A plugin that allows the user to enter programs by name and be alerted if and when they appear in the EPG. For example one could enter the movie "Logan's Run" and be alerted when that movie first appears in the EPG. The user would be presented with a "Record" option for each program appearing on the list.
PVRPowerTray for GBPVR (version .09 - release date: August 3, 2005)
BACKGROUND:
I (and many others) face the constant challenge of building a PVR system that maximizes WAF (wife acceptance factor).
As a result, add-on's, like "betlit"'s Parallel Port LED monitor and my prior releases (RecInfo and RecStatus) were
very useful for me because they provided instant, real-time assurance that what was supposed to be recorded actually
was being recorded.
I then set out to create an supercharged version of the GBPVRTray application that "sub" provides with GBPVR that would
incorporate some of these WAF-enhancing features, as well as several others that I thought of general use.
Two months later, here is the first release version of PVRPowerTray for GBPVR.
FEATURES:
PVRPowerTray offers all of the features of GBPVRTray.exe plus:
1. Fully customizable support for betlit's terrific Parallel Port LED monitor. Associate each LED with
a unique parameter, such as "Recording from TV Tuner", "Comskip is running", low harddrive space, etc;
2. Ability to generate periodic PC Speaker alert beep while GBPVR is recording;
3. Easy access via system tray icon to GBPVR recording status;
4. Left click on system tray icon to popup info screen on current and pending recordings;
5. Right click on system tray icon and select from menu one of three info screens on pending recordings;
6. Ability to launch "PreProcessing.bat" file (must be in your GBPVR program directory) whenever
a new recording begins. For example, create a file called "PreProcessing.bat" in your GBPVR program directory
and include the line "comskip.exe %1" to have comskip process your recording as it is recorded;
7. Ability to verify recording is actually taking place by periodically checking to make sure that
resulting .mpg file is continually growing is size;
8. Several other optional features to make your GBPVR experience even more pleasant.
INSTALLATION:
The PVRPowerTray.zip archive contains the following files:
1. PVRPowerTray.exe - the main application, place this in your GBPVR program directory;
2. inpout32.dll - a .dll that handles input/output for the Parallel Port.
This .dll *MUST* be placed in your windows directory (eg, C:\Windows, C:\Winnt, whatever).
NOTE: even if you do not intend to use a Parallel Port monitor, you still MUST place
this .dll in the required directory;
3.PVRPowerTray.txt - this informational text file.
In order for PVRPowerTray to load and run each time your PC is powered on, you should add a shortcut
to the executable in your Startup folder.
Because PVRPowerTray is an enhanced substitute for the GBPVRTray.exe application that is included with the GBPVR release,
you can remove GBPVRTray.exe from your Startup folder when you are comfortable with PVRPowerTray.
PROGRAM NOTES:
This is the first release of this application, so please do not expect it to be bug-free. Because I only have
a single recording source, I could not fully test this application with multiple, simultaneous recordings but I
do not anticipate significant issues.
It is my pleasure to reciprocate for all the great work from others in the GBPVR community, of which
"sub" is of course first and foremost.
Enjoy and please post your comments, bug reports, suggestions, etc.
Hi. I have been trying for the longest time to configure my system to allow the EPG to update. I am using a new NForce 4 Ultra motherboard with ActiveArmour firewall turned on. Even with the firewall disabled I still cannot update my EPG. It appears to be unable to connect successfully to the server. I have a home network set up, with 2 computers connected to the net via a DLink broadband router. The internet connection works fine, and I've successfully set up the ActiveArmour firewall to allow certain ports to open for various other apps. However, I still cannot connect to the net through GB-PVR. I installed the program on the other computer just to test it to see if I could update the EPG and was successful. That PC is running WinXP with SP1, and windows firewall enabled. The PC I'm trying to run GP-PVR on has WinXP with SP2, but only the ActiveArmour enabled (Windsows firewall disabled).
My question is how I can configure the computer with ActiveArmor so I can download the EPG (I'm pulling it from ZapToIt). (what ports, etc. does GB-PVR require?)
Also, if I'm unable to get things running that way, I would like to know how I can update the EPG via the listings downloaded to the other PC? What files do I copy, and how do I install them onto the my PC?
Is there a simple way to copy the data from the net (perhaps using a small program) that I can do this at work if need be? (so no programs need to be installed, just run from a USB jumpdrive)
Overview:
I installed the program and configured it for two capture devices a Hauppauge 350 and a Hauppauge WinTV PVR-USB2 .I am also trying to use the USB-UIRT for STB control and GBPVR control. Each capture device has its own STB connection. Via s-video and composite audio.
Configuration:
I went though the configuration utility and assigned each capture device itâs own number , assigned the Direct Recording Plug-in, configured each for S-Video External Tuner, EPG source for Zap2It and Channel changer as USB-UIRT. All seemed to go well the EPG was downloaded for each device. I then configured Playback for the 350 decoder out to TV and set up the commands for the USB-UIRT to control GBPVR. I also learned the remotes numeric and enter keys during the configuration.
Problems:
GBPVR started ok and the menu was visible on both the PC monitor and TV. When I either selected Live-TV or a program for the guide I received an error message something to the effect that âcannot communicate with the recording serviceâ so I tried restarting the recording service but kept getting the same message. I then decided to take âBABY STEPSâ so I deleted the second capture device (USB2 ) in configuration and restarted GBPVR. Now it worked. I could view TV form either Live TV or the Guide. So I tried putting the second capture device back and ended up with the same error message.
