Device Profile for Dish Network Hopper and Joeys

[Shoulder Devil]

All,

I have been all over this forum, reading posts and trying to understand how to create a device profile. I've learned quite a bit and have managed to hack together a device profile that s mostly working for me, but I could still use some help cleaning it up and making it fully functional.

To start, I'll give you the layout of my hardware. I have a Dish Network Hopper receiver and 2 Dish Network Joey recievers. In addition, I also have 3 Xbox 360s, 4 PCs and three Android mobile phones. Right now, my focus is on getting video streaming to the Dish Network receivers working properly. All of my devices (except of 3 PCs and the mobile phones) are on a wired Gigabit network. All of the devices can see each other as well as the Mezzmo (2.5.0.0) server.

To begin my testing, I turned off transcoding in Mezzmo for the Hopper. I noticed that several MKV files that I have played video but with no audio. I tried several Divx/Xvid videos and found that they had sound but no video. Lastly, I have several MP4s. Some are standard definition and some are h264 MPEG4s. I put together a profile based off of the Sony Bravia KDL device profile. I also stole some of the information from the Samsung B profile as well as a few others.

My hope is to create a device profile that is capable of the following:


1. If video codec is H.264/AVC/MPEG-4 AVC/MPEG-4 part 10 then pass it through without transcoding
2. If video codec is mpefg2video then pass it through without transcoding
3. If video codec is MP4 then pass it through without transcoding
4. If video codec is anything else then transcode it to Mpeg2video
5. Transcode all audio from all files to aac

Here is a copy of the device profile that I am writing as it currently stands. This profile transcodes everything and does not allow any of the video codecs mentioned above to pass through. The result is very slow performance when transcoding HD content.


