bwooster
02-22-07, 04:15 PM
I got this player about two weeks ago. I was interested in using it as a playback device for MPEG-2 transport stream files. I get the files either by recording from over the air broadcasts onto a WinXp PC or using a Nextcom modified satellite box to record from Directv.
My plan was to burn the ts files onto DVD and then play them back from the x5000 via HDMI to my tv.
HBO HD files (Sopranos, Rome, King Kong) played back perfectly.
The player had some issues with playing back some ts files.
1) The files needed to be burned onto a DVD using the UDF format, otherwise the x5000 only seemed to be able to read only 4 Gb of data. If the disc was burned as a UDF DVD (using Toast via my Mac) the x5000 could read it all.
2) I tried to use "MPEG Streamclip" to cut commercials out of the ts files so that a one hour show could fit onto a DVD-R. Apparently using the "Convert to...." menu item after cutting out commercials also discards some information that the player needs to playback the ts files properly. The video played back but there was no sound.
Streaming these files to the tv using via FireWire with "VirtualDVHS" from my Mac to my tv showed video but no sound.
When I played these files using "VLC" on my Mac the sound was fine.
My solution was to use the "Save As..." option to cut the files into the segments of the ts file that has segments from the show and then use the "cat" command from the Terminal on my Mac to glue the program segments back together.
This works perfectly! The player can fast forward and rewind through the files.
The current problem I am working on is getting over the air files that have more than one video and audio track to fit onto one DVD-R.
For example, recording "Supernatural" over the air results in a file that is about 8.5 gigs. Editing out the commercials results in a file that is ~ 5.6 Gb. BUT, this file has 2 video streams and 3 audio streams!
Possible solutions to this problem are to:
1) Use dual layer DVD media and burn them as UDF format discs. I have not tried this so I am not sure that Toast or the x5000 supports this solution.
2) Remove the alternate video data without removing whatever extra data the x5000 needs in the file to play it back properly with audio.
I can probably write a simple C program to strip out the video packets and then test to see if the x5000 can still play it back properly.
3) Report the problem to Neodigits and then see if they have a fix for it.
I've noticed another bug in the player. If it is playing back a ts file from a DVD-R and I press the "Eject" button the x5000 freezes and requires a power reset to get it to work again. Myabe this happens with DVD playback too, I haven't tested it.
My plan was to burn the ts files onto DVD and then play them back from the x5000 via HDMI to my tv.
HBO HD files (Sopranos, Rome, King Kong) played back perfectly.
The player had some issues with playing back some ts files.
1) The files needed to be burned onto a DVD using the UDF format, otherwise the x5000 only seemed to be able to read only 4 Gb of data. If the disc was burned as a UDF DVD (using Toast via my Mac) the x5000 could read it all.
2) I tried to use "MPEG Streamclip" to cut commercials out of the ts files so that a one hour show could fit onto a DVD-R. Apparently using the "Convert to...." menu item after cutting out commercials also discards some information that the player needs to playback the ts files properly. The video played back but there was no sound.
Streaming these files to the tv using via FireWire with "VirtualDVHS" from my Mac to my tv showed video but no sound.
When I played these files using "VLC" on my Mac the sound was fine.
My solution was to use the "Save As..." option to cut the files into the segments of the ts file that has segments from the show and then use the "cat" command from the Terminal on my Mac to glue the program segments back together.
This works perfectly! The player can fast forward and rewind through the files.
The current problem I am working on is getting over the air files that have more than one video and audio track to fit onto one DVD-R.
For example, recording "Supernatural" over the air results in a file that is about 8.5 gigs. Editing out the commercials results in a file that is ~ 5.6 Gb. BUT, this file has 2 video streams and 3 audio streams!
Possible solutions to this problem are to:
1) Use dual layer DVD media and burn them as UDF format discs. I have not tried this so I am not sure that Toast or the x5000 supports this solution.
2) Remove the alternate video data without removing whatever extra data the x5000 needs in the file to play it back properly with audio.
I can probably write a simple C program to strip out the video packets and then test to see if the x5000 can still play it back properly.
3) Report the problem to Neodigits and then see if they have a fix for it.
I've noticed another bug in the player. If it is playing back a ts file from a DVD-R and I press the "Eject" button the x5000 freezes and requires a power reset to get it to work again. Myabe this happens with DVD playback too, I haven't tested it.