DVR-MS Support

[Jere_Jones]

As CodeMonkey has requested, I started looking into how to support Microsoft's DVR-MS files.

Important fact #1: DVR-MS files are MPEG's wrapped in an ASF wrapper.
Important fact #2: Microsoft has patented the ASF wrapper.

Important question #1: How much do they want?
Important question #2: Can I get through the wrapper without using DirectShow?
Important question #3: Is there a specification for ASF ANYWHERE?

Semi-important question #1: Can I extract the metadata without using DirectShow?

These are the questions. Answers coming soon... I hope.

Jere

[CodeMonkey]

Jere:

I've only done it using graphedit. But here (http://blogs.msdn.com/toub/archive/2...12/416874.aspx) is a link to a tool and article that might help.

[Jere_Jones]

Important answer #1: They seem to want $0.00 just to license the ASF container. I need to look at the agreement some more.
Important answer #2: YIPPEE!! YES!!!
Important answer #3: I found it!!

Semi-important answer #1: YIPPEE!! YES!!

Jere

[CodeMonkey]

Sweet!

I suspect this will be a big help to several PVR programs.

[Jere_Jones]

What PVR's use this format besides MCE?

Jere

[CodeMonkey]

The one I currently work on, media portal (http://mediaportal.sourceforge.net/index.html) I'm not sure what others. But it's the format most of directshow, particularly the VMR9 stuff, wants to use. So I suspect there are others.

[CodeMonkey]

Jere:

Im trying to write a little utility (that I will share, of course ) to take the cut file SA generates and apply it to the dvr-ms file and end up with a new, commercial free, dvr-ms file. I've got most of it coded, but DirectShow likes to deal in time offset, while the cut file is in frame numbers. Is the frame rate stored in the dvr-ms meta data? Or, how do you go from frame number to time offset?

Thanks.

[Jere_Jones]

The framerate should be stored in the metadata. I haven't dug into it that much... yet. You could always go the way of comskip. Put the frame rate in an ini file. Whoever uses the utility probably won't need to change it that often.

But... be careful. MPEG's are timestamped with Presentation Time Stamps. Those don't always start at 0. I have seen several that start at 1 hour or later. Go figure.

Just make sure that you are going to a time offset instead of a PTS.

Jere

[Jere_Jones]

This is still on my list. I haven't forgotten about you.

Jere

[babgvant]

Originally Posted by Jere_Jones

This is still on my list. I haven't forgotten about you.

Jere

I'd love to have DVR-MS support as well... I wrote a tool that uses comskip (converts to mpeg first), but it would be awesome to be able to work natively on the DVR-MS.

Maybe this should go in the feature request thread, but it would be great if there was an api so SA could be called directly w/o having to shell.