Windows Build

Windows Native Builds

Downloads

The RF Decoders & Tools Suite Download Here

Dependencies

Microsoft Visual C++ 2022 Redistributable to be installed (Often already installed by other apps)

&

GNU Radio Companion

Install FFmpeg/SoX/FLAC inside windows

These commands will install these in PATH so the tools are available system-wide.

Open a PowerShell Terminal as administrator.

Install Choco (chocolatey package manager)

Set-ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Scope Process -Force; [System.Net.ServicePointManager]::SecurityProtocol = [System.Net.ServicePointManager]::SecurityProtocol -bor 3072; iex ((New-Object System.Net.WebClient).DownloadString('https://community.chocolatey.org/install.ps1'))

Then you can install the following system-wide without any hassle.

Install FFmpeg

choco install ffmpeg

Install FLAC

choco install flac

Install SoX

choco install sox.portable

Quality of Life Improvements

Giving ld-analyse.exe an Icon

Setting .tbc files to always open with ld-analyse via right click --> open with then at the bottom look for anouther app on this PC then after browsing to ld-analyse.exe in your decode or ld-tools folder always use this app to open .tbc files and your done!

Giving .tbc files an Icon, this can be done system wide via

Usage

Windows terminal is the quickest way, to have it always open as CMD go into settings --> default profile --> command prompt. then right click and open in terminal inside the decode directory.

You can also use CMD Command Prompt / Powershell directly and just cd to the directory.

One your decode folder and run decode.exe followed by a space with the vhs / ld / cvbs for the respective decoders.

Options are vhs, ld, cvbs

Example:

decode.exe vhs -f 16 -p family-cut-16msps-8bit.vhs Windows-Test-Decode-2023

NOTE

Commands are all the same as Linux all normal docs apply for usage and handling.

Exporting Video

ld-decode / cvbs-decode - Native export.

vhs-decode (colour under formats) - Limited export.

To export a full colour video for duel tbc file formats which vhs-decode produces for most formats (excluding SMPTE 1" Type-C)

You will need a WSL2 install, virtual machine or Linux live install to run compression and the ld-compress & gen_chroma_vid.sh properly.

This takes the TBC passes it though to WSL2 and combines the files and then encodes the final video stream to a video file to the same directory.

gen_chroma_vid.sh --ffll 2 --lfll 308 --ffrl 2 --lfrl 620 /mnt/c/decode/video-file-name.tbc

Compressing FM RF Data

NOTE - WSL2 has a 250GB disk limit unless manually expanded.

There is two ld-compress scripts ld-compress.bat & ld-compress-nvidia-gpu

This takes 10-bit packed 40msps captures and encodes them to lossless FLAC files for 2.8GB to 625MB per min compression.

There is also CXADC Compression Scripts

Compressing via WSL2

ld-compress /mnt/j/RF-Data/EXAMPLE-CAPTURE_VHS_PAL_DdD_Gain_8.5_2023-03-01_15-29-18.lds

/mnt/j/ is your drive path based on the windows side drive letter.

Issues & Level of Support

Windows builds are in the alpha phase but fully working to actually decode, extract VBI data with ld-process-vbi inspect with ld-analyse and even playback the TBC files with the FL2K USB 3.0 adapters however full workflow requires some level of WSL2.

ld-decode (LaserDiscs)

• Capture (Via DdD)
• Decoding
• Video Export

NOTE RF capture is standardised around the DomesDayDuplicator and its windows app all core tools required have been compiled for windows and is fully working.

cvbs-decode (Composite Video)

• Capture (Linux Live Install / CXADC)
• Decoding
• Video Export

Same as ld-decode in terms of one signal to one TBC file, however capture is only standardised with the CX Cards so SDR/ADC units with 28msps+ need to be vetted for windows side capture, but capture can be done today via Linux Live install.

Note! DomesDayDuplicator (Rev 3) does not work for CVBS capture.

vhs-decode (Tape Media)

• Capture (Via DdD)
• Decoding
• Video Export (Via WSL2/Virtual Machine)

Colour video export is limited via gen_chroma_vid.sh script to decode the chroma signal and combine the files to a colour video stream being a linux only script requring WSL2 / Live USB Install / Full Install to fully take advantage of it.

ld-chroma-decoder.exe / FFmpeg Command can export B/W Luma full-frame or active area directly.

Composite formats like SMPTE 1" Type C are 1 TBC file however.

(The scripting issue will be addressed in future updates & tools.)

hifi-decode

• Capture (DdD/RTL-SDR)
• Decoding to Audio (GNU Radio Only Currently)

Full HiFi-Decode is not yet ported to the windows builds currently, however decoding and capture can be done with GNU Radio and hifi-decode can be used in WSL2.