pyTivo Discussion Forum

powercat · Joined: 18 Feb 2008 Posts: 14 Location: Olathe, KS, USA

I used GIT to clone wmcbrine's pyTivo branch, but the following problem existed on a previous version of pyTivo as well.

1) pyTivo transfers the mpg files I ripped from my DVDs just fine before doing step 2. (MASH episodes)
2) Generated metadata files using MetaGenerator. Episodes now show up in NPL with metadata...super! (used the search feature to automatically grab MASH metadata)
3) When I try to transfer files with newly created metadata txt files, it starts to download the show, but stops after about 5-10 seconds. It does this with ever show episode that has metadata. (note: tried this again on my other Tivo after the original post and it transferred about 60 sec.)

I believe my series 2 Tivos are up to date with the latest software.

Am I doing something wrong when using MetaGenerator? Am I forgetting to add some bit of data that doesn't generate automaticallly? Is this a bug?

wmcbrine · Joined: 04 Jan 2008 Posts: 514

Post an example metadata file or two...

MasterCephus · Joined: 04 Jan 2008 Posts: 173 Location: Hueytown, AL

Yeah I would like to see it to see if I am generating any kind of error...more likely, I am not handling something properly...

powercat · Joined: 18 Feb 2008 Posts: 14 Location: Olathe, KS, USA

The file name for this metadata file is:
"MASH - 01,01 - The Pilot Episode.mpg.txt" (without the quotes)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
title : M*A*S*H - The Pilot
episodeTitle : M*A*S*H - The Pilot
originalAirDate : 1972-09-17T06:00:00Z
description : At the 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (M.A.S.H) unit in Korea, two army doctors by the names of Hawkeye Pierce and Trapper John McIntyre receive some exciting news in the mail. Their Korean house boy, Ho-John got accepted into Hawkeye's old college. Hawkeye and Trapper decide to hold a party filled with music, dancing, and alcohol to raise money for Ho-John's plane trip to the U.S. They achieve this by raffling off a weekend pass with a nurse, Lieutenant Dish for R&R in Tokyo.
isEpisode : true
seriesTitle : MASH
vProgramGenre : Comedy
vSeriesGenre : Comedy
vDirector : Gene Reynolds
vWriter : Larry Gelbart
vGuestStar : Karen Philipp
vGuestStar : Linda Meiklejohn
vGuestStar : Laura Miller
vGuestStar : Bruno Kirby
vGuestStar : G. Wood
vGuestStar : George Morgan
vActor : Alan Alda
vActor : David Ogden Stiers
vActor : Mike Farrell
vActor : McLean Stevenson
vActor : Loretta Swit
vActor : Harry Morgan
vActor : Loretta Switt
vActor : Larry Linville
vActor : Wayne Rogers
vActor : Gary Burghoff
vActor : Jamie Farr
vActor : William Christopher

powercat · Joined: 18 Feb 2008 Posts: 14 Location: Olathe, KS, USA

The file name for this metadata file is:
"MASH - 01,06 - Yankee Doodle Doctor.mpg.txt" (without the quotes)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
title : Yankee Doodle Doctor
episodeTitle : Yankee Doodle Doctor
originalAirDate : 1972-10-22T06:00:00Z
description : The 4077th is designated as the setting for the making of an army film on Mobile Army Surgical Hospital units. Hawkeye is chosen as the star while Margaret and Frank compose a screenplay. The Eye Of The Hawk objects to the piece of propaganda that filmmaker Lt. Bricker is producing and, having exposed the original film, reshoots a new one his way, starring himself as Groucho Marx-ish Yankee Doodle Doctor, and poking fun at glorifying doctors while concluding with a rather serious speech about the hell of war.
isEpisode : true
seriesTitle : MASH
vProgramGenre : Comedy
vSeriesGenre : Comedy
vDirector : Lee Philips
vWriter : Laurence Marks
vGuestStar : Ed Flanders
vGuestStar : Bert Kramer
vGuestStar : Tom Sparks
vActor : Alan Alda
vActor : David Ogden Stiers
vActor : Mike Farrell
vActor : McLean Stevenson
vActor : Loretta Swit
vActor : Harry Morgan
vActor : Loretta Switt
vActor : Larry Linville
vActor : Wayne Rogers
vActor : Gary Burghoff
vActor : Jamie Farr
vActor : William Christopher

