Record video in .ts and audio in .mpg ?

[ddichiera]

Ok, next question...

 

I like to record my videos in .ts, that way I can record subtitles and both audio tracks (BBC HD etc) but if I set up my video recordings that way, radio recordings are also recorded as .ts which my Squeezebox doesn't seem to recognise.

 

Any suggestions?

[SimonP]

This is normal. What I do is rip the audio stream (using ProjectX or others), edit it to top-and-tail it, then save as mp3. It only takes a few minutes.

[Griga]

Audio TS can be converted easily and fast to .mp2 with the TSPlayer (Download from the members area -> tools section).

[ddichiera]

I'll try TSPlayer, but to be honest what I'd wanted is to play the files as they're being recorded or very shortly thereafter.

 

I have about 20 standing timer events per week and over one thousand existing recordings which I'm slowly ploughing my way through with Super C.

 

Before you ask, I don't expect to be able to listen to them all, all the way through, but rather would decide as I listen to them. The Squeezebox liberates me from the computer whilst doing that.

[ddichiera]

For anyone reading this, it turns out that Squeeze devices can play transport stream and MP2 files.

 

The problem is that there is a bug with their folder access to network shares. The instructions advise putting a shortcut in the main folder to gain access to another folder, but this solution doesn't work for a network share.

 

Dominic

[ddichiera]

For anyone reading this, it turns out that Squeeze devices can play transport stream and MP2 files.

 

Correction: Squeezebox can play MP2 files, but not Transport Stream (my error). Not sure what to do next. BTW: my archive is actually nearing 2000 programmes and about 600GB large, so I don't see transcoding as elegant or suitable.

 

The problem is that there is a bug with their folder access to network shares. The instructions advise putting a shortcut in the main folder to gain access to another folder, but this solution doesn't work for a network share.

 

Using the unc path in the shortcut solved this

[Griga]

I don't see transcoding as elegant or suitable.

It's not transcoding, rather extracting. The MP2 data is packaged in the transportstream. Removing the TS and PES headers is all that has to be done, and it's not a big thing to write a simple commandline tool that does it for you.

 

You may use the attached ExtractMP2.exe in the following way:

 

- For single TS files: Just drag & drop the TS file on ExtractMP2.exe. It will write the extracted MP2 data to SourceDirectory\SameFilename.mp2

 

- For multiple TS files: Specify the source path (including a file mask like *.ts) as first commandline parameter, and the (optional) destination directory as second parameter, e.g.

 

ExtractMP2.exe "D:\My Recordings\*.ts" "E:\Audio Files"

 

This line will let the tool convert all TS files in D:\My Recordings\ and write the resulting MP2 files to E:\Audio Files. The quotation marks are mandatory if the path contains blanks. If no destination directory is specified, the tool will write the MP2 files to the source directory. It never overwrites an existing file, because it creates unique destination filenames by appending numbers if necessary.

 

I've added a batch file that makes it easier to launch the tool with commandline parameters. Store ExtractMP2.bat in the same directory as ExtractMP2.exe, open it with NotePad and adjust the source and destination path to your needs.

 

Additionally the ZIP contains the Delphi source code (ExtractMP2.dpr) for everybody who is interested. Please note: The tool is a quick & simple hack. It is only designed for the purpose discussed in this thread. It extracts the first MP2 stream from TS files that it can find, nothing more. It doesn't display error messages if something goes wrong. Whatever it does on your PC - you use it at your own risk!

ExtractMP2.zip

[ddichiera]

Wow, that's fantastic.

 

I'll try it out as soon as I can, perhaps tomorrow.

 

If I understand correctly, I should separate the Video recordings from the Audio (they're currently in the same directory) so they don't get done as well.

 

Thanks.

Dominic

 

PS: You're quite right, it's not transcoding, rather as you put it extracting the data.

[Griga]

There is a possible drawback that came to my mind. ExtractMP2.exe doesn't check if the MP2 frames are aligned with the packets signalling a payload unit start. Mostly they are, but not necessarily - it depends on the broadcaster.

 

If the MP2 frames are not aligned with the TS/PES packets, the ExtractMP2 output will not start with a MP2 frame header, but with a frame fragment - e.g. a half frame, and players that are not able to sync with the frame structure by searching for frame headers may get confused, resulting in digital noise or no playback at all. Please check if this (potential) issue shows up in your case.