Mac software problem.

BarFly

BarFly

New Member
I'd like to be able to download video files from my HDR-1800T to my Mac. I'd prefer not to use USB for this since the 1800T has only one USB port and it's on the back and very awkward to get at. I can ftp over ethernet to the 1800T and put playable files onto it. Reading various posts here I can see how to make files decrypt when streamed, but to do this I need two apps, UPnP inspector and wget. wget is a unix tool; I have downloaded and installed it. It's man page is mind-bogglingly complex, but I think I see how to use it. UPnP inspector is a different kettle of fish. It's a python app, and comes as a folder full of stuff with no instructions. I tried running the setup.py file but got an error:

ImportError: No module named 'setuptools'.

Googling 'setuptools" I find it's a developer's utility designed to package Python programs for distribution. I downloaded it, but it won't install. This is going nowhere.

Anybody here know how to get UPnP inspector to work on a Mac?
 
As there has been no other helpful reply, I offer this suggestion - which may not work for you. (I don't have a Mac, so this could be a waste of everyone's time!).

Whilst researching how to pull files to a Windows PC using the DLNA server on the Humax, I came across a java program (and libraries) that were intended for Android applications. Because they are written in java, they are - supposedly - portable. They work for me on a PC. They might work for you on a Mac - IF you know how to install the java runtime environment for a Mac and can run java's jar files. There exists a program with the snappy name of "cling-workbench-2.1.0-standalone.jar" created by someone at 4thline.org. There is a problem. The jar used to be available at 4thline.org, but now the address redirects to github and only the source is available. However, do a google or other search using "site:4thline.org standalone.jar" and you should be able to download the correct file (~5MB). I can't find any good documentation for the program and it can be a bit of a £$%@ to use. I have placed it in a top level directory and run the jar file (for the PC you would open a command window and type: java -jar cling-workbench-2.1.0-standalone.jar). If it runs you get window popping up with the name of any DLNA servers on your network (Make sure you've turned on the DLNA server on your Humax!). Click on the icon corresponding to your Humax. In the right hand pane details of your Humax appear. Click on "Content Directory" and then the "Use Service" button. A windows pops up to allow you to browse the Humax. Click on "My Contents" and then expand "My Video". From there select a file of interest, or expand another folder and select a file. The information pane is populated - and you can now find a URI for the file (resource URI). Copy URI to clipboard works for me. I can paste this URI into a web browser and download (stream) the file, or you can use the URI in wget.

Needless to say I have now found a better way of doing this on a PC. I do not recommend this as a good way to proceed. Try it at your own risk. It may work. Good luck!
 
Here's a progress report, for the benefit of any other mac users who might read this. cling-workbench did not run under my preferred OS (Snow Leopard), but under a more recent OS (El Capitan) and with a newly downloaded JRE it ran and performed exactly as you say. wget refused to install under El Cap (doncha just love computers), but I could download .TS files using a browser. Only problem was that using either Safari or iCab the download failed right at the end of the process. Safari leaves behind a greyed-out file named "n.TS.download". If you right-click on this and choose "Show package contents" you can see that it's a folder containing two files, one of which is the .TS file, which is complete and fully-functional. Drag it out to the desk top and you can play it with VLC.

So far, so good. The remaining problem is that HD files don't show up in cling-workbench. I tried downloading, editing and replacing an .hmt file but it made no difference.

I'll keep poking :)
 
BarFly said:
So far, so good. The remaining problem is that HD files don't show up in cling-workbench. I tried downloading, editing and replacing an .hmt file but it made no difference.
Click to expand...
They won't. You need to patch the .hmt file as you've pointed out. BUT, when you replace the .hmt on your Humax you need to encourage the Humax to re-index the files. I can't find the reference, but someone [apologies to that person!] discovered that if you go to the Humax and move the HiDef programme to a folder it forces a re-indexing of the DLNA database. The programme should then show up in the cling-workbench.
 
