NPVR 2.3.6 - Current Patches and Getting Started info

[johnsonx42]

Current Patches for NPVR 2.3.6

NEW - - - - Major skip timing and performance improvements - - - - Pre-R2 "Skip Patch" rev 2[color="red"]b[/COLOR]: http://forums.nextpvr.com/showthread.php...post432282

Cumulative Update - February 12, 2012 - NPVR 2.3.6 Patches R1: http://forums.gbpvr.com/attachment.php?a...1329095268

2.3.6 R1 versions of updated NPVR files:
-----------------------------------------------------------
02/10/2012 06:08 AM NextPVR.exe
01/23/2012 11:35 AM NPVRTSMon.ax
02/12/2012 03:18 PM NShared.dll

ALL NPVR USERS SHOULD INSTALL THE CUMULATIVE PATCH UPDATE REGARDLESS OF WHETHER YOU ARE EXPERIENCING THE IDENTIFIED ISSUES. These updated files represent the latest version of NPVR code, and may include other changes not documented. Other later patches or program updates you may find posted by sub may fail if all your NPVR program files are not up to date. In particular, before posting any support request please install the current cumulative patch update and reproduce your problem.

===Patches 1-14 included in NPVR 2.3.6 Patches R1===
1. Remove crash pop-up message from NDigitalHost.exe to avoid Interactive Services prompt: http://forums.nextpvr.com/showthread.php...post428805
2. Correct high cpu usage by NextPVR.exe after video playback on NMT: http://forums.nextpvr.com/showthread.php...post428982
3. Return to same position in What's New list after watching a recording: http://forums.nextpvr.com/showthread.php...post428994
4. Correct wrong channel numbers being imported into HDPVR channel list: http://forums.nextpvr.com/showthread.php...post428931
5. Fix TV Guide channel display after watching TV with channel group selected: http://forums.nextpvr.com/showthread.php...post429149
6. TV Guide return to same channel after watching TV: http://forums.nextpvr.com/showthread.php...post429234
7. avoid NRecord crash when NDigitalHost crashes (graph stop crash): http://forums.nextpvr.com/showthread.php...post429364
8. reject bogus PSIP data causing channel not found during scan: http://forums.nextpvr.com/showthread.php...post429257
9. support manually defined teletext streams (via TeletextExtras.xml): http://forums.nextpvr.com/showthread.php...post429671 (see notes in thread!)
10. correct exception when selecting DVD subtitles: http://forums.nextpvr.com/showthread.php...post430411
11. improve unique_id from xlmtv: http://forums.nextpvr.com/showthread.php...post430539
12. correct clock not updated after screensaver, also change cover art logic: http://forums.nextpvr.com/showthread.php...post430737
13. support comskip on PC Client: http://forums.nextpvr.com/showthread.php...post430971
14. change port range on DCR-2650 to avoid port conflict on consecutive recordings: http://forums.nextpvr.com/showthread.php...post431163

===New Patches posted since R1 - install as needed (also see NEWA patches below) ===
15. ignore unreasonable data in XMLTV file and continue loading EPG - http://forums.nextpvr.com/showthread.php...post431284
16. correct run-on recordings after re-allocating recording(s) to a different tuner - http://forums.nextpvr.com/showthread.php...post431449
17. fix index out of range error, add dvd folder playback to NMT, .iso passthru - http://forums.nextpvr.com/showthread.php...post431653
18. add QAM support for KWorld USB435Q-V2 and ASUS EHC3150 - http://forums.nextpvr.com/showthread.php...post431717
19. improve logging by NDigitalHost - log each capture device - http://forums.nextpvr.com/showthread.php...post431370
+++ STOP HERE+++ If you want any patch past this point, you must install the complete "Skip Patch" linked above!

