but it's the same. The Sony 65WS550 has no problems with the SA3250HD output, the 40k claims it's all copy protected. Uzun,
What channels are you recording? I am not having any luck recording pay movie channels ie. HBO/Showtime, through my SA3250HD, but I can record ESPNHD, INHD, etc. Have you tried one of those?

BTW - update on my sound problem. It appears as if there is a compatibility issue with the G5 and VLC - Thread (http://forum.videolan.org/viewtopic.php?t=1949). I checked their support forums and everyone that has a G5 is having the same problem. MPlayer OS X 2 crashes too Thread (http://sourceforge.net/forum/forum.php?thread_id=1056449&forum_id=212430)...

Originally posted by EatingPie
Question on VirtualDVHS playback (the customized version)...

Does the timecode count up linearly? I know it should (obviously!), but when I play a recording from the 3250, my timecode bounces around at random 38:38 -> 27:33 -> 37:45...

Want to know if this is just a bug in VirtualDVHS that everyone experiences, or possibly a hosed up mpeg stream from the 3250.

-Pie

I notice this as well. AKAIK, .m2t file is just fine.

Originally posted by jsb_hburg
Hello,

I have yet again updated the scripts. This time, the Motorola 6200 scripts are updated to reflect the ability to tune to a channel over FireWire using AV/C commands. There are Tune to Channel scripts and Record on Channel scripts. I realize not all Comcast systems using the Motorola 6200 use the same channels; however, there are online tools for decimal to hex conversion to change the first two or three digits before the "FFFF" in the two scripts for each channel. Then, it is just a matter of changing the filenames to match up with the local system numbers.
Joe, it seems the scripts are getting fairly mature now especially now with potential channel control. :) I'll definitely try them out later. Now I just have to figure out the correct commands for the SA boxes to change channels. More on that later.

Originally posted by bakerzdosen
Is there really enough bandwidth in FW400 to do this? I kind of thought that I'd have to use an additional FW bus to save stuff to an external FW drive. I'd love to be wrong, but I haven't gotten around to trying it yet, The firewire bus is definitely not the bottleneck here. The bus speed is 400 Mb/s and an HD stream is only 19.3Mb/s. I've also used a hard drive enclosure as a bridge without and problems. I suspect the reason for the underruns that some people have seen is most likely disk fragmentation. I would recommend using a newly formatted disk and use it dedicated for this purpose. This should alleviate any potential fragmentation problems.

Originally posted by Cooknn
BTW - update on my sound problem. It appears as if there is a compatibility issue with the G5 and VLC. I checked their support forums and everyone that has a G5 is having the same problem. Dave, are you using VLC 0.7.1? I also saw the sound problem on my G5 with 0.7.0 and earlier. It has to do with the addition of the optical audio out port on the G5 and VLC not recognizing it properly. Also, go to the sound control panel and make sure VLC hasn't switched the audio to the optical port unless of course your actually using the optical out.

Originally posted by EatingPie
Question on VirtualDVHS playback (the customized version)...

Does the timecode count up linearly? I know it should (obviously!), but when I play a recording from the 3250, my timecode bounces around at random 38:38 -> 27:33 -> 37:45...

Want to know if this is just a bug in VirtualDVHS that everyone experiences, or possibly a hosed up mpeg stream from the 3250.

-Pie
I also see this with both versions.

Hello,

I have revised the scripts to include an "Enable Tune to Channel" script which only needs to be run once during a session. Again, this is only for the Motorola 6200 and the channels are set up for certain Comcast systems. With a little decimal to hex conversion work and some editing, the channels can be customized for your system.

See http://mac_hdtv_timer.home.comcast.net for the zip file and be sure to review the three PDFs on that page and the screenshot as to where to save these AppleScripts and to review the Tips page. Some important ones are pasted below... Updated the Tips page for edits and organization

14._ Presently, the AppleScripts used to tune the channels on the Motorola 6200 cannot tune a channel ending with "0" meaning that the Motorola 6200 Timer should be used to schedule such channels in terms of efficiency, arguably._ This is a problem with the Motorola 6200 firmware._ Alternatively, the all script workaround is to tune to an adjacent channel and then use either the Channel Up script or the Channel Down script._ This workaround requires more steps than using the Motorola 6200 Timer._ To schedule from iCal for a channel ending in zero assuming VirtualDVHS and AVC Browser are not running, first run the Enable Tune to Channel script, then the Tune to Channel (adjacent channel) script, then either the Channel Up or Channel Down script depending on what adjacent channel is tuned, then the Record script to begin recording and then the Stop and Quit script script to end recording._ Because of the Motorola bug, five scripts are needed for the all script workaround._ Using the Motorola 6200 Timer, only two scripts are required.

15._ The Record on Channels AppleScripts are Launch and Record plus Enable Tune to Channel plus Tune to Channel (specific channel)._ Remember Tip #14, however._ The Stop and Quit AppleScript must be run afterwards in order to run another Record on Channels AppleScript._ Otherwise, run the Tune to Channel script for a specific channel followed by the Record script.

16._ Tune to Channel AppleScripts only work after having clicked on the field to the right of the AV/C Command button on the AV/C Device: DCT-6200 window, causing the field to have a blue outline.

17._ Instead of Tip #16, run the Enable Tune to Channel AppleScript._ Only run this script once during the session when both VirtualDVHS and AVC Browser are running.



The scripts are not pretty but they work for my system, referring to changing the channel. They could use a slick interface.

BTW, how I have the scripts set up with some delay counters, it takes about 5 to 7 seconds to change a channel using AV/C commands driven by the scripts.

EDIT: The tune to channel scripts fail if the Device window is in the Dock. Trial and error in action. I do have a fix for it, though.

Question on VirtualDVHS playback (the customized version)...

Does the timecode count up linearly? I know it should (obviously!), but when I play a recording from the 3250, my timecode bounces around at random 38:38 -> 27:33 -> 37:45...

Want to know if this is just a bug in VirtualDVHS that everyone experiences, or possibly a hosed up mpeg stream from the 3250.


The timecode generation in VirtualDVHS is somewhat of a hack. The calculation of the current timecode is based on the position in the file, and the current instanteous bit-rate. For streams that have a highly variable bit-rate, it is not very accurate, especially the farther you go into the file.

Any other suggestions for a better algorithm? For sequential playback, I could just count frames (pass the stream through a demuxer and look for mpeg pichdrs), but I wanted a scheme that can handle time-code calculations in a random access method as well.

I have tried to record all channels, HD and SD that come out of the SA3250HD. They all generate the same error on the JVC 40k, REC PROHIBITED (103). I can record HDTV channel KPBS fine using my OTA antenna and TV"s built in HDTV tuner. If I try and record that exact same channel out of the SA3250HD, the 40k says REC PROHIBITED (103), which is the copy protection error.

Originally posted by uzun
I have tried to record all channels, HD and SD that come out of the SA3250HD. They all generate the same error on the JVC 40k, REC PROHIBITED (103). I can record HDTV channel KPBS fine using my OTA antenna and TV"s built in HDTV tuner. If I try and record that exact same channel out of the SA3250HD, the 40k says REC PROHIBITED (103), which is the copy protection error.

Try it with a Mac. See if you can borrow one to isolate the issue.

Originally posted by rcliff
For those of you that have successfully set up a working Virtual DVHS recorder, it would be great to hear your exact setup. I will summarize and incorporate this into the how-to.


I'm successfully running VirtualDVHS on a Graphite dual 500 Mhz CPU. Panther + FirewireSDK 18 for the apps. The firewire connection to my Mits WT-46805/Promise Module is via 3 15' firewire cables and two Orange Micro repeaters. On the Mac end, the cable is plugged directly into one of the Mac's built in firewire ports.

I've run into 3 significant problems along the way:
1) The computer was shipped with OS9 and that's been upgraded with 10.1,10.2, and 10.3. A fresh install of 10.3 on an erased hard drive was required to make this work.

2) Adding an Orange Micro USB2/firewire card (without installing any drivers) breaks VirtualDVHS functionality even on the internal firewire ports. I went with a 6 port firewire hub instead for my other firewire devices.

3) The Promise module gets stupid sometimes. VirtualDVHS doesn't work and the TV reports bizare information when polled with AVCBrowser. Resetting the Promise module fixes this every time so far. Plugging my Sony DV camcorder into the set (using it as a hub as described in the manual) generates this problem reliably.

Originally posted by jsb_hburg
Hello,

I have revised the scripts to include an "Enable Tune to Channel" script which only needs to be run once during a session. Again, this is only for the Motorola 6200 and the channels are set up for certain Comcast systems. With a little decimal to hex conversion work and some editing, the channels can be customized for your system.

See http://mac_hdtv_timer.home.comcast.net for the zip file and be sure to review the three PDFs on that page and the screenshot as to where to save these AppleScripts and to review the Tips page. Some important ones are pasted below...



The scripts are not pretty but they work for my system, referring to changing the channel. They could use a slick interface.

BTW, how I have the scripts set up with some delay counters, it takes about 5 to 7 seconds to change a channel using AV/C commands driven by the scripts.

EDIT: The tune to channel scripts fail if the Device window is in the Dock. Trial and error in action. I do have a fix for it, though.

Okay, I took care of the issue if the Device window is in the Dock. The Tune to Channel script should now work. The latest zip file is MacTimeShifter6.

Originally posted by EatingPie
Well, well, well... I DID get Mac-->Mits to work, but I had to reset the TV (reset button resessed next to power on button -- use paperclip). I'm now betting I can record to the PB directly from the 3250 as long as my Mits ain't in the chain. I'll try that later.

Whelp, I posted prematurely. The Mitsubishi 73711 eats it on the Mac stream as well... just not as badly as from the 30K.

It will play it back without the super blockiness as from the 30K, but it drops frames and skips... though only in parts. I watched about an hour's worth of material last night, and about half had skipping and drop out, the other half, perfectly smooth. I then played it back into the 30K (without recording), and it was all smooth.

Oh well. :(

rcliff, next time you talk to SA, tell 'em to hurry up with that fix!! :)

Seriously, though, if you do talk to them, let them know about the copy protection bug with the JVC 40K... purdy please!

-Pie

I had some audio problems with VLC 0.7.1 two or three weeks ago and a quick search turned up 0.1.7a which solved the problem. I'm not sure if this is relevant to the audio problems with VLC on the G5's or not.

Originally posted by FriarWyer
OK, more info:

The last 4 bytes of the command are the channel value, it can be a one-part channel, or a two-part channel (major/minor).

The first two bytes of the channel is the major channel number.

The second two bytes of the channel is the minor channel number.

If it's a two-part channel number the MSB of the first byte of the channel should be set, otherwise, it should be clear. For a 1-part channel (major only), the 2nd two bytes are "reserved"

Eg. for channel 5.1, seems like the 4 bytes should be 80050001.

So that should give you some more to play with.
Thanks FriarWyer. This isn't really applicable for these cable STB's as they don't utilize the subchannels used for OTA digital broadcasts. The boxes just use channel numbers from 1-999. Is there any other information you can provide on the structure of the other bytes in the command? I would think there has to be something simple to get this working as the SA box do recognize and accept the command. Maybe some sort of execute command to tell the box to implement the accepted command? Thanks again for all your help.

Originally posted by rcliff
Thanks FriarWyer. This isn't really applicable for these cable STB's as they don't utilize the subchannels used for OTA digital broadcasts. The boxes just use channel numbers from 1-999. Is there any other information you can provide on the structure of the other bytes in the command? I would think there has to be something simple to get this working as the SA box do recognize and accept the command. Maybe some sort of execute command to tell the box to implement the accepted command? Thanks again for all your help.

It's good to know for an OTA STB since the time info sent by the stations can throw off a scheduled recording set-up through the OTA box.

FriarWyer,

Thanks for the additional ideas that were used to change the channels on the 6200 using the AV/C commands. I can't tune a channel ending with the number 0. Do you have any thoughts on alternative commands? If I knew channel up and down codes, I could do a workaround. For now, a command for 190 yields channel 19.

Thanks again for your help on this, too. I am going to have to get a second Mac for the kids since a Mac has found a home in the "home theater" equipment cluster.

Originally posted by jsb_hburg
The scripts are not pretty but they work for my system, referring to changing the channel. They could use a slick interface.
A Web based interface would be really cool for this. I created a Web based remote (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=255238) for remote control and scheduling of my Tivo. I'm not sure if you could initiate the applescripts through a browser though.

I can't tune a channel ending with the number 0. Do you have any thoughts on alternative commands? If I knew channel up and down codes, I could do a workaround.

That indeed is a strange problem. Sounds like a potential bug in the 6200's firmware.

You can try:

Channel up (key release state) would be:

00487C3000

Channel down (key release state) would be:

00487C3100

Don't know what I did but I have audio now in VLC! Heh. Life on the bleeding edge eh? FWIW I popped over to the office to check out WinDVD and see if it would play my HBO file but it says invalid file format - as mentioned earlier I can't play it on the Mac either. I did rename the files from the .m2t format to .trp. The INHD file works fine - just like on the Mac as with all the non-premium movie channels.

I guess I'll touch base with my Mac contact at Comcast and see what he has to say. I've read that the Moto 620x on Comcast can record pay movie channels, so it must be something about the STB. Quote below from the Comcast Firewire Moto 620X thread: I haven't come across any obvious limitations when it comes to recording. I get all the premium HD channels here and they all come in over firewire and as is apparent from other people, play back without a hitch.

Originally posted by FriarWyer
That indeed is a strange problem. Sounds like a potential bug in the 6200's firmware.

You can try:

Channel up (key release state) would be:

00487C3000

Channel down (key release state) would be:

00487C3100

FriarWyer,

Thanks! It worked as advertised!

Originally posted by jsb_hburg
FriarWyer,

Thanks! It worked as advertised!
Joe so sending "00487C3000" changes the channel up 1 and "00487C3000" changes the channel down 1 on your Moto? It does nothing on my SA box and returns "Not Implemented". I assume you'll use this as a workaround to change to say 190 by first changing to 189 with command "00487C670400BDFFFF" and then sending "00487C3000" to go up 1 to 190.

Originally posted by rcliff
Joe so sending "00487C3000" changes the channel up 1 and "00487C3000" changes the channel down 1 on your Moto? It does nothing on my SA box and returns "Not Implemented". I assume you'll use this as a workaround to change to say 190 by first changing to 189 with command "00487C670400BDFFFF" and then sending "00487C3000" to go up 1 to 190.

Cliff,

I sent 00487C30000000FFFF to channel up one time and 00487C31000000FFFF to channel down one time. I think the SA implementation of FireWire is flawed for the moment.

I sent 00487C30000000FFFF to channel up one time and 00487C31000000FFFF to channel down one time. I think the SA implementation of FireWire is flawed for the moment.

The correct format of the command packet is only 487C3000, not 00487C30000000FFFF. The 0 after the 30 specifies how many additional operation_id specific bytes follow. For chan-up, and chan-down operation_ids, there are no additional operation_id specific bytes.

Originally posted by FriarWyer
The correct format of the command packet is only 487C3000, not 00487C30000000FFFF. The 0 after the 30 specifies how many additional operation_id specific bytes follow. For chan-up, and chan-down operation_ids, there are no additional operation_id specific bytes.

I used 00487C3000 and 00487C3100 and they work exactly as advertised! Thanks again! It's faster by a second. I was wrong about having to backfill the rest of the command with 0s and Fs. I saw errors without the leading 00.

While watching the 'Sox and 'Jays today I noticed that the video I capture with my G5 has MUCH more field of view than my TV in "Natural" mode which is what I have to use for HDTV. Does anyone know how I can adjust this on my TV?

Originally posted by Cooknn
While watching the 'Sox and 'Jays today I noticed that the video I capture with my G5 has MUCH more field of view than my TV in "Natural" mode which is what I have to use for HDTV. Look at all the picture I'm missing! http://www.ftmyers.com/yikes.jpg Apparently I'm not alone according to a post over at www.hdtvoice.com.

The area outside the lines is what my Mac captures over the Firewire and the area inside the lines is what I am seeing on my Toshiba TheaterwideHD. Does anyone know how I can adjust this on my TV?

This is overscan. On my DLP, I see the full picture over DVI since there is very little if any overscan. A calibrator or a very experienced service tech can adjust the overscan. Over component, it is about 5%. It can be dialed back so you can see the full picture as much as possible.

