Free copying and editing of HD TS files on PC to DVD

[Black Hole]

1) When copying .ts files off my auxiliary Humax USB drive, using a Linux type viewing editor (Disk Internals) I either don't seem to manage to transfer the whole recording (especially if it's more than an hour long)

Another point to remember: a FAT32 drive cannot accommodate files greater than 4GB in size - the Humax will appear to copy, but the file will be truncated without warning. This might explain your clipped copies problem. As mentioned above, unless you took specific action to ensure the HiDef recordings are decrypted, what you will get on the USB drive is an encrypted copy no use to man nor beast except to play from the same Humax. That might explain your other clip problem, though how you would get even a minute's worth is beyond me.

Many of your queries are answered in the get-you-going texts, in particular the Glossary (click) explains much in reasonably simple terms (in this case see the entry for FAT32). See also Black Hole's Trail Guide (click) which will talk you through the issues. And finally, yet another advertisment for NEW READERS START HERE (click).

3) Once I have an edited recording (non BBCHD) having topped,tailed and removed the adverts in something like VideoRedo or equivalent, is there a way of saving the finished file back to the USB such that I can successfully play it through the Humax box and t.v.?

If you mosey on over to the Custom Software section of the Forum, you will find it is possible to top/tail/remove adverts on the box. QUICK START GUIDE (click)

 

[print team]

Thank you for your help. I tried copying my files to a USB stick instead of a Humax formatted auxiliary drive but when the .htm file is selected using Foxy, I get the message NOT A VALID T2 hmt file.

 

[Ezra Pound]

If you use FTP it is possible to work on the HMT file directly, However if you copy to a USB drive using the remote control OPT+ you can't specify just the HMT, so all files are copied over, This could mean copying Giga bytes of data. I have never seen the 'NOT A VALID T2 hmt file' but it suggests the file is damaged, You could try another recording, say just a minute or so of Hi-Def to save time

 

[print team]

Thank you for your reply. I am as determined as ever to crack this thing, so I have ordered a wi-fi dongle for the Humax and will try again once that arrives. All I know is this "corrupt" file plays perfectly on the Humax from which it was copied. It was an half-hour recording that I just want a few minutes of once edited . Incidentally the file sizes are 7kb for the .hmt, 4,054 bytes for the .nts and 2,174,723 bytes for the .ts file.

 

[Ezra Pound]

the TS file is the main video file (the one that plays the movie), the other small files are reffered to as 'sidecar' files and hold things like bookmarks, thumbnail pictures and in your case the 'ENC' flag in the HMT file, Foxy alters this file to make it act like a Standard Def. file for copying purposes, It doesn't do anything with the other files

 

[print team]

I think I missed the most important point and that it is that I have a Foxsat HD 1TB and whilst I see that some of the threads refer to a Fox T2 which is probably a different animal. Miniature test files seem to copy across fine just as they are and they also seem to edit perfectly. The problem comes with the bigger files ???

 

[Black Hole]

Indeed, this is not the Foxsat section of the forum and none of the advice on here pertains to the Foxsat. We are specifically the HDR-FOX T2 FreeviewHD PVR section, closely allied with the HD-FOX T2 FreeviewHD Receiver section, and all references to the custom software is only relevant to the HD/HDR-FOX T2.

The Foxsat HDR section is HERE (click).

 

[exsp]

I've not posted before but I just wanted to add that AVStoDVD works for me. I've had a couple of SD recordings on my HDR-T2 for some time that I've been wanting to send to my son in Canada. Finally got around to doing doing something about it and installed the custom firmware and enabled the UPnP server. As my Humax was already connected to my network (via 500Mb HomePlug) for portal access, I can now transfer unencrypted files to my PC at roughly 8MB/s with just a couple of clicks on a web page. Fantastic! Many, many thanks to all those who have devoted time and ingenuity (genius) to making this possible.

I then installed AVStoDVD. In initial experiments, I too had problems with lip sync but the procedure I found here -
http://forum.videohelp.com/threads/329652-AVStoDVD-audio-out-of-sync-from-TS-source
worked for me. Creating PAL DVDs I would describe as quick, less than half an hour from Humax to DVD player for an hour long SD recording. A fair chunk of this is burning the DVD at 4x which I imagine can be improved with newer equipment. Sadly, as my son lives in Canada I assume he will need his DVDs in NTSC (Never Twice the Same Color) format. Awful lot of work on both video and audio to achieve this conversion so it's not surprising that it takes a couple of hours. However, despite long pauses when it's obviously using CPU but not using any of it to tell you what's happening, it does eventually complete and produce NTSC format DVDs which play perfectly on my DVD player. Don't yet know if they play on a Canadian DVD player.