=== DO NOT INSTALL INDIVIDUAL PATCHES PAST THIS POINT - THESE ARE LISTED FOR REFERENCE ONLY ===
20. new NPVRTSreader2 and associated updates (original "Skip Patch") - http://forums.nextpvr.com/showthread.php...post432114
21. correct channel scan very slow after skip patch - http://forums.nextpvr.com/showthread.php...post432344
22. ignore "encrypted content" on HDPVR/Colossus - http://forums.nextpvr.com/showthread.php...post432340
23. correct "unexpected error parsing epg event" - http://forums.nextpvr.com/showthread.php...post432524
24. PC client: improve skipping in Live TV and in-progress recordings - http://forums.nextpvr.com/showthread.php...post432512
25. Fix resume on NMT - obey <PreResumeDelay> value - http://forums.nextpvr.com/showthread.php...post432645
26. Additional skipping fixes for in-progress recordings and PC Client - http://forums.nextpvr.com/showthread.php...post432671
27. (unconfirmed) fix for incomplete DVB EPG update - http://forums.nextpvr.com/showthread.php...post432675
28. Repost skip patches to fix LiveTV from PC Client - http://forums.nextpvr.com/showthread.php...post432706
29. Another change to NPVR TS Reader 2 - http://forums.nextpvr.com/showthread.php...post432817
30. fix 20 second delay when stopping recording graph - http://forums.nextpvr.com/showthread.php...post432968
=== TO GET THE ABOVE UPDATES/FIXES INSTALL THE Pre-R2 "Skip Patch" Rev 2b LINKED AT THE TOP OF THIS POST ===

=== Past this point are new updates posted since Pre-R2 Rev 2b, which you may install as needed; it's best to install them all ===
31. additional updates to improve timeline and skip accuracy - http://forums.nextpvr.com/showthread.php...post433156
32. support separate timing.info data file on NMT - http://forums.nextpvr.com/showthread.php...post433160
33. correct "unexpected error parsing epg event" #2 - http://forums.nextpvr.com/showthread.php...post433179

Latest version of updated NPVR files (if you were to install all patches listed):
-----------------------------------------------------------
02/16/2012 05:12 AM NDigitalHost.exe
03/11/2012 09:20 AM NextPVR.exe
03/08/2012 05:51 AM NPVRTSMon.ax
03/11/2012 08:37 AM NPVRTSReader2.ax
02/27/2012 08:55 AM NPVRWriter.ax
03/04/2012 01:29 PM NShared.dll
03/04/2012 01:29 PM NUtility.dll
03/11/2012 08:38 AM Unmanaged.dll

NEWA (web access) Patches - these patches are not included with the regular patch archive, as they go into the DATA folder
1. Correct crash in Manage Recordings - http://forums.nextpvr.com/showthread.php...post431129
2. Correct with search engine issues (also affects SearchLite) - http://forums.nextpvr.com/showthread.php...post431264
3. fix crash following live streaming/transcoding via VLC - http://forums.nextpvr.com/showthread.php...post432647

It should be noted that patches are listed generally in chronological order, but not perfectly so. 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 (example: Patch #9). Finally, not all patches actually fix what they are supposed to, but the changes usually remain in the file going forward, so they are listed as part of the update history.

Installation Notes These "patches" are simply replacement files for the existing NPVR program files. You should extract them and copy them over the existing files; the default directory is C:\Program Files\NPVR. If you are running Vista or 7 and have UAC enabled, you will likely need to do this from an elevated command prompt or explorer window. To get an elevated explorer window, go to All Programs->Accessories, right-click on Windows Explorer and select "Run as Administrator". Now, within that explorer window only, you are the Administrator.

Before installing patches, you must exit NextPVR.exe, shutdown the NPVR Recording Service and close the NPVR Tray Icon (using the "Stop NPVR Service" icon accomplishes both).

I recommend that you restart your system after installing patches. I've seen numerous cases where the Recording Service is not able to restart properly due to a socket error. You can check your NRecord.log to see whether it did or not, or just reboot to be safe.

Threads being watched for patches:
1. DVB EPG update incomplete: http://forums.nextpvr.com/showthread.php...EPG-update

[johnsonx42]

NPVR Getting Started information

The primary documentation is the Wiki: http://www.gbpvr.com/nwiki. This post is meant to provide some basic information to get you pointed in the right direction.

