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Playback – which player does what?

The user interface selects a movie; a playback service reads and plays it. A file can appear in several libraries while using the same playback service. Changing the skin or movie list does not add missing hardware codecs.

Entry point Purpose Guide
MovieSelection Select, resume and manage Enigma2 recordings Recording list
EnhancedMovieCenter (EMC) Movie library with its own list, cover and playback options EMC
MediaPlayer Play media files and music from a playlist MediaPlayer and seven setup options
DVD Player Navigate DVD titles, chapters and disc menus DVD and Blu-ray
Blu-ray Player Open a Blu-ray folder or ISO and select a title DVD and Blu-ray
FileCommander Manage files and open them in an appropriate viewer/player File manager

TS playback and ServiceMP3

Section titled “TS playback and ServiceMP3”

DVB recordings stored as .ts normally use Enigma2’s built-in DVB service. It reads the transport stream and works with the demultiplexer, decoder and manufacturer drivers. Recording features include tracks, cut/jump marks and resume, where offered by the interface. You do not need to install a “TS Player” plugin for this. An unrelated file ending in .ts is not necessarily equivalent to a playable DVB recording.

ServiceMP3 / servicemp3, despite its historical name, is the general GStreamer playback service for many media formats and network streams. Its identifier is 4097. GStreamer assembles a chain from the source, container reader, audio/video processing and output components. On a receiver, output often still depends on the device’s decoders and drivers.

File or stream → read container/tracks → decode audio/video → output picture, sound and subtitles

gstplayer is an additional player; the executable on the test receiver is called gstplayer2. It also uses GStreamer but is connected through ServiceApp, so it is not the same implementation as built-in ServiceMP3. exteplayer3 uses FFmpeg components to read/process media and separate output paths. It does not automatically provide CPU decoding for every video codec. Its correct package name is exteplayer3, not “ext3player”.

First number of the service reference Service
1 Native DVB service, also used for normal TS recording playback
4097 Normally Enigma2/ServiceMP3 with GStreamer; ServiceApp can replace it
5001 ServiceApp with gstplayer
5002 ServiceApp with exteplayer3

Configure ServiceApp explains individual tests and replacing 4097. Service references and bouquets shows where the numbers belong. TV/radio 1/2 belongs to a different field.

What should I try first?

Section titled “What should I try first?”
  1. Play your own DVB recording normally in MovieSelection or EMC.
  2. Use MediaPlayer for music and mixed file playlists.
  3. For a troublesome file, follow formats and troubleshooting, then compare the same file through ServiceApp if appropriate.
  4. For missing subtitles, check the track and renderer: native subtitles, SubsSupport and teletext serve different purposes.

A working IPTV picture does not guarantee recording, timeshift or seeking. These depend on the stream, server and service. HiSilicon-specific services will receive a separate appendix once suitable test hardware is available.

Source basis: Enigma2 service identifiers, DVB service, ServiceApp, exteplayer3.