<MezzmoDeviceProfile>
<version>999</version>
<device>
<guid>CA027AD0-82D9-45a0-A876-7A25FB9FD846</guid>
<name manufacturer="Dish Network" model="Hopper" profileactive="1" needstimebasedseek="1" turnoffbyterangedlna="1" needsdlnaprotocolinfo="1" supportsfolderthumbnails="1" />
<useragent>DishNetworkHopper</useragent>
<xavclient></xavclient>
<mezzmoserver></mezzmoserver>
<transcoding enabled="1" minimumstreamingsize="2048000" waitmsbeforestreaming="10000" contentlength="4" autorotateimages="0" />
<devicedescription>GenericDeviceDescription.xml</devicedescription>
<videomax width="1920" height="1080" />
<imagemax width="4096" height="4096" />
</device>
<descriptiondeliveryrules>
<!-- delivery description rules specify what the device will see for each file. A file is considered to be supported if
it matches a format, audio/video codecs within that format and any codec limits in this device profile. Best fit is
if one of the 2 stream from a format description matches the original file. Preferred transcoded format describes
the best quality format a device can play. Transcoded list is all combinations of formats that we can encode to,
possibly including preferred transcoded and baseline. When building a file description, Mezzmo follows the following
rules order: supported, bestfit, preferredtranscoded, transcodedlist, baseline, nonsupported -->
<!-- please note that if transcoding is disabled or baseline and preferredtranscoded are set to no,
then the nonsupported flag is automatically set to yes. If transcoding is disabled, then only supported and
nonsupported rules are checked and used. -->
<supported>yes</supported>
<!-- baseline, bestfit, transcodedlist, nonsupported and preferredtranscoded can be either one of: yes, no, auto
yes = always deliver, no = never deliver, auto = deliver if not delivered already by one of the rules above it -->
<bestfit>auto</bestfit>
<preferredtranscoded>auto</preferredtranscoded>
<transcodedlist>auto</transcodedlist>
<baseline>auto</baseline>
<nonsupported>auto</nonsupported>
</descriptiondeliveryrules>
</avcontainer>
<avcontainer id="mpeg" name="mpeg_ntsc" encode="1" mimetype="video/mpeg" baseline="1" dlnaprofile="MPEG_PS_NTSC" format="mpeg" supportschunked="0" Preferredtranscoded="0">
<video>
<format id="mpeg2video" encode="1" codec="mpeg2video" preferredtranscoded="1">
<dimensions width="1920" height="1080" />
<copyts>0</copyts>
<samequality>0</samequality>
<gop>18</gop>
<bitrate>11000000</bitrate>
<bufsize>11000000</bufsize>
<maxbitrate>24000000</maxbitrate>
</format>
</video>
<format id="h264" encode="1" codec="mpeg4" Preferredtranscoded="1">
<copyts>0</copyts>
<samequality>0</samequality>
<gop>18</gop>
<bitrate>11000000</bitrate>
<bufsize>11000000</bufsize>
<maxbitrate>24000000</maxbitrate>
</format>
<audio>
<format id="ac3" encode="1" codec="ac3" preferredtranscoded="1">
<channels>2</channels>
<channels>6</channels>
<bitrate>448000</bitrate>
<maxbitrate>448000</maxbitrate>
<minbitrate>64000</minbitrate>
<samplingrate>48000</samplingrate>
</format>
</audio>
<audio>
<format id="mp2" encode="0">
</format>
</audio>
<ffmpegadditional>-threads 2 -pix_fmt yuv420p -copyinkf -sc_threshold 1000000000 -coder ac -qmin 1 -cmp 2 -subcmp 2 -flags +loop -mbd bits -bsf h264_mp4toannexb -fflags +genpts+ignidx+igndts -filter:v yadif </ffmpegadditional>
</avcontainer>
<avcontainer id="avi" name="avi" encode="0" mimetype="video/avi" dlnaprofile="AVI" supportschunked="0" Preferredtranscoded="0">
<video>
<format id="h264" encode="0">
</format>
</video>
<video>
<format id="mpeg4" encode="0" codec="mpeg4" Preferredtranscoded="0">
<dimensions width="720" height="576" />
</format>
</video>
<audio>
<format id="mp3" encode="0" codec="mp3">
<maxbitrate>256000</maxbitrate>
</format>
</audio>
<audio>
<format id="ac3" encode="0">
</format>
</audio>
</avcontainer>
<avcontainer id="matroska, webm, mkv" name="mkv" encode="0" mimetype="video/x-matroska" dlnaprofile="MKV" supportschunked="0" level="100" Preferredtranscoded="0">
<video>
<format id="mpeg4" encode="0">
</format>
</video>
<video>
<format id="h264" encode="0" codec="mpeg4" Preferredtranscoded="0">
<copyts>0</copyts>
<samequality>0</samequality>
<gop>18</gop>
<bitrate>11000000</bitrate>
<bufsize>11000000</bufsize>
<maxbitrate>24000000</maxbitrate>
</format>
</video>
<video>
<format id="mpeg2video" encode="0">
</format>
</video>
<audio>
<format id="mp3" encode="0">
</format>
</audio>
<audio>
<format id="ac3" encode="0">
</format>
</audio>
<audio>
<format id="aac" encode="0" Preferredtranscoded="1">
</format>
</audio>
</avcontainer>
<avcontainer id="mp3" name="mp3" encode="0" mimetype="audio/mp3" baseline="1" dlnaprofile="MP3">
<audio>
<format id="mp3" encode="0" codec="libmp3lame">
</format>
</audio>
</avcontainer>
<avcontainer id="s16be" name="lpcm" encode="1" mimetype="audio/L16" baseline="1" dlnaprofile="LPCM" preferredtranscoded="1">
<audio>
<format id="s16be" encode="1" codec="pcm_s16be" preferredtranscoded="1">
<channels>2</channels>
<bitrate>1536000</bitrate>
<maxbitrate>1536000</maxbitrate>
<minbitrate>8000</minbitrate>
<maxsamplingrate>48000</maxsamplingrate>
<minsamplingrate>44100</minsamplingrate>
<samplingrate>48000</samplingrate>
<samplingrate>44100</samplingrate>
</format>
</audio>
</avcontainer>
<avcontainer id="jpeg" name="jpeg_lrg" encode="1" mimetype="image/jpeg" baseline="1" dlnaprofile="JPEG_LRG">
<image>
<format id="jpeg" encode="1" mimetype="image/jpeg" codec="98" quality="2">
<maxdimensions width="4096" height="4096" />
<maxbits>24</maxbits>
</format>
</image>
</avcontainer>
<avcontainer id="jpeg" name="jpeg_med" encode="1" mimetype="image/jpeg" baseline="1" dlnaprofile="JPEG_MED" preferredtranscoded="1">
<image>
<format id="jpeg" encode="1" mimetype="image/jpeg" codec="98" preferredtranscoded="1">
<maxdimensions width="1024" height="768" />
<maxbits>24</maxbits>
</format>
</image>
</avcontainer>
<avcontainer id="jpeg" name="jpeg_sm" encode="1" mimetype="image/jpeg" baseline="1" dlnaprofile="JPEG_SM">
<image>
<format id="jpeg" encode="1" mimetype="image/jpeg" codec="98">
<maxdimensions width="640" height="480" />
<maxbits>24</maxbits>
</format>
</image>
</avcontainer>
<avcontainer id="jpeg" name="jpeg_tn" encode="1" mimetype="image/jpeg" baseline="1" dlnaprofile="JPEG_TN" preferredthumbnail="1">
<image>
<format id="jpeg" encode="1" mimetype="image/jpeg" codec="98" quality="2">
<maxdimensions width="160" height="160" />
<maxbits>24</maxbits>
</format>
</image>
</avcontainer>
</MezzmoDeviceProfile>

