Dish Network DPD Files no longer work

[rvrdadd]

I have been using videoredo plus for about 4 weeks, converting dpd files from my dvr to mpeg. It worked great up until a week ago. Does anyone have a similar problem. I don't know if the file format of dpd files have changed or my dvr is bad. Please help. thanks, Ron

[phd]

It's possible they started encrypting or are now MPEG4 format.

According to one forum, the DPD files are encrypted and possibly an MPEG4 format which VideoReDo does not edit.
"It stores it as dpd files. There is no player out there which can play these files on a PC. The files are encrypted and you need a DES key from the 942 to decode these files."
http://www.satelliteguys.us/archive/index.php/t-45102.html

Also, do you see dp0 files on your device? You could try processing the dp0 file through QuickStream Fix first, then load the fixed file for editing.

[rvrdadd]

The dp0 file is not always present. It's just an extension of the dpd file if it excess a certain file size.
Do you have plans to research and possibly coverting the new dpd format to mpeg? I hope that you can fit it in. The videoredo plus software is something that I would like to continue to use. thanks

[phd]

If you would like to record a short sample (30-50MB) and upload it, we will review it.
ftp://upload:upload@videoredo.net/

Create a folder with a unique name and place the file in it.

Send an email to Support@VideoReDo.com and let us know when it has been successfully uploaded.

Also include a reference to this topic number: 3880

[MoodyDirk]

... I have the same problem.
VideoReDo Plus Version 2.5.5.501-Nov 16 2006
Error Message: Cannot find PAT packet in program stream.
DishNetwork PVR 625, PocketDisH AV500E ...
Worked fine until 02/22/2007.
It would be nice if you guys could find a fix for it.

[phd]

What changed on 2/22/07?

[MoodyDirk]

02/22/07 was the last time I could open a *.dpd file in VideoReDo.
I use PocketDish to copy the *.dpd file to my PC (running Vista by the way and VideoReDo works fine with it after switching the Video Driver from DirectX to VMR9). DishNetWork doesn't say anything on their web site but I suspect they've applied an update ... I guess for now it's back to the 'old way' getting the *.tsp files off the DVR's harddrive an then use MPlayer to view, DGIndex to 'demux' (what a pain ...) ...
Is there anything I could provide you guys to figure it out ?

[MoodyDirk]

... from DishNetWork's web site:
DVR 625 Software, current version L4.14, 02/14/2007, previous version L4.13 12/07/2006. My receiver is running L4.14 from 02/14/2007. This seems to be the problem ...

[phd]

Could you record or trim and copy a small 30-50MB segment of the original DPD file and upload it to us? Tools>Trim and Copy Source File

Confirm that the trim and copy segment has the same problem before uploading.
ftp://upload:upload@videoredo.net/

Create a folder with a unique name and place the file in it.

Send an email to Support@VideoReDo.com and let us know when it has been successfully uploaded.

Also include a reference to this topic number: 3880

[MoodyDirk]

... uploaded a file and sent e-mail to Support...

[Ozarkarts]

This is also a MAJOR problem for me! It is possible to use a Tivo box with a Dish Network (IR-type) box, and I assume this also means DVRs. To get around this problem I may end up buying a Tivo box since its output could be edited with VideoRedo. Of course, that option will not be 'free' since Tivo charges a monthly fee - not to mention the addition of yet another 'box'...

[Anole]

Although I hope there's a way to handle the video directly, it may be that Dish has thrown up an insurmountable roadblock that VideoReDo cannot overcome.
If so, I believe a simple DVD recorder, operating like a VCR (controlled by the Dish receiver) would be a better choice than a TiVo.
At least it's an alternative.

[Ozarkarts]

That might work if you got a DVD/DVR combo, which allows you to save to hard drive first, edit, and then burn to DVD. Still, I have real doubts about the ability to easily edit out things like commercials, and then write to DVD. I seriously doubt that the editing capability could match that of VideoRedo, and I have found very little mentioned about their editing capability at all. If you can QUICKLY edit a show, and then output it to DVD I will consider buying one. :confused:


Although I hope there's a way to handle the video directly, it may be that Dish has thrown up an insurmountable roadblock that VideoReDo cannot overcome.
If so, I believe a simple DVD recorder, operating like a VCR (controlled by the Dish receiver) would be a better choice than a TiVo.
At least it's an alternative.