Originally posted by jsb_hburg
A calibrator or a very experienced service tech can adjust the overscan. Over component, it is about 5%. It can be dialed back so you can see the full picture as much as possible. Thanks for the heads up. I bought the extended on-site warranty with Best Buy so I'll try my luck at getting a tech over here to adjust it. Damn that's a lot of extra real estate :eek:

Originally posted by Cooknn
Thanks for the heads up. I bought the extended on-site warranty with Best Buy so I'll try my luck at getting a tech over here to adjust it. Damn that's a lot of extra real estate :eek: Good luck with best buy tech ;) I would be shocked if they do anything for you if your set is actually working. There is no way they will adjust the set for overscan based on a warranty claim if the set is operating within factory specs. You need an ISF calibrator to work on your RPTV and not only will you end up with less overscan but a properly calibrated display.

Originally posted by rcliff
Joe so sending "00487C3000" changes the channel up 1 and "00487C3000" changes the channel down 1 on your Moto? It does nothing on my SA box and returns "Not Implemented". I assume you'll use this as a workaround to change to say 190 by first changing to 189 with command "00487C670400BDFFFF" and then sending "00487C3000" to go up 1 to 190.

Here is the log for channel up...

=============== Sent AVC Command ===============
cType: Control
subUnit: 0x48
opCode: Unknown (0x7C)
FCP Command Frame:
00 48 7C 30 00

=============== Received AVC Response ===============
response: Accepted
subUnit: 0x48
opCode: Unknown (0x7C)
FCP Response Frame:
09 48 7C 30 00

Originally posted by jsb_hburg
Here is the log for channel up...

=============== Sent AVC Command ===============
cType: Control
subUnit: 0x48
opCode: Unknown (0x7C)
FCP Command Frame:
00 48 7C 30 00

=============== Received AVC Response ===============
response: Accepted
subUnit: 0x48
opCode: Unknown (0x7C)
FCP Response Frame:
09 48 7C 30 00

I get the identical log except I receive "response: Not Implemented". I get the same results on the SA box, the Sony Box, and Mits RPTV. It seems your Moto box has more AV/C control properly implemented.

Originally posted by rcliff
Good luck with best buy tech ;) I would be shocked if they do anything for you if your set is actually working. There is no way they will adjust the set for overscan based on a warranty claim if the set is operating within factory specs. You need an ISF calibrator to work on your RPTV and not only will you end up with less overscan but a properly calibrated display.
I want to add that you will never be able to completely eliminate overscan. The edges start to bow and warp at a certain point. And it's not necessarily desirable anyway since most things get filmed with overscan taken into account... and the overscan allows a 1.85:1 image to fill your screen without black bars.

Your target would be between 5% to 10% overscan. I'd call 5% very low, and 10% a bit high. You can do this yourself if you can get into the service menus, and have a disk that shows geometry patterns on your screen (Avia / Video Essentials).

-Pie

Originally posted by FriarWyer
I'm pretty sure I know what is going on here. It was recently reported to Apple's FireWire developer mailing list that using VirtualDVHS on a system with the older PCI-Lynx type FireWire link chip causes the system to kernel-panic. The G3 B&W system uses PCI-Lynx instead of the more modern OHCI that is in all recent systems.

This is due to how the FireWireMPEG.framework initializes the DCL program in the MPEG2Receiver object.

For now, I'd suggest that you install a OHCI FireWire card into one of the PCI slots in the system, and connect your STB or HDTV to that card instead.

VirtualDVHS will always detect and use a FireWire card in a PCI slot, instead of the built-in FireWire.

Additionally, I'll look to see if I can suggest a simple code change to the MPEG2Receiver.cpp that could work-around this known bug (now that root cause has been established).

This problem should be addressed in a future OS update.

Well I am almost ready to give up on this... I also installed Jaguar, the SDK and the Pre-Release Firewire Components and I still cant get this to work... the good news is on Jaguar the whole system don't crash just Virtual DVHS.

I also tried using the Belkin PCI Firewire card from my PC with both Jaguar & Panther and got the same results.

Originally posted by rcliff
dlan, please excuse the request for all of this but quite often this points to a simple solution that may have been overlooked. I don't see a glaring problem with your config and it should work as far as I can tell yet I don't know of anyone else that has done this specifically with a B&W G3. I may be able to get a hold of a B&W G3 to test on Monday.

Cliff,
Is there any chance you will be able to test this on a B&W anytime this week?

Originally posted by Cooknn
While watching the 'Sox and 'Jays today I noticed that the video I capture with my G5 has MUCH more field of view than my TV in "Natural" mode which is what I have to use for HDTV. Look at all the picture I'm missing! http://www.ftmyers.com/yikes.jpg Apparently I'm not alone according to a post over at www.hdtvoice.com.

Sorry to hear about your overscan problem. I have asked, how did make the .jpg ? It looks great ! I am new to Macs and I assume it is very easy but would appreciate knowing.

Originally posted by Killroy
...

I would also recommend the first generation iMac and I have seen them for less than $400 around town. The first generations were a bit easier to upgrade the hard drive but nothing else. And if you add a multi-bay firewire enclosure, you will have a pretty inexpensive system.

As for the early iMacs, make sure it has FireWire. It should have a DV designation. My first "iMac" did not have FireWire. A cheap, used eMac would be a good recording set up. An outboard MPEG2-TS decoder with FireWire would be needed for playback, however.

Yeah, well, when I first saw this thread (actually, the first AV/C Mac thread), I was REALLY excited because I figured that a G4 cube would be PERFECT for this for us. Our t165 is in the bedroom, so a fanless (headless) small box would be ideal, and I figured since the last selling price of a new cube was under $1k, they'd HAVE to have come down a lot in price. Right? Yeah, go look at eBay. :(

Refurbished ones sell for more than the $999 price I thought about buying one for a few years ago.

With that said, I'm pretty enthused about the result of my first real test recording to my TiBook. Playback is fine (from a 720p signal - Alias last night) on the t165 and on my 1Ghz TiBook in VLC, if I mess with interlacing and use "discard". A clip from the Patriot looked great too. I'm such a fan of this. Thanks for the help. My only issue is that I couldn't get my external 2.5" bus powered FW drive into the mix with the single FW bus.

I'm sure I'd pay $99 or perhaps more for a software PVR product based on this. Someone's GOT to be working on this somewhere.

Originally posted by bakerzdosen
I was REALLY excited because I figured that a G4 cube would be PERFECT for this for us. Our t165 is in the bedroom, so a fanless (headless) small box would be ideal, and I figured since the last selling price of a new cube was under $1k, they'd HAVE to have come down a lot in price. Right? Yeah, go look at eBay. :(

Refurbished ones sell for more than the $999 price I thought about buying one for a few years ago.
The cube has become somewhat of a collectors item. It was a great little box but was only built for less than 1 year before it was axed.

Originally posted by dlan
Cliff, is there any chance you will be able to test this on a B&W anytime this week? Looks like the B/W I had in mind is in use with OS9. The fact that Killroy seems to have had the same problem as you is not very encouraging. It may be worth reporting this to Apple as the B/W is still officially supported under Panther and should not be generating Kernel panics with the new AV/C firewire components. I also would have thought a PCI firewire card would have resolved this.

Did you try the standard Mac troubleshooting? Zap Pram, reset CUDA, PMU, etc? What kind of firewire card are you using?

Originally posted by dozens
Sorry to hear about your overscan problem. I have asked, how did make the .jpg ? It looks great ! I am new to Macs and I assume it is very easy but would appreciate knowing.

While playing the file fullscreen on VLC, press Apple-Shift-3 to create a screenshot PDF. You can then export to a JPG file using Preview.

Originally posted by rcliff
Looks like the B/W I had in mind is in use with OS9. The fact that Killroy seems to have had the same problem as you is not very encouraging. It may be worth reporting this to Apple as the B/W is still officially supported under Panther and should not be generating Kernel panics with the new AV/C firewire components. I also would have thought a PCI firewire card would have resolved this.

Did you try the standard Mac troubleshooting? Zap Pram, reset CUDA, PMU, etc? What kind of firewire card are you using?

I don't even know what these tools are.
I am using this Belkin Firewire card (http://catalog.belkin.com/IWCatProductPage.process?Merchant_Id=&Product_Id=149022)

Originally posted by dlan
I don't even know what these tools are.
I am using this Belkin Firewire card (http://catalog.belkin.com/IWCatProductPage.process?Merchant_Id=&Product_Id=149022)
To zap pram turn off your Mac and then restart holding the 4 keys "command(apple)-option-P-R" all simultaneously and hold until the machines chimes 3 times. A few seconds between each.

To reset the logic board, turn off the machine, fold open the case and look for a small black button about 1/8" in diameter within a silver square hosing about 1/4" square. On the B/W I think it's near the DIMM slots IIRC. Push this once and then restart. You'll have to reset the clock afterward.

I aslo looked at your link to the firewire card and don't see any mention of OHCI compliance. You might want to consider trying another card if the above doesn't work.

Thanks cliff... I will get another firewire card and try it out just in case.

I went into service mode tonight after letting the TV warm up for an hour. Headed over to INHD since that was the station that I tested with yesterday. There was very little overscan in service mode. Minor adjustments got it perfect. I even took another screenshot from my Mac and compared to the output on the TV. No difference. The issue yesterday either had something to do with the transmission of the baseball game to INHD or possibly there is a big difference between 720p and 1080i. I'll have to look at that when there's another game on. Would be interesting to see if there is a difference between a basketball game and a baseball game...

Originally posted by EatingPie
I want to add that you will never be able to completely eliminate overscan. The edges start to bow and warp at a certain point. And it's not necessarily desirable anyway since most things get filmed with overscan taken into account... and the overscan allows a 1.85:1 image to fill your screen without black bars.

Your target would be between 5% to 10% overscan. I'd call 5% very low, and 10% a bit high. You can do this yourself if you can get into the service menus, and have a disk that shows geometry patterns on your screen (Avia / Video Essentials).

-Pie

Originally posted by Cooknn
I went into service mode tonight after letting the TV warm up for an hour. Headed over to INHD since that was the station that I tested with yesterday. There was very little overscan in service mode. Minor adjustments got it perfect. I even took another screenshot from my Mac and compared to the output on the TV. No difference. The issue yesterday either had something to do with the transmission of the baseball game to INHD or possibly there is a big difference between 720p and 1080i. I'll have to look at that when there's another game on. Would be interesting to see if there is a difference between a basketball game and a baseball game... Yea, that's it, it must have been the baseball ;) Did anyone check the pitcher?

Hello,

Here is a zip file for a very simple interface for the Motorola 6200 only.

http://mac_hdtv_timer.home.comcast.net/MacTimeShifterX.zip repaired link

It has the various record and stop scripts controlled by buttons. All the scripts still need to be saved to the script library as before to support iCal integration. Hopefully, a better interface will surface.

http://mac_hdtv_timer.home.comcast.net/interface.jpg

Originally posted by rcliff
Yea, that's it, it must have been the baseball ;) Did anyone check the pitcher? Haha! I was referring to the broadcast :p

Originally posted by Cooknn
I went into service mode tonight after letting the TV warm up for an hour. Headed over to INHD since that was the station that I tested with yesterday. There was very little overscan in service mode. Minor adjustments got it perfect. I even took another screenshot from my Mac and compared to the output on the TV. No difference. The issue yesterday either had something to do with the transmission of the baseball game to INHD or possibly there is a big difference between 720p and 1080i. I'll have to look at that when there's another game on. Would be interesting to see if there is a difference between a basketball game and a baseball game...
D'oh, didn't realize it was a 720p on a 1080i TV! That's a non-integral conversion, so the algorithm probably uses some fudge to get a better image. That's probably the issue. See if you can compare a 1080i image, like the Tonight Show or HBO... those both go out at 1080i.

But it sounds like you're good from your check in the service menus, and that's the most important.

-Pie

Originally posted by FriarWyer
The timecode generation in VirtualDVHS is somewhat of a hack. The calculation of the current timecode is based on the position in the file, and the current instanteous bit-rate. For streams that have a highly variable bit-rate, it is not very accurate, especially the farther you go into the file.

Any other suggestions for a better algorithm? For sequential playback, I could just count frames (pass the stream through a demuxer and look for mpeg pichdrs), but I wanted a scheme that can handle time-code calculations in a random access method as well.
Didn't see your post, and went into the source myself... was going to post the exact same question!! I actually slapped my head when I realized the algorithm used the (HIGHLY) variable bitrate as a constant in the calculation!

I hacked the MPEGtransmitter class to allow access to the currentMPEGTime field, but this didn't work either... though I know just about nothing about MPEG streams and have no real idea what this variable holds.

Is there a time embedded in the packet? Is there a good overview of the .ts packet format? And lastly... Friar are you the guy who created the customized VirtualDVHS app?

-Pie

Didn't see your post, and went into the source myself... was going to post the exact same question!! I actually slapped my head when I realized the algorithm used the (HIGHLY) variable bitrate as a constant in the calculation!

I hacked the MPEGtransmitter class to allow access to the currentMPEGTime field, but this didn't work either... though I know just about nothing about MPEG streams and have no real idea what this variable holds.

Is there a time embedded in the packet? Is there a good overview of the .ts packet format? And lastly... Friar are you the guy who created the customized VirtualDVHS app?



Regarding the currentMPEGTime variable in the MPE2Transmitter, it doesn't have any relationship to the concept of file relative time-code. It's used by the transmitter's stream-bit-rate follower code to determine when to send ts packets over FireWire (and when not to), as well as for generating the soure-packet-header that's prepended to every ts packet in the FireWire stream.

Regarding a good overview of the ts packet format, it's called IEC 13818-1.

Regarding time-code embedded in the stream, even if there is a time-code in the packets (which there can be at the mpeg video es level), I wouldn't use it, because it has no bearing on the time-code relative to the file position, which is the useful parameter for a program like this.

I think a good solution is to create a secondary file during the recording of a stream, to save frame start locations, such as filename.nav, or filename.pos, to go along with the stream file, filename.m2t.

As ts packets are saved to the .m2t file, feed them to a ts reader/demuxer, that can detect frame starts. Record some information such as frame-start ts packet position in the stream (in bytes (save 64bits per frame), or in ts packets ( save 32bits per frame). Possibly, save picture type (I,P,B), and some other info for each frame that could help in trick modes playback as well.

For playback, try to open both the stream file, and the navigation file (if it exists). If the navigation file doesn't exist, revert to today's sloppy time-code method, But, if the navigation file does exist it then becomes a way to determine exact time-code based on current playback position, as well as it allows for random navigation within the file.

This feature should be enabled/disabled through a button on the preference pane, so that people running on slower systems, (you know who you are), wouldn't incur the extra CPU overhead required to pull this scheme off.

And lastly.. No, I'm not the guy who created the customized VirtualDVHS app.

Hey Guys,

Has anyone had any problems recording HD content, on JVC 40K, recorded from Moto 6200 on Mac using VirtualDVHS? When I stream it to my 40K it starts to play on the tv but soon has both audio and video errors (glitches). When I use VirtualDVHS the timecode jumps all over the place. I have tried using dvhscap no difference. Any ideas? I am at a loss and I just got the 40k so I'm not all that familiar with it but I have tried everything I can think of.

TIA
Dboy

Originally posted by bakerzdosen
I'm sure I'd pay $99 or perhaps more for a software PVR product based on this. Someone's GOT to be working on this somewhere. I hear you there! How cool would it be to have a GemStar TVGuide interface to select your programs from.

Has anyone had any problems recording HD content, on JVC 40K, recorded from Moto 6200 on Mac using VirtualDVHS?

You might need to make the following change to the sourcecode in VirutalDVHS:

In the file: AVCTapeTgt.mm,

Replace this old code:

case kAVCTapeTapePlaybackFormatOpcode:
case kAVCTapeTapeRecordingFormatOpcode:
pRspFrame[kAVCOperand0] = 0x08;
pRspFrame[kAVCOperand1] = 0x00;
pRspFrame[kAVCOperand2] = 0x00;
pRspFrame[kAVCOperand3] = 0x00;
pRspFrame[kAVCOperand4] = 0x00;
pRspFrame[kAVCOperand5] = 0x00;
pRspFrame[kAVCOperand6] = 0x00;
pRspFrame[kAVCOperand7] = 0x00;
pRspFrame[kAVCOperand8] = 0x00;
break;

with this new code:

case kAVCTapeTapePlaybackFormatOpcode:
case kAVCTapeTapeRecordingFormatOpcode:
pRspFrame[kAVCOperand0] = 0x08;
pRspFrame[kAVCOperand1] = 0x00;
pRspFrame[kAVCOperand2] = 0x00;
pRspFrame[kAVCOperand3] = 0x00;
pRspFrame[kAVCOperand4] = 0x01; // 1 for HS mode!
pRspFrame[kAVCOperand5] = 0x00;
pRspFrame[kAVCOperand6] = 0x00;
pRspFrame[kAVCOperand7] = 0x00;
pRspFrame[kAVCOperand8] = 0x00;
break;

Without this change, the 40K will not configure itself for HS mode, and cannot record the higher bitrate.