In addition, here is the ffmpeg info on several of the different file types that I have tried along with the results of my trials.

This file is a standard definition avi file that is transcoded by Mezzmo on the fly and plays without issue.


ffmpeg version N-40301-gc1fe2db Copyright (c) 2000-2012 the FFmpeg developers
built on May 3 2012 11:40:38 with gcc 4.6.3
configuration: --enable-gpl --enable-version3 --disable-w32threads --enable-runtime-cpudetect --enable-avisynth --enable-bzlib --enable-frei0r --enable-libass --enable-libcelt --enable-libopencore-amrnb --enable-libopencore-amrwb --enable-libfreetype --enable-libgsm --enable-libmp3lame --enable-libnut --enable-libopenjpeg --enable-librtmp --enable-libschroedinger --enable-libspeex --enable-libtheora --enable-libutvideo --enable-libvo-aacenc --enable-libvo-amrwbenc --enable-libvorbis --enable-libvpx --enable-libx264 --enable-libxavs --enable-libxvid --enable-zlib
libavutil 51. 49.100 / 51. 49.100
libavcodec 54. 17.101 / 54. 17.101
libavformat 54. 3.100 / 54. 3.100
libavdevice 53. 4.100 / 53. 4.100
libavfilter 2. 72.104 / 2. 72.104
libswscale 2. 1.100 / 2. 1.100
libswresample 0. 11.100 / 0. 11.100
libpostproc 52. 0.100 / 52. 0.100
Input #0, avi, from 'F:\Movies\10 Things I Hate About You (1999)\10 Things I Hate About You (1999).avi':
Metadata:
title : 10 Things I Hate About You
album : 10 Things I Hate About You (1999)
date : 1999
ICMS : Touchstone Pictures
IRTD : PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
ISTR : Julia Stiles; Cameron Fraser; Joseph Gordon-Levitt; Tarance Houston; Greg Jackson (II)
encoder : Nandub v1.0rc2
ITRK : 0
Duration: 01:37:29.47, start: 0.000000, bitrate: 1005 kb/s
Stream #0:0: Video: mpeg4 (XVID / 0x44495658), yuv420p, 512x272 [SAR 1:1 DAR 32:17], 23.98 fps, 23.98 tbr, 23.98 tbn, 2 tbc
Stream #0:1: Audio: mp3 (U[0][0][0] / 0x0055), 48000 Hz, stereo, s16, 128 kb/s
At least one output file must be specified


---> DB Level Info: -99, -99
---> Frame rate: 23.98
---> Aspect ratio: 32:17

This is a standard definition MP4 file that also was transcoded on the fly by Mezzmo and played without issue.


