[MEncoder-users] Using MEncoder with TySuiteJ

[Phil Combs]

I am attempting to use MEncoder with a Java program called TySuiteJ, which
allows video from DirecTV TiVo DVRs to be extracted to a computer for
further processing.  This program normally uses ffmpeg; however, the video
coming from DirecTiVos has a variable frame rate.  This causes the resulting
video to be 'jerky,'  One person on the forum that discusses TySuiteJ uses
MEncoder as a post-process.  He and I both want to use it to handle video as
the video streams from the TiVo to the PC hard drive, but we ran into a
problem.

 

I'll give a link to the discussion forum for further background reading, if
anyone is interested:
http://www.dealdatabase.com/forum/showthread.php?t=53760 .  The last 2-3
pages deal with our efforts.

 

Basically, TySuiteJ passes data to STDIN using a format declared in its
application.properties file.  MEncoder works fine from the command line with
the same parameters that are passed through TySuiteJ.  However, when
TySuiteJ attempts to use MEncoder and passes its command line parameters,
the program appears to be working but hangs TySuiteJ.  No processing occurs,
no output file is produced.  The other person who has attempted to use
MEncoder says that, if you allocate enough cache, MEncoder will process the
file all the way to the end but will not produce an output file unless
processing is aborted.  I'm told that the problem appears to be the way
MEncoder handles STDIN but no one seems to know what the culprit may be.  It
could simply be that we do not understand what MEncoder is looking for and
that we are missing some parameter that is locking up the processing.

 

Is anyone familiar with either TySuiteJ or this problem, and could anyone
provide input?  We would greatly appreciate it.  MEncoder looks to be a much
better solution than ffmpeg for our needs, but using it post-process isn't
an efficient way to handle video extraction for us.

 

 

Phil Combs