Originally posted by FriarWyer
I'm not the guy who created the customized VirtualDVHS app.
LOL! Those that don't get it can read between the lines here but it seemed pretty obvious to begin with. Great job on this BTW. I'm just hoping you're not finished! I know, you can't comment on unannounced of future product blah blah blah...Steve would have my head...blah blah blah

Keep up the great work FriarWyer :D

I fire up my G5 and pull up Apple's new iMovie Store. I browse movies, sporting events and documentaries by genre, then select my choice, in Hi-Def of course! My Mac pumps the content to my TV over the Firewire - I sit back and enjoy the show

Originally posted by Cooknn
Keep up the great work FriarWyer :D

I fire up my G5 and pull up Apple's new iMovie Store. I browse movies, sporting events and documentaries by genre, then select my choice, in Hi-Def of course! My Mac pumps the content to my TV over the Firewire - I sit back and enjoy the show


I really appreciate it and I hope it evolves.

As for a Hi-def online store, the filesizes are so large for a two hour movie (MPEG2-TS) that your broadband service would be suspended for exceeding bandwidth caps after legally downloading the first one.

There is a new eMac out for $999 with a 8x DVD-R SuperDrive. and G4/1.25 and Radeon 9200. I would be curious if this machine could playback an HDTV stream using VLC. It should easily handle SDTV.

dr1394 was able to pinpoint a problem with the data stream out of my SA3250HD, the CCI is set to copy freely, while the EPN is set to 0, which means 5C encryption enabled. This is illegal, when CCI is copy freely you EPN has to be set to 1. You might want the data stream you save to your hard drives to make this change, so future devices don't reject the data.

I just received this from my tech contact at Comcast's headend here in Fort Myers, FL. Along with the document below I also got this: I don't know about the Motorola converters , but I do know that when we enabled the firewire (IEEE1394) output we had to enable copy protection for the Premium services. That is a requirement. It has been noted that there are many issues with recording and also some the advanced services, ie. IPG, VOD and other services that will not work on the "1394"Guess I won't be recording HBO, Showtime, etc :(

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Explorer 3250HD and 1394 Functionality FAQ

The purpose of this document is to outline what type of behavior you can expect to see when using the 1394 output on the Explorer 3250HD set top box with HD televisions and digital recording devices such as DVCR’s. IEEE-1394 is a serial interface that allows for the transfer of data between 1394 equipped devices at high speeds (up to 400Mb/s). The 1394 interface is commonly used to transfer video between camcorders and computers although any digital data may be sent over 1394.

Names or key words that may be used to identify 1394 ports or capability:

• 1394
• IEEE-1394 (Full technical name)
• Firewire (Apple trademark and widely used term)
• i.LINK (Sony trademark and used on Sony products)
• DTV-Link (found on various products)
• Lynx (Texas Instruments trademark but not commonly used)

All of these terms generally refer to the same 1394 port.

Overview of the 1394 output on the Explorer 3250HD set top box, what can I do with it?

• The 1394 digital output is capable of streaming of digital audio and video to an HDTV or digital recording device.

• A recording device such as a D-VHS recorder may be connected to an HD set-top via 1394 to permit recording including recording of digital content, however the recorder is required to honor copy protection when present so certain content (ie: VOD) will not be recordable.

• A 1394 equipped television set or display monitor connected to a 1394 equipped set-top will display digital channels as tuned by the set-top, however the ability to view the Comcast Interactive Program Guide, third party applications, or the ability to order pay-per-view through the set top ordering menu is not provided through this connection.

• 5C copy protection of content is preserved on the 1394 port. Authentication and CCI used to control viewing and recording of content.

Overview of the 1394 output on the Explorer 3250HD set top box, what can’t I do with it?

• Currently, SA set top boxes do not support the display of analog channels through the 1394 connection.

• Currently, the SA set top boxes do not support any on screen graphics through the 1394 output. In order to view on screen graphics such as IPG, Navigation Bar, or VOD ordering menus, you must use one of the other set top outputs.

• Set top volume control and mute functionality, the volume control cannot be changed from the set tops box, it can only be adjusted directly on the television display.

• Stretch and Zoom functionality. There is no way to use the Stretch or Zoom capabilities of the Explorer 3250HD set top while using the 1394 output. These functions should work however if you control directly from the HDTV itself.

Known issues using the Explorer 3250HD with the 1394 output

• Concurrent VOD does not stream video or audio on 1394 output. If you order a VOD movie using one of your non-1394 outputs, then switch to 1394, there is no audio or video present. Issue has been reported to both SA and Concurrent. There is going to be a Concurrent hot fix being implemented in the next week that resolves this issue.

• On certain model televisions, closed captioning may not work over the 1394 output. Issue has been reported to SA.

• If the customer HDTV set does not support “Analog switching for EAS” functionality, the 1394 port will automatically go dark and will not operate. Most earlier model HDTV’s do not support this functionality. Customer still can connect to a recording device such as a D-VHS recorder. Customer education issue.

• If user turns on set top when 1394 is connected to an HDTV, the user will get a black screen if set top comes up on analog channel. Most set tops are configured by default to power on to an analog channel. User can go in and change the default setting to power on to a digital channel. Customer education issue.

Originally posted by jsb_hburg
Hello,

Here is a zip file for a very simple interface for the Motorola 6200 only.

http://mac_hdtv_timer.home.comcast.net/mactimeshifterM.zip

It has the various record and stop scripts controlled by buttons. All the scripts still need to be saved to the script library as before to support iCal integration. Hopefully, a better interface will surface.

http://mac_hdtv_timer.home.comcast.net/interface.jpg

The link is not working. I plan to try out your gui tonight when I get home. In the mean time what does it do exactly ? Is it just a frontend to ical setup with alarms calling the recording scripts ?

Follow up to my post above - if DVR's can record premium movie channels like HBO, why the heck would they copy protect them over the 1394? Doesn't make sense to me unless they are paranoid about people burning DVD's and distributing them. Looks like we have some issues to work out in the near future...

Originally posted by Cooknn
I fire up my G5 and pull up Apple's new iMovie Store. I browse movies, sporting events and documentaries by genre, then select my choice, in Hi-Def of course! My Mac pumps the content to my TV over the Firewire - I sit back and enjoy the show Other than a slick iMovie like interface you can do this right now with VOD on cable and with the Mac you can even record it. Each companies HD VOD selection will vary and may leave something to be desired.

Originally posted by Cooknn
Follow up to my post above - if DVR's can record premium movie channels like HBO, why the heck would they copy protect them over the 1394? Doesn't make sense to me unless they are paranoid about people burning DVD's and distributing them. Looks like we have some issues to work out in the near future...
Unless a stream is designated "copy freely", I think you can count on it not being available in the clear over 1394. Being recordable on a DVR for time shifting doesn't mean you "really" have a recording of a program. That local copy is probably encrypted to limit your ability to save it to an archive and they may even limit your ability to keep a copy in your DVR to what they deem to be a reasonable time period (two weeks, a month?).

Originally posted by dozens
The link is not working. I plan to try out your gui tonight when I get home. In the mean time what does it do exactly ? Is it just a frontend to ical setup with alarms calling the recording scripts ?


Hmmm...

Try this link (http://mac_hdtv_timer.home.comcast.net/MacTimeShifterX.zip)

It's a simple front-end for the scripts. You still need the scripts in scripts library for iCal integration, using them as before. I will try to add the channel changing scripts in the next go-round. What is on the front-end is what I know that works. I threw it together in about couple of hours last night.

Originally posted by rcliff
Other than a slick iMovie like interface you can do this right now with VOD on cable and with the Mac you can even record it. Each companies HD VOD selection will vary and may leave something to be desired. I guess based on my feedback from Comcast that won't be happening with them over Firewire - at least not on the SA3250. Anyways I've heard that HD-VOD is pretty pricey. $6.00 a pop in some cases. Too much for me. I'll go to the movies if I have to pay that much.

Originally posted by SBryan
Unless a stream is designated "copy freely", I think you can count on it not being available in the clear over 1394. Being recordable on a DVR for time shifting doesn't mean you "really" have a recording of a program. That local copy is probably encrypted to limit your ability to save it to an archive and they may even limit your ability to keep a copy in your DVR to what they deem to be a reasonable time period (two weeks, a month?).Thanks for the info. Here's to hoping Apple can work something out to make this happen and do battle with the HD DVR's that are on the horizon. This would be a perfect fit for them IMHO. There's a good article about it here http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1558,1543266,00.asp

Joe, the scripts seem to work fine on my SA4200HD. Thank You! :) I'm keeping my fingers crossed that nothing glitches for the 4PM showing of Star Wars AOTC.

Originally posted by rcliff
Joe, the scripts seem to work fine on my SA4200HD. Thank You! :) I'm keeping my fingers crossed that nothing glitches for the 4PM showing of Star Wars AOTC. Cliff - who's your cable provider?

Cablevision. If you get HBO, Star Wars AOTC is on the Eastern HBO HD channel.

Thanks. But isn't it funny that Comcast says they are required to enable copy protection on those channels but Cablevision doesn't? Even more confusing is that Comcast customers with Moto's can still record premium channels - or possibly the copy protection is being implemented regionally. Whatever :rolleyes:

Well, I'm done talking to them about it. I'm just gonna dig my new HD recorder (VirtualDVHS) and catch a lot of INHD, INHD2, and ESPNHD when I can't be home to watch. Much better than it was last week! I'm glad I found this forum - and this thread. It's cool to hang with Mac dudes that are into Home Theater as well :p

Originally posted by FriarWyer
[B]Regarding the currentMPEGTime variable in the MPE2Transmitter, it doesn't have any relationship to the concept of file relative time-code. It's used by the transmitter's stream-bit-rate follower code to determine when to send ts packets over FireWire (and when not to), as well as for generating the soure-packet-header that's prepended to every ts packet in the FireWire stream.
...

Nice overview, thanks.

I've been looking through the VLC code since they display a time code on the player... but that's a big program, and I'm still an mpeg newbie.

Originally posted by FriarWyer
[B]And lastly.. No, I'm not the guy who created the customized VirtualDVHS app.
Wasn't meaning to dis your code, btw... Beta software is beta software, and that's exactly the kinda bug I'd expect in beta. We all are happily using this program for recording, so you've done us a great service. Thanks!

-Pie

Originally posted by Cooknn
• If the customer HDTV set does not support “Analog switching for EAS” functionality, the 1394 port will automatically go dark and will not operate. Most earlier model HDTV’s do not support this functionality. Customer still can connect to a recording device such as a D-VHS recorder. Customer education issue.

This one sorta pisses me off.

"Earlier Model" HDTVs?? I have a 2003 Mitsubishi 73711, which was updated in OCTOBER of 2003! It may be a bug on Mitsubishi's behalf... but it may also be something that SA can work around since MOST Mitsubishi HDTVS -- probably the most popular HD line with 1394 -- will not work!

Okay, I may be jumping the gun since this may not be my issue with the 3250... but still. Technology.... Sheesh.

-Pie

[EDITED to bring back into linear time!]

This pisses me of too! "Customer education issue"??? WTF! That's total BS. How about provider education issue or vendor education issue some that they build their products so they inter-operate with others. Mits is the standard in firewire enabled TV's. Their arrogance is outrageous.

Originally posted by EatingPie
... I have a 2003 Mitsubishi 73711, which was updated in OCTOBER of 2004! ... Technology.... Sheesh. ...
Talk about technology, I want some of that time travel stuff you've accidentally exposed! Sorry, I couldn't resist having fun with the October of 2004 comment.

...Customer education issue.
Hehe. You think maybe they didn't expect that doc' to end up in the public domain? :p

Actually, SA is working on the Mits muting issue and it should be resolved soon based on what I was told. :)

Question about Timeshifting: I haven't tested this yet. I set an iCal event to record the Detroit/Nashville hockey game on ESPNHD tonight at 7:30EST. I'll be home around 9:00. If I start watching the game from my Mac will I be able to see what has been recorded since I started watching? I suppose I may catch up if I fast forward past the intermission(s) :)

Also: When I try to play a data stream from within VirtualDVHS it doesn't kick off VLC automically. Have I missed a step?

Originally posted by Cooknn
Question about Timeshifting: I haven't tested this yet. I set an iCal event to record the Detroit/Nashville hockey game on ESPNHD tonight at 7:30EST. I'll be home around 9:00. If I start watching the game from my Mac will I be able to see what has been recorded since I started watching? I suppose I may catch up if I fast forward past the intermission(s) :)
You have to wait for the recording to finish before you can begin playback. This is not like a Tivo.
Also: When I try to play a data stream from within VirtualDVHS it doesn't kick off VLC automically. Have I missed a step?
Virtual DVHS playback is only to firewire devices. Playback through VLC is a separate process.

Theoretically you should be able to watch and record with the right setup and a fast enough Mac. Have one receiver/tuner feeding the recorded stream on one firewire cable, launch a second instance of VirtualDHVS and playback the file over a second firewire cable thru a second tuner (or Mits TV-w/firewire input). The only tricky bits might be selecting the second firewire target device, cpu thru-put, and bus arbitration/disk access, but the bandwidth is there for this on the faster ATA and SATA drives.

Originally posted by uzun
dr1394 was able to pinpoint a problem with the data stream out of my SA3250HD, the CCI is set to copy freely, while the EPN is set to 0, which means 5C encryption enabled. This is illegal, when CCI is copy freely you EPN has to be set to 1. You might want the data stream you save to your hard drives to make this change, so future devices don't reject the data.
Just tested this setup on my end with TWC, and it totally horked me!

The Mac will record this stream, but when I try to play it back, I get "Invalid Firewire Header" errors from the Transmitter class. Is there a reason this would happen on the Mac? And a way to fix it...???

The 30K also went into downsample mode, so I asked the TWC guy to revert back to the old settings so I could at least record Star Wars from 4-6pm. (I will give more details, and the exact message, after Star Wars!)

-Pie

Originally posted by EatingPie
Just tested this setup on my end with TWC, and it totally horked me!

The Mac will record this stream, but when I try to play it back, I get "Invalid Firewire Header" errors from the Transmitter class. Is there a reason this would happen on the Mac? And a way to fix it...???

The 30K also went into downsample mode, so I asked the TWC guy to revert back to the old settings so I could at least record Star Wars from 4-6pm. (I will give more details, and the exact message, after Star Wars!)

-Pie

Did you try playing the stream with VLC?

Originally posted by rcliff
Joe, the scripts seem to work fine on my SA4200HD. Thank You! :) I'm keeping my fingers crossed that nothing glitches for the 4PM showing of Star Wars AOTC.
I'm SOL! No Star Wars for me. The script didn't work. I have no idea why because I did a test both before and after to verify and all worked as it should. Both AVCBrowser and VirtualDVHS were launched but recording did not start. I'll have to test further to try and isolate. I don't fell so bad because I also found my wife set the box to the wrong channel so I would have had nothing anyway.

EDIT: It looks like I'll get another chance on the 18th :)

I updated the MacTimeShifter application for the Moto 6200 and here are links to some screenshots.

http://mac_hdtv_timer.home.comcast.net/MTS1.pdf

http://mac_hdtv_timer.home.comcast.net/MTS2.pdf

http://mac_hdtv_timer.home.comcast.net/MacTimeShifterX.zip
The preset channels work in Comcast areas with a similar channel lineup

Have to click on Enable Tune to Channels, once only during session, to tune a channel from the dropdown menu. Still need to use scripts as before for iCal integration. This is a very simple interface. Okay, simplistic.

If anyone has the same channel lineup, please let me know how channel tuning works for you.?