Another observation that may help, although it covers similar ground:

If you use VLC, click Local Network, Universal Plug 'n' Play on the left, you will see the contents of your Humax. Then right click and select Media Information. At the bottom is Location. Copy this address into Chrome and it will download.
 
wiredcharlie said:
If you use VLC, click Local Network, Universal Plug 'n' Play on the left, you will see the contents of your Humax. Then right click and select Media Information. At the bottom is Location. Copy this address into Chrome and it will download.
Click to expand...
The same technique is covered in the link in post 6. Note that some versions of VLC can save off the stream instead of presenting it.
 
Wonderful! Many thanks for pointing this out, wiredcharlie. I've used VLC since time immemorial, but it's great to discover something new.

Now all I need is a better way of editing .TS files to remove the adverts. I can convert the .TS file to a Quicktime movie using QT Player (though it takes forever). I haven't had much success transcoding films with VLC, but that ought to be possible. MPEG Streamclip doesn't recognise .TS files, even though I have the mpeg 2 codec installed. Ideally, what I'd like is a way of editing the .TS file directly, without transcoding it first. Any suggestions?
 
There is no Mac version of VideoRedo, although reading the forum on their site, several posters have asked for Mac or Linux versions. Seems there are lots of Mac video editors available, though few of them can open .TS files. I'm looking at one with the prosaic name "Video Editor Pro" at the moment. Interface looks like iMovie, but confusingly different in some places. It can open and edit transport streams, but not save to them, so you end up having to export the movie to a different format, which takes hours.
 
The beauty of VideoReDo is that it avoids transcoding if at all possible. If the output format is the same as the input format, the only transcoding needed is at cut points (if you don't use the default option of only cutting at i-frames). Choosing a different output container shouldn't be a problem as long as the streams within the container are the same codec as the streams from the input.

Maybe VideoReDo will run in a Windows VM under OSX?
 
Black Hole said:
The beauty of VideoReDo is that it avoids transcoding if at all possible...
Click to expand...
This works well for mpeg2 edits from ts to mpg containers. A bit of care is needed if you try and edit h264 streams (I think) from ts to mkv (and mp4) containers. Before Talking Pictures TV moved, I used VideoReDo to edit the adverts out of some films. Some serious experimentation was needed to get the edits to behave - the main problem being change of aspect ratio at the edit point. Thankfully, TPTV programmes are now much easier to edit. :)
(I think this was a TPTV fault, as I never had the same problem with Film4+1).
 
Out of interest does VideoReDo still not handle audio description tracks correctly? I did a trial of the software a year or so ago and found that it removes the 'visual impairment disposition' from this track (this is a tag which identifies the stream type). Without this the PVR treats the audio description track like a separate soundtrack and does not mix it with the main audio track like it should. With DVB-T2 streams, when I tested it, it could not handle HE-AACv2 audio, producing an inferior HE-AAC stream (mono not stereo). This does not affect the main audio stream.
 
Video Editor Pro turned out to be pretty useless. Crashes a lot, and if you've got to wait an hour or so to transcode the video once done it's a PITA. I could run Windows in a VM, or even reboot my Mac to run Windows natively, but that's a whole load of trouble just to run one program. The last version of Windows I used was XP, and I hated it. I'm sure modern versions of Windows are much better, but there would be a learning curve. I found a video converter which will convert .ts files to MP4 pretty quickly (about 20% of playing time for SD videos), so I think I'll just go with that, and then use the video editors I'm familiar with.
 
You wouldn't need the full Windows experience - a Windows VM can be configured to hide the Windows bit and just look like the application window is on your Mac desktop. Yes, it will take some work to get there, and it would be worth sampling VideoReDo first to check it does what you want, but after that work the convenience awaits.

I am in the process (in slow time) of converting to Linux, with anything I can't do in native Linux being handled by WINE or VM. It's worth it now Linux can import and use Windows fonts.
 
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