The current NPVR Installer: http://www.gbpvr.com/NPVRSetup_2_3_6.exe
- v2.3.6 released January 18th (NZ Time). Release notes: http://forums.nextpvr.com/showthread.php?51430

Installation Pre-Requisites: http://www.nextpvr.com/nwiki/pmwiki.php?...requisites
Full DirectX Runtime: http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/det...px?id=8109

What is NPVR aka NextPVR?
NPVR is a completely new PVR application. With it you can watch and record TV programs from a variety of sources, play music and watch movies, and extend the functionality with various plugins. It can be thought of as the next generation of GB-PVR, but does not contain any GB-PVR code. GB-PVR skins and plugins are NOT compatible with NPVR. The initial release version number of NPVR was 1.5.19 (all versions 1.4.7 and prior are the older GB-PVR program). Much can be learned by reading sub's release notes in all of the 1.5.x release threads here: http://forums.gbpvr.com//forumdisplay.ph...order=desc (particularly the 1.5.19 notes are relevant if you are familiar with GB-PVR)

What about GB-PVR?
GB-PVR is no longer being developed. 1.4.7 was the final release, there will be no further changes, patches or bug fixes. Most plugin developers have also ended developement of their GB-PVR plugins. Support is still provided in the GB-PVR Support (Legacy) forum.

Getting Started & Accessing Settings:
The first time you run NextPVR.exe, it *should* load the Settings screen. If it doesn't, or when you need to get into it again, simply Right-Click anywhere in the NextPVR window; then you can select "Settings" from the menu.

Analog Capture Devices:
For ALL analog capture devices, you will need some of the Hauppauge SoftPVR components. If your Analog capture source does not show up in Devices, then the needed components are missing. If you first install WinTV7 (not 6, 7!) you will have the needed components installed. You can download WinTV7 from Hauppauge if you have an earlier WinTV CD available AND have a supported Hauppauge device installed: http://hauppauge.lightpath.net/software/...d_2.4d.exe. See the wiki for additional installation options: http://www.nextpvr.com/nwiki/pmwiki.php?...ugeSoftPVR

Some Analog devices will also need an appropriate entry added to the AnalogDevices.xml file; if your analog device won't show up after successfully installing the SoftPVR components, run FilterCheck (http://forums.nextpvr.com/showthread.php...post386360), and post a support request thread with your FilterCheck.log attached as a .zip file. Post from Sub that reminds me how to construct an AnalogDevices.xml entry: http://forums.gbpvr.com//showthread.php?...post386495

North America Digital Cable (QAM) Support
Many ATSC/QAM digital tuner drivers do not properly identify QAM support for the device, and thus the device will appear only in the ATSC form; you will not be able to tune digital cable with this device entry. If the QAM entry for your device does not show up, view the devices screen then post a new support thread with your NPVR.LOG attached, along with a "please sir". sub can use data in the log to add QAM support for your device via a patch.

SiliconDust HDHomeRun
In the SiliconDust driver configuration, there is an option to set the Application you'll be using with it. Do not set it to GB-PVR; you will not be able to scan for channels. Instead, set the application to "Other".

NPVR Directories
NPVR has a program directory and a data directory. By default:
[PROGRAM] = "C:\Program Files\NPVR" (32-bit versions of Windows)
[PROGRAM] = "C:\Program Files(x86)\NPVR" (64-bit versions of Windows)

[DATA] = "C:\Users\Public\NPVR" on Windows 6 variants (Vista, 7, 2008)
[DATA] = "C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\NPVR" on Windows 5.x variants (XP, 2003).

NPVR LOGS
NPVR logs pretty much everything it does in several log files. You should zip and attach your logs to any support post. The default log location is in the logs directory under the npvr data directory:
Windows Vista & Windows 7: C:\users\public\npvr\logs
Windows XP: C:\documents and settings\all users\application data\npvr\logs
--(my personal pet peeve: posted logs must be in .zip format or I probably won't look at them. someone else probably will, but not me... I may even gripe about it, yet still not look at the logs, because I'm just THAT WAY about it)--
To attach the logs, use the 'Go Advanced' button when posting, then click the paperclip and follow the onscreen instructions.

