A good day!
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Well I have finally done it! Transferred all the Germany 2006 World Cup matches from the Hummy and created DVD-Video discs of all the 64 games. This is a good day! (as opposed to 'A sad day.' thread.) See this thread to find out what I am to do next with the discs - maybe you can suggest something!
I have learnt a lot of things about the Hummy and how to process its TS files (which I am still trying to document here) and have enjoyed the Hummy's chase play and dual tuners capability while the WC was on...
The question I am putting to all you guys is this: Is there anything left to do or enjoy with the Humax 9200T?
Now that I know a lot about what the Hummy can do and its many quirks and limitations, and how frustrating it is waiting for Humax to release a firmware update, etc... do I go the Martin Long direction and explore MythTV on a PC (still can't believe he disappeared to do that) or EyeTV on the Mac and the like or is there still fun left in the box?
Let me know what you think... any regulars here who are just lurking about at all - what are you all up to?
I have learnt a lot of things about the Hummy and how to process its TS files (which I am still trying to document here) and have enjoyed the Hummy's chase play and dual tuners capability while the WC was on...
The question I am putting to all you guys is this: Is there anything left to do or enjoy with the Humax 9200T?
Now that I know a lot about what the Hummy can do and its many quirks and limitations, and how frustrating it is waiting for Humax to release a firmware update, etc... do I go the Martin Long direction and explore MythTV on a PC (still can't believe he disappeared to do that) or EyeTV on the Mac and the like or is there still fun left in the box?
Let me know what you think... any regulars here who are just lurking about at all - what are you all up to?
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I am waiting for you to do a bit of software to convert the Dr Who .ts files into a DVD and add menues, one that my simple mind can understand ...........
And all for FREE ...........
Long time since I saw your posts - but now I know why ith all that World Cup stuff to archive!
I have been interested in going down the same route as Martin - sounds interesting and the joys or trying to fix things not quite right with it lol).
Looks like Humax are going to release software to fix the blanking problem and autopadding problem this month after all. Just when I thought I was going to get bored and uninvolved with anymore development work they are teasing me with planning another release for October / November. What the hell, I'll stay on as a beta tester for one more if it means we get saving the EPG to memory, more timers and some little wishlist requests. Lest we forget, some people cant connect their PVRs to their PC with the USB connection.
So after that Martin will have gotten over a few more hurdles with his PVR solution and it will probably be time to have a go at building the perfect PVR. I cant see anything else on the horizon from the other manufacturers to get my juices going. Interestingly, at the current IBC conference the Humax have a catelogue detailing a new UK PVR. (Now its in the open at the show and another forum I'll fill you in on what I know
of course, it can always be cancelled. remember the gemini?I think it eveloved into this project
But as it has been quiet on the Hummy front... I've just been lurking...
Martin Long's sad day thread is interesting but I wonder if going down the home made PVR is that exciting... From my experience of producing all those DVDs of the WC I have come to the realisation that... well 'what is the point?' With the Hummy I have a working 'tv recording device' that allows me to watch the programmes when and how I want. I don't think I need any more that this... Sure it would be cool to do the extra few things that a PC running MythTV would do but at the end of the day - the archiving of all those games or TV programmes or films would never or seldomly get played suggest that the effort ain't really worth it... no?
Thanks for the info about Humax's 'next PVR' Marc. It does sound good but I think it will be too late for people like you and me (as we should have had it now). Whenever it gets released I will have to check my situation - that is if I haven't built a better PVR myself then that would be a good investment...
It is also nice to know that the Hummy is still being fixed if not developed... cheers!
Keith, I did at one time wanted to record all the Dr Who and archive it but it fell to the wayside. It is probably less of an effort to download the series via BT than to go through the process of recording and archiving...
As for free menu software, I came across mention of "GUI for DVDauthor" as a potential candidate, but I haven't tried it myself yet.
As for waiting for more features in the homebrew transfer programs... unless there is great demand and inclination of the programmers to write such code/facilities, then it is not going to happen...
Taking the bait I have to ask which other forum?
Marc, is this all you've got or are there more detailed specs?
Oh well, I'll begin saving now for 2008 :rolleyes:
The full catalogue is available via the news forum.
