[mythtv-users] Playing back transcoded files (transcoded to Mpeg-4)

[ffrr]

Michael T. Dean wrote:

>>.  Shouldn't MPEG4 files use mp4 or mpg 
>>extensions?
>>
>>    
>>
>
>File extensions don't mean anything.  We're not on Windows. ;)
>  
>

True, although even linux apps/desktops associate extensions with 
filetypes/apps, by gathering those extensions together as one type of 
file.  Take a look at the file associations under KDE and 'known types' 
have a list of filename patterns like *.mpg, IOW file extensions.

>Anyway, MPEG-4 from Myth is video encoded with an MPEG-4 CODEC and 
>contained in a NuppelVideo container (so it is a NuppelVideo file).  You 
>can use the MPEG-2 lossless transcoding to remove commercials and save 
>around 3% of the space used by the original.
>  
>

Not enough IMO.  I want to use mpeg4 and achieve at least half the file 
size.

>  
>
>> Anyway, it still wouldn't play in gxine, so I tried playing 
>>it with VLC.  This works (although it was stretched tall until I 
>>manually switched VLC to 16:9 - but that may be a quirk of VLC itself)
>>
>>So, what do I need to be able to play these files in gxine?  I thought I 
>>had all the usual codecs (installed from a pack downloaded from mplayer 
>>HQ about 6 months ago).  Is myth using some special codec to transcode 
>>to 'mpeg4'?
>>
>>    
>>
>
>NuppelVideo...  (But, IIRC it's not straight NuppelVideo, it has some 
>Myth mods to it.)  Search the archives for MPlayer and NuppelVideo--it's 
>possible to get MPlayer to play it, so may also be for other media players.
>
>Although, for an easier solution, you could always install Myth to play 
>it.  Even if you have the "version difference" problems someone 
>mentioned (run a version of Myth on one distro for your main Myth system 
>that's not available on the distro for your desktop distro), just 
>install Myth on the desktop and don't use mythfrontend...  Instead, 
>start playback with:
>
>mythtv /path/to/filename.nuv
>
>  
>

As it happens, I already have an older version of myth (0.18) on the 
desktop machine.  I didn't know you could  just use it as a player.

Unfortunately it doesn't work when launched by file association under 
KDE.  Gxine, Kaffiene etc all work, but Myth just comes up to it's 
normal menu when a recording is played this way from a file manager 
(such as Konqueror).  It mustn't play by the same rules.