Converting Hulu 480p FLVs??

[kurganxy]

Does anyone know a way to convert the Hulu 480p FLV videos? Ive tried everything i can think of including the applian converter and nothing. It seems to be in some new format or something, as i can convert the 360p FLVs just fine, but the 480p will only play on the applian flv player and nothing else. Any ideas?

Im trying to get as the world turns BTW. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

[Andy Heinlein]

I will take a look at this... thanks for the heads up


-andy.

[cain]

I will take a look at this...

Thank you, Andy.

Consider this a bump to the priority - I'd love to be able to send my 87 year old grandpa some of the shows he likes to watch that are higher quality (480p.)

Don't let grandpa down... hehhehehe

:)

[zanefan]

Thank God someone else asked this question. I've been scouring the web all week trying to find something that works. I have tried about 15 different video conversion programs and nothing works. It plays just fine in Applian's FLV player, but won't play on any of my other players, so that leads me to believe the other players aren't registering the codec Applian is using.

Eager to see what you guys come up with!

[Mike Christensen]

Please try out latest beta version of Replay Converter to convert the FLV file. You can try out this version from here: http://applian.com/replay-converter/demo.php

Let us know the results.

Best regards,

[rhmark]

When trying to convert a High-res Hulu video with Replay Converter beta linked above, the video output I received was a ten second movie. A black screen with a static red-letter message:

"Direct Show Source: Could not open as video or audio No combination of filters could be found to render the stream"
"Video returned:" filename "No combination of filters could be found to render the stream"
"Audio returned:" filename "No combination of filters could be found to render the stream"

(%UserProfile%\Local Settings\Application data\something.avs)

This was for June 24 Daily Show saved with Replay Media Catcher 3.0beta. The FLV seems valid and plays all the way through with RCAT 3.0beta's included FLV player.
I'll try on some other Hulu 480p FLV's downloaded with other tools if I get the chance. RCAT registartion br0ke so am hunting other downloaders.

[zanefan]

I have the same problem, it says DirectShow cannot open the file, therefore the item cannot be converted.

According to the Applian FLV Player, the audio codec is MP4A AAC, and the video codec is avc1/H264.

Don't know if that helps...

[Andy Heinlein]

Zanefan... Could you give me the URL you are trying to record from?

thanks...
-andy.

[zanefan]

Andy,

Go to http://www.hulu.com/another-world

Click on any of the episodes and, after the episode starts playing, click the "show 480p" link on the right hand side of the screen.

The catcher should show two files downloading; one a standard flash, the other an H264 flash (the higher quality item.)

The standard flash file can be converted fine, but the problems we are having are with the higher quality files.

The file name should look something like this:

HuluTranscode_30060_H_264_1Mbps_4x3_29_97__lRVqttI 6+U+MwKfJm5p6Yw.flv_D33AC870.flv

[Andy Heinlein]

wonderful.. thank you for the detailed directions. I was about to say "i get it in the old format just fine"

I will check this out...

-andy.

[kurganxy]

Im glad im not the only one having this issue. Thought it was just me being an idiot there for a while hehe.

[rjames]

Yep, same issue here. I've noticed that the 480 versions don't seem to be much larger than the standard res flvs. It's almost as if the high res flvs aren't the entire video, just the extra data needed to make it high-res. (This coming from somebody who knows nothing about encoding flv files).
Using Super C to convert, the file errors out.
Using Moyea FLV to Video pro, I receive the error "height or width = 0"
I'm going to try to download and use applian's converter soon.

[Cheryl Wester]

At the present time our program can't convert the hi res from Hulu. Our developer is aware of this issue and is looking into it. At the present time it is a new type of file and that is where the issue is. As has been noted other converters are not able to convert this either due to the new file format.

[zanefan]

Rats, I was really hoping someone there might hold the key to solving this mystery! Oh well, if anyone else comes up with anything in the meantime, please post your findings here!

[kurganxy]

Well, its not exactly a solution, but i have found another player that will play the files. Its called FLV Player (http://www.flvsoft.com/flv_player/) froma company called Moyea. The only reason i mention this is because the videos seem to play much more smoothly on this player than the applian player. Also, they make a converter, but for some reason when i try to use it, i get a strange error saying that the "Width or Height is 0". I sent them an email but i havent gotten a response as of yet. Its nice that the converter actually recognizes the files as being FLVs, and if it were not for this error, it might do the trick. I havent tried any other Hulu videos, only the ATWT episodes i have, so you might want to give it a try if you have other videos from hulu other than these.

[applnfrmguy]

FLV Player from a company called Moyea . . . Also, they make a converter, but for some reason when i try to use it, i get a strange error saying that the "Width or Height is 0".
Me too. Moyea converter works on standard Hulu. Later they will release a new converter on 8 August. Give it a try. You post this question about Hulu AWT everywhere. You must be one big fan.

