UbuStream v2.0 now officially released

[ubu]

UbuStream v2.0 is now finally available. It's an almost complete rewrite of the original plugin and adds a host of new features. Take a look at these screen shots so you can see some of the things it can do.

You can find out more and download it from the UbuStream wiki page.

If you haven't used UbuStream before, it's a plugin that lets you play web video and audio streams with GB-PVR. You can either pick them from a list (like the media libraries) or you can select them as channels (like live TV).

If you already use UbuStream, your existing station database will be automatically converted to the new format. In addition to the functionality you're already used to, here's just some of the new capabilities:

• Organize your stations into groups for ease of navigation.
  
• Instant database synchronization with the Worldwide Media Project. Stations and groups can be automatically downloaded from your personal “favourites” lists on the WWMP web site.
  
• Automatically download on-demand video/audio links. New stations and groups from a variety of web sites (CNN, BBC, etc.) are created in real-time so you always have the most recent streams.
  
• Capture your favourite video clips from YouTube and Google Video as UbuStream stations so you can watch them from GB-PVR.
  
• Automatically import podcasts from your podcast receiver so you can play them with UbuStream.
  
• Import/export station playlists using standard M3U or PLS files (or using UbuStream’s “extended PLS” format PLX files).
  
• View a description of the station (or its current media content) before playing it.
  
• View a station’s schedule web page from the UbuStream menu.
  
• Create media playlists on the fly with the Play Group button.
  
• Delete stations from the database without having to exit GB-PVR.
  
• Option to listen to audio streams with the player hidden. You can view your recordings, scan the TV Guide or check the weather while the station is playing. If you prefer watching vizualisations, switch the option off.
  
• Add/change stations without having to restart GB-PVR. The station database is continuously refreshed while the UbuStream plugin runs, so any changes you make using the config app show up instantly.
  
• Standalone configuration console so you don't need to run the GB-PVR config app in order to maintain the UbuStream station database.

Much of the new functionality has been created using a new architecture that extends UbuStream via "Dynamic Source" mini-plugin apps. This architecture is intended to open up the UbuStream platform to allow anyone to write a simple (or complex) app to capture content for use with UbuStream. Some of the Dynamic Source apps included in the v2.0 release have been written by UbuStream users who wanted their favourite media streams to be automatically available.

[McBainUK]

Hi Ubu. I got an error during installation and it seems it didint finish. When I go to run UbuStream from GBPVR it fails, saying it can't find common dialogs/promptbox.xml.

Are any installation logs made?

[7ore]

I installed atop of the RC that worked...
The Web streams menu item have disappeared from GBpvr.
I can choose it in config.exe though.

I Have not had the time to investigate further than this at this point.
When I open the ubustream config, I get this:

[7ore]

Back home, I tried again, but on this installation I moved all Ubu* files. And made a clean installation. And now it works. So it seems like a good idea to backup the old files and delete them from gbpvr. That I didn't do the last time.
And I thought that GbpvrUiElements.dll came with the installation. I removed it prior but had to put it back afterwards. But on the other hand, I havn't read the documentation...

When I try to use the old ubustrem.xml, I get the message above...

[McBainUK]

I get errors on entering the config app. All the dynsource plugins report an error and need to close.

Out of interest does the plugin or the sub plugins use the GBPVR install dir registry entry for anything? As in my WinXP 64 box its in a different place. Noticed this when writing the SkinPlugin.

Mark

[Fatman_do]

RE:Install logs

McBainUK, the installer is a WinRar volume that you can extract and do a manual install.

[ubu]

I get errors on entering the config app. All the dynsource plugins report an error and need to close.

Out of interest does the plugin or the sub plugins use the GBPVR install dir registry entry for anything? As in my WinXP 64 box its in a different place. Noticed this when writing the SkinPlugin.

That would probably explain a lot. Inside the plugin itself I use CommonGBPVRUtilities.GBPVRInfo.GBPVRRootDir but for external apps that don't have access to CommonGBPVRUtilities I'm using the registry entry (this includes the config app since it can be executed standalone). The DynamicSource.dll also uses the registry entry so any mini-plugins that use it will be pointing there. (But mini-plugins aren't required to use the dll. Some are just a black box exe, so I don't know what method they use to get the gbpvr directory root).