 

[Ezra Pound]

as my son lives in Canada I assume he will need his DVDs in NTSC (Never Twice the Same Color) format.

It's worth trying the PAL version on the Canadian setup because most modern TV's will handle PAL, SECAM and NTSC. (we used to use 'The' in place of 'Twice')

 

[grahamlthompson]

PAL DVD's will play on a PC in Canada just as they do here. PAL converted to NTSC can look a bit jerky as a result of the frame rate change from 25 to 29.97 frames/second.

 

[grahamlthompson]

It's worth trying the PAL version on the Canadian setup because most modern TV's will handle PAL, SECAM and NTSC. (we used to use 'The' in place of 'Twice')

The TV may synch at 50Hz the DVD player may be the problem. A laptop/PC with hdmi out to a HD TV should work. PAL Secam NTSC aren't really relevant these are RF standards. A DVD with RGB out will output 720 x 480 at 29.97 fps for NTSC and 720 x 576 at 25fps for pal. Most US/Canadian TV's simply wont synch analog inputs to the 50Hz refresh required.

 

[exsp]

As PAL DVDs are so quick to produce, I sent both NTSC and PAL versions. I'd expect both to work in his Apple laptop with the PAL version looking somewhat better, but various posts about the Internet indicate that North American NTSC DVD players generally don't play PAL, unlike European DVD players which will play all formats. Certainly, my own player played the NTSC disks with no discernible difference in quality to the PAL version. But then, TV's upscale so well these days that I can only just tell the differnce between SD and HD from the Humax.

 

[grahamlthompson]

As PAL DVDs are so quick to produce, I sent both NTSC and PAL versions. I'd expect both to work in his Apple laptop with the PAL version looking somewhat better, but various posts about the Internet indicate that North Ammarican NTSC DVD players generally don't play PAL, unlike European DVD players which will play all formats. Certainly, my own player played the NTSC disks with no discernible difference in quality to the PAL version. But then, TV's upscale so well these days that I can only just tell the differnce between SD and HD from the Humax.

The software you used must be doing a good job with the conversion . Last time I did this (a while ago) the results were markedly inferior.

I have bookmarked the info in case I need to convert again.

 

[Ezra Pound]

PAL Secam NTSC aren't really relevant these are RF standards.

They are not Radio Frequency standards, They are ways of encoding (specifically Colour) Composite Video or CVBS Colour, Video, Blanking and Sync. Which will be relavant to a DVD outputting Composite video, Say via Scart

 

[grahamlthompson]

They are not Radio Frequency standards, They are ways of encoding (specifically Colour) Composite Video or CVBS Colour, Video, Blanking and Sync. Which will be relavant to a DVD outputting Composite video, Say via Scart

OK but who watches DVD via a composite connection ? Across the pond they will in all probability be using Component YPrPb as scarts simply don't exist.

 

[Ezra Pound]

OK but who watches DVD via a composite connection ? Across the pond they will in all probability be using Component YPrPb as scarts simply don't exist.

Scart may not exist in Canada but Peritel does which is the same thing, Especially in the more French areas, older T.V. s are not going to have component Video or HDMI inputs, they will have stand alone composite or Peritel (Scart), although you are correct in saying that some higher end Peritel connectors may carry RGB as well composite video

 

[grahamlthompson]

Scart may not exist in Canada but Peritel does which is the same thing, Especially in the more French areas, older T.V. s are not going to have component Video or HDMI inputs, they will have stand alone composite or Peritel (Scart), although you are correct in saying that some higher end Peritel connectors may carry RGB as well composite video

Perital/Scart. Euroconnector or whatever.

http://forums.digitalspy.co.uk/showthread.php?t=183104

 

[Ezra Pound]

So just the 'stand alone composite' I mentioned above (using PAL, SECAM and NTSC) as detailed in #4 of your link e.g. 'most newer sets will have at the very least a composite RCA jack'

 

[grahamlthompson]

So just the 'stand alone composite' I mentioned above (using PAL, SECAM and NTSC) as detailed in #4 of your link e.g. 'most newer sets will have at the very least a composite RCA jack'

Correct but pre HD US/Canadian sets don't afaik synchronise with 50Hz content. It's all 60Hz. Bit like trying to use a UK Freeview box with a 60Hz monitor.

RCA phono connections with the three sockets required for component replace the peritel 4 connections required for RGB. In Europe we are lucky as we generally get both.

 

[Frosty]

I've found programs such as VideoRedo, SolveigMM Trimmer and TSniper excellent for chopping bits out or HD recordings, but no matter what program I try, VLC, Splash (MPC no use for me), I alway get ramping up and down of audio for surround TS files that use AAC audio - AC3 is fine! I've not found a solution yet, and it affects BBC/Ch4 and all other HD AAC surround ts files. Anyone know of a solution?