Evesham iplayer - the Freeview PVR you've dreamt about!

[ArcticFox]

Well, AVIs are NOT on the supported list. All that's said to be supported are:
— MPEG-4 part10 (H.264) BP@L3, MP@L4.1, HP@4.1
— WMV9/VC-1 MP@HL and VC-1 AP@L3
— MPEG-4 part2 ASP@L5
— MPEG-2 MP@HL, MPEG-1

Erm AVI is a container not a codec, in theory AVI can hold all of those forms of video.

[Bob Crabtree]

Great tip thanks Bob. Worked perfectly, and the output video from VideoReDo now appears to be acceptable to Sony Vegas.

Well - it really was agentdav0's tip!


In mentioning VideoReDo, though, I didn't want anyone to think that I was dismissing mpeg2schnitt.


I would be keen to hear all feedback on that app because I only spent five minutes playing with it, having been a bit spoilt already by VideoReDo.

[chrestomanci]

In mentioning VideoReDo, though, I didn't want anyone to think that I was dismissing mpeg2schnitt.I would be keen to hear all feedback on that app because I only spent five minutes playing with it, having been a bit spoilt already by VideoReDo.

Well, I recommended mpeg2schnitt because I use it a lot. I find that I can work with it very quickly and efficently, though that will of course be partly due to practice. It usulay takes me about a minute to find and cut out all the breaks from a one hour show on Comercal TV.

I Downoaded and evaluated VideoReDo about 6 months ago, following a recomendation here. I did not like it, here are the comments I made at the time.

[Cliff203]

Thank you Bob. I have re-entered USB as usb and instant success.
I believe I had originally entered the IP address and subsequently changed it to the computer name, however I just tried what you suggested and that worked as well.
I had missed your earlier advice regarding case but feel the iPlayer is too difficult to set up for a general consumer device. OK if you have a degree in computer admin.

I’m not too impressed with the speed of transfer via USB, have they used a USB1 device by any chance?

Once again thanks for your help.

[pdanson]

Bob, This thread has been a real eye opener. Great work on preparing for the review.

Have been considering a Media Centre PC to act as a PVR and Media Centre (naturally!), but then saw the iplayer on Evesham's site and was quite interested. The thread might change this view.

Can (or anyone else) you clarify in the review the position regarding SCART, is it able to deal with a Cable service as input.

I ask because we are in a very poor (read nil) freeview signal area and a no dish regulation prevents Satellite, we have NTL Cable - so the V+ drive (TV Drive) may be an option when it comes out (February?)

Keep up the good work, much appreciated.

Peter

[Bob Crabtree]

Well, I recommended mpeg2schnitt because I use it a lot. I find that I can work with it very quickly and efficently, though that will of course be partly due to practice. It usulay takes me about a minute to find and cut out all the breaks from a one hour show on Comercal TV.

I Downoaded and evaluated VideoReDo about 6 months ago, following a recomendation here. I did not like it, here are the comments I made at the time.

chrestomanci,

Thanks for that info and the link.

I will make a point of looking again at mpeg2schnitt (and VideoReDo) as I write up the iplayer review - yes, I've finished that Samsung 18x burner review at last (and be keen to hear people's thoughts in the related forum thread).

I'll also be looking at both again for the review after next - group test of USB diversity-technology Freeview tuners.

Before that though, I've got to do a review of the Evesham 32in HD Freeview set - the £599, twin-tuner, Alqemi 32sx. See my news story of late November.

[Bob Crabtree]

Thank you Bob. I have re-entered USB as usb and instant success.

Great!

I had intended to reply much earlier but felt that would have been cheating cos two minutes before I went to reply, I found myself unable to export to USB!

A power-down of the iplayer (and switch off), and the same for the USB drive, though, has done the trick.

I believe I had originally entered the IP address and subsequently changed it to the computer name,

I don't doubt that one bit - indeed, one of the things that's most worrying about the iplayer is the way that something that works one time, doesn't work another - but comes good again after a period or after a switch off.

however I just tried what you suggested and that worked as well.