Not much more. Either 250 or 300GB hard drive. Analogue input encoding. Component 1080i, 720i,p, 576 p,i and HDMI
1080i, 720i,p, 576 p,i - I dont have a flat panel TV so dont know exacty what these mean. Capability is also not mentioned in the literature but there is supposed to be wireless capability. As at yesturday it wasnt cleasr if this was going to be on board or as an add on. As with anything the specs could change at any time. Remember the 9200t was supposed to be USB 'host' (thats what the otherUSB connection on the motherboard is for) but then they scraped it late on - only for USB to be put in again at the last minute but as 'device'.
price wise I dont know but check out the price of Humaxs hi def set top box which isnt a PVR. The other PVRs that can record from external source dont have twin freeview tuners or lan output, let alone USB 2.0 host so its difficult to see whats already out there to compare it to or price up.
Or more correctly, nearly put in again .....
And not fixed yet nearly a year later !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
and probably never will
Thanks for the info. I'd just like it to be a wireless slingbox too...
I can successfully transfer the .ts files and play them with VLC. However that's about as far as I can get. I usually use Ulead Video Studio. Versions 9 and 10 won't even recognise the files (invalid format - whatever the extension). Version 9 will play them but chooses the wrong audio track.
I have used Project X to extract the audio track but then I always get audio/video synch problems. Is there a reliable and inexpensive (preferably free!) piece of software to author DVDs from .ts files?
Sorry if I've missed a post on this, I did look first.
Thanks for any help.
Simon
Tried ProjectX a number of times but could never get it to do anything at all with the .ts files although folk on here seem to swear by it. Must have been me doing something wrong.
Give DVR Studio Pro a try - you wont regret it....
The most important trick I've learnt is to get a good video file (ts) off the Hummy in the first instance...
There are numerous threads on DS in this Humax forum about the poor USB transfers (quality and speed) that have forced us to develop two programs (Phew's 9200TReadFiles and Andy's MediaController). I suggest you use either of these to get a good copy off the box before processing...
A long time ago I transferred a whole load of Pingu recorded shows off the Hummy and started to make a DVD compilation but had alsorts of problems with audio sync and/or video skipping all over the place. These files were transferred using eLinker and put through ProjectX would produce 100s of errors.
Once phew had developed 9200TReadFiles and I had setup the hardware, or removed the HDD from the Hummy and connected it to my PC, and transferred the files off it, putting a Hummy ts file through ProjectX produced only 5 errors at the max and got perfect results to DVD. I would suggest these two programs are good starting points.
Then everything else can be done for free:
1. HDTVtoMPEG2
2. ProjectX
3. DVDAuthorGUI
4. Your fav burning program
Read my (currently incomplete) wiki for some quick pointers including the links section for some useful DS threads.
PS. Out of the 64 games I had one file that tripped over either PX or DVDAuthorGUI when I wanted to process it for chaptering. I tried everything and nearly gave up... but I eventually got it done by putting it through DVD-Video -> DVDShrink -> PX -> Imago-Muxer -> DVDAuthorGUI -> DVD-Video - and that did it! (thought I write it here as I might/will forget) So even with all the knowledge and experience I picked up - some video files are just b*stards to deal with and need a lot of perseverance!
I've just started using the menu facilities in dvr studio and they are fine - a little basic but they do the job.
Marc,
Is that a windup or do you seriously doubt the USB will be fixed? I have waited patiently for a year, although I did try emailing Humax, but didn't get a reply.
BTW your post above mentioned you had some details about a new product but it appears to be grayed out ? Is there a release date ?
Thanks
You have a PM
Also I noticed when I was using ProjectX to convert to MP2 that it appeared to lose the sound until I realised it was picking up the "audio for the blind" track by default sometimes - I now Demux with ProjectX and Remux with Imago (having deleted the smaller of the two resulting sound files) maybe something similar is happening here?
Regards
David
That's good to hear (though I won't expect it before 2007).
Any news on Freeview's Playback? It sounds like it's not on track? Also, any word on whether Humax intend to get the 9200 Playback compliant?
As for other things to try with the 9200 - how about some method for getting recordings onto the machine? e.g. transferring recordings back reliably, or even converting DivX avi files (I think that's a long shot!)
There is some doubt on my part but that maybe because of my limited technical understanding of how these things work. Perhaps someone who understands these things can comment. Having said all that, Humax have been working on the transfer side of things, so I guess they are trying, but how long will it take? Last I knew they had tidied up some of elinker like removing the rename and transfer to PVR options and were currently working on error checking which needs the tool and firmware to be changed I understand. We'll have to see what they come up with.
