Useful Programs - Requests, Questions and Discussions

[Art McBride]

Video download helper is an add-on for Firefox and works well. I wonder if it is something you want.

Originally Posted by deepsepia

Google the words HDCP and splitter-- you'll get to useful info about this.

Briefly:

PVR 60 is the older device, I think the current is the PVR 2 HD; and yes its intended for recording output for things like Twitch-- eg high framerate capture. You can check forums for specific recommendations. The Elgato you mention appears to work with a USB-in, rather than an HDMI-in; that won't work for this.

The PVRs are designed to record unencrypted content, like game output, definitely not sold to record protected content-- that wouldn't be OK. So if you ask them "what's it for" -- its "for" recording your games, not streams.

Here's the issue: Major streaming services have encryption, eg you can't just "download the stream". But they _can_ go through the the HDMI port to display on your television. A game will send this data out, unencrypted-- just plug a cable from the HDMI out port on your computer to the HDMI in port on the PVR, and it will record. This is how most of the Twitch vidz you see are made.

However, if you try to just record from the HDMI-out to the PVR, in many cases you'll find you get nothing, because most streams from services are encrypted with HDCP ("High bandwidth Digital Content Protection"). A stream which has this encoding can't be recorded by the PVR, though it can be played through your television, if it has an HDMI-in port (because televisions with HDMI have HDCP decryption chips).

As it happens, for some reason -- I don't know why-- it turns out that an HDMI splitter _may_ remove the HDCP protection from its output (I don't know why they're designed this way, and its not all of them. It may be intentional or some engineering artifact).

So HDCP prevents HDMI streams from being recorded. Sometimes splitters remove HDCP. A recorder such as Happague PVR2 (I think that's the current version) can record a stream, so long as it doesn't have HDCP.

If you look on shopping services in the comments sections about various hardware you'll see users discussing just which splitter/recorder combinations they might be using. You'll notice that if you're looking at a listing for the PVR 2, at the bottom of the page "Customers who bought this item also bought" there will likely be splitter or two . . . in the comments on that, you'll get an indication of what might work.

Bear in mind that no one _guarantees_ that this will work . . . its a bit of a Rube Goldberg arrangement, very much dependent on particular bios versions. Look for recent comments from other shoppers

Don't know "Deep@Sea" . . . not me, anyway.

Note: if you find a combination that works, it would also record Blu-Ray, anything that can be played on an HDMI out to your television or monitor.

Guys, if you are going the route of recording streaming video that is output from your computer, AppleTV, Amazon Fire TV, Roku or like devices, you can skip using an HDMI Splitter and go directly HDMI in on the HDML-Cloner Box, found here on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/HDML-Cloner-S...dmi+cloner+box

I have 3 of these, 2 for home and 1 for travel.

It is very easy to use. HDMI from computer (AppleTV or like device) into the Cloner Box, HDMI out of the Cloner Box to an input on your TV (to verify signal). If you do not see your video passing due to HDCP, hold down the REC button for 10 seconds and the signal appears (with the audio).

I've used this to record off AppleTV and Amazon FireTV with no issue as well as HBO GO from my computer using a friends HBO account (I do not have HBO).

The Cloner Box comes with a 16GB USB 2 Thumb drive, but I bought a 256GB USB 3 Thumb drive and it works great (best formatted NTFS for any Mac guys out there interested, Me being one of them).

The beauty of this set up is that it is a Stand-Alone recorder. Why tie up a computer recording with an expensive recording device?

[Phr3d]

Originally Posted by turingvdo

Guys, if you are going the route of recording streaming video that is output from your computer, AppleTV, Amazon Fire TV, Roku or like devices, you can skip using an HDMI Splitter and go directly HDMI in on the HDML-Cloner Box, found here on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/HDML-Cloner-S...dmi+cloner+box

I have 3 of these, 2 for home and 1 for travel.

Thanks for the heads-up -- too late for me, already bought the PVR (which I cannot get to work..
to precisely No One's surprise, laugh/cry).

If you are willing, could you Post a file recorded from that device to show what it's compression method etc. is? Having already blown a buck-fitty on the Hauppauge I've gotta save a bit to do it Again and would like to know if it is an improvement (since its compression is Not controllable).
Much Thanks!

[SanteeFats]

I have several jpg's of Asian characters that I am trying to get translated. I can not find a way so I am able to paste in to Google translate. I tried converting to pdf and Doc but my conversation programs won't do it.
Anyone who can help will be blessed with mod dust It isn't worth anything but does tickle your nose a bit.
Seriously though any help will be greatly appreciated.

[Jism Jim]

I know that there are phone apps that can translate characters by using the camera. Haven't used them myself.

[SanteeFats]

Originally Posted by Jism Jim

I know that there are phone apps that can translate characters by using the camera. Haven't used them myself.

Thanks Jim but I am a techno dinosaur. I do not have a cell phone just a land line.
I do have a camera but it takes pics in jpg, so I am still looking for HELP..

[rotobott]

If you can take a photo and scan it into your computer, you could try this.

http://anonym.to/http://www.i2ocr.com/

[O2B]

"Starting in Firefox 57, which will be released in November 2017, only add-ons built with this new technology" will work in Firefox.

Hey folks do yourself and your friends a favor and spread this around. Non compatible add ons SLOW firefox considerably. I realize some don't use firefox
I only use it sparingly myself but for those who use it as their default browser this is a heads up.

https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb...urce=inproduct

[deepsepia]

Originally Posted by SanteeFats

I have several jpg's of Asian characters that I am trying to get translated. I can not find a way so I am able to paste in to Google translate.

Google translate needs the images to be converted into characters-- the same way that if you took a photo of a page in English, you would only have a picture, not the actual editable or translatable characters.

The process of converting a picture to character is "Optical Character Recognition" or "OCR".

There are a number of free online OCR applications that will recognize Chinese characters (would help to know if you're looking at Chinese or Japanese text--- Japanese use Chinese characters, but then add their own special phonemes; its a bit like the difference between reading Turkish and English-- they're both written with the same characters, sort of, but there are important differences in how they're used).

Send me the image and I'll give it a try, if you like.

[SanteeFats]

Thanks deep I will give you a try if I can't work it out. Turns out I have an OCR program so I will give that a try.
I believe most of the characters are Japanese but I have some that Japanese, Korean, and Chinese readers had no idea what language they are.