ffmpeg version N-40301-gc1fe2db Copyright (c) 2000-2012 the FFmpeg developers
built on May 3 2012 11:40:38 with gcc 4.6.3
configuration: --enable-gpl --enable-version3 --disable-w32threads --enable-runtime-cpudetect --enable-avisynth --enable-bzlib --enable-frei0r --enable-libass --enable-libcelt --enable-libopencore-amrnb --enable-libopencore-amrwb --enable-libfreetype --enable-libgsm --enable-libmp3lame --enable-libnut --enable-libopenjpeg --enable-librtmp --enable-libschroedinger --enable-libspeex --enable-libtheora --enable-libutvideo --enable-libvo-aacenc --enable-libvo-amrwbenc --enable-libvorbis --enable-libvpx --enable-libx264 --enable-libxavs --enable-libxvid --enable-zlib
libavutil 51. 49.100 / 51. 49.100
libavcodec 54. 17.101 / 54. 17.101
libavformat 54. 3.100 / 54. 3.100
libavdevice 53. 4.100 / 53. 4.100
libavfilter 2. 72.104 / 2. 72.104
libswscale 2. 1.100 / 2. 1.100
libswresample 0. 11.100 / 0. 11.100
libpostproc 52. 0.100 / 52. 0.100
Input #0, mov,mp4,m4a,3gp,3g2,mj2, from 'F:\Movies\American Beauty (1999)\American Beauty (1999).mp4':
Metadata:
major_brand : isom
minor_version : 512
compatible_brands: mp41
creation_time : 1970-01-01 00:00:00
title : AMERICAN_BEAUTY
encoder : Lavf51.18.0
Duration: 02:01:34.85, start: 0.000000, bitrate: 1016 kb/s
Stream #0:0(und): Video: mpeg4 (Simple Profile) (mp4v / 0x7634706D), yuv420p, 512x288 [SAR 1:1 DAR 16:9], 883 kb/s, 29.97 fps, 29.97 tbr, 30k tbn, 30k tbc
Metadata:
creation_time : 1970-01-01 00:00:00
handler_name : VideoHandler
Stream #0:1(und): Audio: aac (mp4a / 0x6134706D), 48000 Hz, stereo, s16, 127 kb/s
Metadata:
creation_time : 1970-01-01 00:00:00
handler_name : SoundHandler
At least one output file must be specified


---> DB Level Info: 1, 0
---> Frame rate: 29.97
---> Aspect ratio: 16:9

This is an example of an high definition MP4 file that transcodes too slowly and studders during playback. The Hopper and Joeys all support native playback of this video stream so I would like Mezzmo to pass it through without transcoding it.


ffmpeg version N-40301-gc1fe2db Copyright (c) 2000-2012 the FFmpeg developers
built on May 3 2012 11:40:38 with gcc 4.6.3
configuration: --enable-gpl --enable-version3 --disable-w32threads --enable-runtime-cpudetect --enable-avisynth --enable-bzlib --enable-frei0r --enable-libass --enable-libcelt --enable-libopencore-amrnb --enable-libopencore-amrwb --enable-libfreetype --enable-libgsm --enable-libmp3lame --enable-libnut --enable-libopenjpeg --enable-librtmp --enable-libschroedinger --enable-libspeex --enable-libtheora --enable-libutvideo --enable-libvo-aacenc --enable-libvo-amrwbenc --enable-libvorbis --enable-libvpx --enable-libx264 --enable-libxavs --enable-libxvid --enable-zlib
libavutil 51. 49.100 / 51. 49.100
libavcodec 54. 17.101 / 54. 17.101
libavformat 54. 3.100 / 54. 3.100
libavdevice 53. 4.100 / 53. 4.100
libavfilter 2. 72.104 / 2. 72.104
libswscale 2. 1.100 / 2. 1.100
libswresample 0. 11.100 / 0. 11.100
libpostproc 52. 0.100 / 52. 0.100
Input #0, mov,mp4,m4a,3gp,3g2,mj2, from 'F:\Movies\Iron Man 2 (2010)\Iron Man 2 (2010).mp4':
Metadata:
major_brand : isom
minor_version : 512
compatible_brands: isomiso2avc1mp41
encoder : Lavf54.3.100
Duration: 02:04:39.16, start: 0.000000, bitrate: 10294 kb/s
Chapter #0.0: start 0.000000, end 304.302000
Metadata:
title : 00:00:00.000
Chapter #0.1: start 304.302000, end 667.582000
Metadata:
title : 00:05:04.302
Chapter #0.2: start 667.582000, end 1079.952000
Metadata:
title : 00:11:07.582
Chapter #0.3: start 1079.952000, end 1553.009000
Metadata:
title : 00:17:59.952
Chapter #0.4: start 1553.009000, end 1826.782000
Metadata:
title : 00:25:53.009
Chapter #0.5: start 1826.782000, end 2253.000000
Metadata:
title : 00:30:26.782
Chapter #0.6: start 2253.000000, end 2639.635000
Metadata:
title : 00:37:33.000
Chapter #0.7: start 2639.635000, end 3099.346000
Metadata:
title : 00:43:59.635
Chapter #0.8: start 3099.346000, end 3610.523000
Metadata:
title : 00:51:39.346
Chapter #0.9: start 3610.523000, end 4021.516000
Metadata:
title : 01:00:10.523
Chapter #0.10: start 4021.516000, end 4560.764000
Metadata:
title : 01:07:01.516
Chapter #0.11: start 4560.764000, end 4873.283000
Metadata:
title : 01:16:00.764
Chapter #0.12: start 4873.283000, end 5433.551000
Metadata:
title : 01:21:13.283
Chapter #0.13: start 5433.551000, end 5929.338000
Metadata:
title : 01:30:33.551
Chapter #0.14: start 5929.338000, end 6341.792000
Metadata:
title : 01:38:49.338
Chapter #0.15: start 6341.792000, end 6857.350000
Metadata:
title : 01:45:41.792
Chapter #0.16: start 6857.350000, end 7479.168000
Metadata:
title : 01:54:17.350
Stream #0:0(und): Video: h264 (High) (avc1 / 0x31637661), yuv420p, 1920x816, 10107 kb/s, 23.98 fps, 23.98 tbr, 1k tbn, 47.95 tbc
Metadata:
handler_name : VideoHandler
Stream #0:1(eng): Audio: aac (mp4a / 0x6134706D), 48000 Hz, stereo, s16, 177 kb/s
Metadata:
handler_name : SoundHandler
At least one output file must be specified