EPG (Electronic Program Guide)
NPVR will read any available EPG data you receive from your broadcasters (the DVB-T/ATSC Broadcast EPG option). However this information is sometimes very limited and not really of much use for more than the most basic TV watching functions (particularly North American digital cable and broadcast). It is recommended instead that you provide an XMLTV file with your desired EPG data. You will need an XMLTV grabber to download your EPG data into a file, and then point NPVR to that file. NPVR can also link directly to an XMLTV file on a web server. Once you setup your XMLTV grabber, you can put the commands to run the grabber in to the UpdateEPG.bat file in the npvr\scripts directory. NPVR runs this file first before updating the EPG each time. Here are a few XMLTV grabbers:

XMLTV: http://sourceforge.net/projects/xmltv/
XMLTVGUI: http://www.birtles.org.uk/xmltv/ - of particular interest to UK users
MC2XML: http://mc2xml.dyndns.org - can grab free Windows Media Center EPG data
DVBGuide: http://forums.gbpvr.com//showthread.php?...post387262 - load DVB broadcast EPG into XMLTV
EPGCollector: http://www.geekzone.co.nz/forums.asp?for...icid=61903 - load NZ Freeview-T EPG into XMLTV

In addition, for US and Canadian users, NPVR now has built-in support for the Schedules Direct EPG service. Create an account at http://www.schedulesdirect.org; quality, legal EPG data is only $20.00 per year.

Some quick instructions on the XMLTV setup and channel mapping process here: http://forums.gbpvr.com//showthread.php?...post387096.

Batch files executed by NPVR:
[DATA]\Scripts\ParallelProcessing.bat <filename> <channelnumber> <oid>: called when a recording begins - often used for comskip
[DATA]\Scripts\PostProcessing.bat <filename> <channelnumber> <oid>: called when a recording completes (not canceled) - often used for comskip or transcoding
[DATA]\Scripts\UpdateEPG.bat : called when the EPG update begins at the time specified in Settings; commands herein should update the XMLTV file
[DATA]\Scripts\PostUpdateEPG.bat : called during the EPG update procedure; can be used for additional EPG-related processing (i.e. xmltvextras)
[DATA]\Scripts\Wakeup.bat : called after PC resumes from sleep.
[DATA]\Scripts\ScreenSaverStart.bat & ScreenSaverStop.bat: called when screen saver starts or exits

Parameters used in the Parallel/PostProcessing.bat: %1=the full path and file name of the recording file, %2=channel number, %3=recording OID for scripts that will modify the database.

The UpdateEPG.bat is only needed when using the XMLTV option.

Sample PostProcessing.bat: http://forums.nextpvr.com/showthread.php...post387833

NScriptHelper docs: http://forums.nextpvr.com/showthread.php...post414127

PLEASE NOTE: the scripts run as 'Local System', not your normal desktop user. Among other things, mapped network drives will NOT be there. Use \\server\sharename or \\ip\sharename instead.

Video and Audio Decoders
You must provide and select decoders for the video and audio streams that you will be playing. Analog video in any country requires only an MPEG-2 Video decoder and an MPEG-1 Layer 2 Audio decoder. The decoders provided with Windows XP/Vista/7 are usually sufficient for this. Digital video in the USA requires an HD-Capable MPEG-2 Video decoder and an AC3 Audio decoder. The Microsoft DTV-DVD Video decoder works well for many users, however the Microsoft DTV-DVD Audio Decoder will not work for AC3 Audio. Use AC3Filter (http://ac3filter.net) instead. In other countries H.264 Video and various other forms of Audio are in use; you should familiarize yourself with the format(s) used in your country.

Our good friend Hoborg has developed a codec pack for NPVR: http://forums.nextpvr.com/showthread.php?50227

Moving from GB-PVR
GB-PVR and NPVR can run at the same time, but be careful not to have both programs attempt to use the same tuner(s) at the same time.
NPVR can import your existing Ready recordings; click Import on the Recording screen in Settings, and point to GB-PVR's recording-dump.xml.
There is a utility for importing season recordings, see: http://forums.nextpvr.com/showthread.php?47438

NEWA - NPVR Enhanced Web Access
Thanks to UncleJohnsBand, NPVR sports a spiffy web interface. Just point your web browser to [url]http://machine_name_or_ip:8866[/url], and enjoy (or http://localhost:8866 if you're on the same box). You can set an admin password for the configuration functions on the 'MVP & Web' screen in Settings.

