Can't play .ts files

[bobmil]

I am unable to play .ts files which I have extracted from the HDD of my Humax Foxsat-HDR. The same files (SD and HD) play perfectly on my PC using VLC media player.

This applies to both SD and HD recordings which are mpeg-2 ts video. Note - the HD recordings from the Humax are not encrypted as I have third party software with a patch which eliminates the encryption of the HD files.

The files from the Humax have a long extension e.g. filename.ts.dfs_ntfs I have tried playing the files on the tm-twin oe HDD with the full extension but they are not found or seen in the file list. So I edited the filename extension to remove the dfs_ntfs and the file is then found ok but still will not play - just a black screen with the normal info window at the bottom showing the file but no action. Other files e.g. mpeg4 play fine on the tm-twin oe without problems.

I have searched the forums but have been unable to locate possible solutions so any help would be very much appreciated.

Thanks

[judge]

Maybe try encoding them using an app like handbrake first.

https://handbrake.fr/

[Joe_90]

I confirm that the files from Foxsat-HDR are not playable on ViX. They are ok, however, on my linux xbmc (Openelec) box, or on vlc as you say. I believe that the .ts files from the Humax have non-standard headers which you may have to recode as @judge suggests.

[birdman]

The files from the Humax have a long extension e.g. filename.ts.dfs_ntfs I have tried playing the files on the tm-twin oe HDD with the full extension but they are not found or seen in the file list. So I edited the filename extension to remove the dfs_ntfs and the file is then found ok but still will not play - just a black screen with the normal info window at the bottom showing the file but no action. Other files e.g. mpeg4 play fine on the tm-twin oe without problems.Have you tired renaming the file to be *.mp4 or *.mpg instead?
It could be that for *.ts OpenVIX looks for the related *.ts.* files, which aren't there and so it gets confused.
I have a vague recollection of putting a file on named *.ts and it not playing, but it did when I changed it to *.mpg.
It's only a vague memory though, and I didn't look into it in any great depth at the time.

[Rob van der Does]

It's very well possible that a simple rename will work. As for mpg Gstreamer kicks in to give a hand in the decoding process, while for TS the hardware expects exactly the correct format.

[DaMacFunkin]

Surlely a simple remux with tsmuxer will rewrite the headers.

[Rob van der Does]

Probably.
Renaming is even more simple.

[bobmil]

Thanks for all the comments above and to those involved. I do not want to convert the whole video files to a different format as I want to be able to transfer around 50 hours of recordings from the Humax to the tm-twln as I want to take the latter to Spain and use out there as UK TV reception can sometimes be difficult hence to recode 50hrs of recordings is not practicable.

I will try later on today changing the file extension to .mp4 ect as suggested.

Fat tony - are you suggesting that openelec could be used on the tm-twin?

Thanks to all

[Joe_90]

...
Fat tony - are you suggesting that openelec could be used on the tm-twin?

Thanks to all
No - not at all. My openelec box is on a different platform.

[bobmil]

Thanks fat-tony so that's a no go then. As you probably gathered I am very much a newbie when it comes to anything linux so still feeling my way:confused:

Have just tried birdman's suggestion and changed the file extension to .mp4 and also to .mp2

I got all excited as in both cases the file was recognised and immediately started to play ok but after about a minute sound started to break up then stopped so only vision. Tried restarting and stopping the recording and sometimes both sound and vision froze so it looks like that's a no go as well.

Does anyone else have any more possible solutions other than recoding the whole recordings??

Thanks BobM

[bobmil]

I am now going to investigate Damafunkin's suggestion with the tsmuxer which I know absolutely nothing about. Is this a total video recoding process or does it apply some other more subtle changes which may work? Or does it come in some form like a plugin to play ts files?

Whilst waiting for a grateful reply I will start to research myself :)

[DaMacFunkin]

It is just a remux, a 1 gig file on a decent system shouldn't take more than a few seconds search for tsmuxer 1.10.6, the gui is pretty straight forward, just choose .ts as output file.

[birdman]

I got all excited as in both cases the file was recognised and immediately started to play ok but after about a minute sound started to break up then stopped so only vision.Hmmm...that sounds familiar too...

Does anyone else have any more possible solutions other than recoding the whole recordings??You probably don't actually need to re-encode - just re-mux (the video and audio frames are OK, but you need to sort out the ordering info...), so it should be relatively quick. It's the sort of thing I'd write a Linux script for an leave running overnight - probably.

[judge]

I do not want to convert the whole video files to a different format as I want to be able to transfer around 50 hours of recordings from the Humax to the tm-twln as I want to take the latter to Spain and use out there as UK TV reception can sometimes be difficult hence to recode 50hrs of recordings is not practicable.
Try one file & see how long it takes, does it work then?

It's the sort of thing I'd write a Linux script for an leave running overnight - probably.
Example of script?

[birdman]

Try one file & see how long it takes, does it work then?

Example of script?Off the top of my head.

#!/bin/sh
#
for f in *.ts; do
out=`basename "$f" .ts`
avconv -i "$f" "$out.mp4"
# If you are happy to delete each converted original as you go, then use this instead:
# avconv -i "$f" "$out.mp4" && rm -f "$f"
done

[bobmil]

Thanks birdman. Since my last reply I have tried processing a file using TSmuxer (GUI version) by simply adding the file and using all the default settings on my pc. Then loaded the file into the tm-twin and it ran ok including fast forward and fast rewind. Vision and sound all ok:)

As for the script - wait for it - "i don't know how to use it" :confused: I did explain I was a newbie earlier so have no experience of how to use a script. If you have a simple explanation that would be great.

Anyway I can get away with processing individual files by using tsmuxer as explained above so in a good way - problem solved. BUT if there is an easier way then obviously I would be interested to know especially if I could do it all by batch processing a group of files at one time.

So thanks again for your help and to the others who have contributed on this thread.