Options for Live TV recording

[Scott D 69]

Setup - 

Windows 10 Home 22H2

Emby 4.7.10.0

HDHomeRun HDHR5-4US , Firmware 20221031

Live TV Recording scheduled through Emby.

On playback the logs indicate there is a problem with the closed captioning stream.  Usually, this will result in an inability to play.

Question - Is there a switch or option to not record the CC stream as it is not needed nor desired?

[Ronstang 294]

From my understanding the CC stream is part of the entire stream that is broadcast by your TV provider so there is no way to "not record" it you simply choose not to use it.  Now I realize that the CC in LiveTV is a problem as I had trouble with it before I stopped watching LiveTV while I wait for the updated LiveTV.  I still use LiveTV but for recordings only.  Then I edit them and extract the CCs and compress the edited recordings using ffmpeg and add them with the now external SRT subtitle files (which work correctly in emby) to my library for watching when it is convenient.  This way the CCs work fine and you have a library of content that takes up about one fifth the space that actually works properly.

Edited December 4, 2022 by Ronstang

[Ronstang 294]

To simplify things you can compress all your recordings without editing and extract the CCs and then just fast forward through commercials like it was a DVR.   You can set this up automatically in emby to compress and then run a simple script to extract all the CCs.  Paul Hodges of our community wrote a script for me to extract the CCs from my recorded streams and he said it could be shared  if need be.  I use his script EVERY day on my recordings....in  fact I just launched it now before finishing this post LOL.

Edited December 4, 2022 by Ronstang

[Scott D 69]

1 hour ago, Ronstang said:

To simplify things you can compress all your recordings without editing and extract the CCs and then just fast forward through commercials like it was a DVR.   You can set this up automatically in emby to compress and then run a simple script to extract all the CCs.  Paul Hodges of our community wrote a script for me to extract the CCs from my recorded streams and he said it could be shared  if need be.  I use his script EVERY day on my recordings....in  fact I just launched it now before finishing this post LOL.

If you would be so kind as to share it, it would be greatly appreciated.

[Ronstang 294]

Do you want English subs only or English and Spanish if available because to search for Spanish subs and extracts them takes a lot more time whether they are present or not so if y ou only need the English subs then that script is the simplest and quickest.

[Scott D 69]

16 minutes ago, Ronstang said:

Do you want English subs only or English and Spanish if available because to search for Spanish subs and extracts them takes a lot more time whether they are present or not so if y ou only need the English subs then that script is the simplest and quickest.

I don't really need any subtitles, but only English would be fine if necessary.

[Ronstang 294]

I can't seem to create an archive at the moment as WinRar is confusing and creates an archive, claims it is there but it is not on my hard drive that I can find.  I have to go to the store so I will revisit this later this evening and I will get it archived and post it for you later.  Ok?

[pwhodges 2012]

4 minutes ago, Scott D said:

I don't really need any subtitles, but only English would be fine if necessary.

The script makes a copy of the subs from the video file - it does not remove them from it, however.  If you don't want the subs, there's no point in running it.

I think that Ronstang's compression (re-encoding) of his files is the step which does that.

Paul

[Scott D 69]

2 hours ago, Ronstang said:

I can't seem to create an archive at the moment as WinRar is confusing and creates an archive, claims it is there but it is not on my hard drive that I can find.  I have to go to the store so I will revisit this later this evening and I will get it archived and post it for you later.  Ok?

No worries and definitely no rush.

[Scott D 69]

2 hours ago, pwhodges said:

The script makes a copy of the subs from the video file - it does not remove them from it, however.  If you don't want the subs, there's no point in running it.

I think that Ronstang's compression (re-encoding) of his files is the step which does that.

Paul

Thanks.  I'll play around with whatever is offered up.  Appreciate not having to reinvent the wheel.

[roaku 842]

Have you tried adjusting the subtitle settings for that library so they default to off?

 

[Ronstang 294]

This is Paul's script.  Just create a folder and copy the contents of the archive to it and then create an icon that points to xxc3.cmd, which is for both English and Spanish, or xx3-English Only.cmd which extracts only English.  Now the other script file is the base script Paul sent me originally but I altered it because it strips all formatting from the subs and I like to have them presented as they were built.  If you like the lack of formatting and changing all cap subs to all lower case then you can run that script for both English and Spanish if present or you can modify the script....or I or Paul can tell you what switch to set in one of the other scripts.

All the other files in the archive are needed to execute the script.  To run it just execute the command file from either the directory or an icon and then enter the path to the folder you want to extract subs from the TS or MKV files.  If there are any spaces in the folder names then you need to use double quotes at the beginning and the end.  If there is an exclamation point in the file name the file will be ignored so you have to delete the exclamation point and re add it if you want.

If you need any help just let me know.....and I see Paul here and he knows WAY MORE than me.

~Paul's Script.rar

[Ronstang 294]

3 hours ago, pwhodges said:

I think that Ronstang's compression (re-encoding) of his files is the step which does that.

Pretty much, in the past when I used H.264 instead of H.265 sometimes the subs survived the encoding process and sometimes they didn't but HEVC with my current settings results in files up to half the size with way better quality.  I never identified the reason but this is why I process all my edited TS files before I encode and delete the originals in order to preserver the subs...and Paul's script is invaluable here as it saves a lot of time, I use it every day multiple times.  

Thanks Paul!!

[Ronstang 294]

50 minutes ago, roaku said:

Have you tried adjusting the subtitle settings for that library so they default to off?