I had missed your earlier advice regarding case but feel the iPlayer is too difficult to set up for a general consumer device. OK if you have a degree in computer admin.

Splendid! It's all too easy to give advice in forums that can appear to be putting down the person you are addressing and, of course, that's how it might have come over if, in fact, I'd be wrong in guessing you'd overlooked my earlier comments.

I’m not too impressed with the speed of transfer via USB, have they used a USB1 device by any chance?

Once again thanks for your help.

I've so far done three USB-export timing tests and the average of those is 3.85MByte/sec (30.8Mbit/sec).

This compares with 14.53MByte/sec (116.2Mbit/sec) for file transfers from my PC to the USB drive.

So, like you, I'm not impressed with the USB transfer speed.

However, the export speed via USB from the iplayer is still way faster than the theoretical max for USB 1.1, which is 1.5MByte/sec (12Mbit/sec) - and I doubt that, in fact, you'd ever find a situation where you'd get 1.5MByte/sec (12Mbit/sec) over USB 1.1.

I've just double-checked this on Wikipedia, so am pretty sure that the iplayer is using USB 2.0, just not very well!

Update - Jan 7, 2006, 00.35

Been thinking more about the speed issue and am now coming round to the idea that what we are seeing - in terms of slow transfer via USB - may not be a USB issue at all but, perhaps, a result of the ATA mode in which the hard disk is operating.

My guess, and it really is no more than a guess, is that, because the iplayer is not expected to have to read its hard disk at a particularly fast rate when playing back recordings for viewing (even HD recordings have a data rate that's slightly under 3MByte/sec), then perhaps the hard disk might actually be running in one of the lower-speed ATA modes - either deliberately or because of a cock-up in the design/programming.

I have two suggested candidates - each with a nominal data rate of 4.2MByte/sec.

One is ATA-1 (in single-word 1 mode), the other is ATA-1 (in multi-word 0 mode).

Does this idea make ANY sense at all to anyone as an explanation as to why hard disk exports from the iplayer via USB seem to be averaging out at a little below 4MByte/sec?

I've alighted on this theory because I can't see anywhere on the official USB site anything about reduced rate transfer modes for USB 2.0 - though I would not be surprised to learn that there are agreed rates that are faster than the USB 1.1 max but considerably slower than the theoretical max for USB 2.0.

[Bob Crabtree]

Bob, This thread has been a real eye opener. Great work on preparing for the review.

I thanks you, kindly!

Have been considering a Media Centre PC to act as a PVR and Media Centre (naturally!), but then saw the iplayer on Evesham's site and was quite interested. The thread might change this view.

Well, I have to say that even with it's foibles, I've grown quite fond of the iplayer but it still feels to me like work in progress, rather than something you could regard as a 100% finished product.

Can (or anyone else) you clarify in the review the position regarding SCART, is it able to deal with a Cable service as input.

There are two Scart sockets - one marked "TV", the other "AUX" - and I'm pretty sure that each is for output only - though it is possible that the AUX might be usable as a pass-through (say for a DVD player) but I have not checked that.

What is the case for sure, though, is that the only recording option you have is from the iplayer's built in TV tuner.

I ask because we are in a very poor (read nil) freeview signal area and a no dish regulation prevents Satellite, we have NTL Cable - so the V+ drive (TV Drive) may be an option when it comes out (February?)

Because it is Freeview only, the iplayer definitely is not suitable for use in areas where there is no Freeview reception or where it is poor.

I also have an NTL phone account and will be trying to get NTL to let me have a trial of their HD service - for review - when it arrives in my area.[/QUOTE]

Keep up the good work, much appreciated.

Peter

What's the smiley for "warm, glowing feeling"?