powercat · Joined: 18 Feb 2008 Posts: 14 Location: Olathe, KS, USA

Minus [_tivo_.....] lines for my two Tivos, here is my pyTivo.conf file:
[MASH]
type = video
path = D:/My Tivo Recordings/MASH

[Movies]
type = video
path = D:/My Tivo Recordings/Movies

#[Music]
#type = music
#path = C:/Documents and Settings/All Users/Documents/My Music

[MASH2]
type = video
path = C:/My Tivo Recordings/MASH

[Server]
port = 9032
guid = 123456
hack83 = True
#auto_subshares = False
ffmpeg = c:\Program Files\pyTivo\plugins\video\ffmpeg_mp2.exe
#debug = True

[The Backyardigans]
type = video
path = D:/My Tivo Recordings/The Backyardigans

powercat · Joined: 18 Feb 2008 Posts: 14 Location: Olathe, KS, USA

I am starting to think this has nothing to do with the meta data files. I just copied all my MASH episodes from Windows to my Fedora 8 box. I moved all the *.txt metadata files out of the pyTivo shared direcotories. Now when I try to transfer a file from the Fedora box to a Tivo, it shows the length as 00:00. I have had other shows I've ripped from DVD have time length estimate problems, but they have played under pyTivo running on Windows just fine. I am now basically seeing the same problem under Linux with no metadata files as I was seeing under Windows WITH metadata files: about 5 seconds of video transfers, then it stops the transfer. Strange thing is the MASH episodes all played fine from windows pyTivo prior to adding the metadata. Course it could have been the pyTivo/ffmpeg upgrade I did that broke it.

Any clue how I can get the time estimates fixed so they will transfer?

powercat · Joined: 18 Feb 2008 Posts: 14 Location: Olathe, KS, USA

I'm ALMOST certain that this is a problem with the version of pytivo I Git'ed. I am using this version both on windows and linux with the same problem of all MPEG2 ripped from DVD show up as 0 length in Tivo. I used DVDShrink to rip them. These files were all previously ripped and all worked prior to the latest version of pytivo I Git'ed. The only difference (other than share information in the pytivo.conf) is the version of ffmpeg in Windows and Linux.
I have turned debugging on in my pytivo.conf and will post the versions of ffmpeg when I have a chance. How do I tell what version of pytivo I have?

powercat · Joined: 18 Feb 2008 Posts: 14 Location: Olathe, KS, USA

Okay, uninstalled pytivo on my windows box and installed krkeegan's 2008.02.24 verson. I'll see how that works.

powercat · Joined: 18 Feb 2008 Posts: 14 Location: Olathe, KS, USA

Nope, still no joy. All previously functioning *.mpg videos show a duration of zero in the info screen and when transferred, still only transfer about 5 -10 seconds of the show. NPL shows a completed transfer, not one still in progress.

Here is the debug file output. Hope this helps.

