How-To: MacOS X Firewire HDTV recording - Page 18

VLC for Windows can play .m2t files. So can the MyHD card.

I don't currently recevie any of the premium channels. If it would help, let me know which diagnostic screen has the readout you want and I'll check anyway...


AV/C Device--
Name: Explorer(r) 3250HD
Type: Type-5
GUID: xxxxxxxxxxxxx [my obscurity]
In: 400
Out: 400
#in: 0
#out: 1
Out Base 63

Open Device Controller--
Input Plugs: n/a
Output Plugs--
Channel: 0
Rate: S400

Best,
Brad

Killroy,

You should only see an output channel for the 3250 in the device controller. Hit "connect" in the output plugs right below "S400" and you will see the P2P change from 0 to 1. Leave the AVC browser open, then open V-DVHS and hit record.





I need help with the 5C handshake protocol. I understand that I cannot play back the "copy once" files in my mac since the apple cinema display is not HDCP compliant via DVI (ADC) but I was wondering if it is possible to play the m2t file out to a Samsung T165 via fire wire, convert it to DVI and view the image on my HDCP compliant projector?

Has anyone tried this?

Yesterday Comcast did an "over cable" update of the firmware in my Motu 6200 from 7.07 to 7.1.

At first I couldn't get it to come up in AVCBrowser. After messing around with it (various boot sequences, trying different firewire ports) I got it to come up this morning and was able to record.

This evening it's no go again.

Anybody have a clue? (G5, Motu 6200 (firmware 7.1)) No other external FW devices hooked up.

Thanks.

what system location?

Sys location? you mean Panther?

Maybe it doesn't matter 'cos now I seem to have (don't know how) gotten it to recognize the 6200 (once again) - It's recording fine and when I try to play back via VLC (0.7.1a) it won't start - eventually I got "Main: ES does not belong to this input." As VLC will still play previously recorded VDVHS tracks fine, I must have (somehow) screwed up DVHS settings?

...go figure

Do you have the 7.10 firmware ? I am unable to playback (with vlc 0.7.1a) some channels since I got updated.

where are you? comcast of _____ ?

Folks,

I have updated the scripts to be used with kaadray's modified avcbrowser. Here is the link to the zip file.

http://mac_hdtv_timer.home.comcast.net/1394Recorder.zip

Scheduled timeshifting works with iCal as before. You may want to use Watson's TV Guide plug-in to expedite the process with iCal.

I use three alarm files in iCal for a timeshifting event:

Stop and Quit at 2 Minutes Before
Record at 1 Minute Before
Stop and Quit at (duration of program in minutes) Minutes After

The scripts are simplified due to kaadray's work and are an interim solution. There are scripts for the Moto 6200, SA 3250, SA 4200, Samsung T165 and MIT MDR 200.

The basic scripts are:

Record
Record and View
Stop
Stop and Quit

The Moto 6200 scripts also include:

Record CN8
Record and View CN8

These are templates for other channels, though they will work for channel 8 "out of the box." The idea is that you can customize your Record, and Record and View, scripts for as many specific channels as you see fit. It is just a simple matter of replacing the 8 with a number of your choosing and then store the modified script with an appropriately descriptive name using "Save As."

Record and View script lets you see what you are recording on a 15 second delay using VLC. To use this script, you will have to edit the script for the path. The script has an example path "MOBILE HD3AVHS" and to keep things simple, keep the path limited to just one folder. The View of the Finder window for the "DVHS" folder must be set as Column!!! Yes, this path must be the same path set in kaadray's modified avcbrowser. My example is for an external hard drive. For an internal hard drive example, you could have "Macintosh HDVHS" and again this would have to be the same path set in kaadray's modified avcbrowser. Note the path only has one folder in both examples!!! Also, if you have not done so already, you would need to associate the .m2t files with VLC.

Be sure to have kaadray's modified avcbrowser in your Applications folder. Be sure to remove the original avcbrowser from the Applications folder. The scripts for your set top box are to be saved in folder called "VirtualDVHS" in the path "Macintosh HD:Library:Scripts" and you may have to create this folder if it has not been set up already. Be sure to archive the older VirtualDVHS/AVCBrowser scripts outside this path.

Joe,

Wondering if you are going to update the tune script (though can easily be done manually). All that Hex changinging for nothing. Will check records with 7.10

Tim,

I can do just "tune-only" scripts. I will add them later after my backyard chores, ugh. But look on the bright-side, consider how often you get to dabble with hex numbers

I hope timeshifting on the Mac is going well with 7.10 on as many channels as possible.

Thanks Joe, I am noticing both versions of AVCBrowswer opening even though I ditched old version from Applications folder.

UNFORTUNATELY, early testing with 7.10 in Boston area produced great automation with new scripts & ical, but the stream (HBO) killed VLC a couple minutes in. I'll check more. Hopefully a VLC test2 issue vs stream.

Tim

Tim,

Were you using record and view. Or, did you record your capture and then, afterwards, used VLC to view? If the former, then the read sectors may have gotten too close to the write sectors on the hard drive.

Hmm, make sure that the old version is out of the dock and the desktop. If that doesn't work, rename it.