You have a correct answer in the thread who said some software and Matroska to set the framerate. You said you could not find the software version. You question the torrents maker. That thread. If you look for that software as much as you post this question you would have converted many files by today. :)

[Andy Heinlein]

There are some audio/video synchronization issues with the 480p FLVs as well.. it's Media Catcher's fault, but I think I have a work-around to get them syncing better.

If you have the new beta of Media Catcher (released today -- 8/5), it will automatically update the plug-ins which are geared to downloading these files.. so you will get the fix as soon as it's posted.

-andy.

[chopper]

Support,

This utility seems to clear up the problem if you use the /k (keep keyframes). You can process entire folders with it using the friendly gui interface. This fixes the progress bar issue, but the time is artificially longer than it really should be.

Questions... let me know.


http://www.buraks.com/flvmdi/

[zanefan]

I have no idea what any of that means, but I hope it helps make the Applian converter work on these files.

[chopper]

This utility can be used:cool: on the file that the current version of media catcher creates. aka.... hulu - addams family.flv.

You can download several of these files in to the same directory and then choose an output directory (be sure to download the GUI interface as well as the other EXE). The utility will let you fix the issues where:

If you try to play this file in EITHER Adobe Media Player or RealPlayer it will not be seekable to the end and in Real will end prematurely.

This utility will fix the problem with the files because it fixes the METADATA information contained in the header for these files and they will remain seekable provided you use the /K (keep Keyframes option). Hope this helps... I scoured the internet to try to figure a way to fix these 480p download files so they are playable (unfortunately, they are still not convertable), but they look GREAT and play without problems if you have the CPU (2.0 ghz or better - dual preferred and a GOOD ATI card)...

I would STRONGLY suggest using Adobe Media player or Real Player Ver 11 to play these files as it does a very nice job (FLV Player is choppy on the tests I ran on it using the same Machine).

NOTE: SUPER can also play SOME of these files (but not all of them as some have A/V sync issues).

[chopper]

The Only option you need to check when you run this utility is the Keep KeyFrames option... none of the others are needed to properly fix the files. Try downloading a 480p and running the utility against it and you will see the difference in any player because it will now be SEEKABLE throughout the entire video.

When the file is first created by RMC the progress bar will actually proceed past end of the progress area in the player (also does this in ADOBE media player).

Questions... let me know.:cool::p;):rolleyes:

[Toochbag]

I don't claim to be any type of expert related to things like this... but I used to own XILISOFT's AAC->MP3 converter.

Still having their link, I downloaded the demo of their current FLV Video conversion s/w. It seemed to convert the first 5 minutes without incident... Only the first 5 minutes since that's their restriction for the unregistered product. The 5-minute file seemed to play fine on Windows Media Player.

Here is the link: http://www.xilisoft.com/flv-converter.html

[zanefan]

I actually have Xilisoft Video Converter and it IS converting the video, but it's warping the audio significantly. (It's dragging.) Still this is more progress than we've had, so that's good to know. Thanks for the suggestion!

[tiredofspam]

Any progress on this? I just purchased the whole suite so I could download videos for a trip that I'm taking next week. I wanted to convert them to play on my Archos 704 (which won't play Flash videos).

I downloaded three seasons worth of "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" in 480p and THEN I discovered that Replay Converter won't.

[Bill Dettering]

Another option is to record these videos with WM Capture, which is a high-quality screen capture program, and then use Replay Converter to convert or burn these files.

If you go this route, try recording as MPEG-2 files, as you'll get super high quality this way. WM Capture includes special high-quality codecs just for this reason.

You can try WM Capture from here:
http://www.wmrecorder.com

[rjames]

There are some audio/video synchronization issues with the 480p FLVs as well.. it's Media Catcher's fault, but I think I have a work-around to get them syncing better.

If you have the new beta of Media Catcher (released today -- 8/5), it will automatically update the plug-ins which are geared to downloading these files.. so you will get the fix as soon as it's posted.

-andy.

Just paid to upgrade today to Replay v3.01 and the issue is still not resolved. Tried to download the 480p version of the new Chuck episode (http://www.hulu.com/watch/35491/chuck-sneak-peek-chuck-versus-the-first-date#x-0,vepisode,1): Same thing, when you click on 480p it starts recording a new flv. The "high-res" flv is only 30 to 50 mb larger than the std res version. It plays in the applian flv player, but no converter will recognize the file. I'll check out wmcapture, I don't necessarily want to drop another $40 on a different program to do what I purchased media catcher do to.