 

That doesn't remove them, just keeps them from displaying.  I think the OP assumes the error with the subs is a problem so wants to avoid it altogether but while it is an error it is with LiveTV and really doesn't create any downside....unless you want subs that is 

[roaku 842]

2 minutes ago, Ronstang said:

That doesn't remove them, just keeps them from displaying.  I think the OP assumes the error with the subs is a problem so wants to avoid it altogether but while it is an error it is with LiveTV and really doesn't create any downside....unless you want subs that is 

They want to fix playback, not remove subtitles.

I'm suggesting a potential fix for the playback problem.

[Ronstang 294]

3 minutes ago, roaku said:

I'm suggesting a potential fix for the playback problem.

I see what you are saying but his original post is a little ambiguous.  I read it as the subs won't play.....which at times in LiveTV they don't, not as the recording would play at all so I see what you are saying.  Maybe he can calrify.

If the recording would not play your suggestion may help. 

[Scott D 69]

22 minutes ago, Ronstang said:

I see what you are saying but his original post is a little ambiguous.  I read it as the subs won't play.....which at times in LiveTV they don't, not as the recording would play at all so I see what you are saying.  Maybe he can calrify.

If the recording would not play your suggestion may help. 

So here is the issue.  I have a mother-in-law that likes to watch a telanovela.  Since it is on fairly late at night, she has asked me to record it from an OTA broadcast.  Simple enough.  Set up Emby to record every episode and taught her how to get at the files.  It worked great until the update around the end of May.  Something changed, and I have no idea what.   My server, Emby, ffmpeg, the app on her tv.  She is running a Samsung TV that can't seem to get the latest update (whole new story).

When she starts to play the recording, she gets about 5 minutes into the show and an error occurs.  The big wheel of doom starts to spin and gets to 33%.  It never comes back.  In looking at the ffmpeg log, there seems to be a problem with the subtitle track.  I may be completely off based, but everything else looks to be good.  

She doesn't need (or want) the subtitles.  She has the option turned off for subtitles.  She has no issue with other media that has been ripped from various sources (dvds, etc).

I had found that if I ran a "conversion" on the files to a bitrate that I limit my users to, the problem seemed to go away as transcoding was no longer necessary.  This has been working, but it would be nice to avoid the process and simply make a few tweaks to the actual recording as they happen.   No subtitles, maybe a change to bitrate or dimensions or some other settings that could correct the problem.

Hope that clarifies.

 

[Ronstang 294]

Unfortunately if it is the subs causing the issue there is no way not to record a CC stream as it is part of the entire stream that is broadcast.....most but not all broadcast TS streams and it is just a container like MKV.

Do these files play OK on your system?  If they do it is not the stream itself but something on your MIL's end.

I'm not sure what a "conversion" is as you are calling it.  If it is using ffmpeg to encode and compress then disregard the next question....LOL

Have you tried compressing the recordings to HEVC or H.264?  If not, compress one of the recordings you have for her and have her try that file as a test.  If that resolves the issue you can set up emby to automatically compress the content.  The encoding process removes the subs in most instances.

Edited December 5, 2022 by Ronstang

[Ronstang 294]

If you can't solve the problem have someone with a Firestick try the files....if they play OK get you MIL one for Xmas....problem solved!!

From my experience my Firesticks play EVERYTHING.  

 

Edited December 5, 2022 by Ronstang

[Scott D 69]

Thanks to you all for the information.  I will try several of the suggestions in an attempt to get things working as expected.

I really appreciate the quick replies and suggestions.

[Luke 42079]

On 12/4/2022 at 11:17 AM, Scott D said:

Setup - 

Windows 10 Home 22H2

Emby 4.7.10.0

HDHomeRun HDHR5-4US , Firmware 20221031

Live TV Recording scheduled through Emby.

On playback the logs indicate there is a problem with the closed captioning stream.  Usually, this will result in an inability to play.

Question - Is there a switch or option to not record the CC stream as it is not needed nor desired?

There's no way to eliminate it as part of the recording process. You could just disable them before playing.

Having said that, they should be able to play, so we should look at an example.

How to Report a Problem

Thanks.

[Ronstang 294]

21 minutes ago, Luke said:

You could just disable them before playing.

Scott D said even if his MIL has the CCs disabled the problem persists which is why I suggested he compress the content first to HEVC and thus remove the CC stream as a test.

Edited December 6, 2022 by Ronstang

[Scott D 69]

Thanks for all the suggestions.  I have found a temp solution, but it may become a full-time solution.  Once a recording is complete,  MCEBuddy picks it up and does its magic.  It compresses and puts it into an mp4 container.  At the same time, it is removing commercials and cc's.  Bonus is the reduction in file size from 3 gig to about 800 meg. So far, this seems to do the trick.  Mama is happy cause she can once again watch her novela. Since it comes on late at night, it is all ready and waiting for her first thing in the morning.  Happy M-I-L = Happy Wife = Big smile on this end.

[Ronstang 294]

To me that sounds like a solution, not a temp one and why I suggested encoding and compressing them first....the difference in file size alone is worth it and since the show comes on late MCEBuddy works it's magic when your not doing much else.  I used to use MCEBuddy but it is too hard to get it to do things the way I like them but it is a great program.  I bought it and would still be using it if my needs had not changed so much.

Now if you ever decide you want the CCs then just change the settings in MCEBuddy to extract the CCs before the encode.  That is how I use it when I do.