FireBus DTV Recorder 3.02 Released

[bwall23]

I'm putting this up here because I have been doing some testing with the beta version and am able to record and playback IN THE CLEAR OTA and CABLE with this on XP SP2 with a VIA OHCI chipset. Vividlogic just emailed me this release notice.

Vividlogic, Inc. is pleased to announce the release of FireBus(TM) DTV Recorder Version 3.02. This software allows you to record and playback DTV movies (HD and SD Unencrypted movies/content only) using the PC you already own.
Version 3.02 is now compatible with hyper threading and multi-core/multi-processor machines running Windows XP Home/Professional/Media Center Edition. This version also incorporates buffered streaming which results in more stable and better quality streaming. The buffering status is displayed in the buffering status indicator in the Content Manager.

Unlike the previous versions, this version does not support Windows 2000. This version also does not support 64 bit Windows XP, Windows 2003 Server or Windows Vista.

FireBus(TM)DTV Recorder Version 3.02 may be downloaded from the following URL: http://www.vividlogic.com/products/d...nload_now.html

Similar to version 1.0 & 1.1, version 3.02 of the software also allows evaluation for a period of 30 days from the date of installation. During the evaluation period, you can record HD/SD contents in the clear for a duration of 30 minutes only. If you like the software, you may purchase the full version from the VividLogic Store and activate it.

If you already have an activated copy of version 1.0 or 1.1 of the software, you may upgrade to version 3.02 free of charge. You do not need to activate the new version of the software again. The activation key you used in the activation of Version 1.0 or 1.1 holds good for this version also.

We look forward to your valuable feedback on the product. Please write to us at support@vividlogic.com.

Sincerely,
support@vividlogic.com

[timecop]

Oh wow!
I wonder if it sucks less now.
No mention of hyperthreading in the new user guide, hopefully at least THAT part got fixed.
Still uses that moronic custom ohci driver instead of doing it properly, but hey if it works, I'll be impressed.

[scoombs]

Originally Posted by timecop

Oh wow!
I wonder if it sucks less now.
No mention of hyperthreading in the new user guide, hopefully at least THAT part got fixed.
Still uses that moronic custom ohci driver instead of doing it properly, but hey if it works, I'll be impressed.

Works a little better, but still very flaky and unreliable compared to say an Indigita AVHDD.

[bwall23]

Originally Posted by timecop

Oh wow!
I wonder if it sucks less now.
No mention of hyperthreading in the new user guide, hopefully at least THAT part got fixed.
Still uses that moronic custom ohci driver instead of doing it properly, but hey if it works, I'll be impressed.

Yes, it does work.

Works even better if On-Access Virus scanning and Indexing services are disabled. (ANYTHING that filters or inspects the transport streams while being written or read).

I don't have a muti-core or multi-processor or hyperthreading system, so I cannot comment on that other than the release notice I posted states it works.

Of course, it's not DTCP compliant (I think Vista/DRM 10 is though), so it only records IN THE CLEAR OTA and CABLE. It now pops up a warning if it encounters a copy protected stream. If there was enough demand for DTCP compliance, they might develop it for this product.

My guess is they don't get enough dedicated beta testers to make it worth the effort.

[awake33]

I was able to get v1.1 working, albeit in a very unstable sense.

This version won't work at all for me so far.

When I install it my Firewire network device disappears....after multiple reboot and messing around with the TWO whole options it will eventually give my Firewire device back.


But then when I run the program content manager it crashes before it even comes up with a GUI.

I emailed these guys several times many months ago and never heard from them, then the idiots find time to spam us all with the availability of this new version.

I would pay the $99 in a heartbeat if the damn thing worked!

[bwall23]

Originally Posted by awake33

When I install it my Firewire network device disappears....after multiple reboot and messing around with the TWO whole options it will eventually give my Firewire device back.

Just curious why you expect/or want your firewire network device???

I disabled mine since I'm not using their driver for firewire networking. It's meant to replace the MS driver for recording/playback from a IEEE1394 enabled HDTV.

You can always switch back to the MS driver if you really need the networking over IEEE1394.

[awake33]

Originally Posted by bwall23

Just curious why you expect/or want your firewire network device???

I disabled mine since I'm not using their driver for firewire networking. It's meant to replace the MS driver for recording/playback from a IEEE1394 enabled HDTV.

You can always switch back to the MS driver if you really need the networking over IEEE1394.

Because without the device installed I cannot use firewire at all. For example I cannot use VLC to capture video because there is no capture device available if firewire device is not installed. It obviously needs the device installed to communicate with the DTV.

Firewire may be listed as a 'Network' device but that hardly limits its use to traditional networking.

