Recording metadata - TPeterson

[TPeterson]

Thanks, Nick, but your app has ceased to play my TS files and I am really not ready to go back to watching live TV. I understand that the 'obvious' solution is to subscribe to your DVR, but I'd like to stick with using your HW and my own SW (Cliff Watson EPG) for those recordings.

[nickk]

Thanks, Nick, but your app has ceased to play my TS files and I am really not ready to go back to watching live TV. I understand that the 'obvious' solution is to subscribe to your DVR, but I'd like to stick with using your HW and my own SW (Cliff Watson EPG) for those recordings.

While not officially supported, as long as the recording has the required metadata at the start the HDHomeRun app should play it. The recorded file is simply the TS data from the HDHomeRun with a small chunk of metadata at the start (TV guide information like the name of the show and the episode information).

[TPeterson]

That is terrific news, Nick! I had earlier heard only that the HDHR app no longer played TS files. Where can I find information on the metadata structure?

[nickk]

That is terrific news, Nick! I had earlier heard only that the HDHR app no longer played TS files. Where can I find information on the metadata structure?

Not sure where you heard that - the data format hasn't changed since the DVR was released in 2016.

We haven't published a formal spec for the metadata. It is JSON data packed into TS frames, padded as needed so the first 64 * 188 bytes of the file are available for metadata.

[TPeterson]

OK, so there's no published spec. Can I find some example files someplace?

[NedS]

OK, so there's no published spec. Can I find some example files someplace?

It's something I've been meaning to document. I'll try to get something put together soon.

[gtb]

OK, so there's no published spec. Can I find some example files someplace?

It's something I've been meaning to document. I'll try to get something put together soon.

Based on reverse engineering starting about five years ago, based on looking at the stored json, I took a stab at providing a json schema for the DVR which can be found at: https://github.com/garybuhrmaster/HDHRU ... son.schema

That json schema is likely wrong and/or incomplete in at least some ways, but might be useful as a starting point should SiliconDust choose to provide a formal document.

(in that larger repo there are also utilities to show and/or update the header metadata, and also import into a DVR instance existing transport files by adding such metadata).

[TPeterson]

A great starting point! Thanks, Gary.

[signcarver]

That is a good start, frequent categories I have that didn't appear to be there are sports and special... and at glance you also appear to be missing some properties that would be specific for sports such as Team1 and Team2.

Note to others: not all properties are always used

[gtb]

That is a good start, frequent categories I have that didn't appear to be there are sports and special... and at glance you also appear to be missing some properties that would be specific for sports such as Team1 and Team2.

Note to others: not all properties are always used

Likely missing since I never watch sports (so would not have seen a file with such categories), and apparently have never recorded a special.

I think that rather than trying to crowd source any other missing (or in error) attributes (and there are almost certainly more) one by one, let's see what SiliconDust (NedS) produces in the soon timeframe.

[TPeterson]

OK, so there's no published spec. Can I find some example files someplace?

It's something I've been meaning to document. I'll try to get something put together soon.

Hi, Ned! Have you made any progress on this? Have an ETA or URL for it?

[techpro2004]

Just an fyi, mcebuddy can convert files to a hdhomerun dvr compatible format with the correct metadata structure.

[TPeterson]

@techpro2004, thanks for the tip.

[mrrrk]

It's not extensively tested - and I take no responsibility if it screws up anyone's files - but I hacked together some C# code to read, change and write metadata fields here:

https://github.com/mrrrk/MpegMetadata

Maybe someone will find it useful

edit - just realised there's something very similar here: https://github.com/garybuhrmaster/HDHRU ... leMetadata
...and done more concisely and with more expertise than my shabby effort.

[TPeterson]

@mrrrk: Thanks!