Automatic re-encode to MP4?

[dragon-it]

So impressed with the versaility of the custom firmware, and such a shame that it is pretty well forgotten by Humax it seems, though will be interested to see if the "updated browser" for the portal ever appears and whether the IPTV services would kick in then too....

One think I haven't noticed discussed here is if the Humax could re-encode the existing MPEG2 transport streams from a recording into an MP4 format that it could also play, either just as a plain MP4 or ideally with all the program info. to see in "Media" and/or epg info too? I know I can pull the file off and re-encode but a process that worked silently in the background or overnight would be nice

I don't know enough about it but presumably when you auto-shrink and decrypt etc. you are using codecs to decode and recode, or are you just getting the box to do the work?

The space saving would be amazing of course.

Steve

 

[Black Hole]

No. There is no re-encoding going on (too processor/memory intensive), only repackaging. Decrypt is tapping in to the normal capability of the Humax and using it our way.

Your route to MP4 (for BBC programmes anyway) is to rip the iPlayer version.

 

[dragon-it]

Thanks, thought as much, just wanted to make sure. Yes I do use the excellent facility to save the last watched iPlayer stream too was thinking of the 75 episodes of Home and Away sitting on the box etc but will just drop them off onto USB drives anyway, or get around to putting a 1Tb or bigger to replace the 500Gb.

I suppose the shrink etc. just sifts through removing packets leaving video frames alone of course.... Suprised that it couldn't re-encode MP2 to MP4 as an offline middle of the night task though, even if it was really slow?

Steve

 

[Black Hole]

Maybe it could (I don't know about the RAM requirement - it's not just about processor speed!), but nobody has thought it worthwhile enough to go and find a suitable package (that runs from a Linux command line) and port it to the Humax. The effort required is not peanuts. Update: I see from below the ffmpeg package can do it.

For that kind of job you would be much better off downloading to PC and processing it there.

 

[prpr]

I suppose the shrink etc. just sifts through removing packets leaving video frames alone of course....

More or less.

Suprised that it couldn't re-encode MP2 to MP4 as an offline middle of the night task though, even if it was really slow?

It could and indeed can. Just out of interest I'm trying it currently. Ffmpeg is currently converting a .TS to a .MP4 and it's achieving 3-4 fps.
So if you record at most 3 hours a day it would just about cope with the load. For any practical purpose, it's much quicker to convert on a PC even allowing for up/download times.

 

[dragon-it]

I was more thinking mostly about the approx. 4:1 space saving, though the bit rate of some SD channels is so low anyway I don't know what the reduction at a sensible MP4 rate would be? .... so is that 3-4 fps (almost usable!) or 3-4 seconds per frame? If it could still keep the program info. linked to it for seeing in "Media" even better.

Putting a 1Tb or 2Tb disc in here would probably be an easier idea... though sure it would still magically disappear under the weight of more series to be watched "when I get around to it" and Almost naked animals episodes etc...

If ffmpeg can do it as it stands then it 'just' needs some script controlling it on a schedule, or even better from a magic folder or triggered from the webif.

I'll get a drive on order for now!

 

[Black Hole]

Ffmpeg is currently converting a .TS to a .MP4 and it's achieving 3-4 fps.

Was the Humax able to do anything else while this was happening? I wonder what the rate would be if humaxtv wasn't running.