Originally posted by rcliff
I'm SOL! No Star Wars for me. The script didn't work. I have no idea why because I did a test both before and after to verify and all worked as it should. Both AVCBrowser and VirtualDVHS were launched but recording did not start. I'll have to test further to try and isolate. I don't fell so bad because I also found my wife set the box to the wrong channel so I would have had nothing anyway.

EDIT: It looks like I'll get another chance on the 18th :)

One thing that comes to mind, though the display may sleep, don't let the computer go to sleep. This impacts iCal's ability to launch file alarms.

Originally posted by jsb_hburg
One thing that comes to mind, though the display may sleep, don't let the computer go to sleep. This impacts iCal's ability to launch file alarms.
Energy saver is on "never". I do have the screen saver set to "Computer Name". It uses very little CPU cycles but perhaps this affected it.

Originally posted by rcliff
You have to wait for the recording to finish before you can begin playback. This is not like a Tivo.You Don't - I'm mean, It Is! Hehe :eek: I just tested! I forgot to turn off energy saver and I didn't get the beginning of the hockey game so I did this experiment instead. Try it yourself. I kicked off a recording session in VirtualDVHS then navigated to the folder that contains my .m2t files and double clicked the file that was just created 30 seconds ago. I watched 5 minutes of hockey streaming to that file and displayed through VLC all the while my TV was displaying the same thing - 30 seconds further into the game! That's timeshifting baby :p

I stand corrected. I had assumed the file was not accessible since it was still being written to and even if you could read it, it may have caused write permission problems on the recording side. Did you check to see if the recording had any glitches during the time that you were also playing back with VLC? VLC uses heavy CPU cycles so it may have affected the recording during the time you were also running VLC.

Originally posted by Cooknn
You Don't - I'm mean, It Is! Hehe :eek: I just tested! I forgot to turn off energy saver and I didn't get the beginning of the hockey game so I did this experiment instead. Try it yourself. I kicked off a recording session in VirtualDVHS then navigated to the folder that contains my .m2t files and double clicked the file that was just created 30 seconds ago. I watched 5 minutes of hockey streaming to that file and displayed through VLC all the while my TV was displaying the same thing - 30 seconds further into the game! That's timeshifting baby :p

My closest example is recording a movie because my wife had to run an errand. She returned about a half-hour into the movie. While recording, I networked the same file to the PC with the MyHD card. I have done closer, but the playback sometimes ends because the sectors being written and read got too close.

Originally posted by jsb_hburg
Did you try playing the stream with VLC?
Yes, it failed to play.

The error I get from VirtualDVHS is...

MPEG2Transmitter Error: Invalid TS Packet Header!

Maybe I should have Doc1394 take a look at this stream.

-Pie

Originally posted by EatingPie
Yes, it failed to play.

The error I get from VirtualDVHS is...

MPEG2Transmitter Error: Invalid TS Packet Header!

Maybe I should have Doc1394 take a look at this stream.

-Pie
I believe FriarWyer indicated this was an underrun error in the AV/C thread. I think a faster hard drive solved this for Joe. I would try defragmenting your drive first.

Originally posted by rcliff
I believe FriarWyer indicated this was an underrun error in the AV/C thread. I think a faster hard drive solved this for Joe. I would try defragmenting your drive first.

I played some files from a channel that glitches thru my MIT MDR-200 which VirtualDVHS reported these errors as overrun errors. These files were recorded on the slower internal drive. An analysis of the file reported a lot of continuity errors. This had nothing to do with CP.

Joe, do you think it may have been due to fragmentation? Was this a clean drive or your used boot drive on that machine?

MPEG2Transmitter Error: Invalid TS Packet Header!


This error means that the 188-byte ts packet it just read out of the file didn't start with a 0x47 byte-value, which all MPEG2-ts packets must do. Somehow the .m2t file is corrupted, or at least, it has some corrupted packets.

Originally posted by rcliff
Joe, do you think it may have been due to fragmentation? Was this a clean drive or your used boot drive on that machine?

Cliff,

The files were captured from Cinemax which has been exhibiting glitching on my cable system.

Originally posted by rcliff Did you check to see if the recording had any glitches during the time that you were also playing back with VLC? VLC uses heavy CPU cycles so it may have affected the recording during the time you were also running VLC. No visible glitches during playback while recording. As mentioned previously I've got a G5 Dual 2GHz/1GB DDR SDRAM under the hood to handle the CPU cycles. Does a fine job :p

Originally posted by EatingPie
Yes, it failed to play.

The error I get from VirtualDVHS is...
MPEG2Transmitter Error: Invalid TS Packet Header!
Maybe I should have Doc1394 take a look at this stream.

-Pie Pie - I just read this post from the Doc' over on the Copy Protection thread. Looks like I'm not alone with 5C on my premium channels...
Originally posted by dr1394 (Copy Protection Schemes Thread)
I'd expect that eventually, you'll see 5C on all cable systems. I'm afraid
that the days of being able to record premium and PPV cable channels on
Macs and PC's (and PPV on D-VHS) is numbered.

Actually, it's already ended on this cable system. Uzun had them switch
their premium channels to "Copy Once" so that his JVC 40K D-VHS deck
would work. However, this now prevents another member "EatingPie" from
recording premium channels on his Mac (in fact, he sent me a stream for
analysis that he had captured after the change to "Copy Once", but as
expected, it was 5C scrambled and therefore useless).
[EDIT]
Over on the SA3250 thread Diana from TW posted the MOU requirements for copy protection and it states that Premium and Expanded Basic channels are supposed to be set to Copy Once.

Sounds like maybe I need to reopen the discussion with Comcast...

First of all, This is an amazing thread. I have been considering an HTPC for awhile but have been a Mac convert since OSX (BSD Unix).

I'm going to upgrade my Moto 5100 to 6100 so I can get the Firewire port to the Mac and use all of the great scripts in this thread.

My problem is going to be playback since my plasma has no firewire. What are my options for getting content from Mac to TV? I don't believe the VLC is an option b/c my G4 867 cannot handle playback. I saw one post on the Roku.

Concurrently I'm planning on upgrading my DVD player w/ a DVI connection. The new Momitsu V880N player supports 100Base T Ethernet so I'm thinking I should be able to have the V880N connect to my Mac and stream(?) the VOB?

Keep up the good work guys. This is promising for all of us who have seen the Apple light.

Originally posted by Cooknn
[EDIT]
Over on the SA3250 thread Diana from TW posted the MOU requirements for copy protection and it states that Premium and Expanded Basic channels are supposed to be set to Copy Once.

Sounds like maybe I need to reopen the discussion with Comcast...
That's bad news! If indeed the premium channels are using 5C copy once protection, the mac won't be able to record them.

This is bad news indeed!
Originally posted by DianaTWCSC
On September 10, 2003, the FCC unanimously adopted rules implementing the December 2002 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) agreement between major cable operators and major consumer electronics companies. These FCC rules are known colloquially as the "Plug and Play Order".

The MOU contains a requirement to:

Establish copy control settings for high value digital content to prevent unauthorized copying via 1394 devices. The general copy control information that will be set for various types of programming is:

VOD/SVOD - Copy Never
PPV - Copy Never
Premium and Expanded Basic - Copy Once
Over-the -Air, unencrypted content - Copy Freely
__________________
Diana Smith
Director of Marketing for Video Services
Time Warner Cable South Carolina

My current understanding is that if your cable provider opt's to begin using the copy control settings as mine has, even Copy Once will encrypt the data, blocking Mac's (and PC's) from recording. I'm not sure how your DVHS players will fit into this equation though.

I'm not too bad off though. Here's what I can currently record -

All Digital Non-Premium Channels including:
ESPNHD
INHD
INHD2
StarzHD (Shhhh ;) )
NBCHD
ABCHD
PBSHD

Not bad, but I'm not sure I'm gonna drop the $149 for the VGA to Component adapter. I may just save my money and wait for the HD DVR's that are on the horizon.

Originally posted by Cooknn
No visible glitches during playback while recording. As mentioned previously I've got a G5 Dual 2GHz/1GB DDR SDRAM under the hood to handle the CPU cycles. Does a fine job :p

Pie - I just read this post from the Doc' over on the Copy Protection thread. Looks like I'm not alone with 5C on my premium channels...

[EDIT]
Over on the SA3250 thread Diana from TW posted the MOU requirements for copy protection and it states that Premium and Expanded Basic channels are supposed to be set to Copy Once.

Sounds like maybe I need to reopen the discussion with Comcast...


There is no requirement that premium and expanded basic have 5C descriptors set to copy once. That is, however, the most restrictive level of copy protection allowed for this level of programming under the FCC rules. If the programmers wanted the descriptor to be copy freely then that can be their prerogative as well. OTA must be no restrictive than copy freely. PPV can be copy never.

Originally posted by Cooknn
I'm not sure how your DVHS players will fit into this equation though.
DVHS players should be 5C aware and handle the copy once to tape once. I know the JVC 40k is not actually working that way with the SA boxes.

Originally posted by jsb_hburg
There is no requirement that premium and expanded basic have 5C descriptors set to copy once. That is, however, the most restrictive level of copy protection allowed for this level of programming under the FCC rules. If the programmers wanted the descriptor to be copy freely then that can be their prerogative as well. OTA must be no restrictive than copy freely. PPV can be copy never. My guess is that it will be a while until this all gets ironed out and copy protection will continue to vary greatly between providers and among equipment with the same provider. Hopefully older legacy boxes will continue to work indefinitely. It will be a real shame if this isn't the case. All we're try to do is timeshift for personal viewing. This is a real blow to the individual consumer and only serves to benefit the MPAA and other industry heavyweights.

Originally posted by g_love_surf
... My problem is going to be playback since my plasma has no firewire. What are my options for getting content from Mac to TV? I don't believe the VLC is an option b/c my G4 867 cannot handle playback. I saw one post on the Roku...
I wouldn't quite dismiss your chances of using VLC. Make certain you are using at least version 7.1. On a G4 Mac running at 450 MHz I can almost play a 1280 x 720 stream (ie 720p). It drops frames but it clearly close to sufficient. This has not been the case with earlier versions of VLC.

On the other hand I have heard good reports about using Roku. I guess you still use VLC but set the advanced output options in the open dialog to stream using http and MPEG TS for encapsulation. If the $300 is not a problem or you don't want your Mac particularly close to your screen, then the Roku option looks quite attractive.

Originally posted by rcliff
All we're try to do is timeshift for personal viewing. This is a real blow to the individual consumer and only serves to benefit the MPAA and other industry heavyweights. Let's just hope that behind the scenes Steve and the boys at Apple are working on something great. Something that will be so cool that we'll be able watch what we want, when we want. In SD or HD. Sort of an iPod for the TV - connected to an iTunes type Movie store. I have high hopes. If they're not already working on it, it's too late IMHO. I hope they are ;)

Originally posted by Cooknn
Let's just hope that behind the scenes Steve and the boys at Apple are working on something great. Something that will be so cool that we'll be able watch what we want, when we want. In SD or HD. Sort of an iPod for the TV - connected to an iTunes type Movie store. I have high hopes. If they're not already working on it, it's too late IMHO. I hope they are ;) Steve has made it very clear that they're not going in that direction. He doesn't see any crossover between the Mac as a PC and DVR's and stated that there's a small niche market for this only. Now that doesn't mean they're not developing some type of dedicated DVR based on a stripped down MacOS X box. Now that would be cool and there's definitely a market there.

My interpretation of what Steve said was that people don't want to watch TV on their computer. I agree with you that a Mac or a PC should not be the DVR, but I do not believe that Apple is sitting on their tails with regard to the pending VOD boom. It will drastically change the way we all spend our entertainment time - as well as totally shake the advertising world as they scramble to figure out how to reach their target demographic when everyone can skip past commercials with their DVR's. Companies like Seachange and Concurrent are pushing Ad Insertion as a method for cable provided VOD, but I wonder how that will shake out.

As far as an iPod-like device for the TV - it could be a revolutionary DVR. Apple never does anything that isn't cool do they? I'm just hoping they surprise us :)

Hello,

For stuff that is still copy freely, here (http://mac_hdtv_timer.home.comcast.net/MacTimeShifterSource.zip) is the Xcode project to make tweaks for your local channel lineup. Hopefully, there will be a 5C compliant FireWire card. I do not like tape!

Also, I hope someone else is preparing better interface. I consider this an interim solution. See this page (http://mac_hdtv_timer.home.comcast.net/channel.html) for info on how to tweak the channels for your area.

Just wanted to confirm with y'all that after discovering the 1394 Information Menu on my SA3250HD I found the following information regarding copy protection:

As suspected all channels are "free" except for HBO, Cinemax and Showtime which are "once" in fields EMI and CCI. Lucky me - Starz is still "free" :D They've got some decent flicks! I guess I better archive while I have the chance eh?

Question: Now that I can record movies on Starz I may opt to buy that VGA to Component adapter. How do I get sound to my TV though?

Originally posted by Killroy
Help me out here...but wouldn't "copy once" mean that you can record any show "one" time but you can't make copies of that recording????

Makes sense doesn't it... Not for PC's and Mac's. Anything but "free" means it's encrypted and the device on the other end needs to have the key. Case closed for me.

Originally posted by Cooknn
How do I get sound to my TV though?

It depends on your sound card. You should have an output that would ordinarily go to desktop speakers. Get a Y cable for regular analog audio using that output. I recall that SPDIF doesn't work with vlc 0.7.1a on a G5.

Get your hacker buddies on it, because TWC has turned on Copy Once for every channel (except broadcast). This has ended my Mac HD recording days! *sniff* :(

PM me when they have it, and I'll throw in a 6 pack!! :)

-Pie

PS. A 12 Pack!!! :)

PPS OMG Star Trek V is an emberassingly bad movie!!!

Originally posted by Killroy
Heheheheeh...key...how long do you think it will take my hacker buddies to figure out that key??? It took a 16 year-old-kid less than 9 months to figure out CSS....

I will buy the beer to the first one...LOL!!!!

Well, comparing DTCP to CSS is like comparing a Porche to a Yugo. I'm not going to go so far as saying that it's "unbreakable," (nothing is) but it's WAY more sophisticated than CSS.

Also, the "key" that is being referred to is a digital certificate, including a public/private keypair. These certificates can be revoked. So if it's discovered that someone's device was compromised (or is being used for illegal purposes), its certificate could be revoked. CSS had no practical mechanism for dealing with compromised keys.

Originally posted by Killroy
Trust me, the MPAA has not figured out every single method to prevent this...

The MPAA did not come up with these standards, it's the DTLA (5C). To be sure, they were involved, but they are not one and the same.

Originally posted by Killroy
and as soon as people figure it out they will buy out all those units and keep using them until they figure it out and stop producing them.

That's precisely my point about certificate revocation. What happens if the device certificate for these units are revoked, and they can no longer record encrypted content?

On a more constructive note re 5C....

What's the feasability of creating a 5C compliant VirtualDVHS program? Anyone with the 5C technical knowhow want to pipe in on this?

Now in order to have a 5C compliant VirtualDVHS, it would need to encrypt the stuff on your HD, and it would have to play back only for you. I can't think of a way to do this without locking it to your computer (encrypt key based on ethernet Mac address for example). So when you upgrade, you can't take the media with you. Surely there's another approach?

And now on to the biggest technological hurdle... I believe a 5C license costs about $18,000 or so. :)

Any other speculation out there...??

-Pie

Originally posted by EatingPie
And now on to the biggest technological hurdle... I believe a 5C license costs about $18,000 or so. :)

Any other speculation out there...??

-Pie Steve can afford it :p

I can't see why 5C couldn't operate on a Mac like iTunes does. For example, an encrypted .m2t file could be authorized to play on as many as three Macs. I see 5C compliant 1394 cards online but none available for sale to consumers. All we need is the card and a good iApp and a long stretch of FireWire cable. BTW, have I said I do not like tape and I do not like the limited storage capacity today's DVRs?

You need a firewire card that does 5c, thats never going to happen.

Looks like I am going to start building that super seven pretty soon. Burn in hell MPAA.

Why do you need a card that does 5C? Why can't this be handled at the software level... like in a driver, or even in the app itself?

-Pie

Originally posted by EatingPie
Why do you need a card that does 5C? Why can't this be handled at the software level... like in a driver, or even in the app itself?

-Pie IIRC it requires a "Handshake" at the hardware level.


Like other people pointed out if the key is found out and distributed throughout the net most of us will probably wake up the next day to a firmware update of our cable/sat boxes.