[Mike Christensen]

Just paid to upgrade today to Replay v3.01 and the issue is still not resolved. Tried to download the 480p version of the new Chuck episode (http://www.hulu.com/watch/35491/chuck-sneak-peek-chuck-versus-the-first-date#x-0,vepisode,1): Same thing, when you click on 480p it starts recording a new flv. The "high-res" flv is only 30 to 50 mb larger than the std res version. It plays in the applian flv player, but no converter will recognize the file. I'll check out wmcapture, I don't necessarily want to drop another $40 on a different program to do what I purchased media catcher do to.

Just to let you know, we are getting closer to resolving this issue regarding Replay Converter converting high definition Hulu videos created by Media Catcher. We will keep your posted.

Best regards,

[tiredofspam]

That would be great! I really like the way media catcher downloads multiple streams simultaneously and directly...hate to give that up to capture a window in real-time...

[rfryar]

I think I have found a solution. It took me some time messing with audio/video codecs and settings but here is what I have found acceptable.

Using a free tool called MediaCoder (Do a google search) you can convert the High Res FLVs into other formats. The initial difficulty I had was getting the audio to stay in synch. Now I have gotten at least a 30 second clip to be converted in MPEG 2 and the audio stays in synch. I am in the middle of testing a full 45 minute show to ensure it stays in synch.

Here is the basic settings..

Video: MPEG2, MPEG2 container. Fixed bitrate 2048.
Audio: MP2 via FFMEG at a 128 bitrate
Under picture ensure you uncheck the framerate to use the original wacky framerate.

In my first test I restricted the conversion to the first 30 seconds and the audio stayed in synch. I will reply to this with my complete test.

Rick

[rfryar]

Success! My 45 minutes Terminator: Sarah Conners, HD TV episode worked fine!

Let me know if anyone else gets this to work. I am off to try a few other shows.

Rick

[kurganxy]

Unfortunately it doesnt seem to work with the As The World Turns 480p's :(

[MatthewC1000]

Unfortunately it doesnt seem to work with the As The World Turns 480p's :(
Well, there is an app that can convert High def video files..not sure if Im allowed to mention but, its called Tubehunter Media Center, in order to retain the 420p resolution you must convert the file to mpeg. :)

[helloandwahtever]

@kurganxy (just cause I've seen you in and around forums and not to be picky)
The only method of which I am aware that works is direct stream copying the contents into another container and re synching the audio and video as it is multiplexed. That's the Matroska solution you've seen.

I am aware of Tubehunter, and Mencoder, and FFMPEG, and VirtualDub(Mod) and a handfull of other suggestions. I've done them all or tried to in one way or another. It's a battle because no two transcoding operations go the same way twice in a row.

Now there may be some good reasons for stream copying the contents into another container. Personally if I want to watch the existing H.264 and AAC streams (instead of copying them untouched to another container and then watching) I'll just use one of the many FLVPlayers including of course Applian's.

IMHO there is nothing earth shattering at present to gain from converting the Hi-res streams. They don't look that much better once they are converted. It's "Hi-res" streaming media. No one can even define what that means AFAIK.

It's not High Definition because I think I saw somewhere around here that the best we get from hulu at present is 404p and not 480p. With the exception of the small Hulu HD Gallery of course.

Because of the lossiness that occurs when transcoding to a new format, combined with the original information lost during creation from film/video/tape/kinescope to H.264 and AAC way back in the beginning, there just aren't enough quality bits of difference between the low-res vs. high-res Hulu versions to make a PQ difference worth worrying about. This is especially true if transcoding for a 3" x 4" screen or transcoding to watch on a 32 inch monitor at full screen.

High-res still looks nicer when played originally in a web page or from an FLV player. But chomping on the bits (without a suitable splitter for this new Hi-res FLV container) just doesn't yield picture quality worth the time, hassle, CPU cycles, or effort IMHO.

FWIW, I do the Std-res Hulu files with On2's splitter and directshow filter using Avisynth => wahtever. That's because I already had those and some small skill using them. Without that I'd be looking to buy one of the many other solutions including Replay Converter.

[rfryar]

The settings I mentioned work with every hulu flv file I have used. The audio stays in synch through the entire transocded stream.

The main reason for me to transcode is so I can place them on my media PC and send them to my TiVos. They require either a true MP4 h.264 or a MPG2 file. So I transcode them to MPG2 and then I am able to watch them on basically any TV in my house. Much better than in front of the PC.

But everybody has different uses and this works for me. Granted I do not use many videos from Hulu just the ones I missed or older TV shows but it works in a pinch.

Rick

[gai-jin]

Just a quick note here to say I'm also looking for a solution to this, but since I've just paid for the applian suite, I'm willing to wait for an update here to solve it, rather than buying another product.

