ffdshow + sopcast: watching streams at enhanced video quality.
Monday, 17. August 2009, 09:46:55
I have always wanted to share this tutorial but get lazy each time I try to compose it.
Until today getting totally bored watching a Liverpool v Tottenham match on 1.2M/s sopcast stream
I found on http://myp2p.eu ,I found the desire to share this little trick, with the rest of you p2p tweenies:)
Here are the step by step (with screenshots) of how well I was able to improve the color and visual performance of the internet livestreams, simply by using the ffdshow codecPack.
1.
Things to download first.
ffdshow plugin - grab the latest stable version here.
Sopcast WMP filter - here.
2. How to Install.
Ffdshow is pretty easy to install, just make sure to install the entire pack. If you have any questions, feel free to post here but ffdshow wont break your system (if your system isn't already broken that is)
Edit: There is a basic tutorial on how to install ffdshow here
Also Install the Sopcast filter. Just click next next and you are done.
3. To load a stream.
Here is the tricky part, to be able to adjust color and picture properties and improve them on a sopcast stream,
you must load the stream directly in WMP not in Sopcast.
-Get the sopcast address,e.g sop://broker1.sopcast.com/12345 and copy it.
(you can find them for most events by visiting here
-Open Windows Media Player as shown below and paste the URL after pressing ctrl+O
-allow stream to settle as shown above.
(Note, You are now watching a sopcast stream using WMP directly. Awesome!
4. The interesting part follows.
- goto the lower part of you windows taskbar
- You will see the red icon (ffdshow video decoder control ) and a blue icon (ffdshow audio decoder control)
- Right Click on the Video Controller (the red Icon ) and you get this.
- Now click on FFDSHOW Video Decoder and you are right on the screen shot below where all the action is.
5.
There are many ways to tweak the color of your stream, and most will depend on the
bitrate of the livestream, but for Immediate color improvement do the following
- on the leftmost listings, make sure to select PICTURE PROPERTIES
- On the rightmost parts with various sliders, find SATURATION and Crank it up.
- Check the improvement of your video.
And you can say Nice. 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Until today getting totally bored watching a Liverpool v Tottenham match on 1.2M/s sopcast stream
I found on http://myp2p.eu ,I found the desire to share this little trick, with the rest of you p2p tweenies:)
Here are the step by step (with screenshots) of how well I was able to improve the color and visual performance of the internet livestreams, simply by using the ffdshow codecPack.
1.
Things to download first.
ffdshow plugin - grab the latest stable version here.
Sopcast WMP filter - here.
2. How to Install.
Ffdshow is pretty easy to install, just make sure to install the entire pack. If you have any questions, feel free to post here but ffdshow wont break your system (if your system isn't already broken that is)
Edit: There is a basic tutorial on how to install ffdshow here
Also Install the Sopcast filter. Just click next next and you are done.
3. To load a stream.
Here is the tricky part, to be able to adjust color and picture properties and improve them on a sopcast stream,
you must load the stream directly in WMP not in Sopcast.
-Get the sopcast address,e.g sop://broker1.sopcast.com/12345 and copy it.
(you can find them for most events by visiting here
-Open Windows Media Player as shown below and paste the URL after pressing ctrl+O
-allow stream to settle as shown above.
(Note, You are now watching a sopcast stream using WMP directly. Awesome!
4. The interesting part follows.
- goto the lower part of you windows taskbar
- You will see the red icon (ffdshow video decoder control ) and a blue icon (ffdshow audio decoder control)
- Right Click on the Video Controller (the red Icon ) and you get this.
- Now click on FFDSHOW Video Decoder and you are right on the screen shot below where all the action is.
5.
There are many ways to tweak the color of your stream, and most will depend on the
bitrate of the livestream, but for Immediate color improvement do the following
- on the leftmost listings, make sure to select PICTURE PROPERTIES
- On the rightmost parts with various sliders, find SATURATION and Crank it up.
- Check the improvement of your video.
And you can say Nice. -------------------------------------------------------------------------
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