[mvallevand]

The link for WinTV 7 should be http://hauppauge.lightpath.net/software/...d_2.4d.exe I read on the Hauppauge forums that "f" is a few days away, I don't know what happened to "e"

Martin

[johnsonx42]

Thanks Martin. I noticed previously the link was outdated, but forgot to come back and update it. I've fixed it for now, but may ultimately just leave the wiki link as the authoritative source on analog support.

[johnsonx42]

NPVR 2.3.6 Patches R1.zip now available: http://forums.gbpvr.com/attachment.php?a...1329095268

With the 14 patches released so far, all the apparent new bugs have been fixed and the new features that didn't quite work at release now do, so it seems time for a Cumulative Patch.

2.3.6 R1 versions of updated NPVR files:
-----------------------------------------------------------
02/10/2012 06:08 AM NextPVR.exe
01/23/2012 11:35 AM NPVRTSMon.ax
02/12/2012 03:18 PM NShared.dll

[johnsonx42]

PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS Pre-R2 UPDATE IS BETA - sub responded to a lot of griping about skipping by pre-releasing code he had planned for NPVR 2.4. It's pretty much being beta-tested and patched live in the forum. The "official" update to NPVR 2.3.6 is the R1 patch in the first post (in as much as anything I say is official). The Pre-R2 update is for those who want to jump into the beta pool with the rest of the fish, but this latest update to rev 2b seems to correct all the observed bugs.

Sub has written a new TS Reader, and the result is MAJOR improvements to skip accuracy, performance and responsiveness. The patch archive attached here includes the latest version of all the files affected by these changes, as well as any other changes listed for patches 1-30

To actually use the new TS Reader (NPVRTSReader2.ax) you need to manually register it. To do this, open a command prompt (make sure it's elevated if you run with UAC!), cd to \program files\NPVR, then type "regsvr32 npvrtsreader2.ax". See sub's initial post on this for more details: http://forums.nextpvr.com/showthread.php...post432114

Please note that this skip patch is VERY fresh, and hasn't been fully excercised by everyone yet; currently bugs are being found and fixed as we go. Consider this a beta release at best... if you want NPVR to "just work", stick with 2.3.6 R1.

I will keep this updated if any important new changes come along; currently it includes all updates posted through post #218 in the "Skip Problem" thread. This MAY become the "official" 2.3.6 R2 Cumulative Update some day, or it may stay 'pre-R2' forever.

IMPORTANT NOTE: if you are using Windows Vista/7 built-in zip handling to extract these files, please note that you must Unblock the zip file before extracting it. To do this, right-click on the .zip file and click the "Unblock" button on the General tab. This is always a good idea, but becomes necessary with this archive because it contains an executable that is called by the NRecord service. An alternative is to use another extraction utility like 7-zip.

[johnsonx42]

I've updated the skip patch to include the latest changes, in the post just above this one. I've also added some words noting the 'bleeding edge' nature of this whole bunch of patches, and also noted that after the original skip patch (#19), the patches become interdependant, so you need to stop at patch #18 if you don't want to leap all the way in.

(the rev 2a skip patch has now fixed livetv on PC Clients)

[johnsonx42]

updated the Pre-R2 skip patch to rev 2b, two posts above this one. this includes a couple more fixes, and things are working pretty well. I also moved the NDigitalHost logging patch above the "Stop Here" line in the patch list, since it's not related to the skip patches - you can get the extra NDigitalHost logging without installing the skip patch.

[johnsonx42]

As sub has posted that a new version is a few days away, there will be no further patch releases for NPVR 2.3.6. Pre-R2 rev 2b plus patches 31, 32 & 33 should be considered the final state of NPVR 2.3.6. (only #31 is really relevant to the majority of users).

Just so there's no confusion, no updates at all are required before upgrading to the next version of NPVR.