My setup works quite nicely as it is however I would prefer to playback my HD movies over firewire for several reasons. I would never use this software to record, its way to buggy/clunky and has limitations on the bitrate.

1 - The TVs tuner/scaler ignores the extra 8 pixels that are added to most broadcasts at the bottom of the screen to get 1088 in height (There is an 8 pixel tall bar at the bottom, VLC is coded to automatically remove this but you will see it in other players on the PC)
2 - The TVs black levels are much better when using it to decode signals rather than an Xbox360. The 360 is quite washed out in comparison.
3 - The 360 is an added use of electricity and unwanted noise.

[timecop]

I think what he means is that the custom OHCI driver vividlogic provides, ONLY works with their custom software, and does not support AV/C Tape and AV/C Generic devices as the default microsoft driver, so things like firewire capture no longer work.

And yes, some people do use firewire networking as its 4x faster than 100mbit ethernet.

[HDTVFanAtic]

I had high hopes that they had gotten the bugs out of this as I wanted to finally give it a good shot sending video over firewire to my HDTV. The firewire output of my SA3250HD looks virtually as good as the cablecard over firewire - and takes a massive hit if it connect via component or DVI/HDMI. The SA8300HD is better via HDMI but it cannot touch the cablecard picture. Again, the SA3250HD virtually matches the cablecard over firewire.

So much for high hopes

[bwall23]

Originally Posted by timecop

I think what he means is that the custom OHCI driver vividlogic provides, ONLY works with their custom software, and does not support AV/C Tape and AV/C Generic devices as the default microsoft driver, so things like firewire capture no longer work.

Yes, that's what I meant. It does do firewire capture/playback as controlled thru the TV since it appears to the TV as an AVDISC or AVTAPE device, but does not support AV/C Tape and AV/C Generic devices. You could use the broadcast feature and have it record from an STB w/DVR (in the clear content only, of course) if you had a way to start playback on the STB DVR and it streamed thru it's firewire output.

Originally Posted by timecop

And yes, some people do use firewire networking as its 4x faster than 100mbit ethernet.

OK, but that has nothing to do with capturing/playing transport streams with this software.

[bwall23]

Originally Posted by HDTVFanAtic

I had high hopes that they had gotten the bugs out of this as I wanted to finally give it a good shot sending video over firewire to my HDTV. The firewire output of my SA3250HD looks virtually as good as the cablecard over firewire - and takes a massive hit if it connect via component or DVI/HDMI. The SA8300HD is better via HDMI but it cannot touch the cablecard picture. Again, the SA3250HD virtually matches the cablecard over firewire.

So much for high hopes

What are you trying to send video from?
This software records to the PC harddrive and plays back from the PC harddrive.
If you're trying to get recordings off your STB/DVR, try playing it and use broadcast on the Vividlogic software to capture it.

What's not working?

[bwall23]

Originally Posted by awake33

I was able to get v1.1 working, albeit in a very unstable sense.

This version won't work at all for me so far.

When I install it my Firewire network device disappears....after multiple reboot and messing around with the TWO whole options it will eventually give my Firewire device back.


But then when I run the program content manager it crashes before it even comes up with a GUI.

What IEEE1394 card/chipset are you using?
I have major problems with an Adaptec using a NEC OHCI chipset.
My VIA OHCI works fine.

[HDTVFanAtic]

Originally Posted by bwall23

What are you trying to send video from?
This software records to the PC harddrive and plays back from the PC harddrive.
If you're trying to get recordings off your STB/DVR, try playing it and use broadcast on the Vividlogic software to capture it.

What's not working?

Wanted to send transport streams off the HTPC to the HDTV via IEEE1394.

Sending it out via the IEEE1394 port I was hoping was something firebus would finally get operational in some conventional form.

Clearly Sony does not make a driver for Windows for the HDTV nor is there anything else that I am aware of that can direct the .ts stream out the firewire to the Sony for playback.

If the firebus on the HTPC would emulate a DVHS, as stated in the 3.0 specs, then all would be solved with stable software - in fact in theory I suppose the Sony remote would even control it just like it will do a DVHS deck.

[awake33]

Originally Posted by bwall23

What IEEE1394 card/chipset are you using?
I have major problems with an Adaptec using a NEC OHCI chipset.
My VIA OHCI works fine.

I'm using a TI chipset from my motherboard supported by Firebus.

OH well, I was looking at HDTVs today for my living room and came across some interesting stuff.

HP has a DTV that has a built in (sort of) media player on the SLC3760N.

Its pretty slick and even plays Xvid/Divx HD as well as MPEG 1 and MPEG 2 HD.

Too bad its only a 37".

Shoudn't be too long before we have an option that is not only viable but ideal

[sneals2000]

Originally Posted by bwall23

OK, but that has nothing to do with capturing/playing transport streams with this software.