Video.py - Hack83 is enabled.
Video.py - Hack new request ------------------------
Video.py - Hack TiVo request is:
{'Filter': ['x-tivo-container/tivo-videos,x-tivo-container/folder,video/x-tivo-mpeg,video/*'], 'Container': ['MASH2'], 'ItemCount': ['8'], 'Command': ['QueryContainer'], 'SortOrder': ['Title']}
Video.py - New TSN.
Video.py - Hack our saved request is:
{'Filter': ['x-tivo-container/tivo-videos,x-tivo-container/folder,video/x-tivo-mpeg,video/*'], 'Container': ['MASH2'], 'ItemCount': ['8'], 'Command': ['QueryContainer'], 'SortOrder': ['Title']}
Video.py - Hack we are at the root. Saving query, Clearing state[page].
Video.py - Hack Tivo said: MASH2 || Hack said: MASH2
Video.py - Hack new request ------------------------
Video.py - Hack TiVo request is:
{'Filter': ['x-tivo-container/tivo-videos,x-tivo-container/folder,video/x-tivo-mpeg,video/*'], 'Container': ['MASH2/Season 1'], 'ItemCount': ['8'], 'Command': ['QueryContainer'], 'SortOrder': ['!CaptureDate']}
Video.py - Hack our saved request is:
{'Filter': ['x-tivo-container/tivo-videos,x-tivo-container/folder,video/x-tivo-mpeg,video/*'], 'Container': ['MASH2'], 'ItemCount': ['8'], 'Command': ['QueryContainer'], 'SortOrder': ['Title']}
Video.py - Hack we are entering a new folder. Saving query, setting time, setting state[page].
Video.py - Hack Tivo said: MASH2/Season 1 || Hack said: MASH2/Season 1
Video.py - Hack new request ------------------------
Video.py - Hack TiVo request is:
{'Container': ['MASH2/Season 1'], 'AnchorOffset': ['-1'], 'Filter': ['x-tivo-container/tivo-videos,x-tivo-container/folder,video/x-tivo-mpeg,video/*'], 'Command': ['QueryContainer'], 'SortOrder': ['!CaptureDate'], 'AnchorItem': ['/MASH2/Season%201/MASH%20-%2001%2C06%20-%20Yankee%20Doodle%20Doctor.mpg'], 'ItemCount': ['1']}
Video.py - Hack queryAnchor: MASH2/Season 1/MASH - 01,06 - Yankee Doodle Doctor.mpg leftAnchor: MASH2/Season 1 rightAnchor: MASH - 01,06 - Yankee Doodle Doctor.mpg
Video.py - Hack our saved request is:
{'Filter': ['x-tivo-container/tivo-videos,x-tivo-container/folder,video/x-tivo-mpeg,video/*'], 'Container': ['MASH2/Season 1'], 'ItemCount': ['8'], 'Command': ['QueryContainer'], 'SortOrder': ['!CaptureDate']}
Video.py - Hack requested a file
Video.py - Hack Tivo said: MASH2/Season 1 || Hack said: MASH2/Season 1
video_info: ffmpeg output= FFmpeg version SVN-r11870, Copyright (c) 2000-2008 Fabrice Bellard, et al.

configuration: --enable-gpl --enable-pp --enable-swscaler --enable-pthreads --enable-liba52 --enable-avisynth --enable-libfaac --enable-libfaad --enable-libgsm --enable-libmp3lame --enable-libnut --enable-libtheora --enable-libvorbis --enable-libx264 --enable-libxvid --cpu=i686 --enable-memalign-hack --extra-ldflags=-static

libavutil version: 49.6.0

libavcodec version: 51.50.0

libavformat version: 52.7.0

libavdevice version: 52.0.0

built on Feb 5 2008 23:46:38, gcc: 4.2.3

Seems stream 0 codec frame rate differs from container frame rate: 29.97 (30000/1001) -> 59.94 (60000/1001)

Input #0, mpeg, from 'D:\My Tivo Recordings\MASH\Season 1\MASH - 01,06 - Yankee Doodle Doctor.mpg':

Duration: 00:00:05.9, start: 0.191167, bitrate: 1320865 kb/s

Stream #0.0[0x1e0]: Video: mpeg2video, yuv420p, 720x480 [PAR 8:9 DAR 4:3], 9800 kb/s, 59.94 tb(r)

