Detect No Data/Signal while recording

[hondophred]

Is it possible to detect that a recording is getting no signal/data while recording?

I have digital cable boxes as my source (Arris DCX 3200) but they randomly turn off every 2-3 weeks. My remote has a power toggle button but not a power on. If i could detect that the box is off i could send the power toggle signal and maybe repeat the channel change command to get things back on track.

[sub]

Is it possible to detect that a recording is getting no signal/data while recording?

From a set top box? Generally no. Depending on device, and the configured audio source etc, the capture device is likely still sending audio/video data to NextPVR, and NextPVR will be recording it to a file. NextPVR will have no idea that video is just black, and the audio silent.

[hondophred]

Yea I get that.

How about if i am recording over HDMI to a colossus card. I do get the error message that the file is empty when this occurs.

If it isn't possible that's ok I was just wondering if i was missing anything.

[sub]

If it's HDMI or SPDIF audio, then usually the device will deliver no data. NextPVR doesn't try to actively do anything when it realise this is the case. It just keeps waiting for any data duration of the recording. If nothing is received at all, then ultimately it notes it down as a failure, with this reason given.

[hondophred]

So I ended up looking into parallelprocessing.bat some more and I added the following to my batch script:

Code:

rem Check after 20 seconds if the file is empty.   if so try waking it
ping 127.0.0.1 -n 20 -w 1000 > NUL
call C:\Users\Public\NPVR\Scripts\SQLITE3 C:\Users\Public\NPVR\npvR.DB3 "select substr(CHANGER_ARGS,1,5) from scheduLED_RECORDING inner join hdpvr_RECORDER on scheduLED_RECORDING.capture_source_oid =  hdpvr_RECORDER.captuRE_SOURCE_oid WHERE OID = %3;" > C:\Users\Public\NPVR\Scripts\temp.txt
set /p changer=<C:\Users\Public\NPVR\Scripts\temp.txt
call del C:\Users\Public\NPVR\Scripts\temp.txt
echo changer value : %changer% >>processing.log
call C:\Users\Public\NPVR\Scripts\SQLITE3 C:\Users\Public\NPVR\npvR.DB3 "select channel_source_number from scheduLED_RECORDING inner join channEL_MAPPING on scheduLED_RECORDING.channel_oid = channel_mapping.channel_oid and scheduLED_RECORDING.capture_source_oid = channel_mapping.capture_source_oid WHERE scheduLED_RECORDING.OID = %3;" > C:\Users\Public\NPVR\Scripts\temp.txt
set /p channel=<C:\Users\Public\NPVR\Scripts\temp.txt
call del C:\Users\Public\NPVR\Scripts\temp.txt
echo channel value : %channel% >>processing.log
echo file size value : %~z1 >>processing.log
echo %date%,%time% - ParallelProcessing.bat changer values %changer% tuner value %channel% >>processing.log
if %~z1 == 0 call C:\Users\Public\NPVR\Scripts\RestartRecording %changer% %channel%

I also had to add the sqlite3 executable, and create restartrecording.bat

Code:

echo %date%,%time% - RestartRecording.bat invoked on %1 recorded from channel %2 >>processing.log
"c:\program files\iguanair\IGchannel.exe" %1 p
ping 127.0.0.1 -n 2 -w 1000 > NUL
"c:\program files\iguanair\IGchannel.exe" %1 %2

which sends the powertoggle keystroke and then the channel change key strokes again.