NextPVR 5 and IR Blasting with Hauppauge Colossus

[three6zerocool]

Hello,  some months ago I posted an issue regarding IR Blasting using Hauppauge Colossus card with my Set Top Box. (MySkyHDi)

Basically, have been using NextPVR v4 without issue, and IR Blasting working fine.
However, when using NextPVR 5,  I get no IR Blasting inside the Web App, or the Desktop NPVR app, or indeed any client connected to the server.

I thought I would wait and see if it was an issue with the earlier V5 build I was using at the time,  but the current build has the same issues for me.

With V4,  I am using the built in IR Blaster supplied with the Hauppauge Colossus card.
There is an exe called 'Haupblast.exe'  in the C:\Program Files (x86)\NPVR folder.

When I installed NextPVR 5, I copied the above exe into the same folder, along with blaster script which I can optionally use to add delay, tho it works just using the HaupBlast exe.

I created an environmental path variable, which points to the c:\Program Files (x86)\NPVR folder.
If I open a command prompt and type 'HaupBlast.exe 1'  then it blasts IR and changes to channel 1 on my Set Top Box.

But if I try changing channels in Next PVR5, it does not blast any IR.
The channel change command in settings for NextPVR5 is set as 'HaupBlast.exe' in the first field of the channel setting in devices, and  '{channel}'  in the second field.
Also tried the full path of C:\Program Files (x86)\NPVR\HaupBlast.exe for first field,  and '{channel) for second field.

It plays the current channel in the web app or desktop app, but does not IR blast.
If I leave the video playing, and open a command prompt and type 'HaupBlast.exe 1'  it IR blasts to channel 1, and the channel does change in NextPVR,  so I assume the environmental path is
working.

I tried changing to the same STB channel in NextPVR several times, and have attached logs.   The Channel Name is 'Sky TV1'

Hope you can help..
..Cheers..

[mvallevand]

2020-09-18 12:59:32.495 [INFO][4] Running blaster: C:\Windows\System32\cmd.exe /C blast.cmd 5

From this command line there is no guarantee that blast.cmd will be located

Also you are quoting the wrong program folder for v5

Martin

[three6zerocool]

Blast.cmd  was my NextPVR v4  delay script,  which calls HaupBlast.exe.

Excuse my ignorance of NextPVR5,  but unlike V4 which I got up and running pretty fast with the help of users of this forum,  I am finding V5 more difficult.

Here's the thing... from my perspective,  I never installed 'HaupBlast.exe'   It was just there to begin with, and I assumed was included with NextPVR V4 as part of it's default built in support for
my Hauppauge product?.  I may be wrong,  but am sure it was just there after first installation.

If I am understanding you correctly,   It would appear that NextPVR5 requires the blaster executable in it's own core directory structure to work,  irrespective of environmental path, and what is that folder.....
Is it C:\Program Files\NPVR   or  C:\Users\Public\NPVR-data

[mvallevand]

Neither. V5 installs to C:\Program Files\NextPVR unless you have a non standard installation so the two versions can coexist. HaupBlast was missing from some early releases but it should be there now.

It has nothing to do with a directory structure a command line isn't smart when you execute that command Windows won't know where to find blast.cmd. I suspect NextPVR starts from the program folder and you could try to put blast.cmd in C:\Program Files\NextPVR to see if it works.

Martin

[three6zerocool]

>Neither. V5 installs to C:\Program Files\NextPVR unless you have a non standard installation so the two versions can coexist. HaupBlast was missing from some early >releases but it should be there now.

Thanks for that.   Yes, after your last post I did find that executable in the folder you mention above.

>It has nothing to do with a directory structure a command line isn't smart when you execute that command Windows won't know where to find blast.cmd.

I have spent more than several hours trying to get IR blasting to work, and for the life of me can not get anything to blast.
Either I am not using the correct syntax,   or I am trying to fix something that is broken, in which case it is not gonna work regardless.

Could it be a permissions issue? , a syntax issue?, it has to be something I am doing wrong, but for the life of me, this newbie is stuck.

Can someone give me an example of a working NPVR 5  two field command?
eg.   Field one:    'C:\Program Files\NextPVR\HaupBlast.exe '       Field 2:  '{channel}'
(as that is how I am attempting to use it, am I doing it right?)

>I suspect >NextPVR starts from the program folder and you could try to put blast.cmd in C:\Program Files\NextPVR to see if it works.

>Martin

I will try your suggestion, thankyou.

[mvallevand]

It might still be broken, it is not clear sub actually resolved the issue he found in your last testing https://forums.nextpvr.com/showthread.ph...224&page=2 and it might still be broken. Sorry I use linux with my HDPVR and don't test an windows.

Martin

[three6zerocool]

It it more likely to be something stupid that I am doing. (grin)
I have a very good working V4 configuration,  but it is always in the back of your mind that I should be using the latest and greatest.

I will keep experimenting, and post some more logs and maybe get a solve.

[sub]

2020-09-18 12:59:32.495 [INFO][4] Running blaster: C:\Windows\System32\cmd.exe /C blast.cmd 5

If you're getting that in log, then it's NextPVR is almost certainly trying to run cmd.exe, and pass in the parameters you've supplied here.

As Martin said though, it's likely relate to the path to blast.cmd. ie you should probably have used:
C:\Windows\System32\cmd.exe /C c:\path\to\my\blast.cmd {channel}

...and inside your blast.cmd file, make sure either use explicit paths to any executables you run, or explicitly issue a "cd c:\some\where" type command at the start of the .cmd file, so it's running from the directory where you expect it to be running.

(otherwise it's probably trying to run stuff and not finding it)

[three6zerocool]

Update:

Managed to get IR Blasting working!.

Had no joy trying to use cmd.exe to run my blast.cmd script.   I placed cd command in the batch file to point directly at haupblast.exe in Program Files\NextPVR, but could not make it work.

I gave up using the script for now, as I had it set to zero value for delay anyway.  Instead I used 'C:\Program Files\NextPVR\HaupBlast.exe '  '{channel}' ,
which now blasts IR signals.

So, I have a working NextPVR 5 !!.

I did manage to crash NextPVR desktop client while changing channels using IR, and the IR would no longer work.
I rebooted, and all working fine once more.