Stream #0.1[0x80]: Audio: liba52, 48000 Hz, stereo, 192 kb/s

Must supply at least one output file

video_info: Bug in VideoReDo
video_info: Codec= mpeg2video width= 720 height= 480 fps= 29.97 millisecs= 5900 kbps= 1320865 akbps= 192 acodec= liba52 afreq= 48000
video_info: D:\My Tivo Recordings\MASH\Season 1\MASH - 01,06 - Yankee Doodle Doctor.mpg cache hit!
video_info: D:\My Tivo Recordings\MASH\Season 1\MASH - 01,06 - Yankee Doodle Doctor.mpg cache hit!
tivo_compatible: D:\My Tivo Recordings\MASH\Season 1\MASH - 01,06 - Yankee Doodle Doctor.mpg max video bitrate exceeded it is 1320865
video_info: D:\My Tivo Recordings\MASH\Season 1\MASH - 01,06 - Yankee Doodle Doctor.mpg cache hit!
video_info: ffmpeg output= FFmpeg version SVN-r11870, Copyright (c) 2000-2008 Fabrice Bellard, et al.

configuration: --enable-gpl --enable-pp --enable-swscaler --enable-pthreads --enable-liba52 --enable-avisynth --enable-libfaac --enable-libfaad --enable-libgsm --enable-libmp3lame --enable-libnut --enable-libtheora --enable-libvorbis --enable-libx264 --enable-libxvid --cpu=i686 --enable-memalign-hack --extra-ldflags=-static

libavutil version: 49.6.0

libavcodec version: 51.50.0

libavformat version: 52.7.0

libavdevice version: 52.0.0

built on Feb 5 2008 23:46:38, gcc: 4.2.3

Seems stream 0 codec frame rate differs from container frame rate: 29.97 (30000/1001) -> 59.94 (60000/1001)

Input #0, mpeg, from 'D:\My Tivo Recordings\MASH/Season 1/MASH - 01,06 - Yankee Doodle Doctor.mpg':

Duration: 00:00:05.9, start: 0.191167, bitrate: 1320865 kb/s

Stream #0.0[0x1e0]: Video: mpeg2video, yuv420p, 720x480 [PAR 8:9 DAR 4:3], 9800 kb/s, 59.94 tb(r)

Stream #0.1[0x80]: Audio: liba52, 48000 Hz, stereo, 192 kb/s

Must supply at least one output file

video_info: Bug in VideoReDo
video_info: Codec= mpeg2video width= 720 height= 480 fps= 29.97 millisecs= 5900 kbps= 1320865 akbps= 192 acodec= liba52 afreq= 48000
video_info: D:\My Tivo Recordings\MASH/Season 1/MASH - 01,06 - Yankee Doodle Doctor.mpg cache hit!
video_info: D:\My Tivo Recordings\MASH/Season 1/MASH - 01,06 - Yankee Doodle Doctor.mpg cache hit!
tivo_compatible: D:\My Tivo Recordings\MASH/Season 1/MASH - 01,06 - Yankee Doodle Doctor.mpg max video bitrate exceeded it is 1320865
video_info: D:\My Tivo Recordings\MASH/Season 1/MASH - 01,06 - Yankee Doodle Doctor.mpg cache hit!
video_info: ffmpeg output= FFmpeg version SVN-r11870, Copyright (c) 2000-2008 Fabrice Bellard, et al.

configuration: --enable-gpl --enable-pp --enable-swscaler --enable-pthreads --enable-liba52 --enable-avisynth --enable-libfaac --enable-libfaad --enable-libgsm --enable-libmp3lame --enable-libnut --enable-libtheora --enable-libvorbis --enable-libx264 --enable-libxvid --cpu=i686 --enable-memalign-hack --extra-ldflags=-static

libavutil version: 49.6.0

libavcodec version: 51.50.0

libavformat version: 52.7.0

libavdevice version: 52.0.0

built on Feb 5 2008 23:46:38, gcc: 4.2.3

Seems stream 0 codec frame rate differs from container frame rate: 29.97 (30000/1001) -> 59.94 (60000/1001)