[rjames]

I think I have found a solution. It took me some time messing with audio/video codecs and settings but here is what I have found acceptable.

Using a free tool called MediaCoder (Do a google search) you can convert the High Res FLVs into other formats. The initial difficulty I had was getting the audio to stay in synch. Now I have gotten at least a 30 second clip to be converted in MPEG 2 and the audio stays in synch. I am in the middle of testing a full 45 minute show to ensure it stays in synch.

Here is the basic settings..

Video: MPEG2, MPEG2 container. Fixed bitrate 2048.
Audio: MP2 via FFMEG at a 128 bitrate
Under picture ensure you uncheck the framerate to use the original wacky framerate.

In my first test I restricted the conversion to the first 30 seconds and the audio stayed in synch. I will reply to this with my complete test.

Rick

Thanks for the tip...but no dice with the hi-res hulu files. The lo-res worked just fine with the settings you suggested (I'm outputting for my Tivo as well).

How are you getting your high res files? Are you starting the movie, then clicking the "watch high res" icon? Are you then converting the second of the two files that replay media catcher downloads? Or are you just downloading the standard res file?

If you're willing to try, I'd like to see if you could convert the 480 version of this show: Daily Show, Sept. 30 (http://www.hulu.com/watch/37149/the-daily-show-with-jon-stewart-tue-sep-30-2008#s-p1-so-i0) I'm really interested to see if you can get the high res to convert with your settings...When I try the audio is out of sync and the entire show (both video and audio) is not present.

Thanks, RJ

[rfryar]

If you're willing to try, I'd like to see if you could convert the 480 version of this show: Daily Show, Sept. 30 (http://www.hulu.com/watch/37149/the-daily-show-with-jon-stewart-tue-sep-30-2008#s-p1-so-i0) I'm really interested to see if you can get the high res to convert with your settings...When I try the audio is out of sync and the entire show (both video and audio) is not present.
Thanks, RJ

Worked fine with one exception I will explain below. So I did the initial pull from Hulu getting the HD stream via Media Catcher 2.1.0. (It was about 156 Megs big).

I pulled up Media Coder 0.6.1.4193 and loaded the FLV into it. My previous settings are saved. I performed the conversion. I got a MPG with no audio synch issues but my problem is media coder seems to abort after 13 minutes and 12 seconds.

So my current workaround is to use the time tab and just covert in 13 minute chunks then piece them together. So the resulting MPG works fine but the total time gets shown incorrectly in all tools. I probably need to run the pieced together MPG through some MPG clean up tool or combine them in a different way than just copy /b. :)

Here are some screenshots of my config screens:
http://fryar.org/auction/1.gif
http://fryar.org/auction/2.gif
http://fryar.org/auction/3.gif

[rjames]

So my current workaround is to use the time tab and just covert in 13 minute chunks then piece them together. So the resulting MPG works fine but the total time gets shown incorrectly in all tools. I probably need to run the pieced together MPG through some MPG clean up tool or combine them in a different way than just copy /b. :)


Thanks for the reply...I tried using all the settings you had, but when I set it to recode the first 13 minutes, it only spits out 11:56, and when I recode the second half (13:00 - 21:39) it gives me the full 7:39, but it cuts out the last 4 or so minutes of the show...at least the audio synch is corrected. Getting closer!

If you find a way to convert the whole thing without these screwy side effects, let me know!

[intel352]

rfryar, I just tried your settings (except 13 min timetable), set the entire file to convert, wound up with 13:12, but the audio was in sync.

The only thing that bugs me is the video seems to have an almost imperceptible stutter.

Has anyone been able to find a solution using MediaCoder to transcode Hulu 480p movies?

I've found 2 other applications that were able to convert, but audio lost sync horribly. I'd rather avoid having to deal with 13 min chunks, so I'm hoping someone else can find a solution.

Cheers

[tiredofspam]

seems to work. I downloaded an eval copy and was able to convert (perfectly) three minutes of 480p video (the limit on the eval copy) captured by Replay Media Catcher. (The quality is excellent and the audio is in sync with the video.)

Note that Hulu 480p is actually some kind of h.264 - it isn't a true flv.

VC for Any FLV Player recognizes the 480p files as h.264 and will convert them to various formats (I tried mpeg2).

You can get it from here: http://www.any-flv-player.com/ but it costs $50 to buy the full working version (which I'm not going to do).

So Applian - here's your hint on what to do and/or how to do it. Please figure this out as I've already purchased the full suite (as I stated in a earlier post).