[Anole]

No, I mean just a cheap DVD recorder. No hard drive.
Many users take this approach.
Pull the DVD with commercials off the DVD recorder, put it in your computer, and edit away.!.
The cost of the blank DVDs you "throw away" (the ones with the commercials) is minimal, and you wind up with backup copies of your shows. :rolleyes:

Check around the forum.
Phd even made up a little utility program (http://www.videoredo.net/msgBoard/showthread.php?t=3458) to make this approach easier.
Though, I thought it was pretty easy anyway. ;)
He's automated the task. :cool:
For those movie-channel shows with no commercials, you might even use the DVD as-is and not edit (your call).

[LittleWapiti]

I also have this problem.
VideoRedo used to work PERFECTLY !
But now I get the error message.

Can you give us ANY information?
Is the file:
MPEG4?
Encrypted?
Strange CODECs?

Thanks

[phd]

Is it also as of the latest Dish software update?

We have some samples for evaluation.

Also see my earlier post about another forum reporting the files are encrypted potentially.

[megageek2000]

Here is my 2 cents from doing some reading, I havent played with the files after the L414 upgrade on Dish receivers as I have been away on business.

The TSP (MPEG-2 Transport Stream) files on the hard disk dont seem to be encrypted - if you transfer them to a PC from the Dish HDD, they seem to work as in the past. If you use Pocket Dish, the transfer to PC will not play, you will be restricted to playing it on the Pocket Dish.

The Pocket Dish is weird, it has an MPEG2 encoder but will not play MPEG2's if you throw it directly at it, will play only MPEG4's (DivX,Xvid AVI's) but it will play Dish files (MPEG2 TS) transfered over USB from the receivers. I highly doubt that atleast until L414 firmware, the receiver was doing anything other than splitting the file into 2GB segments and copying it onto the Pocket Dish device, dont know what is happening now - did read something about the Pocket Dish firmware being updated when you connect it to the Dish receiver, but did not investigate further. It's a real shame as the Pocket Dish option was very convenient to transfer content without having to power the receiver down and connecting the HDD on the receiver.

Also a big thanks to Anole who contributes so much useful info on this forum.

[Anole]

Mega -
Good to see you back on line.
I was wondering about the problem in this thread and tried to find an answer in the Yahoo DishRip/DishMod/PVRexplorer forums.
They are such a useless armpit! :mad:

I wasn't suggesting a DVD recorder as a good solution, just a better one than using a TiVo.

Anyway, my 508 PVR continues to operate fine.
I do my video extractions with a home-built USB port.
So, I can't speak to this problem.

[megageek2000]

Mega -
Good to see you back on line.

Thank you Anole, your inputs on the GOP of 18 for NTSC was spot on, I upgraded to DLP2 and it has more restrictions, will not allow GOP of more than 24 for files of 1GB and more (rough stats, no deep analysis) but is quite flexible will smaller files sizes under 200MB.

They are such a useless armpit! :mad:
You are spot on again, how does the group even survive - I guess only because of PVRExplorer - I go there only if there are problems or if I need to check for upgrades. But I took heart from PVRExplorer group that atleast nobody is complaining about the direct extractions, if it were encrypted as has been mentioned in this forum, then we are back to the A/D - D/A conversion which I hate the most esp when I have access to the direct digital source.

I wasn't suggesting a DVD recorder as a good solution, just a better one than using a TiVo.
Sure, I understand, but I still want to get to know what is going on with Pocket DIsh when I get back, the convenience is just too good to pass up. It's past 12 am, so catch you later.

[LittleWapiti]

I'm curious if this problem could have anything to do with the PocketDish firmware version?

My AV402e transferred files perfectly for 2 months, then it died and wouldn't boot and I sent it to Archos for repair. When it came back from repair it had been upgraded to firmware v1.1.25 and the DPD files would no longer load in VideoReDo. Ironically while it was in for repair my PVR-625 upgraded itself to V4.14 which seems to be the problem. I'm was wondering if transfers are working from an other PocketDish firmware besides v1.1.25?