Input #0, mpeg, from 'D:/My Tivo Recordings/MASH\Season 1\MASH - 01,06 - Yankee Doodle Doctor.mpg':

Duration: 00:00:05.9, start: 0.191167, bitrate: 1320865 kb/s

Stream #0.0[0x1e0]: Video: mpeg2video, yuv420p, 720x480 [PAR 8:9 DAR 4:3], 9800 kb/s, 59.94 tb(r)

Stream #0.1[0x80]: Audio: liba52, 48000 Hz, stereo, 192 kb/s

Must supply at least one output file

video_info: Bug in VideoReDo
video_info: Codec= mpeg2video width= 720 height= 480 fps= 29.97 millisecs= 5900 kbps= 1320865 akbps= 192 acodec= liba52 afreq= 48000
tivo_compatible: D:/My Tivo Recordings/MASH\Season 1\MASH - 01,06 - Yankee Doodle Doctor.mpg max video bitrate exceeded it is 1320865
output_video: D:/My Tivo Recordings/MASH\Season 1\MASH - 01,06 - Yankee Doodle Doctor.mpg is not tivo compatible
video_info: D:/My Tivo Recordings/MASH\Season 1\MASH - 01,06 - Yankee Doodle Doctor.mpg cache hit!
video_info: D:/My Tivo Recordings/MASH\Season 1\MASH - 01,06 - Yankee Doodle Doctor.mpg cache hit!
video_info: D:/My Tivo Recordings/MASH\Season 1\MASH - 01,06 - Yankee Doodle Doctor.mpg cache hit!
tsn: 649000180739115
aspect169: False
optres: False
select_aspect: File= D:/My Tivo Recordings/MASH\Season 1\MASH - 01,06 - Yankee Doodle Doctor.mpg Type= mpeg2video width= 720 height= 480 fps= 29.97 millisecs= 5900 ratio= 150 rheight= 2 rwidth= 3 TIVO_HEIGHT= 480 TIVO_WIDTH= 544
select_aspect: File is wider than 4:3 padding top and bottom
-aspect 4:3 -s 544x424 -padtop 28 -padbottom 28
transcode: ffmpeg command is c:\Program Files\pyTivo\plugins\video\ffmpeg_mp2.exe -i D:/My Tivo Recordings/MASH\Season 1\MASH - 01,06 - Yankee Doodle Doctor.mpg -vcodec mpeg2video -r 29.97 -b 4096K -maxrate 17408k -bufsize 1024k -aspect 4:3 -s 544x424 -padtop 28 -padbottom 28 -comment pyTivo.py -ab 192k -ar 48000 -acodec mp2 -ac 2 -f vob -
kill: killing pid= 5212
Video.py - Hack new request ------------------------
Video.py - Hack TiVo request is:
{'Container': ['MASH2/Season 1'], 'AnchorOffset': ['-6'], 'Filter': ['x-tivo-container/tivo-videos,x-tivo-container/folder,video/x-tivo-mpeg,video/*'], 'Command': ['QueryContainer'], 'SortOrder': ['!CaptureDate'], 'AnchorItem': ['/MASH2/Season%201/MASH%20-%2001%2C06%20-%20Yankee%20Doodle%20Doctor.mpg'], 'ItemCount': ['8']}
Video.py - Hack queryAnchor: MASH2/Season 1/MASH - 01,06 - Yankee Doodle Doctor.mpg leftAnchor: MASH2/Season 1 rightAnchor: MASH - 01,06 - Yankee Doodle Doctor.mpg
Video.py - Hack our saved request is:
{'Filter': ['x-tivo-container/tivo-videos,x-tivo-container/folder,video/x-tivo-mpeg,video/*'], 'Container': ['MASH2/Season 1'], 'ItemCount': ['8'], 'Command': ['QueryContainer'], 'SortOrder': ['!CaptureDate']}
Video.py - Hack maybe erroneous request, sleeping.
Video.py - Hack Anchor offset was in query. leftAnchor needs to match MASH2/Season 1
Video.py - Hack leftAnchor matched.
Video.py - Hack saved page is= top returned file is= D:\My Tivo Recordings\MASH\Season 1\MASH - 01,01 - The Pilot Episode.mpg
Video.py - Hack this is scrolling within a folder.
Video.py - Hack Tivo said: MASH2/Season 1 || Hack said: MASH2/Season 1
video_info: D:\My Tivo Recordings\MASH\Season 1\MASH - 01,06 - Yankee Doodle Doctor.mpg cache hit!
video_info: D:\My Tivo Recordings\MASH\Season 1\MASH - 01,06 - Yankee Doodle Doctor.mpg cache hit!
video_info: D:\My Tivo Recordings\MASH\Season 1\MASH - 01,06 - Yankee Doodle Doctor.mpg cache hit!
tivo_compatible: D:\My Tivo Recordings\MASH\Season 1\MASH - 01,06 - Yankee Doodle Doctor.mpg max video bitrate exceeded it is 1320865
video_info: D:\My Tivo Recordings\MASH\Season 1\MASH - 01,06 - Yankee Doodle Doctor.mpg cache hit!
Video.py - Hack new request ------------------------
Video.py - Hack TiVo request is:
{'Container': ['MASH2'], 'AnchorOffset': ['-1'], 'Filter': ['x-tivo-container/tivo-videos,x-tivo-container/folder,video/x-tivo-mpeg,video/*'], 'Command': ['QueryContainer'], 'SortOrder': ['Title'], 'AnchorItem': ['/TiVoConnect?Command=QueryContainer&Container=MASH2/Season%201'], 'ItemCount': ['8']}
Video.py - Hack queryAnchor: MASH2/Season 1 leftAnchor: MASH2 rightAnchor: Season 1
Video.py - Hack our saved request is:
{'Filter': ['x-tivo-container/tivo-videos,x-tivo-container/folder,video/x-tivo-mpeg,video/*'], 'Container': ['MASH2/Season 1'], 'ItemCount': ['8'], 'Command': ['QueryContainer'], 'SortOrder': ['!CaptureDate']}
Video.py - Hack we are at the root. Saving query, Clearing state[page].
Video.py - Hack Tivo said: MASH2 || Hack said: MASH2