[flvrecor3r]

I'm having good luck converting these "Hi-res" Hulu files like Head Over Heels (http://www.hulu.com/hd/40528) using FFmpeg-svn-15618 (http://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=205275&package_id=248632) and MP4Box (http://kurtnoise.free.fr/mp4tools/MP4Box-0.4.4.zip) and MKVtoolnix (http://www.bunkus.org/videotools/mkvtoolnix/win32/mkvtoolnix-unicode-2.4.0-setup.exe). Essentially this works by rewriting the Hi-res FLV files saved by Replay Media Catcher into AVC H.264 / AAC files compatible with most converter programs. Some media players won't even need to convert the resulting file.

Copy FLV video and audio streams to an MPEG-4 file
ffmpeg -i "HEAD_OVER_HEELS.flv" -vcodec copy -acodec copy "HEAD_OVER_HEELSOUTPUT.mp4"

Extract MPEG-4 AVC-H264 video stream to a file
mp4box.exe -raw 1 "HEAD_OVER_HEELSOUTPUT.mp4"

Extract MPEG-4 AAC audio stream to a file
mp4box.exe -raw 2 "HEAD_OVER_HEELSOUTPUT.mp4"

Re-combine video and audio streams to an MPEG-4 file. You'll need to note the fps value for the "Hi-res" FLVs. Sometimes it's hinted in the filename where 24 == 23.976 and 30 == 29.970. If audio is out of synch try the other value.
mp4box.exe -add "HEAD_OVER_HEELSOUTPUT_track1.h264:fps=29.970" -add "HEAD_OVER_HEELSOUTPUT_track2.aac" "HEAD_OVER_HEELS_FHF.mp4"

OR

Combine video and audio streams to a Matroska file using MKVtoolnix
"C:\Program Files\MKVtoolnix\mkvmerge.exe" --output-charset UTF-8 -o "HEAD_OVER_HEELS.MKV" --display-dimensions 0:720x400 --default-duration 0:30000/1001fps -d 0 -A -S "HEAD_OVER_HEELSOUTPUT_track1.h264" -a 0 -D -S "HEAD_OVER_HEELSOUTPUT_track2.aac" --track-order 0:0,1:0

If needed, then open HEAD_OVER_HEELS_FHF.mp4, or HEAD_OVER_HEELS.MKV, in your favorite converter program to convert to desired format. Up to this point the files have been re-multiplexed virtually losslessly (from the original FLV). You may need Haali Media Splitter (http://haali.cs.msu.ru/mkv/MatroskaSplitter.exe) and an H.264 decoder (http://labs.divx.com/ProjectRemoulade) (free if you sign up for the beta) to view the HEAD_OVER_HEELS.MKV file. Some tips here (http://www.animemusicvideos.org/guides/avtechbeta/) on using these utilities with Adobe Premiere. I don't know much about Adobe Premiere but somebody mentioned it I think. HTH

[Tvo]

Has anyone downloaded a 480p video which was only viewable in WS on the Hulu site but not on your own computer? I'm stumped as to how I'm going to convert this with the aspect ratio messed up.

[Cheryl Wester]

We are currently testing a version of the converter that is working with this. If all of our testing comes out nicely we hope to have an update in the near future.

[intel352]

any luck with the testing?

[tiredofspam]

I've been stockpiling 480p's for conversion (rather than the lower res stuff)...waiting for this fix.

Can I get a copy of the beta that you're testing? I'll be happy to do some testing of my own.

Thanks.

[slvrlegnd]

I downloaded last night's Life in "480p" and the video codec is no longer avc1 h264. It appears they're using a yuv420p h264 codec now (720x400). This codec doesn't choke converters the way avc1 did, but it still runs us into the 13min conversion crash and audio sync issues we were seeing earlier.
I guess this is the real problem with FLVs is that nobody has settled on a standard yet, and things are always changing overnight. So, Applian, you guys have your work cut out for you on this one. Even if you do solve the avc1 issues, Hulu's throwing another curve-ball.

[tiredofspam]

Does Hulu encode videos "on the fly"? Looks like Slvrlgnd is on to something.

I downloaded an episode of the Rockford Files in 480p and converted it using Media Converter. This time, it converted fine. I didn't experience the sync issue that Slvrlgnd mentioned but Windows Media Player (i converted the file to high quality DVD .mpg which wound up being almost four times the size of the original) said that it was only 14 minutes long. However, I fast-forwarded to the end and the entire program (about 50 minutes) was there. Playing the same file through Nero Showtime yielded the correct program length.

I'm going to try a few more but I'm wondering if I'm going to have to redownload all of the 480p movies and programs in order to convert them. (I'll go back and download one that I downloaded a few weeks ago to see what the differences are, if any.)

Looks like Hulu and the others are moving targets and it will be difficult to create a usable library.