Maybe it will still work with an older firmware in the PocketDish?
I found the revision history below and I was wondering if it worth trying to find the v1.1.22 or 1.1.23 and load it on my PocketDish.

http://www.archos.com//support/download/firmware/av402e/AV402E_HISTORY.TXT
V1.1.23
---------------------------------------
Improvement:
make MPEG2 TS parser more robust (fixes hangs on certain DPD files)
support for Echostar v1.06 header format
show "CD" icon for audio-only DPD tracks in video player
Optimize LCD start to cover dispersion and prevent "white screen"

Bugs:
"00000" is not a valid password, display an error message if password changed and do not lock system
Fixed Unit locks-up when USB and the radio are both connected
Fixed record icon not displayed in the statusbar when starting an audio recording
Video: Fixed corrupted wallpaper for some error messages in external mode

V1.1.24
---------------------------------------
Improvement:
Support for payload-only encryption (compatible with 522)
New startup screen
Bugs:
Corrupted data is shown when selecting info to get info from an DPD file
Some Photos are not shown correctly while an Archos AV-400 does shows them

V1.1.25
---------------------------------------
Improvement:
more MPEG2 TS parser improvements

[phd]

According to the specs, the 402e is MPEG4.
http://pocketdish.com/402_tech_specs.jsp

[LittleWapiti]

According to the specs, the 402e is MPEG4.
http://pocketdish.com/402_tech_specs.jsp
But if its always been MPEG4,
why did VideoReDo work on last month before the L414 update?

Does anyone have a DPD file,
from before the update that still loads in VideoReDo,
so we can compare the formats?

Could you trim and copy a small segment of the working DPD file
and upload it to ftp://upload:upload@videoredo.net/

P.S. Is there a good utility to look at, analyze or identify video files & streams?

Thanks
Larry

[phd]

Perhaps they are transferring directly as MPEG4 rather than performing a conversion?

[LittleWapiti]

Perhaps they are transferring directly as MPEG4 rather than performing a conversion?

I tried playing them with PMFPlay which can play H.624 MPeg4
and VirtualDub which should handle MPEG4 and it didn't work.

I'm thinking either they changed CODECs
or more likely they enable payload-only encryption.

I'm not familiar with the MPEG file format,
does the following attached snippet look familiar to anyone?

[Ozarkarts]

I think mine is the PocketDish AV500. My Dish receiver is a 625 model (I think), but I KNOW that on the outside (front side) of the receiver it actually says, "MPEG-2".

Also, this problem could very well be in the 'translation' from the DVR TO the PocketDish. I have MANY files on my DVR that are several months old, and they will still not work in VideoRedo if they are copied to my PocketDish and transferred to my PC. Also, I read somewhere on the PocketDish site that the PocketDish software is "automatically updated" when it is hooked up to the DVR - so even though you may not have updated the software, it could have been updated. There was definitely some kind of formatting change with the update from around 2/26/07.

I have never tried to directly hook my DVR to my computer. I was told by the installer that would not work, and the USB port ONLY works with the Pocketdish. Has anyone out there tried to 'directly connect' the DVR to the PC? If that was possible, we might be able to avoid the incripted .dpd files that come off the PocketDish...



But if its always been MPEG4,
why did VideoReDo work on last month before the L414 update?

Does anyone have a DPD file,
from before the update that still loads in VideoReDo,
so we can compare the formats?

Could you trim and copy a small segment of the working DPD file
and upload it to ftp://upload:upload@videoredo.net/

P.S. Is there a good utility to look at, analyze or identify video files & streams?

Thanks
Larry

[Anole]

I have never tried to directly hook my DVR to my computer. I was told by the installer that would not work, and the USB port ONLY works with the Pocketdish. Has anyone out there tried to 'directly connect' the DVR to the PC?
That info is correct, so far as I know.
If Dish wanted you to do that, they wouldn't keep throwing up roadblocks.

When I mentioned use of a USB port above, I was describing a custom, unpublished design that I use, which fits the 501/508/510 series of PVRs (and their Canadian equivalents)

There are also published hookups for USB attachments which connect the hard drive of your PVR to your computer.
That requires opening the PVR to make the connections, and often removing the hard drive.

The original technique required you to remove the hard drive from the PVR and place it in your computer.

These are all described on Yahoo forums (groups.yahoo.com) called: DishMod, DishRip, and PVRexplorer.

[Figment]

Hi

I am new here and started using Redo (trial) about a week before the change occurred. I still have some dpd files that work with redo and will upload a sample as soon as I have a chance.

I wanted to add that the firmware version on the pocketdish is not the issue since I have had the latest version prior to the files not working.

Also there was another program that kind of worked with the dpd files. It would decode video perfectly but it had problems with the audio in that it would not recognize the English track but it would recognize the Spanish track with no problem. It would crash due to the English track having zero bytes yet if I tricked the program it would encode the video with the Spanish language (it’s a little complicated to try to explain unless you have tried it). Anyway that program doesn’t recognize the dpd file anymore either. The programs name is DVDFlick. I only mention it because it might also help in determining what went wrong with the dpd files. It is open source.