---> DB Level Info: 41, 100
---> Frame rate: 23.98
---> Aspect ratio:

Finally, here is an example of a high definition mkv file that transcodes too slowly and studders during playback. Again, the H.264/AVC/MPEG-4 video codec used by this file type should be native to the Hopper and the Joeys. If it can be passed through while only transcoding the audio to aac, this would greatly improve the playback of the video.


ffmpeg version N-40301-gc1fe2db Copyright (c) 2000-2012 the FFmpeg developers
built on May 3 2012 11:40:38 with gcc 4.6.3
configuration: --enable-gpl --enable-version3 --disable-w32threads --enable-runtime-cpudetect --enable-avisynth --enable-bzlib --enable-frei0r --enable-libass --enable-libcelt --enable-libopencore-amrnb --enable-libopencore-amrwb --enable-libfreetype --enable-libgsm --enable-libmp3lame --enable-libnut --enable-libopenjpeg --enable-librtmp --enable-libschroedinger --enable-libspeex --enable-libtheora --enable-libutvideo --enable-libvo-aacenc --enable-libvo-amrwbenc --enable-libvorbis --enable-libvpx --enable-libx264 --enable-libxavs --enable-libxvid --enable-zlib
libavutil 51. 49.100 / 51. 49.100
libavcodec 54. 17.101 / 54. 17.101
libavformat 54. 3.100 / 54. 3.100
libavdevice 53. 4.100 / 53. 4.100
libavfilter 2. 72.104 / 2. 72.104
libswscale 2. 1.100 / 2. 1.100
libswresample 0. 11.100 / 0. 11.100
libpostproc 52. 0.100 / 52. 0.100
Input #0, matroska,webm, from 'F:\Movies\Captain America - The First Avenger (2011)\Captain America - The First Avenger (2011).mkv':
Metadata:
creation_time : 2011-10-15 00:46:17
Duration: 02:04:11.61, start: 0.000000, bitrate: 10075 kb/s
Stream #0:0(eng): Video: h264 (High), yuv420p, 1920x816 [SAR 1:1 DAR 40:17], 23.98 fps, 23.98 tbr, 1k tbn, 47.95 tbc (default)
Stream #0:1(eng): Audio: dts (DTS), 48000 Hz, 5.1(side), s16, 1536 kb/s (default)
At least one output file must be specified


---> DB Level Info: 41, 100
---> Frame rate: 23.98
---> Aspect ratio: 40:17

Any assistance that anyone could provide to help me get this profile ironed out would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

James

[Peter]

Hi James,
we are currently working on creating a device profile for the Dish Hopper/Joey, we have modified the working copy with the information you have specified in your post to include native support for MP4 and MKV files (DTS audio will be transcoded), you can send us an email to support at conceiva.com and we will send you the updated profile.

[Shoulder Devil]

Peter,

Thanks for the response. Earlier, there was a link to download your hopper profile included in your post. I was able to grab the profile before the post was edited and I have been playing with it ever since. For the most part it works well, but there are a few minor issues that I am hoping you can help me work out.

