DivX Connected: More than „just DivX“

The dll is the actual plugin. The config file includes the settings for this plugin. So you need both.

As I already said below there is no way of getting the Haali Splitter to split MPEG-I files. So what we would need is another splitter.

The only two splitters freely available for splitting MPEG-I I could find are MPEG-I Stream Splitter, which is included in quartz.dll, the central library of the Microsoft DirectShow installation and Gabest’s MPEG Splitter.

Unfortunately both of them confront us with a new problem. The original Microsoft filter additionally needs a file source filter which it then can connect to. This would mean we’d need to insert two filters to the demuxer section for one media type, which we can’t.

Gabest’s MPEG Splitter comes in two variations, as MPEG Splitter (same problem as with the MS filter, it additionally needs a file source filter to work) or as a combined MPEG Source / Splitter filter which is actually the same way as Haali works.

Unfortunately the filter from Gabest will always create an output pin for subtitles, even if the media file doesn’t contain any subtitle streams. It seems that the Connected Server software doesn’t like that fact, and doesn’t know how to deal with this pin and thus will fail.

In other words, it seems that we’re in general pretty much limited to media that can be dealt with by the Haali splitter, as it is one of the few filters that comes as a source- and demuxer-filter combination.

This leaves us two possibilities: Either re-encode unsupported media to DivX or wrap your footage into the one container that Haali splitter originally was made for. And that is: Matroska!

The advantage of this solution is, that it is fast (a matter of two or three minutes for a 90 minute movie) and that video and audio will stay as they were, untouched. We only move them from one container format into another one. (It’s similar to unpacking a present from the manufacturer’s box and putting it into a gift box! The present will still be the same, but it’ll look nicer!)

So how’d you do that? Normally you’d use MKVMerge from MKVToolnix. Download it here!

For MPEG-I this unfortunately won’t work, as MKVMerge, prior to muxing your media into Matroska container, needs to split the files into it’s elementary video and audio streams. For doing this it relies on the Haali splitter. And as we already found out, Haali can’t split MPEG-I files.

Fortunately there’s gdsmux.exe! It comes with the Haali Splitter. You should find it under C:\Program Files\Haali\MatroskaSplitter .

Start it through double-clicking, right click on its work area, "Add Source", set the file filter to "All files" and pick your MPEG file. Select your output destination by clicking on the “...” – button and enter a file name, ending with “.mkv”. Then click the “Start” - button. A few minutes (or seconds, depends on your file size) you got a Matroska file that will play on your box like a cham.

@ae from www.connunity.com: This method should actually solve your VOB problems as well! It seems that your problems don’t come from the de-/encoding process, but from seeking in the VOB container. Haali’s support for Matroska is much better than for VOB. (You even have the choice! You can use MKVMerge or gdsmux.)

Allow me a personal comment: I know that for you guys this most likely will only seem to be a dirty hack. For me and and some others from the DivX forum, it means a wish came true:

DivX is finally going MATROSKA! Hooray!

Merry Christmas to you all!

1.) I assume you used "my" config file and copied it to "Your Connected folder"\Bin\DivX Connected?
2.) You installed latest version of ffdshow tryout?
3.) You installed AC3Filter 1.1?
4.) You activated all the codecs in the video and audio configuration pages of the ffdshow codec that you want to use for playback?
5.) You turned all other video processing options off in ffdshow video decoder?
6.) Your configured audio in ffdshow according to this setup: http://www.kamiwa.de/de/node/14
7.) You either restarted DivX Content Managment Service and DivX Connected Server or alternatively rebooted the PC after applying the setup?
8.) What type of video (AVC, MPG, VOB, ...) are you trying to play? Is it supported?

HI could you possibly send me a link to your directshow.config file?

I would like to use my itunes library but cannot for the life of me figure out all the steps needed to make this happen?

Also do you know if DRM protected files are playable on the DSM 330?

Cheers

mintoons

The GejBox...You realize it's called Divx Connected now..lol

just messin' with ya...

Well, it wouldn't have been possibly without the developers, who architected the server software to support it. So our thanks really should go to them.
As Steve Ballmer from Microsoft once put it:

So thanks to Hari and the rest of the crew!