The second problems was that the USB-UIRT did not seem to be working as a channel changer or with the remote. I tried changing channels with the remote you would see the channel numbers on OSD , the OSD would now show the new channel but the channel would not change. Up/Down channel did not work either. Again during configuration the program accepted all required input from the remote through the USB-UIRT.
So I apologize for the long post but wanted to try and provide as much information as possible. If anyone has and suggestions on how to fix these problems I would appreciate your help. I would like to get GBPVR up and running with my Hauppauge 350 but also require
I need some help to troubleshoot/debug live preview mode.
This is what I get:
deinterlace=none no video, no audio
deinterlace=encoder pass through good video, no audio
deinterlace=deinterlace filter no video, no audio
I have tried every combination of playback video and audio decoder and renderer with no success. I have also tried switching between VMR9 and overlay with no success. To be honest I don't know what I'm doing and trying hit'n'miss configurations based on forum threads I've read.
If I disable live preview mode, then I get good video and audio, even using various differnet video/audio decoders.
I would appreciate someone explaining the video and audio signal paths from the tuner to the renderer so that i can understand how to troubleshoot this problem. Especially regarding what function the deinterlace options do. (for instance what does "encoder pass through" do and why?)
My System
AMD 1.3GHz Duron CPU (20-50% load)
512MB RAM
1536MB fixed paging file (300MB PF load)
TUL theater 550 Pro capture card with latest ATI drivers (6.14.10.86)
ASUS 9550TD video card with latest ATI drivers (6.14.10.6553)
Creative Audigy2 ZX sound card
WinXP SP2
Directx 9.0c with quartz.dll from 9.0b
Here's a thread for people to discuss their TV-Out graphics adapters, since I couldn't find one dedicated to the subject already. Over the past few days of trying to build a decent, functional PVR system from both new parts and those found on hand, I've had my share of experiences:
Matrox Marvel G200 TV
No drivers for Windows XP or 2003. Don't even bother.
Abit Siluro GeForce 2 T400 AGP
The Chrontel 7007 TV-out encoder chip means limited TV-Out options. I was actually fairly pleased with the TV-out quality, but unfortunately, it defaults to significant underscan on NTSC, meaning you get large, noticeable black borders around the TV-Out output. None of the nVidia drivers I tried (29.42, 43.45, 77.72) would allow this to be changed. The newest nVidia drivers I tried would promptly crash if you tried to mess with the TV-Out parameters on this card. The only thing I found that would compensate for the underscan was the TVTool app (version 9.7), which would allow the card to be set to "Full Screen" mode, which give a signal that would fill the TV screen with slight overscan. However, TVTool has its own set of problems (it's not free, not easily purchased quickly, and has some software bugs). Due to the underscan problem, I don't recommend this graphics adapter for TV-Out.
PNY Verto GeForce FX 5500 AGP (bought yesterday at CompUSA for $60, after rebates)
No matter what drivers I tried, I have a bitch of a time getting colors to look similarly saturated to the broadcast signal (they look desaturated by default). Additionally, the card outputs a rather noisy TV-Out signal...there is a noticeable "interference" type of pattern in the signal, no matter what settings or driver versions I tried (trust me, I ran the gamut). The pattern looks like a repeating diagonal linear color/brightness distortion that moves horizontally, and it is most noticeable when viewing static images or cartoons. Other than that, the card works decently with the drivers, and doesn't crash too often (just don't try setting PAL when connected to an NTSC television, or you'll be reinstalling the drivers). It's possible to set all of the major TV-out signal parameters (position, size, brightness/contrast, overscan, anti-flicker, etc.). Don't depend on the card's advertised MPEG-2 decoder either. It may provide some assistance, but my poor little 900Mhz AMD Thunderbird was still hitting 75% CPU utilization (averaging 50-55%) when playing back recorded MPEG-2 files. Due to its noisy output signal and the effort required to customize the TV-Out signal to get it to look "decent", I don't recommend this graphics adapter for TV-Out either.
PS - Also, you don't want to use the version 77.72 nVidia drivers, as there is an Overlay gamma settings problem that can't be fixed. Try the 77.76 beta drivers, which resolve this issue, or earlier drivers.
These are the only cards I've tried so far. Can anyone recommend a card that has a TV-Out signal that rivals broadcast television? Does anyone have experience with the Radeon 9200/9250's? How about the Radeon 7000, or GeForce FX 5200's? All I really want is a nice, simple graphics adapter for less than $70 with a good TV-Out signal, preferably one that can be picked up in a common retail electronics store. Is it too much to ask?
my remote control just randomly stops working while im watchin tv. i have a hauppauge wintv pvr-150. actually the remote stops working for the whole pc any other remote program also stops. i also use wintv 2000.
Having no life I opted to beta test Vista for MS. So, I figured I'd try the Hauppauge drivers for my 350. Using Hauppauge's drivers (don't know about the ones from the SHS site) I was able to get the radio working but WinTV2000 would not install---what a pity. So, after installing Net runtime, I installed GB-PVR with default settings. Set my card and made a few adjustments and it works. Haven't tested much but do know music, weather, xrecord and live tv work fine. Thought I'd have to use XP compatibility mode but since it worked on first try, I didn't question it.
I used to have a "setup" area when i first installed GBPVR. You know..where there is "tv guide" "search guide" recordings"..there used to be a setup but now it has vanished. i need GBPVR to recognize 30 some more channels..