1. Apparently I was wrong about the native support for MKV. The hopper can play the h264 video stream but seems to have a problem with the mkv container. Would it be possible to have mkv files transcoded to an MP4(h264/aac)? I have used ffmpeg in the past to reencode mkv files so that they could be played back on an Xbox 360. Xboxes don't have a problem with the h264 video stream or an aac audio stream but they don't understand the mkv container. By running the mkv through ffmpeg with a -vcodec copy switch, I could create a new mp4 file that contained the original h264 video stream and transcoded the DTS audio stream to acc. It reduced encoding times from hours to minutes and does not have the same resource impact on the machine doing the transcoding.

2. MP4 files with h264/aac are completely passed through by this profile. My MP4 HD files seem to stream with no studdering or hiccups. The only problem that I see is that there is a considerable amount of pixelation that is occurring during playback. It's so bad at times that the movie is unwatchable. I have encountered this problem once before while trying to create my own hopper profile. I don't really understand why it happens. It only seems to occur when the file is not transcoded in any way. The server doesn't really show any signs of stress, the network looks fine and the playback is good except for the pixelation I wonder if it is a bitrate issue?

3. AVI (Divx/Xvid) files are being transcoded to MKV(h264/aac). The performance of the transcode is OK, it will work without studdering, but apparently the hopper doesn't like the mkv container. Also, transcode times are much better for these standard def avi files if they are transcoded to something like mpeg2video rather than h264. Would it be possible to change the profile so that AVI files are transcoded mpeg2video/aac instead?

Thanks

James

[Peter]

Hi James,
we have removed support for the mkv container from the device profile and added an upper limit (level="41") on the MP4 container with h264 to try and improve streaming with your MP4 HD files. We have sent you a link for the updated device profile. If the pixelation of your MP4 HD files continues can you please send us the FFmpeg information of the file by right-clicking the file in Mezzmo and choosing 'Get FFmpeg Information..' then click 'Copy to Clipboard' in the dialog that appears and paste the contents into an email to support at conceiva.com so that we can investigate further.

Regarding the third issue, AVI (Divx/Xvid) files, it is not possible currently to select the transcoding format based upon the container, so we cannot use the device profile to make AVI files transcode to mpeg2video when the preffered transcoding format is set to MP4. We may introduce this capability into a future version of Mezzmo but until that time you can pre-transcode your standard def files to mpeg2video by right-clicking the file in Mezzmo and choosing 'Pre-transcode Files...', then check the box next to your device and click 'Choose Formats...' then select to transcode to mpeg.

[KYWalker]

I would like to test out the new profile as well. I have created my own that only transcodes the DTS to DD and leaves the H264 Video, but I am getting a bit of pixelation.
Thanks

[Paul]

Contact us at support [at] conceiva [dot] com and we'll provide the current device profile that we are working on.

[Peter]

The Dish Hopper device profile has been included in the Mezzmo 2.6 release.

[tropez]

The Dish Hopper device profile has been included in the Mezzmo 2.6 release.

I just upgraded, the new profile for Hopper/Joey is dog slow. I could not get a movie to play due to it transcoding at 42FPS. When I changed back to using Generic Device (NTSC) movies pretty much would play instantly and at 100+ FPS transcode speed. They look great. All of my movies are encoded using Handbrake's AppleTV or AppleTV 2 presets. FYI.

[KYWalker]

When using the new Dish Hopper/Joey profile, I can't get any MKV/DTS files to play at all. If I change the profile to not encode to MP4 but instead to MPEG2, it works. I would still rather play MKV files direct, but the macroblocking/pixelation is horrendous.

[Paul]

tropez: Thanks for the tip regarding using the Generic Device (NTSC) profile.

KYWalker: Can you try the Generic Device (NTSC) device profile and see if it works OK for you? If it does work better, then it suggests that MPEG-2 is the better preferred encoding format to deliver to the device rather than MP4. It true, then we will modify the Dish Hopper device profile for all users. Let us know your findings.

[KYWalker]

I changed the Hopper/Joey profile for MP4 to encode=0, and set the MPEG2 to encode=1. It transcodes everything to MPEG2 and plays well, other than it stressing my computer and only getting about 34FPS.

