[mythtv-users] Myth, WinXX Playback & 20 questions

[Duane Ellis]

Hello,

I'm trying to setup myth so that I can use both Linux and Win98 as my
front ends in some form. (Yes it would be nice to have GPL'ed QT for
Windows available - just recompile eh?)

I've got RH9 & a hauppauge 250 card - linux end seems to work very
well.

I have some questions and need some pointers/help.

Over the last few days - this is what I have learned & done.

----

The idea.

this helped and kind of describes what I want.

>> http://www.gossamer-threads.com/archive/MythTV_C2/Dev_F10/MythTV:_Windows_frontend_P84690/

Specifically this statement:

>> In my opinion, simply being able to play recorded programs from a
>> windows machine (selected via mythweb or otherwise), by accessing
>> the files on a mounted drive, would be enough for some users. 

Bingo - Bulleye - Right on the money.

LiveTV - would be icing on the cake.

Any other methods that I should investigate?

----

ffmpeg

I found ffmpeg & ffserver - Sadly - the ffserver FAQ 1.1 says it's
broke, yes I tried it anyway - and have not had much luck, not sure if
the problem is in ffserver - or in the mpeg player [see below]

Has anybody else gotten ffserver to work with myth? Is there another
possibly better way of doing this?

I've also downloaded the ffmpeg package cygwin binaries - can't seem
to find the 'ffplay' package, it seems people are only interested in
the ffmpeg conversion program Grr...  Yes - Master obi wan I've tried
the source - can't seem to build the damn thing - many missing and
conflicting packages..... 

Any body seen a pre-built ffplay for cygwin or straight windows?
google does not help.

----

ffmpeg & SDL 

Downloaded SDL (the multimedia library the ffmpeg uses at its core)

Confusion - package A wants Vrs X, but package B wants Vrs Y, and
package C wants another version...... 

Somethings I've found want VisualStudio - somethings want MinGW and
others want CYGWIN.

Rodney King once said: Can't we all just get along.

At least i got it to build - well - parts of it seemed to. Probably
did not get all the stuff I need because I need the full 'platform
sdk' which is part of M$ Visual Studio.

----

DSMYTH

I've downloaded the DSMYTH package (http://dsmyth.sf.net) and that
seems to work (right click on NUV files show stuff from mysql)

Got the source - I don't have VisualStudio 7 - :-( can't do much else
with it.

Seems that site has gone cold since October. I did see a recent post
out of the blue about live tv working - no updated source though.

----

MPEG - not NUV files

Since I have a hauppauge 250 card as my video source. Thus, as I
understand the NUV files are really MPEG files.  If I rename/copy/link
them to .mpg files they should just work.

I have had very limited success [see below]

----

Divx player (windows) does not work.
	I get a StreamSourceFilter SeekFromBeginning(0) 
	error - out of read limit range -1

	Some pointers would be helpful.
	(ie: a checklist of things to try)
	
----

QuickTime 
	says some component is not present.

----

WindowsMediaPlayer

	6.4 - can play some but not full screen

	Switching to full screen has problems looks like the interlace
	is wrong Switching back to normal - crashes the machine very
	in odd ways - not BSOD. But locks hard.

	7.x - complains the files is bad.

	9.x - use to crash and wants to phone the mother ship
	at microsoft central.

	9.x - (after FFDSHOW [below]) no more crashes but
	the video is screwed up - colored checker board.

----

FFDSHOW 

Downloaded the FFDSHOW package - wonderful docs eh? Fiddled and
discovered I had to enable the mpeg mode - Now WinMedia 9.x does not
crash, but the video is crap - a colored checker board of non-sense.

----
NUVEXPORT

Tried a few formats - AVI works - but - I can't get it any larger
then 320x200 - watching animated thumbnails suck.

BTW - It'd be really cool to add a myth-plug in to export a show and
directly burn a (S)VCD or DVD of a recorded show.

-Duane.