Sounds like it has the potential to end up like the DirecTV deal that everyone was doing a couple of years ago. Not sure if it's even being done any more. Every so often ZAP no more free channels!

Originally posted by stgdz
IIRC it requires a "Handshake" at the hardware level.

Like other people pointed out if the key is found out and distributed throughout the net most of us will probably wake up the next day to a firmware update of our cable/sat boxes.
Yes, it does require handshake, but that can take place in software, as it has to do with device authentication prior to key exchange. Here's the process outlined in the "5C Tutorial" that I downloaded from the DTLA site.

(1) Source --> Encrypted content with EMI Set --> Sink
(2) Source <-- Request Authentication <-- Sink
(3) Source <-- Device Auth Key Exchange --> Sink
(4) Source --> Channel Key Exchange --> Sink
(5) Source --> Encrypted content with EMI Set --> Sink

First the device gets authenticated, then the channel key gets exchanged. This is why you need to get a license from 5C, your device must be authenticated before any key exchange takes place.

The DTCP spec actually allows for software implementations. And another part of this same tutorial says "Suitable for implementation on PCs and CE devices."

-Pie

Originally posted by EatingPie
The DTCP spec actually allows for software implementations. And another part of this same tutorial says "Suitable for implementation on PCs and CE devices."

Yes - and it should be noted that it's NOT limited to firewire either (although that's the first to be implemented). They have already outlined specifications for mapping DTCP to USB and even IP (DTCP-IP). So there is definitely a vision that eventually, you'll be able to move 5C protected content to/from PCs, whether through a firewire connection, USB, wireless networks, or even the Internet.

I pulled the stream recording functionality out of VirtualDVHS and put it in a modified AVCBrowser so that I can configure and record all from one app and not deal with juggling the two. Is this of interest to anyone if I clean it up and add the channel changing, or has this already been done?

Fantastic, please show us what you've done :)

I'll post it as it is becuase I am curious if it works for anyone else before I dump more time in it, but don't use it for anything you really want to record - it is only the first pass at it.

NOTE: The files ends in .zip, but it is a Stuffit archive. The forum won't let me post .sit. Just remove the .zip from the filename and open it with expander.

To use it, launch it and configure the device by connecting to the output just like you normally would using AVCBrowser. You must use channel 0 right now, but that is an easy fix.

If you get the standard connect to output succeeded message in the log window, then just press the record button at the bottom. There is no feedback of bitrate or packets, also an easy fix, but you should see the file appear in your home directory. For now it just defaults to saving all files in your home directory so that must be writable.

Press stop when your done. There is no error checking that you are connected when you press record, etc, although, Apple's FW stuff seems is pretty robust. I rarely crash when I mess up, I just fon't get the stream.

I'll have more time this weekend to move it along.

So far, tested on a dual G4 w/10.3.3 and the 6200 only.

Ugh, some difficulty attaching.

kaadray,

Hey, go for it! I gave it a whirl and the file stored in my "home" user directory. It would be great to be able to store on an external hard drive. If you can integrate channel changing, that would be awesome.

Was it more difficult to integrate AVC Browser with VirtualDVHS? I am only just learning Xcode. So, I wouldn't have a good idea as to time and effort to do so. My idea would be to move the connect and disconnect buttons for the input and output on channel 0, a small log window, the AVC Command button and AVC command field and add the channel change functionality. There is still the matter as to how to deal with the AVC device list.

Any improvements as to ease of use would be great!

Originally posted by jsb_hburg
kaadray,

Hey, go for it! I gave it a whirl and the file stored in my "home" user directory. It would be great to be able to store on an external hard drive. If you can integrate channel changing, that would be awesome.


Glad to hear it generally worked. Both enhancements should be straightforward. Hopefully I'll have some time tonight.


Was it more difficult to integrate AVC Browser with VirtualDVHS? I am only just learning Xcode. So, I wouldn't have a good idea as to time and effort to do so. My idea would be to move the connect and disconnect buttons for the input and output on channel 0, a small log window, the AVC Command button and AVC command field and add the channel change functionality. There is still the matter as to how to deal with the AVC device list.


It depends what you want to have in the end. Initially, I just want the ability to do timed records on the Mac with a clean interface - I don't need any DVHS functionality, since I don't have an external one, and I don't have a device that can control the Mac. For this, you need ~90% of what is in AVCBrowser, and ~2% of what is in VirtualDHVS, so I went this route. Tonight, I'll probably start from scratch now that I understand what is going on better.

If you need/want the DVHS type-functionality, it is probably easier to start with VirtualDVHS and pull in the AVSCBrowser stuff. This shouldn't be too bad, but since you need a significant portion of the AVCBrowser it means more integration work than just adding 2% of VDVHS to AVCBrowser. And it is really integration, as opposed to what I did which is mostly tacking something extra on. Being selfish :), I'll probably try to get the basic recording functionality I need for recording in an AVCBrowser-type app done first, but if no one has done it by then, I could certaintly do the VDVHS enhancement.

To give you a time estimate, I just started learning FireWire stuff 2 days ago, but am very familiar with XCode and moderately with Cocoa - the AVCBrowser update only took about an hour once I figured out what was going on. I would imagine a first pass at the DVHS update would be closer to 3-5hr for me, less for someone who has experience with this stuff.

Good luck if you give a shot! I'll post the source to what I posted above when I can get a page set up on Comcast, in case anyone wants to see what part I brought over.

Anyone know why VirtualDVHS always craps out after about a half hour of recording? I am looking at the log and I have a few MPEG2Receiver Error: DCL Overrun! errors and the last error I have says:
MPEG2Reciever Error: Recieved unsupported length isoch packet: 41033

Since I wasn't watching it I don't know if that last error caused it stop, but since I have another one earlier on in the log I doubt that was the culprit. Any clues?????

Originally posted by kaadray
Glad to hear it generally worked. Both enhancements should be straightforward. Hopefully I'll have some time tonight.



It depends what you want to have in the end. Initially, I just want the ability to do timed records on the Mac with a clean interface - I don't need any DVHS functionality, since I don't have an external one, and I don't have a device that can control the Mac. For this, you need ~90% of what is in AVCBrowser, and ~2% of what is in VirtualDHVS, so I went this route. Tonight, I'll probably start from scratch now that I understand what is going on better.

If you need/want the DVHS type-functionality, it is probably easier to start with VirtualDVHS and pull in the AVSCBrowser stuff. This shouldn't be too bad, but since you need a significant portion of the AVCBrowser it means more integration work than just adding 2% of VDVHS to AVCBrowser. And it is really integration, as opposed to what I did which is mostly tacking something extra on. Being selfish :), I'll probably try to get the basic recording functionality I need for recording in an AVCBrowser-type app done first, but if no one has done it by then, I could certaintly do the VDVHS enhancement.

To give you a time estimate, I just started learning FireWire stuff 2 days ago, but am very familiar with XCode and moderately with Cocoa - the AVCBrowser update only took about an hour once I figured out what was going on. I would imagine a first pass at the DVHS update would be closer to 3-5hr for me, less for someone who has experience with this stuff.

Good luck if you give a shot! I'll post the source to what I posted above when I can get a page set up on Comcast, in case anyone wants to see what part I brought over.


kaadray,

Do you plan to set up a timer or capture reservation fields in your version? I have only learned AppleScript and Xcode to the extent necessity dictated. I am not aware of any customized version of AVC Browser aside from your first effort.

Good luck!

Originally posted by sting0r
Anyone know why VirtualDVHS always craps out after about a half hour of recording? I am looking at the log and I have a few MPEG2Receiver Error: DCL Overrun! errors and the last error I have says:
MPEG2Reciever Error: Recieved unsupported length isoch packet: 41033

Since I wasn't watching it I don't know if that last error caused it stop, but since I have another one earlier on in the log I doubt that was the culprit. Any clues?????
Half an hour.... hmmmm... What's the file size? Some file systems, like UFS have a 4GB limit. HFS+ does NOT suffer from this problem, but just in case you have a UFS volume, worth looking into.

-Pie

Originally posted by sting0r
Anyone know why VirtualDVHS always craps out after about a half hour of recording? I am looking at the log and I have a few MPEG2Receiver Error: DCL Overrun! errors and the last error I have says:
MPEG2Reciever Error: Recieved unsupported length isoch packet: 41033

Since I wasn't watching it I don't know if that last error caused it stop, but since I have another one earlier on in the log I doubt that was the culprit. Any clues?????
It could be a drive issue or fragmentation. If you were using the CPU for other processes at the time that may have contributed to the problem. I would try recording to a clean drive with the Mac idle and see if the problem persists.

Thanks. My format is Mac OS Extended (journaled) not sure if that is HFS+ of UFS.... I did get a file over 5 gigs, slightly over. I am doing nothing else at the time. I can try to defrag the drive, rcliff is there an easy way to do that in OSX? Never did that b4...

Just figured it out. Looks like I have an HFS partition. Is there anything I can do to over come the size limitation? Does VirtualDVHS have the ability to split into multiple files????? Can I convert my drive from HFS to UFS without formating? I dont want to loose some of my installed files....

Edit: I don't think thats the problem, I just read that HFS+ the following:

HFS Extended and MacOS X
* Maximum number of files depends on the size of the volume (disk) size, although there is no set limit.
* Maximum volume and file size is 2 terrabytes (MacOS X 10.0-10.1), 8 terrabytes (MacOS X 10.2), and 16 terrabytes (MacOS X 10.3).
* Maximum number of files and folders in a folder is 4 billion. Again this depends on the volume size – bigger hard disks store more files.
* File system journaling (MacOS X 10.3).
* Long filenames of upto 256 characters.

If you have an HFS partition the file size limit is 2GB IIRC. UFS will only give you 4GB. HFS+ is what you want aka MacOS extended partition. Unfortunately you'll have to reformat to change to HFS+.

I have HFS+, it says MacOS extended so I am good then. Any info on the defrag though????

More info would help. What kind of drive? Internal/External? Is this a dedicated drive or does it have other data? Boot drive?

Internal boot drive on an iMac G4 800 with 768MB of Ram. It's a 60 gig drive, I have nothing else running except virtualdvhs and avcbrowser....
it's a seagate i think, model ST360020A, About half of the space is used. Thx

I would try defragmenting with a commercial defragmentation utility like disk warrior, techtools pro or norton utilities. If you had a separate partition on the drive for this that would be better or ideally a fast firewire drive dedicated for storage.

Originally posted by jsb_hburg
kaadray,

Do you plan to set up a timer or capture reservation fields in your version? I have only learned AppleScript and Xcode to the extent necessity dictated. I am not aware of any customized version of AVC Browser aside from your first effort.

Good luck!

Do you mean something to autoschedule recordings? That is where I would like to head once I get the basic recording stuff more robust.

There is a better version of the modified AVCBrowser at

http://home.comcast.net/~macpvr/

for anyone looking for the recording capabilities of VirtualDVHS and the connection to STB capability of AVCBrowser in a single application.

This version eliminates most of the restrictions in the one I attached directly to my message yesterday. You can save to any location, capture from any FireWire channel, and you get feedback on duration and bitrate.

It also includes some fixes to the original AVCBrowser, such as correctly indicating the number of devices in the main window, instead of incorrectly displaying zero much of the time.

There are a couple of enhancements as well, such as the option of automatically opening the plug connection/recording window for a particular device when the application is launched, if it is present.

Originally posted by kaadray
There is a better version of the modified AVCBrowser at

http://home.comcast.net/~macpvr/

for anyone looking for the recording capabilities of VirtualDVHS and the connection to STB capability of AVCBrowser in a single application.

This version eliminates most of the restrictions in the one I attached directly to my message yesterday. You can save to any location, capture from any FireWire channel, and you get feedback on duration and bitrate.

It also includes some fixes to the original AVCBrowser, such as correctly indicating the number of devices in the main window, instead of incorrectly displaying zero much of the time.

There are a couple of enhancements as well, such as the option of automatically opening the plug connection/recording window for a particular device when the application is launched, if it is present.

kaadray,

Thanks!

The ability to browse and change the save-to folder works.

Originally posted by kaadray
Do you mean something to autoschedule recordings? That is where I would like to head once I get the basic recording stuff more robust.

kaadray,

Yeah, I was using the term from the MyHD card. Good luck to you on getting this and channel changing functionality into the modified version of AVC Browser which is now more than a browser. Good work! I have put this in my dock.

I bet this should work for other boxes. Cliff, have you tried this with one of yours?

Hmmm....maybe I am doing something wrong but its not working with my sony box....

EDIT: Scratch that, I didn't realize I still had Virtual DVHS OPen....

New update with the ability to change channels. Tune channels directly, or use up/down/previous depending on what your box supports. This is only tested with a 6200, but just using standard opcodes so should work with others that support basic panel subunit pass through commands.

Read the notes on the web page if the meaning of the buttons/items are not clear, or let me know if the notes don't help.

Please bear with the ugly interface. Now that the basic functionality is working, I'm going to start with a fresh app from scratch that is more appropriate.

Location:

http://home.comcast.net/~macpvr/

Extra note: to work around the tune pass through command not working for channels ending in zero on the 6200, I am sending actual digits, and not using the direct tune opcode, so it should work for all channels. The info from FriarWyer for that command isn't quite working right, and it doesn't match the info in the version of the panel subunit spec I have, yet what is in my spec doesn't work quite right either :(. It would be nice to use the direct tune commands (faster, less error prone) so if anyone has any ideas let me know.

Originally posted by kaadray
New update with the ability to change channels. Tune channels directly, or use up/down/previous depending on what your box supports. This is only tested with a 6200, but just using standard opcodes so should work with others that support basic panel subunit pass through commands.

Read the notes on the web page if the meaning of the buttons/items are not clear, or let me know if the notes don't help.

Please bear with the ugly interface. Now that the basic functionality is working, I'm going to start with a fresh app from scratch that is more appropriate.

Location:

http://home.comcast.net/~macpvr/

Extra note: to work around the tune pass through command not working for channels ending in zero on the 6200, I am sending actual digits, and not using the direct tune opcode, so it should work for all channels. The info from FriarWyer for that command isn't quite working right, and it doesn't match the info in the version of the panel subunit spec I have, yet what is in my spec doesn't work quite right either :(. It would be nice to use the direct tune commands (faster, less error prone) so if anyone has any ideas let me know.

kaadray,

It tunes channels ending in zero on my 6200 and I can subsequently tune other channels and channel up and down. However, after I tune a "zero" channel and then try the up and down buttons, tuning is error prone. It seems like there is a delay between the digits. For example, entering 182 gets the black "one moment please" analog on demand on channel 1 and then channel 8 pops up. If there is too much of a delay, the on demand channel menu pops up. I have not tried it yet with the 6200's auto-tune option turned off.

Otherwise, changing the channels using the interface works.

I don't have the auto tune feature enabled on the 6200 so you're right, that probably has something to do with it. Hopefully the direct tune command will be figured out for channels ending in zero and I can go back to that.

kaadray - Do I have to uninstall AVCBrowser or VirtualDVHS to install your application ?

Originally posted by dozens
kaadray - Do I have to uninstall AVCBrowser or VirtualDVHS to install your application ?

I saved the modified version under a different name. It does not matter if you have all three installed or not.

At this time, I would not run all three at the same time, however. I definitely would not have both versions of AVC Browser running to control the same AVC device. As for having VirtualDVHS running while the modified AVC Browser is running, I haven't tested that. I will try it later when I get home.

Kaadray, it's great to see someone developing this further :) The recording functionality works on my SA4200HD but none of the tuning functions work. I get a "not implemented" error and suspect it is some sort of syntax issue. The commands FriarWyer suggested were accepted by my box but no channel change occurred.

Originally posted by dozens
kaadray - Do I have to uninstall AVCBrowser or VirtualDVHS to install your application ?

You do not have to uninstall the other ones. I have 2 or three versions of all 3 on my machine at any given time.

The behavior of two or three at running at the same time is unpredictable, so I wouldn't suggest it, but it may well be fine.

Originally posted by rcliff
Kaadray, it's great to see someone developing this further :) The recording functionality works on my SA4200HD but none of the tuning functions work. I get a "not implemented" error and suspect it is some sort of syntax issue. The commands FriarWyer suggested were accepted by my box but no channel change occurred.

Thanks for trying it out. Maybe I should make a small utility to run through the Panel subunit opcodes and log what opcodes are defined as implemented. That would make it easier to know what to expect from a given box.