I can also confirm that the recorded programs on the DVR that were recorded prior to the “change” or update don’t work with Redo anymore.

[megageek2000]

Got back from my business trip, so I did do some research on the DPD files and I too confirm that prior to the L414 upgrade, the DPD files copied, played fine on the PC and opened in VRD.

Since the upgrade, the files on the receiver are still the same, only the transfer to PD is either encrypted or the video format is proprietary. None of the video editing programs I used can recognize the file format. It's defenitely not regular MPEG4 as I have programs to detect all flavors of MPEG4 as long as it is not encrypted. I have no idea what the file looks like if it is a VOD type MPEG4.

Off the topic, I would like to confirm that the PD is hacked up in some way to play MPEG2 Transport Stream files, atleast the ones archos made for echostar, identified by the 'e' suffix. The tech specs say MPEG4 only, but it can play the dish MPEG2 flavor, but somehow not MPEG2 tranferred directly from the PC.

The good news for people who transfer files conventionally is that the satellite companies have a 5 year plan (read on several forums) to move to MPEG4 for all their receivers, plus they have to find incentives for customers with the grandfathered PVR's such as 501 and 508 to move to the subscription (DVR fee) based Vip622 receivers (MPEG4 capable). The 625, 522 etc are not MPEG4 capable - they can only store MPEG2 hardware wise, but they can use a software based upgrade when it comes to transfering the content to PD.

Wish some of the experts, creators off VRD can throw some light on the new DPD files, there has been no defenite info, though a no. of samples have been uploaded. Also another big wish is, why not they make DVR receivers with RJ45 and media gateways and such for easy PC access (like Tivo), anyway, there is nothing preventing people from tranferring recorded content to a DVD.

[LittleWapiti]

I'm looking for some DPD to compare.

I need the same EXACT recording (preferably < 100mb) in the following formats:
1> DPD saved before 2/28 (readable by VideoReDo).
2> DPD saved now after L414 upgrade (NOT readable by VideoReDo).
3> Raw TS from the DVR Hard Drive from DishRip (if possible).

That way I can bit compare them to try and figure out what was changed.

Anyone?

[Figment]

Sorry for taking so long to get back here. I checked my files and I do have dpd files that will work with Redo but they are all too large (about 1.7 GB) each. I do have a smaller one but it was only from the music channels and I checked and it seems that those are encoded differently because Redo won't recognize it.

I will keep on trying but I don't think I will be able to find something.

[rvrdadd]

I uploaded a small file (DPD) for Dan back in late February. I can upload again if that will help....

[Mother_Jyng]

I am having the same problems. If it helps I have one pocketdish with older firmware version that states (to any drv recording post Feb) "corrupt file". My other pocketdish with recent firmware plays the post Feb dvr's just fine. Either way when using VRD I get the same "cannot find PAT packet in program stream" as everyone else. I hope that someone can help, VRD w/ the pocketdish has worked great until now. Is any one still looking for sample files or has that been taken care of?

[phd]

We've got sample files. Thanks.

[phd]

Just wanted to give you an update who are following this thread.

The .DPD files appear to be an encrypted format which is unreadable.

[megageek2000]

Thanks for the update, it's good to hear from you guys that it is indeed encrypted. So, it's back to the good old way of extracting, painful but faster than USB1.1.

Thanks PHD.

[Anole]

Just be glad the provider hasn't screwed that up, too! :)

[LittleWapiti]

The .DPD files appear to be an encrypted format which is unreadable.
My understanding is that the .DPD files are still MPEG2, but that its headers are encrypted.

Any chance of re-creating the headers from the file?

[phd]

The video portion of the files cannot be read either.

If anyone finds useful information, please let us know.

[slgorin]

I read a post on a linux forum that kplayer can play dpd files unmodified. I tried it in freespire linux with no luck. They said it worked with the linspire linux. If you google linspire dpd, you should see the message.

Pocket dish is not supposed to play mp2 files. Mine are all mp4.

[LittleWapiti]

The video portion of the files cannot be read either.Do you have any small samples of .DPD files generated from the same source .ts/.tsp stream?

I need an old .dpd generated BEFORE 2/28/07 (that still loads in VideoReDo)
AND
the same exact stream generated into a .DPD AFTER 2/28/07 (that does NOT loads in VideoReDo).

Given this I can compare them and figure out what they changed,
BUT they have to have be created from the same stored .tsp stream on the DVR.

[phd]

We don't as we get the samples from users as needed.

Perhaps someone out there has the files you desire.