Simple switch between software- and PVR350-decoder

[HermanJ]

This is a post because I found out that more people where having problems with this issue:
Changing the decoder from PVR350 to software and visa versa, without opening the GBPVR-config util (which btw restarts the GBPVR-service; this is a problem when you're in the middle of a recording)
I found a solution, sort of.

I have a not to fast PC for GBPVR (P4, 1,7GHz). But in combination with the PVR350 decoder it works fine. (I cannot watch a recorded program, and record at the same time while using the TV-out of the videocard; the comskip process uses to much CPU. And I'm spoiled, I like comskip right away, not as process overnight)
The PVR350-out does not work for the DivX and Xvid. For those I will use the TV-out of the videocard. However, it is only possible to select one decoder (hardware or software).

To solve this problem I wrote a little batch file (called switch.bat), that copies a backup of the config.xml to the config.xml. This backup is the configurationfile of GBPVR which is exactly the same, but only the decoder is not the PVR350, but the software decoder (or vv). This batchfile also restarts the GBPVR interface and backups the config.xml with the other decoder setting.

To get the right configurations in place, you should delete the files config.xml.prev en config.xml.next (if present). Then start the batchfile switch.bat once. Then open the GBPVR config util. Change the decoder setting from PVR350 to software or visa versa. And it should work now. Don't forget to do this every time you change anything in the GBPVR configuration util. (or update to a new GBPVR version). If you don't, you will be stucked with a not updated configuration every time you switch to one of the two configurations.

To start the batch file I added a menu item, called SWITCH in the main menu, which starts the batch file called: switch.bat

For those who would like to try this, this is my batch file:

****** start batch file switch.bat*************
wscript "c:\program files\devnz\gbpvr\SendAltF4.vbs"

copy config.xml.prev config.xml.next /y
copy config.xml config.xml.prev /y
copy config.xml.next config.xml /y

sleep 1
start "" "C:\Program Files\devnz\gbpvr\gbpvr.exe"
*************end batch file***********



You will also need this file: SendAltF4.vbs in the gbpvr directory

********Start SendAltF4.vbs*************
Set WshShell = WScript.CreateObject("WScript.Shell")

WScript.Sleep 100
WshShell.AppActivate("GB-PVR")
WScript.Sleep 100
WshShell.SendKeys "%{F4}"

************End SendAltF4.vbs*************


Let me know if this is working for you.

[HtV]

I have a not to fast PC for GBPVR (P4, 1,7GHz). But in combination with the PVR350 decoder it works fine. (I cannot watch a recorded program, and record at the same time while using the TV-out of the videocard; the comskip process uses to much CPU. And I'm spoiled, I like comskip right away, not as process overnight)

Do you use the latest comskip, just recently it was upgraded so that it uses a lot less cpu (25-40 %).

[HermanJ]

Thanks for the tip!

I was using version 79_30. I just downloaded 79_92. I will let you know in a couple of days if the CPU usage drops or not.

[HermanJ]

A couple of days?

Wohhh, talking about performance increase! At first glance it seems that the CPU peak-usage by comskip drops from 46% to 26%.
My pc is now fast enough for recording with comskip and decoding at the same time.