Originally posted by kaadray
Thanks for trying it out. Maybe I should make a small utility to run through the Panel subunit opcodes and log what opcodes are defined as implemented. That would make it easier to know what to expect from a given box.
That would be great. If I new the codes I would manually test AVC commands through trial and error to determine which codes would work with the SA boxes.

In the first post of this thread, the author wrote:

Sony 2002 XBR-34 HDTV - No TV-hosted controllers, but the application's player can stream to the TV over FireWire.


I have a Sony XBR910, but I am confused as to how I would stream video over Firewire from a Mac to this set because the set has no Firewire port. I'd appreciate if someone could elaborate on exactly what the above quote means.

I don't yet have a Firewire-enabled set-top box but if this type of set-up is possible you can bet your sweet bippy I'll be trading in my old box tomorrow...

I believe the model they're referring to is the KV34XBR2. This model has firewire, but it only functions as an input. It also has an internal OTA tuner and decoder.

Edit: Therefore it can display the output from VirtualDVHS with no additional hardware. However, your TV (34XBR910) has neither the OTA tuner nor firewire so it needs another piece of hardware to do the firewire input and decoding. Samsung T165's are good for this and are known to work well with Virtual DVHS.

Some of the new Sony TVs have fully implemented firewire that will also output for recording.

- Mike

Originally posted by kaadray
Thanks for trying it out. Maybe I should make a small utility to run through the Panel subunit opcodes and log what opcodes are defined as implemented. That would make it easier to know what to expect from a given box.

That would be great. Thanks again for working on this.

kaadray - Used your app last night and it worked great with my dct6200. I didn't tune an channels, just open device and record.

Would it be possible to shrink the size of the window ? I am using an iBook with a 12" display and best resolution of 1024x768 and it looks like I am not seeing the bottom on the screen.

Originally posted by dozens
kaadray - Used your app last night and it worked great with my dct6200. I didn't tune an channels, just open device and record.

Would it be possible to shrink the size of the window ? I am using an iBook with a 12" display and best resolution of 1024x768 and it looks like I am not seeing the bottom on the screen.

Yeah, so far I have taken the approach of not removing anything already there, but once I finish the little subunit explorer utility I mentioned earlier, I am going to make a new UI for it. I'll try to at least rearrange the existing one to under 768 in height tonight.

If you have Apple's developer tools installed, you could make it smaller by opening up the nib in interface builder, and making all of the tables/buttons/etc you don't care about really small, and stuffing them in a corner. Then rearrange the two boxes I added at the bottom, plus the connect/disconnect buttons for the output plug however you want and shrink the window to fit. As long as you don't actually delete any of the UI elements, just shrink/move/stack, it won't cause any problems.

http://maccentral.macworld.com/news/2004/04/19/videocodec/index.php?redirect=1082411430000Cable providers will be able to encode their content at HD quality and send it down the wire at the same data rate as MPEG-2, yet get much better qualityWhat do you Mac guys make of all this Hi-Def hoopla by Apple the last few days?

Originally posted by Cooknn
http://maccentral.macworld.com/news/2004/04/19/videocodec/index.php?redirect=1082411430000What do you Mac guys make of all this Hi-Def hoopla by Apple the last few days?

I hope they release this soon. Slower Macs can definitely play H.264/MPEG4 Part 10 files transcoded from MPEG2-TS since the bit rates should be lower.

Originally posted by rcliff
I have 3 cable techs here again and the SA 4200HD is finally working but no output over firewire. The Mits TV recognizes the STB as a new 1394 device but no picture. Anyone have any ideas why it doesn't work or experience with SA boxes over firewire?

I am having the same problem.

I connect the 3250 to the firewire chain, and my tv recognizes it and adds it to netcommand but whenI select it from the other devices I get no picture.

I am able to record from the 3250 to the 1100u without any errors. I hit the 1394 button on the front of the DVHS then hit record. I can't confirm it is working till I play it back via 1394 to the TV. The funny thing is that I use netcommand to play it back. I watched about 30 mins and there was not even one drop out.

3250-->>1100U-->>ws55711

Originally posted by EatingPie
This one sorta pisses me off.

"Earlier Model" HDTVs?? I have a 2003 Mitsubishi 73711, which was updated in OCTOBER of 2003! It may be a bug on Mitsubishi's behalf... but it may also be something that SA can work around since MOST Mitsubishi HDTVS -- probably the most popular HD line with 1394 -- will not work!

Okay, I may be jumping the gun since this may not be my issue with the 3250... but still. Technology.... Sheesh.

-Pie

[EDITED to bring back into linear time!]

I hope this is not the problem, especially considering that both the SA3250 and Mitsubishi's firewire stack were both written by Vividlogic.

I have contacted Mitsubishi, Bright House Networks, and Scientific Atlanta about the compatibility issue. Mitsubishi was no help, and said I needed to contact SA, or BHN.
BHN said they would report the issue, and that I should contact SA directly. SA said they would look into it.
At this point I am optomistic, I hope that Alan is right and it is fixed on May 8th.

Originally posted by bdraw
I am having the same problem.

I connect the 3250 to the firewire chain, and my tv recognizes it and adds it to netcommand but whenI select it from the other devices I get no picture.

I am able to record from the 3250 to the 1100u without any errors. I hit the 1394 button on the front of the DVHS then hit record. I can't confirm it is working till I play it back via 1394 to the TV. The funny thing is that I use netcommand to play it back. I watched about 30 mins and there was not even one drop out.

3250-->>1100U-->>ws55711 The SA boxes will not output via firewire to Mits TVs right now. The SA box mutes the firewire output because the Mits does not correctly respond to emergency broadcast signals. I know this sounds crazy but apparently this is the problem now. I was told this should be resolved very soon but rollout times to various cable providers will likely vary.

Originally posted by rcliff
The SA boxes will not output via firewire to Mits TVs right now. The SA box mutes the firewire output because the Mits does not correctly respond to emergency broadcast signals. I know this sounds crazy but apparently this is the problem now. I was told this should be resolved very soon but rollout times to various cable providers will likely vary.

I hope you are right. I contacted BHN, SA, and Mitsu today, trying to make sure they were aware of the problem. I have read many related posts, but none indicating that SA was aware and they did have plans to resolve. How confident are you that your information is true?
thanks again.

Originally posted by bdraw
I hope you are right. I contacted BHN, SA, and Mitsu today, trying to make sure they were aware of the problem. I have read many related posts, but none indicating that SA was aware and they did have plans to resolve. How confident are you that your information is true?
thanks again.
It comes from a high level source at my cable co and an SA engineer.

Originally posted by dozens
kaadray - Used your app last night and it worked great with my dct6200. I didn't tune an channels, just open device and record.

Would it be possible to shrink the size of the window ? I am using an iBook with a 12" display and best resolution of 1024x768 and it looks like I am not seeing the bottom on the screen.

It should be fixed now

http://home.comcast.net/~macpvr/

kaadray - I haven't tried your 3.1 version yet but will tonight. Is there an automated way to record for a time period or stop a specific time ? I started recording lasy night at 11pm and tried using iCal and the stop script that jsb_hburg wrote to stop recording at 12am. This morning I checked and it was still going :) I have a 42 gig file, I wondering is playing on HBO at the time of morning.

Originally posted by dozens
kaadray - I haven't tried your 3.1 version yet but will tonight. Is there an automated way to record for a time period or stop a specific time ? I started recording lasy night at 11pm and tried using iCal and the stop script that jsb_hburg wrote to stop recording at 12am. This morning I checked and it was still going :) I have a 42 gig file, I wondering is playing on HBO at the time of morning.

It appears you will be trimming that file down to size. There are two things that come to mind. Make sure that the computer does not go to sleep or the alarm file will not run. Make sure that the 12 AM stop event is set for the correct day - I bring this one up from experience.

Also, the scripts do not work with the modified AVC Browser program. The scripts were only intended to be a working yet interim solution.

Originally posted by jsb_hburg
It appears you will be trimming that file down to size.


Is there a tool to do this ?

There are two things that come to mind. Make sure that the computer does not go to sleep or the alarm file will not run. Make sure that the 12 AM stop event is set for the correct day - I bring this one up from experience.

I actually set it to stop at 11:59pm :) The alarm did fire because the original DVHS app was running when I looked this morning.

Also, the scripts do not work with the modified AVC Browser program. The scripts were only intended to be a working yet interim solution.

This was probably the reason since I was using the modified AVC Browser program.

I guess in the interim I could use the trimming tool or somehow make a huge junk file on the drive so the recording will run out of room shortly after I wanted to stop.

Originally posted by dozens
Is there a tool to do this ?



There is HDTV2MPEG for Wintel boxes. Unfortunately, there is no simple transport stream editor for the Mac at this time.

Originally posted by dozens
kaadray - I haven't tried your 3.1 version yet but will tonight. Is there an automated way to record for a time period or stop a specific time ? I started recording lasy night at 11pm and tried using iCal and the stop script that jsb_hburg wrote to stop recording at 12am. This morning I checked and it was still going :) I have a 42 gig file, I wondering is playing on HBO at the time of morning.

Hi,

I probably should have mentioned more explicitly that the app was not compatible with the existing scripts for the original AVSBrowser - sorry about that! I do plan to add some basic timer support Real Soon Now (tm). I am almost finished with the basic subunit explorer so people can test what passthrough commands their panel subunit accepts, so it could actually be soon.

And coincidentally, I have been writing some classes that deal with transport streams. My main goal is to investigate stripping the null packets from the stream on the fly as the app records to save a bit of space, but it might not be a stretch to allow basic editing in a separate app. The problem is I haven't learned enough yet to be able to display the file you would be editing :D

Originally posted by kaadray
I am almost finished with the basic subunit explorer so people can test what passthrough commands their panel subunit accepts, so it could actually be soon. Cool :) I'm looking forward to trying that out. Thanks!

kaadray,

How do you feel about sharing your source code?

Jeremy

FireWire SDK 19 is out. I do not know the changes.

Originally posted by jsb_hburg
FireWire SDK 19 is out. I do not know the changes.
I'm headed over to http://developer.apple.com/firewire/ to check it out. Of note...
This SDK includes updates to some tools and applications, such as FireBug, PhyTool, FireStarter, FWBusyBus, VirtualDVHS, DVHSCap. It also includes a Panther version of DamBusters, and a new tool called Vigilante, as well as updates to various example projects.

Who's going to be first.

I guess I'll be Indy, but w/o the insight.

Tim

Originally posted by kaadray
It should be fixed now

http://home.comcast.net/~macpvr/

Very, very, very cool.

Works, changes channels & records. Very many thanks. Took me a few tries to do the connect thing right for the record to work.

Variables in setup: Firewire SDK 19, AVC Browser Enhanced (that was the whole point), still on Firmware 7.07. Latest OS & updates.

Now off to try joes's revised scripts. I wonder what I'll need to do do to use the advanced browser as default vs shipped AVC?

The excitement is back.

Tim

I just tried kaadray's enhanced AVCBrowser and I'm sad to report it won't launch on my machine. All I get is about a half of a bounce in the dock and nothing. I'm on a 1.6Ghz G5 with both a 6200 and a 40k plugged in. Anybody else having this problem? AVCBrowser and VirtualDVHS work fine.

Too bad, 'cause I was excited to try it out.

Jeremy

Per above works with 30K & Dual G4 for me.

Onto Joe's great scripts. I got them all working with the exception of tuning to channel 870 (why this oneI have no idea, and the work around is to get close then channel up or down as appropriate. Regardless have the 95+% solution. Now thinking of a way to combine advanced browser in lieu of current AVC Browser calls.

We'll see how iCal recording goes in a couple of hours.

Folks,

I have not revised the scripts to work with kaadray's MacPVR (revised AVC Browser). I figured since the interface may be changing that it did not make sense to do so. Plus, the scripts may be rendered superfluous - which is not a bad thing from my perspective.

Further, the scripts have not been revised to work with SDK 19 yet. For those who can edit scripts, it is just a simple matter of updating the window title name for VirtualDVHS in all of the scripts in which it appears to reflect that the beta version incremented to "3."

Kaadray: If you think you are more than a week away from an autoscheduling function on your application, please let me know and I will tweak the scripts. Otherwise, I will just await yours. Good luck.

Originally posted by jsb_hburg

Kaadray: If you think you are more than a week away from an autoscheduling function on your application, please let me know and I will tweak the scripts. Otherwise, I will just await yours. Good luck.

It will be more than a week before there is anything reliable. I am making decent progress on most fronts, but it will take some time to test before it can be used for recording you really don't want to miss. I also need to include a bunch of special case stuff for channel changing on the 6200 to channels ending with zero. The methods I use in the current modified AVCB generally works, but is not reliable enough for timed recording.

Oh, if you do decide to modify scripts for it, let me know if there are any tweaks I can make to the UI to make it easier.

Originally posted by JeremyJ
I just tried kaadray's enhanced AVCBrowser and I'm sad to report it won't launch on my machine. All I get is about a half of a bounce in the dock and nothing. I'm on a 1.6Ghz G5 with both a 6200 and a 40k plugged in. Anybody else having this problem? AVCBrowser and VirtualDVHS work fine.

Too bad, 'cause I was excited to try it out.

Jeremy

That's unfortunate. I'll be posting a subunit explorer utility/tool tonight or tomorrow morning. It would be good to know if that fails too. If so, I am probably doing something too G4 specific. If not there is hopefully just something wrong with the modified AVCB. It is honestly not intentional G5 sabotage due to jealousy :p .

Originally posted by kaadray
That's unfortunate. I'll be posting a subunit explorer utility/tool tonight or tomorrow morning. It would be good to know if that fails too. If so, I am probably doing something too G4 specific. If not there is hopefully just something wrong with the modified AVCB. It is honestly not intentional G5 sabotage due to jealosy :p .

FYI - I was able to record with my G3.

Originally posted by JeremyJ
kaadray,

How do you feel about sharing your source code?

Jeremy

I'll be posting the code for the modified AVSBrowser with my next web update (when subunit explorer is posted). There is very little of my own work in there - I pulled the recording from VDHVS, and most of the panel subunit info from this thread. I just wrote some UI glue.

I haven't decided what I'll do with applications I am writing from scratch.

I will certainly answer any questions here or offline about how I've done anything in any of the applications, including code examples, etc.

Originally posted by kaadray
That's unfortunate. I'll be posting a subunit explorer utility/tool tonight or tomorrow morning. It would be good to know if that fails too. If so, I am probably doing something too G4 specific. If not there is hopefully just something wrong with the modified AVCB. It is honestly not intentional G5 sabotage due to jealousy :p .
No problems on my G5 with 10.3.3

Does anyone know if the moto 6200 firmware 1.10 will allow playback?

thanks

Originally posted by warr
Does anyone know if the moto 6200 firmware 1.10 will allow playback?

thanks

Did you get the 7.10 update? If so, what cable company do you have?

No I did not get 7.10. If it allowed playback I would push for it since I know someone in the tech dept. at Adelphia 1000 Oaks office.

Originally posted by warr
No I did not get 7.10. If it allowed playback I would push for it since I know someone in the tech dept. at Adelphia 1000 Oaks office.

I have heard end of the year for playback, possibly.

Well, I finally just got Star Wars AOTC recorded. :) It only came out to be about 12GB or on average 11MB/s VBR so I hope the recording is decent. I'll find out later.

Originally posted by rcliff
Well, I finally just got Star Wars AOTC recorded. :) It only came out to be about 12GB or on average 11MB/s VBR so I hope the recording is decent. I'll find out later.

What is Star Wars AOTC ? Is it a HD version ?

Cinemax HD has been showing for several months. It looks pretty good - almost enough to make the movie ok.

Originally posted by dozens
What is Star Wars AOTC ? Is it a HD version ?
Star Wars, Episode II Attack of the Clones. HD, 5.1 and OAR on HBO :D

LOL :D What is OAR?

[EDIT] My quest for an answer to the question above ended up here http://www.rexer.com/cine/oar.htm

OAR = Original Aspect Ratio - if you are a newbie like me :p

Originally posted by kaadray
It looks pretty good - almost enough to make the movie ok. LOL :D It's true, mostly eye candy, weak movie.

Originally posted by kaadray
Cinemax HD has been showing for several months. It looks pretty good - almost enough to make the movie ok.