[pdanson]

Bob,
;-)

Excellent, many thanks (this Hexus site is great). Will wait for the V+ Drive to come out nationally and continue the search for a reasonably priced (but future proof - ish) MCE.

kind regards

Peter

[damianw]

Well, I have to say that even with it's foibles, I've grown quite fond of the iplayer but it still feels to me like work in progress, rather than something you could regard as a 100% finished product.

Yes its quite endearing in its own way I suppose. Compared to a full blown PC sat in my living room its small, quiet, and I assume doesn't use a lot of power. All good things. I keep finding nice little things too, like having bookmark assigned channel numbers - so now I go to channel 901 and get the BBC news website. Neat!

My main wishes would have been that media streaming isn't Windows-only (for movies anyway), that more codecs were available and it didn't just randomly erase all your recordings. That last one has really put my nose out of joint.

There are two Scart sockets - one marked "TV", the other "AUX" - and I'm pretty sure that each is for output only - though it is possible that the AUX might be usable as a pass-through (say for a DVD player) but I have not checked that.

Works as pass-through. Initially I had my NTL boxes AUX output going via the AUX on the iplayer (this was pure accident by just randomly plugging in the SCARTs that had come off my VCR). Anyway, when the iplayer was off the NTL TV would play through the same ext channel, i.e. it was passing it through.

[Bob Crabtree]

Yes its quite endearing in its own way I suppose. Compared to a full blown PC sat in my living room its small, quiet, and I assume doesn't use a lot of power. All good things. I keep finding nice little things too, like having bookmark assigned channel numbers - so now I go to channel 901 and get the BBC news website. Neat!

One of the great things about this thread, from my viewpoint, is that I've learnt a lot from other people's comments - and that one of yours is a classic example!

Or, rather, I'm hoping it is and that you'll tell me how the devil to do this, cos I can see nothing in the manual and can't see how this might be done.

Pretty please!

My main wishes would have been that media streaming isn't Windows-only (for movies anyway), that more codecs were available and it didn't just randomly erase all your recordings. That last one has really put my nose out of joint.

I'd be interested to know if, in fact, the reason for the Windows-only video restrictions (if, indeed that's what they are) is because of agreements reached with the owners of the copyright for movies and TV programmes.

In terms of Codecs, could you list out those that you've tried, and explain which do and don't work?

That would be useful, from my viewpoint (and, hopefully, for those who read this thread and my upcoming review).

The random-erase thing is, I know from my own rather bitter experience of it, a major nose-bender. As I said earlier (a little perversely, I know), I'm kind of hoping it will happen to me again so I can confirm that the iplayer did this to me the first time all by itself and without my help - ie that I didn't in fact select to erase the disc, when I'd intended only to erase "System files (for timeshift)".

Works as pass-through. Initially I had my NTL boxes AUX output going via the AUX on the iplayer (this was pure accident by just randomly plugging in the SCARTs that had come off my VCR). Anyway, when the iplayer was off the NTL TV would play through the same ext channel, i.e. it was passing it through.

Ah, I thought that would be the case but - as you'll know only too well - it's not in any way clear from the manual that this is so.

I've yet to connect the iplayer into the VCR I have in my office to see if the VCR will record from both Scarts - I presume it will - so would also be keen to hear your take (and anyone else's) on this, likewise any other Scart or HDMI observations.

[Cliff203]

Can anyone advise the safest way to disconnect a USB drive from the iPlayer.

[Bob Crabtree]

Bob,
;-)

Excellent, many thanks (this Hexus site is great). Will wait for the V+ Drive to come out nationally and continue the search for a reasonably priced (but future proof - ish) MCE.

kind regards

Peter

Well, HEXUS is a sum of its parts - and those include not just all the people we have writing for us (and doing the critical backroom stuff, including web-related and commercial) but also the very many active members of the HEXUS.community who share their time and (in many cases) their immense knowledge.

Hopefully, that might mean that someone here will either be able to suggest a shortlist of media center PCs (though what's appropriate will depend on your specific requirements) or point you elsewhere in the HEXUS.community where this has been discussed in depth before.

[Bob Crabtree]

Can anyone advise the safest way to disconnect a USB drive from the iPlayer.

