1.2.13->1.3.11 - additional network load

[Braklet]

I just upgraded from 1.2.13 to 1.3.11. The new GB-PVR and recording service seem to work well. However, I experience a significant increase in navigation delay within PVRX2, especially transitioning to the TV Guide and Recordings pages, and navigating around the different Recordings menus.

My Live TV and Recordings source to a local disc, but a large portion of my recording library sits on a NAS unit elsewhere on the LAN, shared via SMB (//<ip address/<directory>/<recording>). I've used this setup for at least the last 3 or 4 versions of GB-PVR so it seems something has changed.

Through network sniffer, I verified that the HTPC is beating the LAN during almost every button push in the Recordings and TV Guide menus, especially when setting or deleting recordings. I don't know if it is PVRX2, the Recording Service, or both.

I'm not sure why PVRX2 or the Recording Service would need to access the LAN share more than once per navigation, but the delays render PVRX2 nearly unusable.

Short of adding additional HDDs and moving over 400G of recordings onto a local drive, does anybody know if there's a config.xml setting(s) I could flip to disable constant video library reads?

Thanks!

[Braklet]

No hits, hmmm. Let me ask these questions another way:

Is anybody else running GB-PVR with most of your recordings stored somewhere else, like a NAS drive?

Did you notice any additional navigation delay after you upgraded to 1.3.x?

Were you able to do anything to decrease that delay?

I really have no idea why PVRX2 traverses the database recordings table in the TV Guide plugin, or more than once in the Recordings plugin.

I really don't want to increase HDD space in my HTPC in order to make GB-PVR usable, so I hope there's some config.xml setting to limit the hits on existing recordings.

[sub]

I'm not aware of any changes that would cause additional slow down in 1.3.11.

I really have no idea why PVRX2 traverses the database recordings table in the TV Guide plugin

It loads the recording list, so that it can highlight pending shows. It uses a common function that loads all recordings, even ones in the 'ready' state. This has always been quick enough that I've not bother optimising it to only load the 'pending' reordings. This hasnt changed in 1.3.11 though.

or more than once in the Recordings plugin.

It reloads the recording list each time you switch between ready/whatsnew/pending/recurring.

Through network sniffer, I verified that the HTPC is beating the LAN during almost every button push in the Recordings and TV Guide menus, especially when setting or deleting recordings. I don't know if it is PVRX2, the Recording Service, or both.

I just check this here, and I cant see any evidence of this happening. Its definitely not reloading the recording list with almost every button press in the tv guide - it does it once when you enter the tv guide. The recordings screen does it when you enter the screen, or click the ready/whatsnew/pending/recurring buttons.

[Braklet]

It loads the recording list, so that it can highlight pending shows. It uses a common function that loads all recordings, even ones in the 'ready' state.

OK, makes sense to me.

This has always been quick enough that I've not bother optimising it to only load the 'pending' reordings. This hasnt changed in 1.3.11 though.

Did it change in 1.3.7? (For unrelated reasons, I leapfrogged 1.3.7.) I saw a significant increase in navigation delay between 1.2.13 and 1.3.11. There was some observable delay in 1.2.13 and prior but it wasn't anywhere near as long as it is after my 1.3.11 upgrade.

it does it once when you enter the tv guide. The recordings screen does it when you enter the screen, or click the ready/whatsnew/pending/recurring buttons.

You're right. Guess which buttons I click back and forth on most often in the Recordings plugin?

Be that as it may, is there anything I can do configuration wise to decrease the recordings loads? The only change between tolerable delay and annoying delay has been the GB-PVR upgrade.

Thanks, sub.

[sub]

Did it change in 1.3.7? (For unrelated reasons, I leapfrogged 1.3.7.) I saw a significant increase in navigation delay between 1.2.13 and 1.3.11. There was some observable delay in 1.2.13 and prior but it wasn't anywhere near as long as it is after my 1.3.11 upgrade.

No, it hasnt changed in a long time. Maybe you've got more recordings now so its more noticeable?

Be that as it may, is there anything I can do configuration wise to decrease the recordings loads? The only change between tolerable delay and annoying delay has been the GB-PVR upgrade.

Maybe try setting <CheckForRenamedRecordings> and <AutoRemoveMissingRecordings> to false in config.xml.

[Braklet]

Maybe try setting <CheckForRenamedRecordings> and <AutoRemoveMissingRecordings> to false in config.xml.

The latter is already false (guess what happens when it's true and your NAS goes offline? , but I'll give the former a try, too. Thanks!

[Braklet]

Maybe try setting <CheckForRenamedRecordings> and <AutoRemoveMissingRecordings> to false in config.xml.

sub, I just made a single change (set <CheckForRenamedRecordings> false, since I already had the other set to false) and the delay is nearly gone! What used to take 10-15 seconds now takes 1.

Many thanks for the idea!

I have to ask, what do I risk setting <CheckForRenamedRecordings> false? Messing with the other parameter made the database safer, but I don't quite understand this one. I use WizRenameRecording and wonder if there's some unforeseen impact potential.

[sub]

Great.

I have to ask, what do I risk setting <CheckForRenamedRecordings> false?

This check is done to see if missing recordings have been transcoded, and will update the database of they have. For example, from .mpg to .avi. So just keep this in mind if you start converting recordings to other formats.

[Braklet]

OK, a transcode check. I'll try to remember that one.

I don't currently transcode, and just throw new HDDs and NAS boxen at the MPEG-2 storage problem. But more of my ATSC broadcasts have been changing from SD to HD, and I've experimented with ffmpeg.exe and Handbrake to see if MPEG-4 is reasonable.

Not to mention that someday I'll probably get around to buying subscription HD service and an HD-PVR.

Thanks again for the help, it's a night vs. day difference at my end.