A few ffmpeg queries

[RS]

From: Alan Milewczyk
Sent: Friday, September 8, 2017 00:07

>Actually the Humax Foxsat-HDR is no longer being made. HD is encrypted but 
>there is Custom Firmware and a patch that enable you to access HD 
>recordings without problem and do all sorts of other wonderful things.

I have never used a Humax.  I bought a second-hand one years ago, but I 
think it had a faulty power supply.  The more recent models have FreeSat. 
It seems to be a general limitation of satellite receivers that I can have 
Freesat or multi-satellite with DiSEqC and USALS but not both.  I
prefer multi-satellite.  The multi-satellite boxes are generally cheaper
(maybe through not having to pay a FreeSat licence fee) and less locked
down, although support is not so good.

>(For example, you can set up a  recording schedule using your PC or indeed 
>a mobile phone - as I can access my home PC during my annual 4 months in 
>the Philippines I am able to organise recording schedules from over 7000 
>miles away!) AFAIK this isn't possible with any other Humax. I certainly 
>wasn't aware of all this when I got it 6 years ago. I recently saw a Linux 
>based quad-tuner PVR on the net and I guess when my Hummy dies, I'll have 
>to look to something like that.

I find Teamviewer useful for remote control of my PC.  It has occurred to me 
that I could use it to set up get_iplayer downloads remotely, but I have 
never done it.  I am not usually abroad long enough for the 30 day limit to 
be a problem.  Being able to control recording on my satellite receiver 
remotely would be useful.  I have been looking on Amazon, and there are now 
a few android receivers.  I have never got very far with android.  Google 
seems to want to control what I can do even more rigidly than Microsoft, 
although I have found some pages suggesting ways of running Linux on an 
android device.  On Amazon and TechKings I came across a range of Linux 
receivers with the name Zgemma which look interesting .

>As the Humax records some programmes with two audio streams (the
>standard plus a Narrative stream), following Vangelis' advice I spent an
>hour or so this afternoon making sure that ffmpeg remuxes the correct
>audio stream. Lifelong learning! Great fun!

The Basic page of Mediainfo gives quite a good indication of what streams 
there are in a file.  Having two audio streams is not usually a problem. 
The SD Euronews channels have more than two.  Listening live the AC3 stream 
if there is one is usually the default, although Channel 5 HD often makes 
the narrative stream the default and it is necessary to press the Audio 
button on the remote control to display a menu to select the desired stream. 
On playback on the Triax narrative is usually the default.  The display on 
pressing the Audio button is simpler.  To get the AC3 stream it is usually 
necessary to press the Audio button twice to select the second stream and 
then press the right arrow button.

Best wishes
Richard