Is there a better way? I'm happy to change this approach if there is. I'm poised to release v2.01 PDQ to fix any teething troubles.

I got an error during installation and it seems it didint finish. When I go to run UbuStream from GBPVR it fails, saying it can't find common dialogs/promptbox.xml.

Hopefully, this is related to the isssue above. I thought I was experiencing deja vu until I looked at this old post. Since these skin files are now part of the Common GBPVR Utilities distribution I'm assuming that they'll just sort of "be there". My testing has been confined to the Blue skin, however.

McBainUK, the installer is a WinRar volume that you can extract and do a manual install.

Absolutely correct. On the other hand, if you copy the the setup program to the gbpvr root directory and run it from there (as per the wiki install instructions), it should be doing the right thing
(even if it's in H:\MyCompletelyNonStandardHTPC\IncrediblyLongDirectoryPath\devnz\gbpvr ).

No installation log is made since it's just copying files. Either they wind up in the right place or they don't. On the other hand, if you turn on Verbose logging, the plugin itself gives you way more information than you need (bit like my mother in law). I should probably clean that up a bit.

[ubu]

Back home, I tried again, but on this installation I moved all Ubu* files. And made a clean installation. And now it works. So it seems like a good idea to backup the old files and delete them from gbpvr. That I didn't do the last time.

You shouldn't need to move any files. The UbuStream setup program does a "destructive" install. The exception being UbuStream.xml, as decribed below.

And I thought that GbpvrUiElements.dll came with the installation. I removed it prior but had to put it back afterwards. But on the other hand, I havn't read the documentation...

I think I mentioned before, in the v2.0 beta thread, that GbpvrUiElements.dll is one of the "prerequisites" for installing UbuStream, as described on the wiki, and that I had included the dll in one of the beta zip files because the new version (v0.5) wasn't readily available at the time. Now it is.

When I try to use the old ubustrem.xml, I get the message above...

For most users, the first time they run the config app, if no existing xml file is found, a new, empty one will be created, or if an existing v1.6 xml file is found, it will be converted to the new format. In an attempt to preserve xml files created by folks helping out with the beta testing, I have inserted code that should convert any of the interim formats to the final version's format. Pretty hard to test for all permutations though.

If you've got a lot of groups/stations that you want to preserve (and you're still getting that message), send me your original UbuStream.xml file and I'll try to convert it for you manually. (Or, if you feel comfortable editing xml files, you could try adding the line "<AutoSynch_At_Startup>false</AutoSynch_At_Startup>" right after the " <Sort_Alpha>false</Sort_Alpha>" line.)

The Web streams menu item have disappeared from GBpvr.
I can choose it in config.exe though.

Any time this happens (for any plugin, actually) you can look in the gbpvr.exe.log file to see what the specific problem is. Or if you can't figure it out, post the log here and I'll take a look.

[McBainUK]

Ha, I remember that old post. Dosn't time fly eh? I've copied over the correct files and now the plugin loads but no stations are listed. On the old plugin there were some example ones, do you know of any streams I could try it out with?

[McBainUK]

Code:

// Lookup GBPVR's install path via the registry as
        // "PluginHelperFactory.getPluginHelper().GetInstallDirectory()"
        // does not work from outside a GBPVR process
        public string GetGBPVRInstallPath()
        {
            try
            {
                // HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\software\devnz\GBPVR InstallDir
                RegistryKey hklm = Registry.LocalMachine;
                hklm = hklm.OpenSubKey("Software\\devnz\\");
                object obp = hklm.GetValue("GBPVR InstallDir");

                return obp.ToString(); // Cant lookup pure long/double from reg!!
            }
            catch
            {
                try
                {
                    // Location of the reg key on a XP64 system is different
                    RegistryKey hklm = Registry.LocalMachine;
                    hklm = hklm.OpenSubKey("Software\\Wow6432Node\\devnz\\");
                    object obp = hklm.GetValue("GBPVR InstallDir");

                    return obp.ToString(); // Cant lookup pure long/double from reg!!
                }
                catch
                {
                    // Can't find the reg key
                    WriteToLog(@"Reg key not found: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\software\devnz\GBPVR InstallDir");
                    return "";
                }
            }
        }

This is the code I use to lookup the GBPVR installation directory from outside the plugin system. Feel free to use/abuse.