EyeTV Hybrid HD Files & Toast 8 Compatibility ?

[KirkM]

just purchased an EyeTV Hybrid, and downloaded Toast 8 today. I recorded a few sample OTA HD videos. These are the specs per MPEG Streamclip:

 

Stream: 000000000bc4784f.mpg

Type: MPEG transport stream

Duration: 0:01:30

Data Size: 200.28 MB

Bit Rate: 18.61 Mbps

Video Tracks:

49 MPEG-2, 1920 ◊ 1088, 16:9, 29.97 fps, 17.94 Mbps, upper field first

Audio Tracks:

52 AC3 2/0, 48 kHz, 192 kbps

Stream Files:

000000000bc4784f.mpg (200.28 MB)

 

When I select the video clip and click the Toast button in EyeTV, it shows up fine in Toast. When I try to save as a disc image, I get the prompt for a filename, then it begins encoding, and I can see the filename.toast on the desktop. When encoding is complete, the Toast window expands and the filename.toast image disappears. It's nowhere to be found with a Finder search.

 

Am I doing something wrong, or is it Toast 8 cannot handle HD content. Thanks!!

 

Kirk

[KirkM]

Thanks again. Since it's a holiday today, I've been playing around some more.

 

I opened the MPG file contained within the <filename.eyetv> package with QT Pro. It shows the stream as "MPEG2 Video." It plays, but shows as a blank screen.

 

Next, I opened the same file with MPEG Streamclip, then converted it to MPEG. Opening the file again in QT Pro shows it as "MPEG2 Muxed". The video played fine.

 

 

File info as recorded by EyeTV:[/u]

Stream: 000000000bc687b8.mpg

Path: ~/Documents/EyeTV Archive/Montel Williams - Out of Control Daughters.eyetv/000000000bc687b8.mpg

Type: MPEG transport stream

Duration: 0:05:14

Data Size: 699.15 MB

Bit Rate: 18.65 Mbps

Video Tracks:

49 MPEG-2, 1920 ◊ 1088, 16:9, 29.97 fps, 17.94 Mbps[/b], upper field first

Audio Tracks:

52 AC3 2/0, 48 kHz, 192 kbps

Stream Files:

000000000bc687b8.mpg (699.15 MB)

 

 

File info for EveTV file converted to MPEG by Streamclip:

Stream: 000000000bc687b8.mpeg

Path: ~/Desktop/000000000bc687b8.mpeg

Type: MPEG program stream

Duration: 0:05:14

Data Size: 680.60 MB

Bit Rate: 18.17 Mbps

Video Tracks:

224 MPEG-2, 1920 ◊ 1088, 16:9, 29.97 fps, 8.00 Mbps, upper field first

Audio Tracks:

128 AC3 2/0, 48 kHz, 192 kbps

Stream Files:

000000000bc687b8.mpeg (680.60 MB)

 

I dragged the converted MPEG into Toast, and it created a disc image just fine. I went ahead and burned a DVD in Toast, and it plays fine on my computer and DVR. The file info is showing two different rates. I really don't know if that's the problem, but it's a workaround.

 

Oh yea, once encoding got to 100%, there were no other messages. The window just expanded back to normal.

 

Kirk

[George S]

I too have been having this problem recording HD (SD is OK) EyeTV Diversity recordings with Toast 8.0.1. (Toast 8 also causes the same problem). Thanks to "tsantee", my problem has been solved, or rather worked around because Toast should be capable of doing this!

 

I did a quick 15 min test HD recording with Elgato EyeTV Diversity (2 x HD tuners).

 

Tried Toast again - quit after the encoding finished and had just started filling RAM cache - with nothing to show for the process.

 

I used MPEG Streamclip to convert the EyeTV recording by dragging the EyeTV recording into Streamclip (have to use 'View -> All files") "Convert to MPEG". I then used the Streamclip output file in Toast 8.0.1 to create a disk image, then burned it successfully.

 

I've no idea what Streamclip did, but the process worked!

 

Thanks again, tsantee!

 

George S

Canberra, Australia

[tsantee]

The disk image will disappear if the process does not get completed. Toast apparently aborted the process at some point. What should have happened is that the encoding process continues until the stage to start writing the disc image. What you could monitor is the progress in creating the new .m2v file in the Roxio Converted Items folder. That also will disappear if Toast aborts the encoding.

 

I don't have an HD EyeTV so I don't know how those files work with Toast. I have used Toast to encode, author and burn DVDs from HD video that I captured directly via Firewire from my cable PVR; using Streamclip to convert the TS stream to MPEG. So I know Toast can do this downconversion. Toast retained the 16:9 aspect ratio and preserved the source AC3 audio.

 

Something to try is to use Streamclip to make certain the clip has no timecode breaks and then choose Convert to MPEG. Drag that MPEG to Toast. I'd also try with a somewhat longer clip -- possibly 3 minutes. Does ElGato have any information about doing this in their F.A.Q? I'm presuming you have lots of available hard drive space and your Mac is fast enough to meet the HD specs for the EyeTV Hybrid.

[KirkM]

Thanks for your reply ! I did open the files in Streamclip, and there were no timecode breaks. I didn't try converting to MPEG though. I thought I read here that the file has to be under 10.0 Mbps for DVD. My example file above was 17.94. Could this be it, or does Toast 8 automatically encode at a slower rate?

 

I believe my computers are fast enough for the encoding. Also, neither quit before the encoding showed 100%, if that means anything.

 

The only mention I could find of HD on Elgato's site was this note:

"720p or 1080i HD features require a Dual PowerPC G5 or an Intel Core Duo processor. Analog TV recorded via software encoder, quality depends on CPU performance."

 

Other than that, I couldn't find any mention of Toast on their site, except for a link to Roxio, where I bought it with an INSTANT rebate

 

I just tried again with three short SDTV clips, and had a working DVD with menu in about 10 minutes. It appears my settings are wrong somewhere with HD content.

 

Kirk

[tsantee]

When Toast re-encodes the video it takes care of the bit-rate issue, so that's not a concern with bringing HD sources down to SD for burning to video DVD. When I use Streamclip to Convert to MPEG a HD TS stream from my PVR, that process is very fast and changes the file extension from .ts to .mpeg (or .mpg, I'm not sure which).

 

After it reaches 100% does Toast report "Preparing" and "Filling RAM cache" and then "Writing [name of file]? If not, which one doesn't happen? (The last won't be shown if the content is so small that the disc image gets written before the description comes up). Is anything in your Converted Items folder at the end of the process? (Quitting Toast empties the Converted Items folder unless you change that setting in Toast Preferences).

 

If it is the HD content and it does abort at the end of 100% encoding, try trimming of the last second or two of the video in Streamclip before choosing Convert to MPEG.