CurtPalme.com Home Theater Forum

ecrabb

OK, maybe one of you HTPC guys can help. I'm looking for a decent way to play HD TS files I've pulled off my HD Tivo, so I'm thinking about getting something like this at some point:

http://www.digitalconnection.com/Products/Video/tvixm4100sh.asp

I don't really want to spend the cash on that right now though, so in the interim, I have a decent computer kicking around that I could use as an HTPC.

The question I have... are there are any nice looking front end/media players that will play HD TS files... maybe something that doesn't require hours of setup and configuration. I already use VLC and all that sh*t... but, I want something simple that looks nice on-screen (full-screen mode), works with a remote, and doesn't require lots of screwing around (yeah, I know).

WinDVD looks like it's a "media player"... is that an option?
PowerDVD Ultra (geez $100)?
Blaze HDTV Player?
Elecard MPEG Player?
Zoom Player?

What I would love is something that looks like Apple's Front Row (which is gorgeous), but that actually works for playing non-QT media (MPEG 2 HD, specifically).

Thanks guys!

SC

madpoet · Joined: 30 Mar 2006 Posts: 852

Theatertek. It won't get you HD DVD or BD playback (yet) but it's still a great DVD/HD files player.

ecrabb · Posted: Tue May 22, 2007 7:21 pm Post subject:

OK, cool. I wondered about TT. I was even going to put it in the list, but I didn't see a damn thing anywhere that that said it would play anything besides DVDs. It's pretty reasonable at $40 compared to some of the other options. I'll download the trial and give it a whirl. Thanks!

Don't need HD-DVD/BD playback right now, as I'm using an XA1 for the time being.

SC

jask · Joined: 17 Mar 2006 Posts: 10165 Location: kamloops BC

I am using TT as well, easy to use and lots of adjustment.

Mark_A_W · Posted: Sat May 26, 2007 9:35 am Post subject:

Zoomplayer with the Unofficial 1080i IVTC version of Dscaler, Reclock, AC3filter and a 48/72/96hz refresh rate.

This is the only way I've been able to get reliable IVTC - Theatertek won't do it, unless you create a custom graph to use Dscaler IVTC version.

benareeno · Joined: 22 Mar 2006 Posts: 1614 Location: ottawa, canada

Isn't the XBOX 360 a great .ts file player??

Ben

benareeno · Joined: 22 Mar 2006 Posts: 1614 Location: ottawa, canada

Also....do you need IVTC to play 1080i?? Or is it only useful when you run progressive res's??

I have never been able to setup zoomplayer with all of those options...is there a detailed guide somewhere? I honestly don't know how some of you can get this stuff setup at all...and I work with computers for a living!

Ben

kschmit2 · Posted: Fri Aug 24, 2007 6:43 am Post subject:

IVTC is useful whenever you want to get rid of pulldown judder, i.e. for anything that is broadcast or distributed as 1080i at 59.94 fields per second, but originates from 24.000 (or 23.976) frames per second sources (mostly film contents incl. digital 24p recordings).
The inverse telecine (reverse pulldown) process re-generates the original 24 (23.976) progressive frames per second.

Of course your display would have to be able to display the resulting stream at 23.976 Hz, or a multiple thereof to get rid of that judder.

If your display can only do 59.94 Hz, then you could still process from IVTC, it your display can either take a 24p (23.976p) signal and apply telecine processing to the (now) progressive input to take it from 23.976p to 59.94p. Judder would still be there, but at least you would have perfectly retained the full 1920x1080 resolution of the source, and not have lost some of it in less than ideal 1080i processing (bob deinterlacing or simple motion adaptive deinterlacing, etc.).

If your display can only accept 59.94p signals, then your video card or video processor would take the 23.976p signal (which you have after IVTC), and apply pulldown to it to output the stream at 59.94 Hz, also reatining the full 1920x1080 resolution throughout the full processing chain.

Kai

kschmit2 · Posted: Fri Aug 24, 2007 6:50 am Post subject:

Dscaler5 w/IVTC mod settings (for the 181205 version):

Add the decoder as an external filter in Media Player Classic Home Cinema edition (with merit set to "prefer"). Then close and restart the player.
For ZP select it as decoder for MPEG TS files.

-Enable/Disable the follwing items (decoder properties in ZP, in MPC start a video file and select Dscaler 5 Video Decoder from "->Play -> Filters -> Dscaler 5 Video Decoder):

Display Force Subtitles= No
Experimental 720p= No
3:2 Playback Smoothing= Yes
Inverse Telecine= Always Enabled
Adjust FPS= Keep 29.97/30fps
Deinterlace Mode= Automatic
Video Delay= 0
Use Accurate Aspect Ratio= No
Dvb Aspect Preference= 16:9 Display
Hardcode for Pal= No
IDCT to use= Accelerated
Output Colorspace= YV12
Do Analog Blanking= Yes
Force Field 1= No

These will only work for film sourced contents.

benareeno · Joined: 22 Mar 2006 Posts: 1614 Location: ottawa, canada

I configured Zoomplayer and the video is horrendous...it freezes for a few seconds at a time.

I want to take this HTPC and throw off the roof of a tall building...

on another note, it appears the stuttering is more or less cured since I bought an Nvidia 8500GT.

Ben