New and improved UbuStream web tv/radio "tuner" - now released as a plugin

[stoenjes]

If you are sure that UbuStreamPlugin.dll is in the gbpvr\Plugins directory, it should show up on the GBPVR config Plugins tab as "Web TV/Radio". Have you had success in installing other plugins? Does anything unusual show up in the Config.exe.log file?

The files are in the proper directories, including CommonGBPVRUtilities.dll and GbpvrUiElements.dll. I've installed a few plugins, including News Feed and Net Radio in the recent past. Version is 0.96.12.
There are no files in my C:\Program Files\devnz\gbpvr\skin\Blue\Common Dialogs

Config.exe.log:
4/21/2006 6:47:52 PM.531 VERBOSE [12] installDirectory is C:\Program Files\devnz\gbpvr\
4/21/2006 6:47:52 PM.531 VERBOSE [12] configurationFile is config.xml
4/21/2006 6:47:52 PM.546 VERBOSE [12] getValue() loading new key/value into cache: /settings/DatabaseConnectionString
4/21/2006 6:47:52 PM.546 VERBOSE [12] getValue: /settings/DatabaseConnectionString : Provider=Microsoft.Jet.OLEDB.4.0;Data Source=".\gbpvr.mdb";User Id=admin;Password=
4/21/2006 6:47:52 PM.546 VERBOSE [12] databaseConnectionString is Provider=Microsoft.Jet.OLEDB.4.0;Data Source="C:\Program Files\devnz\gbpvr\\gbpvr.mdb";User Id=admin;Password=
4/21/2006 6:47:52 PM.546 VERBOSE [12] getValue() loading new key/value into cache: /settings/LoggingLevel
4/21/2006 6:47:52 PM.546 VERBOSE [12] getValue: /settings/LoggingLevel : Error
4/21/2006 6:47:52 PM.734 ERROR [12] Error initializing menu plugin: C:\Program Files\devnz\gbpvr\\plugins\UbuStreamPlugin.dll
4/21/2006 6:47:52 PM.734 ERROR [12] Exception has been thrown by the target of an invocation.
4/21/2006 6:47:52 PM.734 ERROR [12] at System.RuntimeType.CreateInstanceImpl(Boolean publicOnly)
at System.Activator.CreateInstance(Type type, Boolean nonPublic)
at System.Activator.CreateInstance(Type type)
at xd426863f4d052758.xc4f12ec3a8a4c96b.xb77fa95273e0c228()
4/21/2006 6:47:52 PM.734 ERROR [12] Inner exception: System.IO.FileNotFoundException: Could not find file "C:\Program Files\devnz\gbpvr\skin\Blue\Common Dialogs\Prompt Box skin.xml".
File name: "C:\Program Files\devnz\gbpvr\skin\Blue\Common Dialogs\Prompt Box skin.xml"
at System.IO.__Error.WinIOError(Int32 errorCode, String str)
at System.IO.FileStream..ctor(String path, FileMode mode, FileAccess access, FileShare share, Int32 bufferSize, Boolean useAsync, String msgPath, Boolean bFromProxy)
at System.IO.FileStream..ctor(String path, FileMode mode, FileAccess access, FileShare share)
at System.Xml.XmlDownloadManager.GetStream(Uri uri, ICredentials credentials)
at System.Xml.XmlUrlResolver.GetEntity(Uri absoluteUri, String role, Type ofObjectToReturn)
at System.Xml.XmlTextReader.CreateScanner()
at System.Xml.XmlTextReader.Init()
at System.Xml.XmlTextReader.Read()
at System.Xml.XmlValidatingReader.ReadWithCollectTextToken()
at System.Xml.XmlValidatingReader.Read()
at System.Xml.XmlLoader.Load(XmlDocument doc, XmlReader reader, Boolean preserveWhitespace)
at System.Xml.XmlDocument.Load(XmlReader reader)
at System.Xml.XmlDocument.Load(String filename)
at CommonGBPVRUtilities.ErrorDialog..ctor()
at UbuStreamPlugin.UbuStreamPluginTask..ctor()
4/21/2006 6:47:52 PM.734 ERROR [12] at System.IO.__Error.WinIOError(Int32 errorCode, String str)
at System.IO.FileStream..ctor(String path, FileMode mode, FileAccess access, FileShare share, Int32 bufferSize, Boolean useAsync, String msgPath, Boolean bFromProxy)
at System.IO.FileStream..ctor(String path, FileMode mode, FileAccess access, FileShare share)
at System.Xml.XmlDownloadManager.GetStream(Uri uri, ICredentials credentials)
at System.Xml.XmlUrlResolver.GetEntity(Uri absoluteUri, String role, Type ofObjectToReturn)
at System.Xml.XmlTextReader.CreateScanner()
at System.Xml.XmlTextReader.Init()
at System.Xml.XmlTextReader.Read()
at System.Xml.XmlValidatingReader.ReadWithCollectTextToken()
at System.Xml.XmlValidatingReader.Read()
at System.Xml.XmlLoader.Load(XmlDocument doc, XmlReader reader, Boolean preserveWhitespace)
at System.Xml.XmlDocument.Load(XmlReader reader)
at System.Xml.XmlDocument.Load(String filename)
at CommonGBPVRUtilities.ErrorDialog..ctor()
at UbuStreamPlugin.UbuStreamPluginTask..ctor()