Just checked ESPN, HBO and INHD1 on my system and looks like 5C is turned on for those channels. I have the 7.10 firmware. Has anyone been able to record with DVHS on one of these channels with 7.10 ?

Boston area here( Lowell actually ). I just checked and my firmwire was also updated to 7.10( previously was 7.07). I just ordered a nice 10 meter firewire cable too - I have a feeling I'm going to be unhappy when it comes in once hearing about the encryption being turned on. I will report back if nothing has been said come Wednesday.

Has anyone had troubles processing recorded streams?

I can't get anything to edit the mpeg2 video. The sequence headers FOLLOW the P and B frames they're supposed to precede !

Examples :

On my website

Check the 1080i .m2t files as well as the stuff in Trailers.

I've tried every utility known to load either the straight transport stream, a PS conversion, and the .m2v raw. Nothing recognizes it as valid mpeg2.

Yet the stream plays flawlessly in VLC.

Any ideas?

thanks

- litz

Where did you get a 10 meter firewire cable ?

Wow, they turned on 5C for ESPN and INHD. That is really ridiculous. I can barely understand HBO because I know all of us were going to have grandma work in the basement to reencode the streams to fit on a single DVD and grandpa to print the cover art and handle the distribution at seemingly innocuous yard sales across the nation. (I am being sarcastic)

I am now forced to buy a POS JVC 30K. This is just great. Or I can get the 80 GB DVR at $10 per month that won't hold more than seven movies. This means I will be dropping all but one premium channel. I have been getting all the premiums since I can timeshift to my heart's content, at least as of last night.

I do not understand why they can't watermark the streams for tracing purposes and use the existing copyright laws to stamp out violations of the copyright laws.

I assume the other pay channels and INHD2 are 5C'ed as well. I only have HBO and didn't check INHD2.

BTW - Is it Comcast or originator that decides if 5C is turned on ?


I was told the firewire is only oneway, if that is the case then how would a JVC be able to do the 5C handshake ?

Firewire is bi-directional... And besides, 5C ONLY works on firewire right now!

I'm not sure of the answer to the first question. I THINK it's the cable company, but it may also be part of the FCC mandate or some other agreement between cable companies and stations.

I was 5Ced out of this thread about 2 weeks ago. EVERY station except broadcast has 5C activated on TWC San Diego. In another thread, a Time Warner representative (not San Diego) stated that they agreed to have 5C on for EVERYTHING except broadcast... and I got the impression this was blanket, that all cable companies agreed to this.

I put out the idea of a 5C compliant recorder on the Mac. This would require, at the very least, a new Firewire Driver, and data stored encrypted on the hard drive. The DTLA (controllers of 5C) have very strict requirements, and the buy in runs about $11K. I did a search, and not ONE SINGLE 5C compliant PC or Mac program exists! (Sorta stupid when the DTLA literature shows pictures that include a PC in many of their 5C documents.)

-Pie

This is the likely reason Apple chose to release VirtualDVHS as they have. It was doomed as a product because it was already clear what the cable companies were going to do to their signal. This isn't some cheesy, careless "encryption" scheme like CSS that is being used. Without access to serious engineering resources to do some hacking at the hardware level (see Andrew Huang's book "Hacking the Xbox") it isn't going to yield. I hope I am wrong and someone, like Apple, gets the authorization to implement 5C for a PC product. Eventually a common home computer will be powerful enough to capture (ie digitize) and compress an analog HD signal just as they can already with an analog SD signal. At that point we will again have the option of time shifting and archiving TV in a manner we have taken for granted.

One bit of good news in this is that we may continue to be able to use computer products like VirtualDVHS with OTA (over the air) HDTV signals. From a product perspective the market is an order of magnitude smaller than the general TV audience since most people want to pay for TV in order to get as many stations as possible.

firewirestuff.com/cables1.html

It may not be the cheapest, but it was a reasonable price, $38 plus about $5 for UPS ground. They are located in Cali so ground is about 5-7 days.

Anyone had troubles with iCal scripted recordings failing because the whole machine locks up?

I've had that happen since Saturday - haven't had a successful recording since.

It isn't anything that was installed or updated - nothing changed on the box. Neither has there been a firmware update on the 6200 either.

any ideas?

thankx

- litz

Which set of scripts are you using? The ones for the original AVCBrowser/VirtualDVHS or the newer ones for kaadray's modified AVCBrowser? If the latter, you will need to rename the original AVCBrowser to avoid confusion with the newer set of scripts. What machine are you using? How much RAM? Do you have the storage path set up?

Which record script are you using? What cable box are you using?

I use vlc and stream over http to the roku. I call vlc from a terminal window like this 'VLC $1 --sout "#std{mux=ts,access=http}"'
remove the single quotes above.

You can also have a somwhat klunky rewind or ff my pausing vlc and moving it slider some amount and then start playing. Before Comcast turned on the 5C flag I had no problem playing large files. In fact one file was over 40 gigs...I forgot to stop the recording

Has anyone had any success in getting final cut pro hd to connect to the 6200?

Using MpegPSPlay v0.8 I do "./MpegPSPlay http://mac-ip:8080" I believe MpegPSPlay has some vlc code in it.