That's something I've thought about a number of times and, in truth, I reckon that you are safe just to turn off the USB drive any time you know it's not being read from or written to.

However, having watched the activity light on a USB stick drive connected to the iplayer - and come to the conclusion that the USB socket is live even when the iplayer is in standby mode - I think I can tell you the safest way.

That is to put the iplayer into standby mode by using the power button on the handset and then turning off the iplayer completely using its rear-mounted on/off switch.

This, again, though, assumes that the drive is not being accessed by the iplayer for reads or writes.

Oh and after composing this, I double-checked using a LaCie HDD I have that turns on and off as you connect/disconnect it via USB (or, indeed, FireWire). This drive turns on when you plug it into the iplayer even when the iplayer is in standby mode and only turns off when you turn off the iplayer with its rear power switch.

[Bob Crabtree]

Sod it! It's just happened again!

This time I went to delete the "System files (for timeshift)" and the iplayer began formatting the hard disk!

Aaaagh!!!

And I'm again 99% sure that I did make the correct selection.

I turned off the iplayer on its rear on/off switch as soon as I saw this happening (actually, there was a 10 second delay, cos I was in shock!) and, would you believe it, when I turned the iplayer back on again it had zapped all the recordings I wanted to keep (more accurately, transfer via USB to another HDD) and had kept the "System files (for timeshift)" that I wanted to zap!

Sob!

The only comfort is that I had actually already exported a large number of the recordings - though not all.

Oh, and it might be worth saying that the iplayer's hard disk was very close to being full at this time - and I say that because, I think, the same was true the last time this happened and so I am wondering whether there is something about the "fullness" of the drive that is triggering this nasty unrequested format.

[damianw]

One of the great things about this thread, from my viewpoint, is that I've learnt a lot from other people's comments - and that one of yours is a classic example!

Or, rather, I'm hoping it is and that you'll tell me how the devil to do this, cos I can see nothing in the manual and can't see how this might be done.

Pretty please!

Get a webpage up via TvMax. Press the info button, then I think its the green button to add a bookmark. You can assign a channel number there. Note 1: Previously tried to save a bookmark without a channel number and nothing seemed to happen. Note 2: Once bookmark is added if you get up the channel list (press List) you can now toggle between TV channels, Radio and Bookmarks by pressing ffwd/rwd.

Neat eh?!

Another properly hidden feature - get HD player info up via Diagnostics and press the yellow button. You get an OTA update screen! What a shame there are no updates ...

I'd be interested to know if, in fact, the reason for the Windows-only video restrictions (if, indeed that's what they are) is because of agreements reached with the owners of the copyright for movies and TV programmes.

In terms of Codecs, could you list out those that you've tried, and explain which do and don't work?

That would be useful, from my viewpoint (and, hopefully, for those who read this thread and my upcoming review).

Ok I have to admit to being a luddite here. I just had a disk of various movies, mostly camcorder stuff, and very few of them worked. I either got blank screen or picture break-up, even when I played them off a USB stick. So I can't really give a decent scientific answer, just that most of what I tried didn't work!

The random-erase thing is, I know from my own rather bitter experience of it, a major nose-bender. As I said earlier (a little perversely, I know), I'm kind of hoping it will happen to me again so I can confirm that the iplayer did this to me the first time all by itself and without my help - ie that I didn't in fact select to erase the disc, when I'd intended only to erase "System files (for timeshift)".

And I see its happened again. For what its worth when it happened to me I think the disk was nearly full and I'd turned the iplayer off and back on again.

Ah, I thought that would be the case but - as you'll know only too well - it's not in any way clear from the manual that this is so.

I've yet to connect the iplayer into the VCR I have in my office to see if the VCR will record from both Scarts - I presume it will - so would also be keen to hear your take (and anyone else's) on this, likewise any other Scart or HDMI observations.

No take on this as my VCR is now in a cupboard! I'm a PVR convert (when it works)