[ubu]

Anyone knows if there is a repository somewhere of WebTVs (that we could use with such a plugin) ?

Good question. Finding good streaming web stations is a tricky business since it's a dynamic world with URLs often changing and stations popping up and disappearing a lot.

I've started a new thread: List of useful TV/Radio URLs for use with UbuStream plugin in the General Discussion forum as a place where we can share our favourite internet TV and Radio stations and/or links to favourite aggregation sites.

I've "primed the pump" by posting this link to the Resources page on my UbuRemote site. which has a list of useful links for streaming media fans, including several web station directory sites.

[ubu]

There are no files in my C:\Program Files\devnz\gbpvr\skin\Blue\Common Dialogs

I think there should be. All the skins seem to have files in that directory, including Prompt Box skin.xml, the file that the Config program is complaining about. This seems to indicate that your GBPVR installation is incomplete or that, somehow, the Blue skin has been damaged. Maybe try switching to a different skin (which would include the missing files) or try reinstalling GBPVR.

[MrM]

I think there should be. All the skins seem to have files in that directory, including Prompt Box skin.xml, the file that the Config program is complaining about. This seems to indicate that your GBPVR installation is incomplete or that, somehow, the Blue skin has been damaged. Maybe try switching to a different skin (which would include the missing files) or try reinstalling GBPVR.

Had the same problem here but it's solved now. Prompt Box skin.xml is in the CommonGBPVRUtilities plugin skeleton. Install the skin-files from that one and everything works fine

[ubu]

There are no files in my C:\Program Files\devnz\gbpvr\skin\Blue\Common Dialogs

Had the same problem here but it's solved now. Prompt Box skin.xml is in the CommonGBPVRUtilities plugin skeleton. Install the skin-files from that one and everything works fine

I had a reference to the CommonGBPVRUtilities ErrorDialog (which I wasn't actually using:o) so that was causing it to look for Prompt Box skin.xml in the skin\Blue\Common Dialogs directory. I have removed the reference and updated the wiki so you shouldn't need the above workaround any more.

Strangely, most of the skin distributions contain the Common Dialogs directory but the original Blue skin does not. Also, quite a few plugins use this directory (which is why I had not noticed the problem). I had to do a clean install of GBPVR in order to figure out what was happening. I apologize for the confusion.

[pz1]

I don't have an MVP so I can't give a definite answer ....

This looks like a very interesting plugin. I did install it, and got it working in List Mode on the PC (in the basement). However I would like to see it working on the MVP in the living room, so I do need the external recorder solution. I am utterly confused on the documentation of how ubustream and external recorder parameters need to be set. Could you provide us with the parameters you use to get it displaying via GBPVR (Channel Mode) on the PC?
Thanks, pz

[stefalex]

Hello Ubu

sorry or not coming back on your plugin sooner !
Here in france (yes, I am french) we have a ISP namned free that provides us with full quality SD tv station feeds (they are only reachable from inside the network).
We have somewhere around 100 channels available (all the main french tv channels).
We use vlc to watch these, there is a playlist file namned playlist.m3u, it looks like this :