krkeegan · Posted: Sun Feb 24, 2008 10:46 pm Post subject:

powercat · Joined: 18 Feb 2008 Posts: 14 Location: Olathe, KS, USA

I find that very strange, as now ALL my ripped files show a 0 duration using the latest pytivo. However, using the older "official" pytivo release, they used to work. They may or may not have shown the correct duration, but they would transfer and play correctly. For example, one weirdness with Star Wars Episode 6: It would show the duration as 42 minutes in the old version, but would transfer and play. However, if you tried to fastforward beyond the 42 minute mark, it would skip to the end. Maybe this was a bug in the older version of ffmpeg in the "offical" release?

How would you recommend ripping DVDs to get them to work correctly (XP or linux)? I would like to rip them without any additional compression or quality loss from the original. I figure if I follow your prescribed way, it ought to work. I am using DVD shrink and am basically following the steps outlined here.

krkeegan · Posted: Mon Feb 25, 2008 9:30 am Post subject:

Unfortunately I am not a codec expert. Maybe someone else here can figure out why this is occurring.

If a prior version was working better then copy the ffmpeg_mp2.exe file from it and replace the current version that you have now. Make sure the name remains the same. And then restart pyTivo.

powercat · Joined: 18 Feb 2008 Posts: 14 Location: Olathe, KS, USA

Thanks for looking at this. I'll try the previous version's ffmpeg_mp2 then.

wmcbrine · Joined: 04 Jan 2008 Posts: 514