I guess if you are a user of Firewire networking (as I am - it is the quickest way I have of copying files from my desktop to my laptop) - then if the Firebus software disables the Firewire networking option when it installs its own drivers, this is a limitation for those who use Firewire for this function.

(Does the Firebuss driver still allow Firewire I/O for DV streams from camcorders into Windows standard editing applications like Avid FreeDV, Adobe Premiere etc.?)

[bwall23]

Originally Posted by HDTVFanAtic

Wanted to send transport streams off the HTPC to the HDTV via IEEE1394.

That's what I'm doing with it.

It will emulate a DVHS or AVDISC, does your Sony HDTV support recording to a DVHS or AVDISC using the IEEE 1394 TA AVC Command Set? I think the TA didn't accept it until v4.2.

What doesn't work for you?

[bwall23]

Originally Posted by awake33

I'm using a TI chipset from my motherboard supported by Firebus.

They say the TI OHCI chipset is supported.
They only support ONE firewire card in a PC.

What did they say when you emailed their support about the problem you have?

[bwall23]

Originally Posted by sneals2000

I guess if you are a user of Firewire networking (as I am - it is the quickest way I have of copying files from my desktop to my laptop) - then if the Firebus software disables the Firewire networking option when it installs its own drivers, this is a limitation for those who use Firewire for this function.

(Does the Firebuss driver still allow Firewire I/O for DV streams from camcorders into Windows standard editing applications like Avid FreeDV, Adobe Premiere etc.?)

Quoted from their website

FireBus™ DTV Recorder requires VividLogic's custom built 1394 driver to work. Installation of the FireBus DTV recorder software replaces the default Microsoft IEEE1394 driver with VividLogic's driver. VividLogic drivers currently do not provide the support for DV camcorders. In case the user wishes to switch back to Microsoft's IEEE1394 driver, he can do so by using the "FireBus DTVR settings" Control Panel application. See user guide for more information.

[timecop]

Originally Posted by sneals2000

(Does the Firebuss driver still allow Firewire I/O for DV streams from camcorders into Windows standard editing applications like Avid FreeDV, Adobe Premiere etc.?)

No, their driver breaks DV too.

Anyone with two firewire cards have firejunk on one, and a real microsoft driver on another? That could be a solution if it works.

[awake33]

Originally Posted by bwall23

They say the TI OHCI chipset is supported.
They only support ONE firewire card in a PC.

What did they say when you emailed their support about the problem you have?

They don't say anything, never have.

Have sent several emails over a period of 6 months, no reply.

[bwall23]

Originally Posted by awake33

They don't say anything, never have.

Have sent several emails over a period of 6 months, no reply.

Strange. I've had to wait two days at the most for replies, but we've had a barrage of emails going back and forth this month.

[twelvepbrs]

anyone still here? i dumped the dvr i had from my cable co, and am looking for ways to get along without it, i'm currently trying out FB3.02 and it kinda sorta works: i can record and playback from my mits-WD62627 (tested it out during The Tonight Show), i have it setup as an AVDisc and can control it from my tv, the tv shows an error message about half of the time when i send a command to it, but after a couple seconds it works fine, so there's just some delay, but it seems about as fast as my RCA-DVR2160, one problem with my tv is that it can't record one program and watch another (if they are digital), so my goal is to use an HDHomerun with my PC to record all the shows i want through clear-qam cable and OTA, and then use firebus to play them on my tv at my convenience; this should keep me from having to build a real HTPC, the .ts files seem to play back fine on my pc (using zoomplayer), so the plan is to make a few upgrades to the pc to make it closer to the "ideal" system that the firebus docs call for (upgrades i've been meaning to do anyways), record ts files using the pc and verify that they will playback through 1394 to the tv, there are a couple of issues, hopefully someone can give me some answers:
1) My 1394 port is part of my sound-card (SB Audigy-2), when the tv is plugged into the computer via 1394, there are popping sounds coming out the audio (just 2-channel analog to an older stereo receiver), the 1394 is daisy chained from the tv through the RCA-DVR2160, i'll try it without the 2160, but has anyone been able to install two 1394 cards/ports and only have one configured for firebus? my ipod also uses firewire and i need the standard 1394 port working too if possible
2) Is anyone familiar with the .ini files that are created for each recording, and what the different fields/etc... that are available? i'd like to edit them so that when i use the tv to control the dvr that it shows the program name/info
3) It sounds like (from here and most of the other avs forums) there isn't anyone who actually uses firebus regularly; appears a lot of people tried it, and were dissappointed; has anyone out there actually slapped down the $99 and bought the product and used it regularly since?