[badnts] Package To Clean Up Faulty BBC3HD/BBC4HD Recordings

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If the problems with the HD channels creating the obyte nts file persists would sweeper be able to move the .TS file ( only) to a separate folder ,and move broken sidecar files to separate folder ? I posted this here and not on the HD thread as that thread is not in the customised firmware forum.
 
Good idea. It would have to be an action on a decrypted file where the .nts is empty. The sidecars could just be stripped rather than moved, but could go to the recycle bin if undelete is installed.

Update 09/01/2014:

For anyone unaware of the context, when new HiDef services were introduced users reported problems recording BBC3HD, BBC4HD, and CbeebiesHD. Specifically, some recordings produced an empty .nts sidecar file, and although the .ts file contained the complete recording the Humax media browser reported it as a zero length recording and refused to play it.

Decrypting the recording and then deleting the .nts and .hmt files renders the recording playable (albeit without trick play, bookmarking etc), and this badnts package is designed to detect these faulty recordings and automatically patch them up by deleting the sidecar files.

To use it, recordings must first be decrypted using one of the WebIF auto options (these are not available on an HD-FOX, even in HDR Mode). Immediately a recording is decrypted, the .nts state will be detected and then acted on if necessary. Existing decrypted faulty recordings will not be processed. Recordings decrypted on demand (WebIF "Decrypt" option) will not be processed. Recordings decrypted using the unencrypt package will not be processed.

For more information about the recording problem, see topics:

http://hummy.tv/forum/threads/failed-recording-of-new-bbc-four-hd-channel.4309/

http://hummy.tv/forum/threads/have-you-had-problems-recording-the-new-hd-channels.4419/

For information about what to do with existing faulty recordings see HERE (click).
 
That's a good idea but I might have to look at writing a native utility to generate a .nts from a decrypted .ts if this persists... Thanks to Raydon and Drutt I think I have all the information I need but it would still take some time.
 
Obviously recreating the .nts would be the ideal solution, but in the mean time a sweeper mod to do a crude clean-up would be up and running with much less effort, no?
 
Border said:
If the problems with the HD channels creating the obyte nts file persists would sweeper be able to move the .TS file ( only) to a separate folder ,and move broken sidecar files to separate folder ? I posted this here and not on the HD thread as that thread is not in the customised firmware forum.
Click to expand...
I've written a package which should automatically fix these broken recordings as soon as they are decrypted - I need a volunteer who regularly experiences broken recordings to test it!
 
af123 said:
I've written a package which should automatically fix these broken recordings as soon as they are decrypted - I need a volunteer who regularly experiences broken recordings to test it!
Click to expand...
I have just had 2 failed recordings (zero length .nts) from test on CBBC and CBeebees (Sutton Coldfield) using AP.

I will be willing to test your new package if it helps.

Just let me know what I need to do.

Incidentally parallel recordings on YouView T1000 worked fine!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
 
I'll test and upload the package as soon as I can. Might be able to do it late on tonight.
 
OK, I may have to wait until tomorrow to test, to avoid disturbing others tonight.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
 
af123 said:
I'll test and upload the package as soon as I can. Might be able to do it late on tonight.
Click to expand...
Is this new package linked to sweeper ? I am asking, as I don't use sweeper. If it is separate, I would be happy to give it a try.
 
It isn't linked to sweeper, it's a separate package (will be called badnts for want of something better)
 
My educated guess is that badnts will hook into the WebIF auto-processing so that after a recording is decrypted (a necessary precondition) the .nts will be checked for zero length, and if it is the sidecar files are sent to the recycle bin.
 
badnts is available. It will automatically trigger following successful decryption and delete/bin the sidecar files for recordings which have a zero length .nts.

Black Hole's bang on - simple bit of code now that the automatic framework exists:

Code: 
proc do_badnts {ts} {
    set file [file rootname [$ts get file]]

    if {![file exists "$file.nts"]} return
    if {[file size "$file.nts"] > 0} return

    log "  BADNTS: $file" 0

    foreach ext {nts hmt thm} {
        if {[file exists "$file.$ext"]} {
            safe_delete "$file.$ext"
        }
    }

    log "Done..." 0
}

register postdecrypt do_badnts
 
I did suggest this thread be split at post 171 into a [badnts] topic, but it hasn't happened :(

Update: has now!
 
Black Hole said:
I did suggest this thread be split at post 171 into a [badnts] topic, but it hasn't happened :(
Click to expand...
Sounds good - it doesn't really belong here now. Once it's been confirmed as working it can be announced as a 'fit and forget' workaround for this problem, assuming ongoing decryption or an auto-decrypt folder into which the broken recordings can be dropped.
 
@af123: I have some questions. Will badnts run automatically on a HD-Fox? If it does, will it be possible to configure which folder it checks, or will it just run in \drive1\video?

Is it straightforward to recreate the HMT files? You mentioned that if no official fix is forthcoming, you might create a utility to recreate the NTS files. Badnts will delete the defective NTS file and the HMT file after decryption, but down the line, the HMT file is needed for trick play functions. If it not easy to recreate the HMT files is it possible to divert them into a folder in case they are needed later? Presumably such a folder would need to be configured to prevent the lone HMT files being deleted as orphaned HMT files, and to prevent the RS server ( if you have RS installed) picking them up as failed recordings and sending out e-mails.
 
MontysEvilTwin said:
@af123: I have some questions.
Click to expand...
Unfortunately it won't run on an HD-Fox as it is triggered by successful automatic decryption and the HD doesn't have a DLNA server, even in HDR mode.

It's the NTS files that enable trick play, not the HMT. The HMTs just include meta information about the recording - they're easy enough to recreate - recalling the EPG details to put in there is the tricky part. If you have undelete installed them badnts will file the sidecar files in the dustbin and you could archive them from there. If it's a recording you want to keep, and you want trick play, then the only method at present is to convert it to something else using an external utility.
 
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