Cinemax :( I had it for a month during a promo and didn't watch anything out so I dropped and got HBO for the Sopranos & Deadwood,

Originally posted by dozens
Cinemax :( I had it for a month during a promo and didn't watch anything out so I dropped and got HBO for the Sopranos & Deadwood, Deadwood ROCKS. Sorry to see Wild Bill go :( There's a game like quarters I read in a Deadwood forum - where you drink every time they say C$#K S$%#@R in the show. You'll likey be freakin drunk within the hour :p

Originally posted by Cooknn
LOL :D What is OAR?

[EDIT] My quest for an answer to the question above ended up here http://www.rexer.com/cine/oar.htm

OAR = Original Aspect Ratio - if you are a newbie like me :p

At least your quest ended up at the right answer. The first time I saw that acronym, it was in the context of "my girlfriend is an OAR fan but doesn't know it yet" in a review here a few years ago. So, when I ended up here (http://www.ofarevolution.com/), I stopped because it sort of made sense. :)

The glossary button near the top of the screen also works wonders.

bakersdosen, that's pretty funny :)

Subunit Explorer

Subunit Explorer 1.0 is available for download. It


Shows your AV/C devices
For each device, shows the available subunits
For each subunit displays a list of know functions/opcodes to send/test
Allows you to send those functions, or send custom opcodes.


This is actually pretty fun/useful with the 6200. The 6200 implements nearly all of the panel pass-through commands which means you can control channels, menus, favorites, info, etc... all from the computer. In most cases my box responds faster to the command from my Mac than from my remote.

Read the webpage and the readme file with the application for other information and the current limitations.

In addition, the source to the modified AV/C Browser app is available. It was modified in a rush of excitement to get it working so don't look too closely at the code style...:D

http://home.comcast.net/~macpvr/

Great news! I'm off to check it out now. Thanks kaadray :)

Originally posted by rcliff

There is a misconception that you need a fast new Mac for this. In fact, any Mac with internal firewire should be fine. I'm using a 6 year old beige G3 266MHz that can be bought used for about $100. As a guideline, any G3 or better should work and you might even get away with something older in the 7300-9600 model range. (Note: The Blue and White G3 appears to have a problem with this setup)

I tried reading thru the entire thread and could'nt seem to find what problems B&Ws have with this recording setup. Is it a case-by-case scenario, or does this setup just not work?

Originally posted by rezzy
I tried reading thru the entire thread and could'nt seem to find what problems B&Ws have with this recording setup. Is it a case-by-case scenario, or does this setup just not work? I would definitely try it. 2 people did however report a crash on launch of VirtualDVHS and SDK 18. I would try a clean install of OS 10.3.3 and SDK 19 along with a OHCI PCI firewire card if possible.

No luck with the subunit explorer on my SA box :( The tuner subunit shows "no known opcodes" and the panel subunit fails with "not implemented" on all opcodes with the exception of mute function, restore volume function, tune function, and tune function subchannel.

EDIT: No luck with my Sony box either. It has no panel subunit.

I need to add some tuner opcodes to test out. What subunits does your Sony have? Do the tune functions work for status or control and do they actually change the channel? I thought the SA boxes were not responding to the tune commands.

The Sony box has a tuner subunit but no panel subunit.

On the SA box, the control tune function is accepted but nothing appears to happen. What should happen?

Originally posted by rcliff
On the SA box, the control tune function is accepted but nothing appears to happen. What should happen?

If channel 41 is a valid channel on your system, it should change to it. I'm suprised it is accepted, but doesn't happen. Then again, it is the one function on the 6200 that appears to be buggy.

Originally posted by kaadray
If channel 41 is a valid channel on your system, it should change to it. I'm suprised it is accepted, but doesn't happen. Then again, it is the one function on the 6200 that appears to be buggy. It does not change to 41 and 41 is valid.

I updated the application to include some tuner functions so one can see if the advertised subunit is potentially functional, or just used as a marker to indicate the general functionality of the device.

Originally posted by kaadray
Subunit Explorer

Subunit Explorer 1.0 is available for download. It


Shows your AV/C devices
For each device, shows the available subunits
For each subunit displays a list of know functions/opcodes to send/test
Allows you to send those functions, or send custom opcodes.


This is actually pretty fun/useful with the 6200. The 6200 implements nearly all of the panel pass-through commands which means you can control channels, menus, favorites, info, etc... all from the computer. In most cases my box responds faster to the command from my Mac than from my remote.

Read the webpage and the readme file with the application for other information and the current limitations.

In addition, the source to the modified AV/C Browser app is available. It was modified in a rush of excitement to get it working so don't look too closely at the code style...:D

http://home.comcast.net/~macpvr/


kaadray,

This is some pretty neat stuff.

kaadray - I just tested AVC Browser v3.1 and looks good on my small screen, thanks for the update. I was able to tune channels with it, even channels ending in 0 (was this a problem ?).

I also tried your Subunit Explorer and and the tuner says "no known opcodes", the panel works fine.

Originally posted by dozens
kaadray - I just tested AVC Browser v3.1 and looks good on my small screen, thanks for the update. I was able to tune channels with it, even channels ending in 0 (was this a problem ?).


I'm using a secondary method to tune channels so it should work (if we are talking about a 6200). If I used the "best" way it likely would not work for channels ending in zero.


I also tried your Subunit Explorer and and the tuner says "no known opcodes", the panel works fine.

There is an update that includes some opcodes to test for the tuner subunit, but if this is a 6200, it won't matter since it isn't implemented.

I am sorry, I meant to say I had a 6200.

Anyone know if these recording programs will work on a 6208 (PVR box) ? I hope they will be available soon in my area and trying to decide if I should go ahead and get one and use AVC Browser to record of more long-term storage.

I know the .m2t files should play with WinDVD after renaming to .trp. I'm not having any luck though. WinDVD shows PLAY and I just get a black screen and no errors. I'm using version 4.5 platinum. If anyone who has done this can tell me the version that worked and if there were any specific settings that need to be changed, I would appreciate it. Thanks.

EDIT: I figured out the problem. WinDVD 5 is required to playback the transport streams. It works now.

Just stumbled across this thread a few days ago, and now I'm trying to get it all working. Any help, or ideas on how to diagnose my problem would be appreciated. Or if this is the wrong thread, please let me know where I should post a request for help...

My problem is I can apparently have my Mac and my STB (6200) talk over firewire (e.g. mac sees it, mac can change its channels), but I cannot get the mac to record the .m2t files. And when I try to record, the mac creates a 0-byte .m2t file, but reports no error. Even the "seconds" status in the recording area ticks up, but the bitrate stays at 0, and nothing gets stored.

First, the setup. 15" iMac 800MHz, running 10.3.3 and all the latest software updates. I installed Firewire sdk 18, and downloaded the kaadray's AVC Browser Enhanced program 0.3.1. My STB is a Moto DCT6200 installed last Friday (4/23), running firmware 7.07. I am in the SF Bay Area (Comcast). I am trying to record the HD channels (KGO-184, KNTV-185, KPIX-186. or KQED-188), with no success on any of them. Eventually I downloaded Firewire SDK 19, no change. I also had the same experience if I tried to use the separate apps (AVCBrowser, VirtualDVHS 1.0b3), setting the VDVHS channel to the number indicated in the AVCBrowser.

When I launch AVC Browser Enhanced, I see my STB (name DCT-6200, type 31, in speed 800, out speed 400, #in 30, #out 1, out base 63). I then click "Open Device Controller" and see the AV/C Device window. Using the channel change controls causes the STB to change channels (cool!), but if I click "record" I get the aforementioned "0 byte file"/"0.00 Mbps bitrate" recording.

I also tried to "connect" in the "Output plugs" area, with the channel set to 0 (as that is what it is in the status area, then recording. No luck.

On the STB, if I go into d11 Interface Status on the diagnostics menu, it lists "1394 i/o device: inst", "Active ports: 1", "Data xmission: yes", "5c implementation: 0", and "no" for the last 3 (loop status, root status, cycle master status). If the mac is off, the diagnostic menu changes to "active ports 0", "data xmission no"

So... anyone recognize these symptoms and know what I'm doing wrong? or what I should look at to help diagnose my problem? Or am I just not doing something obvious to make the program work? Or is there something known about the 6200 in the SF Bay Area that doesn't allow this to work? Thanks in advance!

Originally posted by Poochie
Just stumbled across this thread a few days ago, and now I'm trying to get it all working. Any help, or ideas on how to diagnose my problem would be appreciated. Or if this is the wrong thread, please let me know where I should post a request for help...

My problem is I can apparently have my Mac and my STB (6200) talk over firewire (e.g. mac sees it, mac can change its channels), but I cannot get the mac to record the .m2t files. And when I try to record, the mac creates a 0-byte .m2t file, but reports no error. Even the "seconds" status in the recording area ticks up, but the bitrate stays at 0, and nothing gets stored.

First, the setup. 15" iMac 800MHz, running 10.3.3 and all the latest software updates. I installed Firewire sdk 18, and downloaded the kaadray's AVC Browser Enhanced program 0.3.1. My STB is a Moto DCT6200 installed last Friday (4/23), running firmware 7.07. I am in the SF Bay Area (Comcast). I am trying to record the HD channels (KGO-184, KNTV-185, KPIX-186. or KQED-188), with no success on any of them. Eventually I downloaded Firewire SDK 19, no change. I also had the same experience if I tried to use the separate apps (AVCBrowser, VirtualDVHS 1.0b3), setting the VDVHS channel to the number indicated in the AVCBrowser.

When I launch AVC Browser Enhanced, I see my STB (name DCT-6200, type 31, in speed 800, out speed 400, #in 30, #out 1, out base 63). I then click "Open Device Controller" and see the AV/C Device window. Using the channel change controls causes the STB to change channels (cool!), but if I click "record" I get the aforementioned "0 byte file"/"0.00 Mbps bitrate" recording.

I also tried to "connect" in the "Output plugs" area, with the channel set to 0 (as that is what it is in the status area, then recording. No luck.

On the STB, if I go into d11 Interface Status on the diagnostics menu, it lists "1394 i/o device: inst", "Active ports: 1", "Data xmission: yes", "5c implementation: 0", and "no" for the last 3 (loop status, root status, cycle master status). If the mac is off, the diagnostic menu changes to "active ports 0", "data xmission no"

So... anyone recognize these symptoms and know what I'm doing wrong? or what I should look at to help diagnose my problem? Or am I just not doing something obvious to make the program work? Or is there something known about the 6200 in the SF Bay Area that doesn't allow this to work? Thanks in advance!

The Comcast Bay Area thread in Local HDTV Reception indicates that Firewire may not be fully enabled in your area.

Originally posted by jsb_hburg
The Comcast Bay Area thread in Local HDTV Reception indicates that Firewire may not be fully enabled in your area.

Joe,
Thanks for the quick reply. I had perused that thread before, but was kinda hoping it was an "all or nothing" thing (e.g. once the ports are enabled, possibly through the 7.07 firmware which has apparently, along with the 6200 itself, just made it to our area), I'd be good to go. And I had read elsewhere (the 5100 FAQ on cjhengineering.com) that 7.07 was what 'enabled firewire', which along with my initial small success (changing channels) made me hope it was just my own blundering button-pushing (or lack thereof) that was causing my problems.
But alas, I'll monitor that thread to see if any of those other Bay Area folks get firewire working from their 6200s for HD recording, then I'll give it another try from my Mac. Again, thanks for the help!

- Josh

For people with the Samsung T165 -

Are there any conditions under which the FireWire output is always active, e.g., when the unit it on/off/etc? I read something that seemed to imply it was only active when you have set up a recording event for a specific time.

Also, does it appear in AVC Browser? If so, and you've used my subunit explorer, what subunits does it advertise?

Thanks.

kaadray, I have a T165 but I am not sure that my experience with it is typical. That said, I believe that my firewire output is always active (if I understand correctly what you mean by active) when the unit is on.

I do need to connect with the AVC browser before I can record with VirtualDVHS (or your modified AVC browser); it is my impression that others do not need this step. The T165 definitely shows up in the AVC browser. I do not have to set a recording event on the T165 in order to record from my Mac through the Firewire port.

As for the subunit explorer, I have only played with it for a couple of minutes. I recall it listing was about a half dozen entries titled 'tuner'. I could not get a response from any of them with any of the commands.

Hope that helps. Thanks for your work.

Alex

I'm in a similar situation as Poochie, except I'm in Long Island and have Cablevision as my provider. I have the Sony DHG-M55CV connected to my Quicksilver G4. I've downloaded Firewore SDK 19, and can run AVCBrowser and VirtualDVHS.

I've been through all 25 pages of this thread and tried the different methods suggested to get recording to work. I rebooted both the Mac and STB; the Mac can see the STB. I tried opening VirtualDVHS first, then connecting with AVC second; recording doesnt work. In AVC:
Name: DHG-M55V
Type:Type-5
GUID:8004604030181f5
In Speed:200
Out Speed:200
#in:0
#out:1
Out Base:63

When I click "Unit Info":
=============== Sent AVC Command ===============
cType: Status
subUnit: 0xFF
opCode: Unit Info (0x30)
FCP Command Frame:
01 FF 30 FF FF FF FF FF

=============== Received AVC Response ===============
response: Implemented/Stable
subUnit: 0xFF
opCode: Unit Info (0x30)
FCP Response Frame:
0C FF 30 07 28 08 00 46

When I click "Plug Info":
=============== Sent AVC Command ===============
cType: Status
subUnit: 0xFF
opCode: Plug-Info (0x02)
FCP Command Frame:
01 FF 02 00 FF FF FF FF

=============== Received AVC Response ===============
response: Not Implemented
subUnit: 0xFF
opCode: Plug-Info (0x02)
FCP Response Frame:
08 FF 02 00 FF FF FF FF

When I click "Subunit Info":
=============== Sent AVC Command ===============
cType: Status
subUnit: 0xFF
opCode: Sub-Unit Info (0x31)
FCP Command Frame:
01 FF 31 07 FF FF FF FF

=============== Received AVC Response ===============
response: Implemented/Stable
subUnit: 0xFF
opCode: Sub-Unit Info (0x31)
FCP Response Frame:
0C FF 31 07 28 FF FF FF

When I click "Output Plug Signal Format":
=============== Sent AVC Command ===============
cType: Status
subUnit: 0xFF
opCode: Output Plug Signal Format (0x18)
FCP Command Frame:
01 FF 18 00 FF FF FF FF

=============== Received AVC Response ===============
response: Not Implemented
subUnit: 0xFF
opCode: Output Plug Signal Format (0x18)
FCP Response Frame:
08 FF 18 00 FF FF FF FF

After I connect, the .m2t file in VirtualDVHS remains at 0K when I try to record. Changing the channels in both apps doesn't help either. I also cannot open the modified versions of AVC.

rockman,

I *just* got something other than a 0-byte file.

One thing I forgot to do was actually install the prerelease packages from the SDK. I mistakenly thought those "prerelease" ones were for Jaguar. (Installed the packages from developer/FireWireSDK19/FirewireComponents/PreReleaseComponents/Packages/FW_PreRelease.pkg)

Then I rebooted, and it didn't work either. So I made sure I had quit all the programs (avc browser, virtualDVHS), then I rebooted my STB (pulled the power cable), then got things working.

Not sure which step got me off the ground (or even if I am yet ... I haven't even played the files back yet), but since I'm getting data written, and I saw you were stuck too, thought this might help.

Originally posted by rockman2023
...

When I click "Output Plug Signal Format":
=============== Sent AVC Command ===============
cType: Status
subUnit: 0xFF
opCode: Output Plug Signal Format (0x18)
FCP Command Frame:
01 FF 18 00 FF FF FF FF

=============== Received AVC Response ===============
response: Not Implemented
subUnit: 0xFF
opCode: Output Plug Signal Format (0x18)
FCP Response Frame:
08 FF 18 00 FF FF FF FF

After I connect, the .m2t file in VirtualDVHS remains at 0K when I try to record. Changing the channels in both apps doesn't help either. I also cannot open the modified versions of AVC.

You should get "Implemented/Stable" for this one.

Originally posted by Poochie
One thing I forgot to do was actually install the prerelease packages from the SDK. I mistakenly thought those "prerelease" ones were for Jaguar. This is not correct. The prerelease components are for Jaguar ONLY and not for Panther. Do not install the prerelease components if you are already running Panther as you will be overwriting newer files with older versions. Poochie, you must have also made some other change that accounts for recording now working.

