Having some troubles with Media Portal.....

Clipsey · 08-12-2008, 1:37 AM

Hi
Currently trying to get Media Portal to play .vob files or realize what everyone else is doing/using.
I'm basically wanting to rip my DVD (and future Blu-Rays) collection to my HD and then use Media Portal. I've ripped 1 '24' Disc using DVDShrink and it produces the Video_TS folder with .vob files within, I can get these to play using either VLC player or PowerDVD 8. Managed to get Media Portal to recognise the files but that's all it does - it will not play them.
I have read everything and installed FFDShow (tbh no idea what that is

). Tried setting up config to use PowerDVD as external player which works great when playing a normal .avi file or whatever (also got the film strip and IMDB movie thing working on this file

).
So what am I doing wrong basically - oh it also won't play .mkv files.
I'm using Windows XP if that makes much difference.

Thanks for the help

**Theydon Bois** · 08-12-2008, 9:02 AM

How have you got Media Portal setup? If you followed Phils guide (the guide in which my setup is based on), you would have integrated KMPlayer into the setup, which will play your AVI's and MKV's with no problems.

DVD rips can be played through PowerDVD - just make sure PowerDVD picks up those files and plays them automatically. I however use ISOs and not vob or ts files, so cant be more specific, sorry.

As always, the best way to troubleshoot is to ignore MP completely, and make sure the external players play the material first with no problems, before you add in Media Portal to the equation.

Clipsey · 08-12-2008, 1:16 PM

Hi,
Hmm not sure how Media Portal is setup, I just installed it and have been trying to configure it to get the .vob files to work. PowerDVD recognises .vob files outside of MP and works brilliantly, plays them no problem. I have some .avi's that work inside of MP (Click play then PowerDVD boots up and plays, soon as I press stop it reverts back to MP).
Just can't understand why it won't play the .vob files.
Should I try a .iso DVD rip (which program do you use to rip? I thought most people just used DVDShrink)
Like you say I have things working outside of MP, just wont play from MP

this is getting very frustrating lol.
Thanks for helping.

Donnacha · 08-12-2008, 6:21 PM

I assume you have selected the codecs for DVD / Movies in the MP configuration application, such as ffdshw MPEG decoder, or Cyberlink, or MPV? Choose one of those, switch off the external player. I would also suggest that you select to stack the files, so you only need to click on the movie an it'll start within MP. It should work pretty easy!!

Clipsey · 08-12-2008, 8:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Donnacha

I assume you have selected the codecs for DVD / Movies in the MP configuration application, such as ffdshw MPEG decoder, or Cyberlink, or MPV? Choose one of those, switch off the external player. I would also suggest that you select to stack the files, so you only need to click on the movie an it'll start within MP. It should work pretty easy!!

Yeah I have selected the codecs in both Movie Player and DVD config (tried loads of different combination's) but every time it purely just recognizes the .vob & .ifo files and folders - when I click on them nothing happens.
I'm clearly doing something very wrong and noobish and can't figure it out.
Really wanting to get this to work.
I have set up the file 'Test'/'VIDEO_TS' + 'AUDIO_TS'/ then all the .ifo/.vob files in the 'VIDEO_TS' folder.
Strange that it works perfectly outside of MP but cant get it to run inside of MP.

Thanks for helping

Clipsey · 09-12-2008, 2:01 PM

Does someone mind posting their own step by step from ripping a movie / tv show - renaming it, labeling it, MP config etc and then playing it in MP.
I still can't get my 'Video_TS' folder / files to play within MP and it's stressing me out

I have renamed it to a movie name, searched in the MP database and it recognizes it and everything - just when I click on the movie pic - nothing.....

fox uk · 09-12-2008, 3:29 PM

Hey Clipsey

If you're using DVD shrink to rip your DVDs, you are just a few clicks away from ripping to .iso instead of individual vobs etc.... you can set DVD shrink to rip to .iso instead of individual folders. It's far easier to manage your collection with a simple .iso file rather than having two folders for every movie and multiple vobs etc. I'm at work right now so I can't remember which option you check, but it's definitely in the dialogue box which pops up when you click 'backup'....!

Cheers, Dave

Clipsey · 09-12-2008, 4:09 PM

Thanks Dave,
Just checked and you simply change it to ISO image

Just ripping a movie now as an ISO image and then we'll see how MP treats this.
What do I have to do to get the ISO image to play within Media Portal? Anything different other than click and play - or do I have to mount it like its a DVD or something?

Cheers

Clipsey · 09-12-2008, 5:52 PM

Right here is my next trouble

Ripped DVD in .iso format, use Daemon Tools to mount the .iso (manually) and it plays beautiful in PowerDVD.
Now I want to do this in MediaPortal. I think I have everything set up and configured correctly (automount .iso files, correct paths etc, secure mode unticked etc), I even have PowerDVD run as an external player and works with .avi files -
BUT when I click the movie .iso folder (Oceans 11 with IMDB rating/pics etc) it tries to load up Windows Media Player and does not work

How do I get it to mount - play (in PowerDVD) in Media Portal?

