Use with NPVR in Client Mode? Share Database?

[smajor]

I've recently consolidated my set top boxes to a single PC that is acting as an NPVR server to a few other PCs acting as clients throughout the house. None of these have native LiveTV or Recording, they are all fed from the above mentioned server.

TVListings works well in this situation, I'm just not sure if it shares it's data like NPVR's TV Guide and Recordings.

Specifically, can it's database & media be shared and accessed by multiple clients? The main advantage would be to share links as made by Amazon or TheTVdb so that they wouldn't have to be reproduced on each client.

[alibert]

Hi,

when operating in client mode, the plugin tries to establish connections to the server's npvr.db3 and tv listings.db3 databases, so that the same data is used on the client. This should include the xmltv extras, genres and links of programmes to thetvdb series.

However, there might be a problem with the local tvdb cache, where the path to the directory is read out from the (remote) database, and by default this path points to a local directory (e.g. "C:\Users\Public\NPVR\Plugins\TV Listings\TheTVDB"). When you're using the client mode and want to share the same cache among the clients, you could try and use the unc path to the server share (e.g. "\\SERVERNAME\Users\Public\NPVR\Plugins\TV Listings\TheTVDB") inside the server's (!) configuration, so that the same path is used by both the server itself and all the clients.

-alibert

[smajor]

Thank you, that's exactly what I needed to do. One of the clients was using the local C: path.

Thanks again!

[cncb]

I changed the TVDB "data directory" to be on the server's shared network drive. I made a program "link" to the TVDB on the client and it showed up properly on the server so I think it is setup properly. However, the TVDB data (text) in the recording popup is missing on the client for most recordings. Also, on the client when I go into a recording group with multiple recordings, I see the thumbnails for the individual recordings but the group thumbnail on the main list is missing (just on the client but not on the server). Is there another setting I have to change?

[alibert]

Hi,

what do you mean by "missing on the client for most recordings"? Can you be a bit more precise here? There may be additional information in the logfiles when accessing data from the tvdb.

Reagrding the thumbnail for the recording group, this might be the "folder.jpg" in the dirctory for the recordings that is only accessible from the server, but not from the clients. You might have success by changing npvrs recording directory to a unc path accessbile in the same way both from the clients and the server.

-alibert

[cncb]

What is missing is all the text from the TVDB data. On the server in the recording popup (what is shown when I select a recording in the list) it has the description from the standard guide data and then a lot of extra text data beginning with "The TVDB" (including actors, date first aired, etc.). On the client, it only shows the first description and none of the text from "The TVDB".

I do have a mapped root drive of "T:" that I record to so it is accessible to the clients over the network and I am getting the thumbnails for the individual recordings ok. But are you saying that it has to be a UNC path? Thanks.

[alibert]

Okay, from my understanding you're not seeing any data from the tvdb on the client, but the images from your recordings show up fine.

For sharing the tvdb cache, it's not enough to move the server's tvdb data directory to a location accessible by the clients, you also need to enter the path as unc path in the servers configuration as mentioned in comment #2 (the server's configuration from the tvlistings database is used by the clients, too), so that both the server and the client can use the same path to the database.

-alibert

[cncb]

If you are referring to the "TVDB data directory" in the "Find More" settings I have set this to the UNC path. Would I have to redo all the "links" after setting this? That is, I created some program links to the TVDB before using the UNC path so is it necessary to do these again (even though the UNC path points to the same local location on the server as before)?

[alibert]

Hi,

I think that would be enough so that both the server and clients are accessing the same cache and link information, and there's no need to re-create the links. Can you try to open a programme both on the server and the client, where you know that it is linked to a tvdb series, then zip and attach the npvr.log file of both the server and the client?

-alibert