#EXTM3U
#EXTINF:0,2 - France 2
rtsp://mafreebox.freebox.fr/freeboxtv/201
#EXTINF:0,3 - France 3 national
rtsp://mafreebox.freebox.fr/freeboxtv/202
#EXTINF:0,5 - France 5
rtsp://mafreebox.freebox.fr/freeboxtv/203
#EXTINF:0,6 - Euronews
rtsp://mafreebox.freebox.fr/freeboxtv/205
#EXTINF:0,7 - Arte
rtsp://mafreebox.freebox.fr/freeboxtv/204
#EXTINF:0,8 - Direct 8
rtsp://mafreebox.freebox.fr/freeboxtv/372
#EXTINF:0,9 - W9
rtsp://mafreebox.freebox.fr/freeboxtv/373
#EXTINF:0,11 - NT1
rtsp://mafreebox.freebox.fr/freeboxtv/374
#EXTINF:0,12 - NRJ 12 5.1

and so on ...

Do you think there is something we can do to use this in ubustream ???
I guess this is doable.

My wish is to use GBPVR as a frontend for this.
With the addition of the plugin and the channel mode (by the way can we record the feeds ?) everybdy using free (around 1.2 millions subscribers !) would be happy to get a good looking media center software to record their tv shows.

Let me know what you think ?

[ubu]

We have somewhere around 100 channels available

Well you French folks are lucky. I wish we had something similar here in the US. France always seems to be ahead of the game with comm technology. Didn't you guys invent teletext in the early 70s (Minitel, I think)? It was available on every phone in France before the rest of us had even got touch-tone dialling together

Do you think there is something we can do to use this in ubustream ???

Sure you can. Just enter the channel names along with their "rtsp://..." URLs as UbuStream "stations" using the UbuStream station config program (making sure to select "Video LAN Client" as the media player for each station). It should then work fine in both list mode and channel mode.

To record the streams, a bit more configuration is needed. You should be able to enter the VLC recording parms in the Recording Parms field when defining the Capture Source (see the UbuStream documentation for configuring "channel mode" and the documentation for installing/configuring the ExternalRecorder plugin). There's some discussion of this earlier in this thread, also. I haven't had time to play with this much myself, since recording isn't a priority for me. If anyone encounters specific issues/problems with recording from UbuStream, let me have the details and I will investigate.

[ubu]

I did install it, and got it working in List Mode on the PC (in the basement).

I live in California where we have earthquakes so we don't have basements. So I'm glad to get confirmation that UbuStream does, in fact work in a basement. But I see that it would be nice to have it work for your living room too, so here's what I can tell you:

Since I don't have an MVP, I'm largely basing my assumptions on anecdotal stuff from discussions on the forums. The impression I get is that, if something can be played in GBPVR's timeshift mode, it can be viewed on your MVP. Streams played via the ExternalRecorder plugin (using a media player that supports recording and having entered the appropriate recording parameters for the capture source) can be viewed in timeshift mode. UbuStream, in channel mode, uses an ExternalRecorder capture source to play streams. So, in principle, this should work. I'm hoping that someone who has an MVP will confirm this for me.

I am utterly confused on the documentation of how ubustream and external recorder parameters need to be set.

Well I tried to give fairly detailed instructions for UbuStream set up. I didn't include much about recording streams since this is not "officially" supported yet and hasn't been high on my priority list. The ExternalRecorder docs do seem to be somewhat "terse" but there's some good stuff out there in the forum threads if you snorkle around a bit. This is all complicated by the new release of ExternalRecorder which I haven't had a chance to test with UbuStream yet (I only have so much bandwidth to devote to this).

If you can get your media player (VLC, mplayer) to record a stream outside of GBPVR, then you should be able to get it to do the same thing via UbuStream. The parms you pass to the UbuStreamCmd program ({channel} "<player parms>") are converted such that the media player is invoked with <player app executable name> <fullscreen parm> <player parms>. So if you use the same parms for the capture source recording parms as you did to invoke the player outside GBPVR, it should do exactly the same thing.

[ubu]

there is a playlist file namned playlist.m3u, it looks like this :

It occurred to me you might be asking if UbuStream could use the playlist directly. I have been giving some thought to how UbuStream could support playlists and may incorporate something in the next release.

Also, if you want to use the same channel numbers as those used in the m3u file, you could use the GBPVR config program's Channels tab where you can override the channel numbers that were generated when GBPVR imported the UbuStreamEPG.xml stations the first time you used "Update EPG" on the Capture Sources tab.