Clipsey · 09-12-2008, 9:51 PM

lol sorry guys - just to let you know I have it all sorted and working great now

Although I guess maybe a minor thing - I have PowerDVD play as an external player for my .iso files - is this the best way to go about it for better sound/picture etc?

europbaron · 09-12-2008, 9:59 PM

I don't know if this will help, but check that the iso file type is listed under movies/movie extensions in the expert config mode. I can't recall if I had to add it, or if it was there by default. Ditto for the .vob & .ifo files. These all played for me with little hassle using the Powerdvd8 codec, but by then I'd configured Media Portal countless times. (MediaPortal's own codec played them, but was very unreliable and the cause of most of my frustration with MP). I, too, now use exclusively isos for ease of file management.

Another suggestion is to add the daemon tools drive letter to the list of video folders if you haven't already.

Finally, when you manually mount an iso, can you play it within MP by clicking on the Play DVD option? This may help determine if it is your config or a problem with the MP player itself.

europbaron · 09-12-2008, 10:02 PM

lol - perfect timing.

Though to respond to your next question I personally find it more convenient to just use the PowerDVD8 codec within MP as it makes remote control easier to configure and keeps the MP skin consistent. I think there is a MP skin for PowerDVD8, so the latter reason is quite a weak one!

Clipsey · 09-12-2008, 10:13 PM

This is what I was thinking - Use the PowerDVD codecs within MP.
However, nothing seems to be simple for me

Just tried this (unticked use external player on both movies & DVDs) and still have all the Movie & DVD decoders etc set to CyberLink PDVD8 for instance, and what happens - it loads up PowerDVD externally lol

fox uk · 10-12-2008, 7:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Clipsey

This is what I was thinking - Use the PowerDVD codecs within MP.
However, nothing seems to be simple for me

Just tried this (unticked use external player on both movies & DVDs) and still have all the Movie & DVD decoders etc set to CyberLink PDVD8 for instance, and what happens - it loads up PowerDVD externally lol

Hiya, glad you got it sorted in the end! As for Powerdvd loading up and launching externally, ensure you have disabled autoplay under control panel - autoplay options, and unchecked use external program to play dvds. CHeers, Dave

*barnclos* · 11-12-2008, 8:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Donnacha

I would also suggest that you select to stack the files, so you only need to click on the movie an it'll start within MP. It should work pretty easy!!

Apologies for taking this thread of on a tangent, but I've been hunting everywhere (MP config, MP manual and forum, and google), but I can't find any info on stacking - apart from lots of sites which tell me that MP allows "Stacking/unstacking if your movie consists of multiple files", but they never tell me how

.

Any help greatly appreciated.

europbaron · 11-12-2008, 12:29 PM

I don't know if you can do it with isos, but with .avis just stick them in the same folder and name them moviename_cd1 and moviename_cd2. When you click on the folder, it'll ask you which cd to play. If you select cd1, it'll automatically play cd2 after it.

Donnacha · 11-12-2008, 12:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by barnclos

Apologies for taking this thread of on a tangent, but I've been hunting everywhere (MP config, MP manual and forum, and google), but I can't find any info on stacking - apart from lots of sites which tell me that MP allows "Stacking/unstacking if your movie consists of multiple files", but they never tell me how

.

Any help greatly appreciated.

If I remember it happens within MP itself, if you bring up your movies and then hitting menu should offer an option to stack files? I'm not at my home PC now so can't remember exactly

harry66 · 11-12-2008, 3:56 PM

Just for future reference if you are using daemon lite to play ISO files with the MP built in player you need to disable SecureMode in daemon lite. I was also having issues playing ISO files until I turned off SecureMode.

*barnclos* · 11-12-2008, 5:43 PM

I may have got the wrong end of the stick with this stacking feature.

I have ripped my films to VOBs, and they all appear in the 'My Vidoes'.
At the minute, after clicking on a film I get a list of all the files in the VIDEO_TS directory (VIDEO_TS, VTS_01_0, VTS_01_1, ...), and it's only when I click on one of these that the film starts playing.
I was hoping that I could "stack" all the files in a VIDEO_TS directory so that when I clicked on a film title, it started playing the film immediately.

As I say, I may have completely misunderstood Donnacha's original comment. A little knowledge is a dangerous thing in my hands.

Donnacha · 15-12-2008, 7:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by barnclos

I may have got the wrong end of the stick with this stacking feature.

I have ripped my films to VOBs, and they all appear in the 'My Vidoes'.
At the minute, after clicking on a film I get a list of all the files in the VIDEO_TS directory (VIDEO_TS, VTS_01_0, VTS_01_1, ...), and it's only when I click on one of these that the film starts playing.
I was hoping that I could "stack" all the files in a VIDEO_TS directory so that when I clicked on a film title, it started playing the film immediately.

As I say, I may have completely misunderstood Donnacha's original comment. A little knowledge is a dangerous thing in my hands.

that's what should happen, i.e. you just click on the title and it starts the film. What "view" are you using in MP?