I like npvr. I really do, but I find myself more and more going to Media Center and watching whatever is on NetFlix, because it's so much easier than dealing with npvr problems. I used gpvr for 3 years with nearly no problems and had a blast with it, but npvr is a different story. The skip problem, for example, makes recordings unwatchable, and I still do not know if it has been fixed. The patches page for 2.4.3 has 9 patches, and I have no idea if one of them would address the skip issue. And, do I need all 9? If not, can each be installed independent of the others, or are any prerequisite for any others. Then I see a post like this: "Not being mean, but what is the point of #1 and #3 when #4 replaces both?" Where does it say that 4 replaces 1 and 2? And why do the patch links go to another page instead of the patch file. Do you have to read all of those threads, too?
Yeah, I know, whine, whine, moan, moan. Sorry, I do appreciate all that npvr represents, but I have an awful lot of time in this - already 2 or 3 times what I spent on gbpvr over 3 years altogether - and I want to record and watch my dadgum shows. I guess not being able to makes me grumpy. The last two nights, I recorded Hannity, and somehow or other, npvr recorded the radio tuner signal for the audio. Go figure. I used to run comskip with gbpvr, but haven't yet had the guts to install it with NPVR. Same with xmltv and some enhancer or the other.
If there is a fix for the skip forward/back issue and someone could point me to it, I would be grateful. Taking little bitty tiny steps at this point.
Thanks.
I think a new release of npvr is due very soon, it should incorporate all the current fixes. Easiest thing might be just to wait for that. I've had a few issues recently too and that's my plan.
I don't know of any significant "skip issues" with 2.4.3. All such issues were fixed in prior releases, except for one remaining issue where video playback would sometimes pause after a comskip jump which was fixed with patch #2. Most other patches for 2.4.3 are for PC client issues, or for very specific cases that most users wouldn't encounter.
I posted the following note in the sticky thread, and linked it at the top of the patch list, but it seems worth repeating here:
johnsonx42 Wrote:There will be no cumulative patch for this release, for several reasons:
1) 'out of the box' v2.4.3 is pretty great and doesn't need much patching. this is no surprise as it was mostly meant to introduce NPVRTSReader2 which was extensively tested and debuged via the infamous 2.3.6 'skip patches'
2) none of the patches fix show-stopping issues unless you run a pc client.
3) some users have reported problems after installing some of the patches, and sub can't fix any further problems as he's moved on to 2.5.x.
4) there just aren't that many anyway
so, install the patches that you need and sit tight for 2.5.x. you should install them in order though, as later patches may depend on changes in other modules from other patches.
As for your overall experience with NPVR vs. GB-PVR, keep in mind that you began using GB-PVR near the end of it's life (assuming you started using it around the time you joined the forum), and most of it was largely matured by that time. NPVR on the other hand was a complete re-write from scratch beginning not much more than 2 years ago. It of course had a lot more teething problems during the *first* two years of it's life than GB-PVR did during its *last* two years.
To me, 2.4.3 is the first genuinely stable release of NPVR; aside from PC Client issues it just works with no patches. Look at past versions: 2.3.6: 33 patches (more really, as the NPVRTSReader2 patches came so fast and furious I skipped some of them), 2.2.6: 52 patches, 2.1.5: 25 patches, 2.0.3: 39 patches. I can't say any longer how many patches there were for the 1.5.x beta releases, as I didn't keep the lists around, but there were a lot.
That all said, even 2.4.3 has it's little bugs, and there's a handful of issues sub has fixed for NPVR 2.5.x due out any time now.
If you are currently running 2.4.3, I'm surprised you're having any significant problems. If you're running an earlier release, I'm not at all surprised, and suggest you go ahead and upgrade now (yes, even with 2.5.x coming soon...). If you're having problems with 2.4.3, post a support thread WITH LOGS for individual issues, and we'll take a look. The radio tuner thing? That's weird....
by the way, while we're at it, let us not forget the amount of work by sub that the 13 public releases of NPVR and the several hundred patches represent. let us also not forget that many of the patches did not fix bugs, but rather added features requested (demanded?) by the users.
finally, the op asked: "And why do the patch links go to another page instead of the patch file. Do you have to read all of those threads, too?"
I really think I explained that in the patch post: "The thread a given patch is posted in may contain additional information on exactly what a given patch was intended to do, and may also contain information on additional settings required if you wish to use the functionality provided." In other words, yes, before applying a patch, you ought to read a little bit about what the patch is supposed to do to see if it applies to your situation. I link to the post where the patch was posted, so that you can read a few of the posts that led to the patch along with sub's comments. In past releases, and maybe future releases, but not this one as already explained, I also posted "cumulative patches" attached to the patch list post itself that contained updated versions of each patched NPVR program file that users could simply install (and in fact were expected to install) blindly without reading much of anything.
now I'm actually starting to feel a little bitchy about the OP. whine, whine, moan, moan about the patches but couldn't actually READ what I spent my time typing about the patches. it's late at night, and my potential for irritation advances with the clock. good night all.
No matter what anyone says from a user point of view "finding patches" now is much better than it was in GB-PVR days when sub would only link the few he thought were really necessary (& he found time to list), so I say a BIG thanks to johnsonx42 for all his effort keeping tabs on them & writing them up for us.
Oh BTW normally I just end up (after they have been out for a while) just adding the whole lot one after the other so I'm at least on the same version as sub is (at the time) if I need to report a bug.
Thanks for the reply.
"now I'm actually starting to feel a little bitchy about the OP. whine, whine, moan, moan about the patches but couldn't actually READ what I spent my time typing about the patches. it's late at night, and my potential for irritation advances with the clock. good night all."
Understood.
Now, to anyone about the skip problem, I am using 2.4.3, and I cannot skip forward or back to blitz commercials without problem. Have to use several skips in different directions to get it playing again, and, by that time, the location is not where I wanted to be, but, then, I don't want to press the darn skip button again. This is only, so far as I know, with the .TS files recorded by npvr. AVI, MP4, and others seem to tolerate skips okay, and, when playing those, the npvr experience is really nice, but then I can't record in those formats.
jfm Wrote:Now, to anyone about the skip problem, I am using 2.4.3, and I cannot skip forward or back to blitz commercials without problem. Have to use several skips in different directions to get it playing again, and, by that time, the location is not where I wanted to be, but, then, I don't want to press the darn skip button again. This is only, so far as I know, with the .TS files recorded by npvr. AVI, MP4, and others seem to tolerate skips okay, and, when playing those, the npvr experience is really nice, but then I can't record in those formats.
Sounds more like a decoder issue than an NPVR issue. Have you tried different decoders? If different decoders exhibit the same problem, you will need to post logs after reproducing the problem. It's difficult to troubleshoot a problem without logs, especially when no one else is even aware that the problem exists.
is this on in-progress recordings[or timeshift] or also happening on finished recordings?
i still have a frustrating time with skips on in-progress stuff, so much so that i *still* haven't upgraded to npvr..
whurlston Wrote:Sounds more like a decoder issue than an NPVR issue. Have you tried different decoders? If different decoders exhibit the same problem, you will need to post logs after reproducing the problem. It's difficult to troubleshoot a problem without logs, especially when no one else is even aware that the problem exists.
I have to agree with whurlston. When I've had skipping problems like this, experimenting with decoders has sorted it for me.
Thanks. I'll try something different and see.