[tiredofspam]

The file that I converted must have been 360 rather than 480 (even though I specified 480p!).

Totally confused now!

[slvrlegnd]

@tiredofspam:
Hulu doesn't go back and re-encode their shows when they move on to another codec, so re-downloading won't help if a new one actually converts properly. Once a show is on the site it's in whatever format they made it (i.e. avc1 shows will remain in avc1, and new shows will probably be yuv420p).
It just seems that they're simply still rolling out and testing their high-res videos. Since downloading and converting shows isn't Hulu's goal it doesn't matter to them if they jump all over the map (as long as it appears the same or better to Hulu's in-browser viewers). This might also be Hulu's way of sticking it to folks like us that want our content on our TVs instead of our computers...
That's why this will be a tough one for Applian, because they'll have to fix the avc1 issue for all the older shows, and adapt to any new codecs Hulu decides to switch to. Since it could be just a matter of weeks or months before Hulu changes again we might be looking at an unending loop of conversion working now then not working tomorrow.

[slvrlegnd]

The file that I converted must have been 360 rather than 480 (even though I specified 480p!).

Totally confused now!

When you click the 480p button it reloads the higher-res vid. The two videos are named very different in Replay Media Catcher, but once the video is saved to the hard drive it automatically is renamed to match the title of the Hulu page. So, if you don't delete the standard-def video from RMC before the download is complete you end up with two files named exactly the same. The one that downloaded last is just appended with a (2) before the file extension.
Because the 480p file is sometimes larger or smaller than the standard-def file it's a bit of a toss-up as to which one will be the 480p file without making a filesize comparison between RMC and your file-folder... I had exactly this problem this morning. I converted a standard-def file thinking it was 480p, and I thought all was right in the world again until I saw the quality of the converted file. A quick check revealed what I'd done. As with all repetitive tasks we make mistakes sometimes ;)

[cejacksoniii]

Is actually a problem with ffmpeg which is embedded in Mediacoder and also I think in Converter. When I run ffmpeg in command line I get the same problem. I think it is a conflict between the two codecs because you can run it audio-only or video-only and get an entire convert.

I've tried to file a bug report with ffmpeg but they want the entire 220mb output stopping at 13:12 and some other stuff. I finally gave up and told them their bug could just wait for someone with more patience and better technical skills than I have to report it.

I downloaded Replay Converter again earlier today and this time it appears to have converted a 420p episode of Lost in Space successfully (it did seem to take a lot more time than I would have expected, but that might be because it was also adding in the watermark...I hope, it took over an hour). I did notice that the audio has little gaps on a periodic basis that seems to be where the encoder is trying to sync back up. makes for annoying little half second cut-outs but it did stay in sync for the entire 58 min episode

[cejacksoniii]

if you register with hulu you can set the hi def as your default and don't have to remember to click the extra button. When it is default you also don't have to worry about the extra stream being captured

[tiredofspam]

There is another version of ffmpeg that is floating around - ffmpeg_h264 (or something like that). I posted earlier about another conversion program that uses it. It works but there is a sync problem.

There is another program that works perfectly with Hulu 480p (at least the demo does - again, see my earlier post) but it's $50 and I'm not willing to pop for another program when this one is already paid for (and apparently close to working).

Also, registering on Hulu allows you to set your default to 480p but if you forget to log in, the "guest" mode uses 360.

Thanks!

[cejacksoniii]

I cracked the 420p hi-def AV-sync problem with mencoder!!! Wouldn't mind using replay converter but in the meantime this has now worked well with several it wasn't a problem with ffmpeg as I'd initially thought. and also found the problem with the 13:12 limit. email me if you need info.

[slvrlegnd]

I cracked the 420p hi-def AV-sync problem with mencoder!!! Wouldn't mind using replay converter but in the meantime this has now worked well with several it wasn't a problem with ffmpeg as I'd initially thought. and also found the problem with the 13:12 limit. email me if you need info.

Sounds awesome!
Why not just post what you found right here? We're all sharing what we know, and it could even be helpful to the Applian team to find out what the silver-bullet is on this one.

[cejacksoniii]

I don't mind posting. I was concerned that Applian might not care for it since mencoder is freeware and bites into their business.