Originally posted by rcliff
This is not correct. The prerelease components are for Jaguar ONLY and not for Panther. Do not install the prerelease components if you are already running Panther as you will be overwriting newer files with older versions. Poochie, you must have also made some other change that accounts for recording now working.

If that didnt get recording to work, then I have no clue how to resolve my problem. Any suggestions as to how I can get the Output Plug's responce to Implemented/Stable?

Rockman, I know the Sony Cablevision box does indeed work. It could be that you have a box with older firmware that's causing the problem. I can check mine tonight to see what the output plug response is as well as the firmware revision. If the firmware is the issue you can just swap it out at a walk in center.

This is not correct. The prerelease components are for Jaguar ONLY and not for Panther. Do not install the prerelease components if you are already running Panther as you will be overwriting newer files with older versions. Poochie, you must have also made some other change that accounts for recording now working.

Just to be clear, the pre-release components that were in SDK18 were needed for use with VirtualDVHS running in Jaguar, because Jaguar didn't have the AVC target services which are now part of Panther. Installing the SDK18 pre-release components would update Jaguar's IOFireWireAVC.kext to one that did include this functionality.

The pre-release components in SDK19 include changes to the Panther FireWire components that have not yet shipped in a software update (newer than 10.3.3 FireWire components). VirtualDVHS should work with our without these pre-release components on Panther based systems.

Originally posted by rcliff
Rockman, I know the Sony Cablevision box does indeed work. It could be that you have a box with older firmware that's causing the problem. I can check mine tonight to see what the output plug response is as well as the firmware revision. If the firmware is the issue you can just swap it out at a walk in center.

If you can check, it'd be much appreciated.

Originally posted by FriarWyer
Just to be clear, the pre-release components that were in SDK18 were needed for use with VirtualDVHS running in Jaguar, because Jaguar didn't have the AVC target services which are now part of Panther. Installing the SDK18 pre-release components would update Jaguar's IOFireWireAVC.kext to one that did include this functionality.

The pre-release components in SDK19 include changes to the Panther FireWire components that have not yet shipped in a software update (newer than 10.3.3 FireWire components). VirtualDVHS should work with our without these pre-release components on Panther based systems.

Also to (hopefully) be clear, I was talking about the pre-release ones in SDK 19 (not 18). When I was having my initial failures, I had just installed the SDK 18 package itself (from the .dmg file downloaded from apple), but I had *not* actually ever installed a package from those directories. I later downloaded SDK 19 (after learning of its existence), and tried to record again, with no luck. Then I saw the FireWireComponents directory, and within that saw that there were Jaguar, Panther, and PreRelease versions that the readme made me believe I could install on Panther. So I installed *those* prerelease versions and rebooted. [Note I'm not in front of my mac right now so I might be a bit off on the contents of the FireWireComponents directory]

I guess as a final experiment I can try to backrev to the Panther 10.3.3 release components and see if I can still record (it sounds like I should be able to, according to FriarWyer).

On a side note, I have verified that the files themselves contain good data, when I played them back in vlc. This was true for files recorded with the combined "AV/C Browser Enhanced" and the "AV/C Browser combined with Virtual DVHS" methods. Thanks for all the info!

I just installed the Pre-Release Components, and I still cant record.

This is what I do:
1) start VirtualDVHS (the proper directory is already in the preferences)
2) start AVCBrowser
3) in AVC, select the device and click Open Device Controller
4) Click 'Connect' in the Output section
5) click the record button in VirtualDVHS

Changing the channel number (0-63) doesn't help. What about the cable channel? I'll try broadcast channels for starters. I assume that those aren't copy-protected and should be recordable.

Originally posted by rockman2023
I just installed the Pre-Release Components, and I still cant record.

This is what I do:
1) start VirtualDVHS (the proper directory is already in the preferences)
2) start AVCBrowser
3) in AVC, select the device and click Open Device Controller
4) Click 'Connect' in the Output section
5) click the record button in VirtualDVHS

Changing the channel number (0-63) doesn't help. What about the cable channel? I'll try broadcast channels for starters. I assume that those aren't copy-protected and should be recordable. Rockman, I just checked my Sony box and I get the same response as you for the output plug signal format so that's not the issue. Also note, the channel for this box should be zero.

You mentioned that you would try to record broadcast channels for starters. If you are trying to record the analog broadcast channels (2,4,7,etc) I can guarantee that that will not work and that may be the cause of all your problems. The Sony box will only pass digital signals via the firewire port. Try channels in the 300's (sd digital) or 700's (HD digital). Analog channels will not output anything over firewire.

Ok,

question for all the mac-ites ... been playing with a powermac + osx + avsbrowser for a few days now.

It *rocks*. Does exactly what it's supposed to do, solidly at that.

However, was wondering a few things about the avsbrowser and 6200+mac as well ...

1) Does the avcbrowser support the 6200 for channel changes? I find it's very hit or miss. And when it's miss, the channel change function is locked up until you manually power down and reset the unit.

The Subunit Explorer method of pressing buttons works flawlessly. Would it be possible to fix AVCBrowser so it behaves the same way? Easiest way to set a channel would be to hit the EXIT button, then the three channel #s, then SELECT. That should work each and every time, without fail, no matter what is on the screen or what mode the 6200 is in.

Also, concerning the 6200 specifically - has anyone developped a timer package that will select a 6200 channel, start up the record process, top the record process, etc?

This would have to be customized to the 6200 as it doesn't support the tuner device.

thanks !

- litz

All of this is astoundingly interesting--I can't wait until Monday when my SA3250 arrives to attempt it. However....

Although I've seen plenty of discussion about using older hardware as the recording device (all the way down to beige G3s), I haven't seen any discussion about interface cards. I have a PowerBook G3 (400MHz processor--Lombard) that doesn't have built-in firewire. I do, however, have a FireWire CardBus card that I use for my external firewire hard drive.

Any idea if capturing the transport stream with the CardBus card will work?

Best,
Brad

I don't know if it will work, I think I remember reading something about needinig an OHCI compliant Firewire interface ...

As far as non-internal interfaces go, no problem - I'm currently running an old beige 266mhz powermac minitower. No built-in firewire OR usb - have a PCI card for each currently installed.

Needed some help from XPostFacto to get it installed (and some creativity to get around a Apple CD-rom that won't read CDR discs well) but Panther runs on it just fine.

I guess you can simply try - worst case is it doesn't work.

Being as the software needed is built into Panther anyway, it is worth the upgrade alone for the performance boost over Jaguar.

- litz

I can modify the modified AVCBrowser to send whatever works best. If people like exit-3 digits-select that can be done.

I am suprised that subunit explorer works fine for you, but the modified AVC Browser (I assume that is what you mean when you say it itsn't reliable in AVCBrowser - or do you mean entering the hex codes yourself in the original avcbrowser?) because as far as I am aware, I send the channel change commands the same in both. I'll double check.

Your best bet for autorecording is still the 6200 built in timers for channel change and the available Applescripts working together. I have the timed recording app about half done, but time as been short the past few days.

Originally posted by kaadray
...

Your best bet for autorecording is still the 6200 built in timers for channel change and the available Applescripts working together. I have the timed recording app about half done, but time as been short the past few days.

Just as a gentle reminder, the AppleScripts work with the SDK 18 apps only. Plus, be sure to rename the modified AVC Browser so that there is no conflict with the original AVC Browser that works with the AppleScripts.

I am having problems (sound breakups) with the SDK19 DVHStool. Will need to try old version.

Joe,

I know you gave an indicator in the scripts of the changed AVSbrowser name so I made that change and it seemed to work. Maybe that's why I am getting breakups???

Originally posted by rudolpht
I am having problems (sound breakups) with the SDK19 DVHStool. Will need to try old version.

Joe,

I know you gave an indicator in the scripts of the changed AVSbrowser name so I made that change and it seemed to work. Maybe that's why I am getting breakups???

Tim,

I am sticking with SDK 18 since it works. I really don't know what changed between 18 and 19. Are the breakups on all channels?

Has anyone had any problems with the system actually freezing/crashing when calling the Applescripts from within iCal ?

I actually get a blue/black vertical stripe pattern on the desktop, no icons, and a frozen machine ...

This is on an OLD beige G3/266 minitower.

Everything works fine manually, even running the scripts.

But it's locking up with iCal on scheduled events.

- litz

Originally posted by jsb_hburg
Tim,

I am sticking with SDK 18 since it works. I really don't know what changed between 18 and 19. Are the breakups on all channels?

Two different channels, (HBO & Max). Will revert back. I am assuming the kaadray variant is based on 18.

Tim

Has anyone had problems after the recent major iTunes/quicktime update? Suddenly I can't record any streams.

My Moto 6200 still reports FW of 7.07.

Cheers,

Originally posted by Alric
Has anyone had problems after the recent major iTunes/quicktime update? Suddenly I can't record any streams.

My Moto 6200 still reports FW of 7.07.

Cheers,

Hello,

I have done the iTunes/QuickTime update and have not had any problems. I am using the SDK 18 apps and kaadray's modified AVC Browser (renamed in Finder to avoid any conflicts). Recordings are fine. I am using a new G4/1.25 eMac and external FireWire HDD, the kids' new system. SD looks great. As for HD, there are some dropped frames still but much better compared to the G4/800 iMac.

My DLP is down; so, the eMac is passing my video via the external HDD and VLC with a 15 second delay.

Has anyone used THIS DIY N.A.S. (http://store.yahoo.com/cgi-bin/clink?rebyte+bXqMLt+index.html+avsforum) solution from reByte? PCI based imbedded Linux OS backup/file server w/ Raid 1 or 5, +auto back up software + free web dynamic DNS, for $150 plus the cost of an old PC. Sounds very tempting, especially w/ 30-day money back trial. The only thing that was keeping me from Linux software RAID-5 was set-up complexity. I would do OS-X RAID but it does not support RAID-5. From my looking, this seems to be a great NAS solution for a backup storage server. I do not think it will have the throughput of hardware RAID, but I am looking to store music and movie rips and OS backups with some redundancy and big storage, so RAID-5 is perfect.

With this, you take an old PC (even us Mac guys probably have a PIII sitting around somewhere) and pop in a few hard drives and this PCI card with imbedded OS, network attached storage server, auto backup software, etc... This solution sounds like it is a no-brainer. Now the only thing keeping me from pulling the trigger on this is that the max storage it would support w/ 250Gb drives is 750Gb (it is RAID-5, which is nice.) With ripping backups of my DVDs and recording HDTV, those gigs run out fast! I guess for $150 plus a basic PC, I could always build a second one when the first fills up. Especially if people keep finding the $169 no rebate deals on 250Gb hard drives like the one there was last week!

I think I will order a card and start with a pair of 80GB drives that I have been wanting to replace w/ larger ones. Then I can give it a good trial w/o having to invest in new drives yet. If it works, looks like I'll need four 250GB drives to make a 750GB RAID-5. There is a thread on this where I asked the HTPC gurus over in the HTPC forum HERE (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=396395&perpage=20&pagenumber=1)

Originally posted by mikemav
Has anyone used THIS DIY N.A.S. (http://store.yahoo.com/cgi-bin/clink?rebyte+bXqMLt+index.html+avsforum) solution from reByte? PCI based imbedded Linux OS backup/file server w/ Raid 1 or 5, +auto back up software + free web dynamic DNS, for $150 plus the cost of an old PC. Sounds very tempting, especially w/ 30-day money back trial. The only thing that was keeping me from Linux software RAID-5 was set-up complexity. I would do OS-X RAID but it does not support RAID-5. From my looking, this seems to be a great NAS solution for a backup storage server. I do not think it will have the throughput of hardware RAID, but I am looking to store music and movie rips and OS backups with some redundancy and big storage, so RAID-5 is perfect.

With this, you take an old PC (even us Mac guys probably have a PIII sitting around somewhere) and pop in a few hard drives and this PCI card with imbedded OS, network attached storage server, auto backup software, etc... This solution sounds like it is a no-brainer. Now the only thing keeping me from pulling the trigger on this is that the max storage it would support w/ 250Gb drives is 750Gb (it is RAID-5, which is nice.) With ripping backups of my DVDs and recording HDTV, those gigs run out fast! I guess for $150 plus a basic PC, I could always build a second one when the first fills up. Especially if people keep finding the $169 no rebate deals on 250Gb hard drives like the one there was last week!

I think I will order a card and start with a pair of 80GB drives that I have been wanting to replace w/ larger ones. Then I can give it a good trial w/o having to invest in new drives yet. If it works, looks like I'll need four 250GB drives to make a 750GB RAID-5. There is a thread on this where I asked the HTPC gurus over in the HTPC forum HERE (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=396395&perpage=20&pagenumber=1)

Since this is software RAID, I think you'll most likely have a performance problem using an older PC. Your better off buying a hardware RAID 5 card like an Adaptec 2400A. I will set you back around $300 though.

VLC 0.7.2a is out. In the notes, the developers claim that TS muxing is improved. I have noticed improved playback on my eMac G4/1.25 1GB. For example, it processes 95 to 100% of the "pictures" as reported from the Message window for Ice Age and 90 to 95% of the "pictures" on average fro Matrix Reloaded. Of course, these programs are sub-15 Mbps files. Performance for files in excess of 15 Mbps will decline, comparatively. I was lucky to get 30 to 40% of the "pictures" on my less than two-years old iMac G4/800 for similar files.

Wow. What a lot of reading it took to get here. Let's get to my questions though :)

I am wondering if anyone has tried using this:
ati.com/products/hdtvadapter/

with an ati 7000 mac version. It says that it only works with a few others, but I have to wonder why it would not work with any DVI-I output.

UPDATE: It would seem there are drivers necessary for this thing to work, how about for the other devices like it that can be found on the internet?

Has anyone tried anything to get HD out to component(YPrPb).. on a Mac?

Originally posted by jsb_hburg
VLC 0.7.2a is out. In the notes, the developers claim that TS muxing is improved. I have noticed improved playback on my eMac G4/1.25 1GB. For example, it processes 95 to 100% of the "pictures" as reported from the Message window for Ice Age and 90 to 95% of the "pictures" on average fro Matrix Reloaded. Of course, these programs are sub-15 Mbps files. Performance for files in excess of 15 Mbps will decline, comparatively. I was lucky to get 30 to 40% of the "pictures" on my less than two-years old iMac G4/800 for similar files. This version does seem to be a BIG improvement! The long standing stuttering bug when when the video window bleeds off the screen is fixed. On my G5 single 1.8GHz it processes 100% of the pictures during playback of a 19.4Mb/s stream. I haven't tried it yet on slower hardware. The readme also notes "Roku HD1000 audio output". I'm starting to think about picking up one of those Roku boxes.

Hey guys I haven't checked up on this thread in a long while. When I was last here it seemed like the moto's were encrypting HBO and Showtime HD channels. Can you guys record those channels or are you SOL?

Problem #1: Recording works fine. Playback looks fine w/ VLC 0.7.1 - but no audio and above message. Any idea what I'm doing wrong? (G5 dual, motu 6200 to front FW port, internal HD)

Problem #2: Add external drive to rear port. Attempt recording. Drive freezes with red light constant (yiii) Try external hooked up to 2nd FW port on 6200 - no recognition (after complete reboot and recognition by G5)

Thanks,
da hd dude

(I've asked the moderator to delete the errant new thread post of this message in the forum)

Originally posted by da_hd_dude
Problem #1: Recording works fine. Playback looks fine w/ VLC 0.7.1 - but no audio and above message. Any idea what I'm doing wrong? (G5 dual, motu 6200 to front FW port, internal HD)

Have you tried stereo out. I was having trouble with 5.1 also.

I just picked up a Roku HD1000 locally. I've got pretty high expectations for playback with this thing. I'll report back later with initial results.

I bought a B&W G3 before reading that it had issues running VirtualDVHS. After taking out the internal Firewire card and replacing it with another PCI firewire card I can say that VirtualDVHS does not run in a B&W G3 350mhz box. Everytime I attempted to run it I would get a kernal panic. So, I am now looking for a replacement machine to accomplish capturing from my Motorola 6200. Do the G4 Powermacs (done in a similar style as my B&W G3) work with this setup? If I went with an older mac to accomplish this, which one would be the easiest to upgrade the Hard Drive/Memory.

Thanks for any help/suggestions,
imimmortl

Originally posted by rcliff
I just picked up a Roku HD1000 locally. I've got pretty high expectations for playback with this thing. I'll report back later with initial results.

If you have any questions I might be able to help.