[Paul]

Thanks for the feedback. We'll change the Dish Hopper device profile base don your testing. If any Dish Hopper owners want the new device profile, please contact us at support [at] conceiva [dot] com & we'll send it out to you.

[tropez]

tropez: Thanks for the tip regarding using the Generic Device (NTSC) profile.

KYWalker: Can you try the Generic Device (NTSC) device profile and see if it works OK for you? If it does work better, then it suggests that MPEG-2 is the better preferred encoding format to deliver to the device rather than MP4. It true, then we will modify the Dish Hopper device profile for all users. Let us know your findings.


Running the latest version (2.6.3), my AppleTV/2 encoded movies seem to play better using the Dish Hopper/Joey profile. But I ran into a show stopper. It seems that if I'm playing a movie for a bit, then stop it, and try and play another movie, I never get the second movie to play. It just sits with a progress bar at the bottom as if it's trying but it never comes through. Changing back to the Generic NTSC I don't have this issue. So getting better, but still seems buggy.

[Paul]

Many thanks for letting us know, tropez. Can you email us a set of logs when this problem happens using the Dish Hopper/Joey device profile? That way we can fix it. Please turn on logging in Mezzmo (see http://forum.conceiva.com/showthread.php/419-FAQ-How-to-turn-on-diagnostic-logging) and restart your Mezzmo server. (Don't forget to switch back to the Dish Hopper/Joey device profile for this test). Connect to Mezzmo server and then reproduce the problem you mention. When the problem occurs, stop your Mezzmo server and zip up the logs and send them to us at support [at] conceiva [dot] com.

[Pain]

Last night you sent me a patch and I still was unable to play/stream any files to joey...

Thanks Don AKA Pain

[Pain]

I am still unable to stream with my Joey at all. Any help would be nice...

[Paul]

Thanks for letting us know. Peter is responding to all your support emails and providing you with updated device profiles for you to try. We will certainly try to help you get up and running. Please be a little patient as this device is a little strange in the way it communicates DLNA. So we may require a few more tests from you to nail down how this device works with DLNA.

[Pain]

Not a problem and thank you!. I wanted to ask in the open forum if any hopper users are connecting their Lan line to the Joey to make this work? From what Dish is telling me you do not need to. I will test it myself but was hoping for a answer before i go through the trouble.

Thanks

[tropez]

Thanks for letting us know. Peter is responding to all your support emails and providing you with updated device profiles for you to try. We will certainly try to help you get up and running. Please be a little patient as this device is a little strange in the way it communicates DLNA. So we may require a few more tests from you to nail down how this device works with DLNA.


Should we be able to Fast Forward and Rewind while playing movies on the Hopper/Joey? When using the Generic NTSC Profile the movies stream fine (they aren't doing any transcoding, just streaming) but I when I hit FF it goes to the next movie in the list vs. fast forwarding. I've had to watch the first 25 minutes of the same movie due to it just ending (as if the movie was done) at like 25 minutes in.

[tropez]

Many thanks for letting us know, tropez. Can you email us a set of logs when this problem happens using the Dish Hopper/Joey device profile? That way we can fix it. Please turn on logging in Mezzmo (see http://forum.conceiva.com/showthread.php/419-FAQ-How-to-turn-on-diagnostic-logging) and restart your Mezzmo server. (Don't forget to switch back to the Dish Hopper/Joey device profile for this test). Connect to Mezzmo server and then reproduce the problem you mention. When the problem occurs, stop your Mezzmo server and zip up the logs and send them to us at support [at] conceiva [dot] com.

Logs sent yesterday.

[tropez]

Okay, I just finished watching a full movie. I streamed it to my Joey which was connected to my network via a HIC. I was using the Generic NTSC profile. The entire movie (a Handbrake encoded movie using the AppleTV2 profile) played just fine. Then I went to choose another movie and I could never get another movie to play. I can see all my movies, change in and out of folders. I stopped the service, and I could no longer browse the folders. I started the service again, then went to play another movie, no go. I just get the progress bar at the bottom as if it was trying to play, trying to stream, etc. It gives me no information as to what's going on. So dang frustrating.

[tropez]

When I look at the status tab within Mezzmo, I don't even see the system trying to send this second movie. The first movie was listed, it showed it as streaming to the device while it played. Now, trying to get another movie to play, no go.