The sync issue with mencoder is because there are many frames that appear to be dups and are getting skipped. when they get skipped it puts the video more and more out of synch with the audio. The fix is to make sure and use the "-vf harddup" video filter setting. The reason decodes have been stopping at 13:12 seems to have something to do with audio buffers overloading and causing mencoder to crap out. I managed to stop that by playing with the audio density settings. listed below is the mencoder CL I've been playing with today. For the most part the video quality is good; the sync is dead-on. It generates a file of around 1.5gb from the 371mb flv file. I'm sure it can tweak down but given the amount of time for a render with enough length to get a good feel for result I haven't been able to work much on that. Enjoy...

mencoder %1 -audio-density 4 -audio-preload .25 -noskip -mc 0 -af volume=12 -vf scale=720:480,harddup -oac lavc -ovc lavc -lavcopts acodec=ac3:vcodec=mpeg2video:vme=4:me_range=16:mbd =2:trell:precmp=2:subcmp=2:cmp=2:dia=-10:predia=-10:cbp:mv0:vqmin=1:lmin=1:dc=10:vstrict=0:vrc_buf_ size=1835:vrc_maxrate=7000:vbitrate=4000:threads=4 -of mpeg -mpegopts format=dvd:tsaf:interleaving2:vframerate=24000/1001 -o %1.mpg -quiet 1>log1.txt 2>log2.txt


PS..."-quiet" supresses the mencoder log. if you take that out it will generate a stdout log and an errout log which can be very helpful in diagnosing problems

[tiredofspam]

out of the box but costs $50.

http://www.any-flv-player.com/buynow.php

C'mon Applian...please figure this out!

Thanks!

[tiredofspam]

The program that I mentioned uses mencoder - at least it sits in the same directory as the rest of the program.

Looks like all of these converter programs are essentially just wrappers and GUI for mencoder and/or ffmpeg, anyway, so Replay Converter just needs to pass the correct command-line parameters to the core programs.

JMHO.

[Ampdanny]

I don't mind posting. I was concerned that Applian might not care for it since mencoder is freeware and bites into their business.

The sync issue with mencoder is because there are many frames that appear to be dups and are getting skipped. when they get skipped it puts the video more and more out of synch with the audio. The fix is to make sure and use the "-vf harddup" video filter setting. The reason decodes have been stopping at 13:12 seems to have something to do with audio buffers overloading and causing mencoder to crap out. I managed to stop that by playing with the audio density settings. listed below is the mencoder CL I've been playing with today. For the most part the video quality is good; the sync is dead-on. It generates a file of around 1.5gb from the 371mb flv file. I'm sure it can tweak down but given the amount of time for a render with enough length to get a good feel for result I haven't been able to work much on that. Enjoy...

mencoder %1 -audio-density 4 -audio-preload .25 -noskip -mc 0 -af volume=12 -vf scale=720:480,harddup -oac lavc -ovc lavc -lavcopts acodec=ac3:vcodec=mpeg2video:vme=4:me_range=16:mbd =2:trell:precmp=2:subcmp=2:cmp=2:dia=-10:predia=-10:cbp:mv0:vqmin=1:lmin=1:dc=10:vstrict=0:vrc_buf_ size=1835:vrc_maxrate=7000:vbitrate=4000:threads=4 -of mpeg -mpegopts format=dvd:tsaf:interleaving2:vframerate=24000/1001 -o %1.mpg -quiet 1>log1.txt 2>log2.txt


PS..."-quiet" supresses the mencoder log. if you take that out it will generate a stdout log and an errout log which can be very helpful in diagnosing problems
cejacksoniii, I try to avoid things with command lines, but you said it works so I guess I'll give it a try. The problem is I do not know how to use command lines, could you tell me how to do what you did or where to type it in or something, because I really want to convert the SNL presedential election skits I downloaded. I'm trying to make a mashup of the funniest clips that have to do with this years election.

Thank you very much.

[Ampdanny]

Please, can anyone tell me how to use the command line that cejacksoniii posted?

Thank you.:)

[slvrlegnd]

Please, can anyone tell me how to use the command line that cejacksoniii posted?

Thank you.:)

Sorry, my friend. This is not the forum for that.
We are simply here sharing our testing successes and failures as we attempt to properly convert Hulu's "480p" videos. Our end goal is to help the Applian developers come up with an update that would make Replay Converter do this out of the box.
If you want to continue to play with Mencoder, go google up some usage help. Give Applian a bit of time to work with this information, though, and you'll be able to use their app to do what you want without having to worry about the command line work :cool:
Good luck to you whichever way you decide to go. It sounds like you have a fun project going.

[Ampdanny]

It's cool, its just that last night I right before converting i was looking for a free alternative to the replay converter, so I googled "hulu flv conversion", and that's how I found out about the conversion problems, but yeah its been fun getting and organizing the clips! Thanks anyway. :)

[tiredofspam]

I stopped capturing low-res stuff from Hulu in anticipation of converting the 480p videos to another format.

Any idea when the 480p conversion piece will be implemented?

(I'll try a beta if that will help YOU!)

Thanks!