BTW you need to highlight the greyed out area to see the text about the other product. Its a spoiler facility I was playing about with when writing the post
Yeah I think their plans are for an October release currently. Apply your own weeks or months to that given what you know of humax delays in the past
cheers,
Mike
For me, as a non-techie who'd never ever succeeded in actually getting a recording off the Hummy and onto the PC in watchable format a good day came a couple of weeks ago when I actually saw my first-ever Hummy recording playing on my PC.
It had been a long hard struggle ... occasionally e-linker would complete the transfer to a borrowed laptop (or at least it said it had) but the forum was telling me that my files were likely to be raddled with errors anyway. So, took a chance (well, it was for a non-techie) and replaced with MediaController, which was getting a good press.
Then a bad day - realised I had no way (that I could think of) of getting the huge files off the borrowed laptop and onto my PC - far too big for my USB memory stick. Eureka! I'll buy an external hard drive ... something I ought to do anyway since I hadn't backed up my PC in the two years I'd had it (old PC was about nine years old and had an internal DAT drive, but was still running Windows 3.11 for WorkGroups - yes! in 2004; told you I was non-techie, but if it ain't broke, don't fix it!).
Good day! Bought a beautiful LaCie Porsche USB external hard drive ... 500GB for just £140 (delivered & inc VAT) from Misco. It looks good, seems tough, and worked a treat straight out of the box. (And now I can back up the PC as well.)
Amazing! Saw on DS somewhere that VideoLan would play .ts files just as they stood. Downloaded it, told it to open A Bug's Life off the Hummy and it PLAYED!! Wonderful day! You see what I mean about we nontechs having different standards.
Idiot! Spurred by my success (which had clearly addled the financial elements of the old grey matter) I decided the time was now ripe to buy a DVD recorder and kill two birds with one stone. i) have something on which to play the various freebie DVDs I've collected from the newspapers over the years - together with the DVDs I was now going to burn off the Hummy with consummate ease of course and ii) have the wherewithal to re-mediate (yes I made that word up) all my stacks of dusty VHS tapes onto DVD, thus clearing shelfspace for ...who knows? OK, maybe three birds with one stone ... be able to record three different channels at the same time. So, I see an open box DVD recorder on Misco (very impressed with them BTW - fast delivery; telenums if you want them and people who even answer the phone - DABS eat your heart out!) at hugely reduced price and go for it. Package arrives in no time. Open the box with eager anticipation and start to read the Operating Manual. The unit only reads DVD-R(W). The writer on my PC only produces DVD+R(W)! Oh s**t! A sad day! I can send it back to Misco (and lose 25% of the purchase price since it's my own idiot fault) or do I try to offload it on e-Bay (or even DS?? Anyone out there interested PM me: it's a Samsung DVD-R119 - never been used obviously :mad: )
So now I have to find a DVDR that does like my (potential) output. Which? says the Panny DMRES10 is the one to go for, but goodness knows where they found their guideline pricing - at least £100 short of the mark. Ah hah! Here's a couple on e-Bay at a sensible BuyItNow price - B+ ex-display stock etc etc but I need prudence (thankyou Gordon!). It comes. It seems to work (it's a bit cosmetically disadvantaged, but I knew that). Operating manual confirms it plays my DVD+R output and I put one of my freebie commercial DVDs on the TV ... this is a new experience for me and again, it works! A good day! (Told you I was easily satisfied.)
So now all I need is media. OK you experienced peeps out there ... What's the best brand of DVD+R? When I see options like 'white top - inkjet printable' what exactly is printable and how (Don't tell me ... you stick the DVD in your printer eh Walt?) If I buy spindles of DVDs, can I also buy little paper or plastic envelopes to keep them in after they're burnt, and if so, whence? Jewel-cased ones are sooo much more expensive and they'll take up too much room on that shelf.
Wait a minute, I'm jumping ahead of myself, I haven't actually burnt a DVD yet
Barry
PS: The questions in the penultimate para are serious - well I did say I was dumb!
PPS: I know this post amounts to a blog, but we all need our lighter moments.
Personally I use Memorex DVD+R's as I've found them to work reliably with my Pioneer PC DVD burner and my aging Philips standalone DVD+R recorder.