[Paul]

When this happens (i.e. second file is not streamed/played on the Hopper), what happens if you power down and restart your Hopper? Can you play the second file? I wonder if your Hopper's firmware is getting confused after playing one file and is unable to play a second file. A full set of logs when this occurs will let us know exactly what the Hopper is doing in terms of communicating with Mezzmo server, please turn on logging and let a video play in full (any short video is fine) and then try to play a second video. When the second does not play, stop your Mezzmo server and exit Mezzmo. Zip up all the logs and send them to us at support [at] conceiva [dot] com.

[dannyb]

Did you get a decent profile to work with the hopper? I have downloaded the latest version as of today and I have problems playing movies.
This is a list of issues I am experiencing:
- Movies Stutter and lways stutter in the same spot, i can play the same movie to other dlna devices with no stutter like my Xbox and panasonic TV but when ever I try to play on the Hopper the movie witll stutter. I have tried encoding the movies in all 3 formats available with no change, I also adjusted the network configuration for the device in the mezzmo profile to wireless G, figured from Wireless N.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

[tropez]

Here are some videos of this issue in action.


http://youtu.be/dSMLYsPb3F8

[tropez]

http://youtu.be/KW5bE7epwQk

[tropez]

FFMPEG info on the file I used in testing.


ffmpeg version N-40693-gc457a29 Copyright (c) 2000-2012 the FFmpeg developers
built on May 15 2012 12:57:14 with gcc 4.6.2
configuration: --enable-memalign-hack --arch=x86 --target-os=mingw32 --cross-prefix=i686-w64-mingw32- --enable-static --disable-shared --enable-zlib --disable-postproc --prefix=/home/peter/ffmpeg/build/gpl --enable-libmp3lame --enable-libx264 --enable-gpl --extra-libs='-lx264 -lpthread' --enable-runtime-cpudetect --extra-cflags=-I/home/peter/cc/include --extra-ldflags=-L/home/peter/cc/lib --pkg-config=pkg-config --disable-w32threads
libavutil 51. 51.100 / 51. 51.100
libavcodec 54. 21.101 / 54. 21.101
libavformat 54. 5.100 / 54. 5.100
libavdevice 53. 4.100 / 53. 4.100
libavfilter 2. 73.100 / 2. 73.100
libswscale 2. 1.100 / 2. 1.100
libswresample 0. 11.100 / 0. 11.100
Input #0, mov,mp4,m4a,3gp,3g2,mj2, from '\\DISKSTATION\storage\public\movies\Rated PG-13\[1993] Jurassic Park (PG-13).m4v':
Metadata:
major_brand : mp42
minor_version : 0
compatible_brands: mp42isom
creation_time : 2009-02-06 16:30:19
encoder : HandBrake 0.9.3 2008112300
Duration: 02:06:28.53, start: 0.000000, bitrate: 1849 kb/s
Chapter #0.0: start -0.050083, end 320.853875
Metadata:
title : Chapter 1
Chapter #0.1: start 320.853875, end 615.819125
Metadata:
title : Chapter 2
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title : Chapter 3
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title : Chapter 4
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title : Chapter 5
Chapter #0.5: start 1427.838313, end 1901.285667
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title : Chapter 6
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title : Chapter 7
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title : Chapter 8
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title : Chapter 9
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title : Chapter 10
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title : Chapter 11
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Metadata:
title : Chapter 19
Chapter #0.19: start 7196.965271, end 7588.531687
Metadata:
title : Chapter 20
Stream #0:0(eng): Video: h264 (Main) (avc1 / 0x31637661), yuv420p, 720x464 [SAR 47:40 DAR 423:232], 1684 kb/s, 23.98 fps, 23.98 tbr, 48k tbn, 47.95 tbc
Metadata:
creation_time : 2009-02-06 16:30:19
Stream #0:1(eng): Audio: aac (mp4a / 0x6134706D), 48000 Hz, stereo, s16, 159 kb/s
Metadata:
creation_time : 2009-02-06 16:30:19
Stream #0:2(eng): Subtitle: mov_text (text / 0x74786574)
Metadata:
creation_time : 2009-02-06 16:30:19
At least one output file must be specified


---> DB Level Info: 30, 77
---> Frame rate: 23.98
---> Aspect ratio: 423:232

[Paul]

Thanks, tropez. The videos help us understand the problem better since we don't have a Dish Hopper/Joey to test with.