[tiredofspam]

Just found version 3.2 - the 3.1.x version that I had installed said that there were no updates available. I didn't realize that it wasn't the latest until I checked it.

Anyway, Hulu 480p videos now convert...almost.

There is a popping noise in the audio that occurs about every two or three seconds throughout the video. Sound is sync'd correctly but the popping noise is annoying. (Happens across formats - h264, mpg, avi).

Any ideas?

Thanks for a great suite of products!

[dwanthny]

As above, the 480 flv Hulu files convert but the audio seems to be skipping a frame every 3-6 seconds. The audio remains in sync but there is an annoying snap/hiccup every few seconds. This problem does occur across conversion types. The only time the sound is crystal clear is when you convert only the sound to a mp3.

Do you have any idea how close you are to getting this solved?

[cejacksoniii]

Until Applian comes up with a fix, the freeware solution using mencoder that I posted earlier works great for the 480p hi-res hulu files. I've converted a bunch to both iPod and mpeg/dvd. No stutter, solid synch.

[tiredofspam]

and the popping noise stopped. However, the aspect ratio for the output file is out of whack. Everything gets compressed to 4:3 (even things that were originally 4:3 get squished). (Funny that I didn't pay attention to that before.)

I'll play with it some more tonight...didn't have much chance over the weekend.

Worst case is using mencoder - works great but the parms are confusing.

[cejacksoniii]

the mencoder parms pretty much stay standard for the 420p files. I set up a bat file that I pass the file name to. that's the only thing that changes

[zanefan]

The Mencoder thing is unwieldy and confusing, so I hope Applian comes up with something soon...

FYI, I recently downloaded the latest version of KLite Codec Pack and now the Hi-Q 480 vids play on my Media Player Classic. That's something.

I've also been able to get the new Applian Converter to process the items, and the video is great, but the audio drags considerably.

[Jeff Lenney]

Zane Fan=Zame Lamphrey Fan?

Just curious. :D

[zanefan]

LOL... No, it's an old name. I first picked it up when "Titanic" came out. Became a Billy Zane fan... not so much anymore...

[flvrecor3r]

Hi-Q 480 vids play on my Media Player Classic.
Appreciate the heads up.
I see Media Player Classic Home Cinema svn891, including the stand-alone filter package, now includes a DirectShow splitter for AVC/AAC FLV's.
Since there are many H.264 AVC and AAC DirectShow decoders, many converters and players will follow very soon. For example, with the FLV splitter mentioned, Hi-res Hulu FLV's saved by Replay Media Catcher now play in Windows Media Player (with CoreAVC).

[thepfy]

Can't get hulu here but the new Media Player Classic with the new FLV splitter works with BBC iplayer Hi-Quality Flash Files.
Easiest way then to convert is to use an Avisynth script and your favourite encoder. (I used CCE)

[MoparMan]

I think flvrecor3r was on to something here. I have had good luck with that except for the final part of using mp4box to add the two files into one....I kept getting an I/O error on that, but anyway......

Just by doing the first part, ( copy the flv streams to an mpeg-4 file), I tested it in media player clasic and media center (in vista) and both played it just fine (no audio or video issues at all). I am now attempting to convert it into a xvid/mp3 avi file (which is taking a while to do).

I will let you all know how it goes.....

[MoparMan]

well, I got great video and audio still, but out of sync.... I hope applian gets this fixed soon.

[MoparMan]

Finally got it thanks for the information that flvrecor3r posted back on page 6. I now have have an xvid/mp3 avi file with perfect audio/video/sync.

For those that are tring that, it is important to run the command prompt with admin rights, or else it will fail....that is what I was doing wrong before, lol.

[simcoe]

...At this point there's nothing in my life I'm awaiting so eagerly as a fix for this maddening conversion dilemma. I've got a pile of flvs just rarin' to go.

;) sim

[MoparMan]

I made a batch file to make it a little quicker/easier using mp4box and ffmpeg that flvrecor3r posted back on pg. 6.

What it does is after you launch it, it gives some info about using it in vista, then it asks for a file to work with. After the direct-stream copy, it will ask for the fps to use (the correct fps to use is actually shown during the direct stream copy, and the batch file will give you an example of where to find it. the batch file pauses so you can scroll upwards to find it). After that, it will rip the audio/video streams. When that is done, it will ask for the file name you want to use for the new file. Then it combines the streams into the file you specified using the fps that you specified. when it is done, it deletes the original mp4 file (the temporary one) and the audio/video files, leaving just the original flv and the final mp4 file.

The downfall of this batch file is that it will only work with flv files that are encoded with h264 video and aac audio (but it seems that those are the only flv's that are giving issues atm).

If it is not a problem with Applian or anybody else, I would post the contents of the batch file so others could make it themselves.