Video Podcasts of GBPVR Recordings

[fering]

So, I've been a long time user of GBPVR as my primary recording device, I thought I'd share a write up on how I have GBPVR setup to allow me to subscribe to my recordings and have them sync automatically to my iPhone for viewing on my daily commute.

I didn't want to use the EWA RSS feeds with enclosures because I only wanted certain shows, not all completed recordings (I have no particular need to watch my wifes episodes of Coronation Street each morning).

I borrowed heavily from this post but used HFS to serve up the files (feeds and recordings).

The software required:

1. HFS
2. XMLerator
3. Script to delete transcoded files when mpeg is deleted (see below)

The configuration:

1. I have GBPVR configured to automatically transcode everything using the iPod video configuration. (This is left over from my first attempt at getting video to my iPod, I could probably use a batch file to transcode only the programs that I would like transcoded, but at this point I haven't bothered, this also has the benefit that if there is a movie or something that I recorded that I want to manually add to iTunes, it's always there the next day.)

2. Since I didn't want to delete the original recordings from my haddrive because of the quality difference, I needed a way to remove the mp4 recordings when the mpegs were deleted either automatically by GBPVR or manualy. So I wrote this script that runs after the EPG update (run from the PostUpdateEPG.bat). It searches through all the folders in my recordings directory and if there is an mp4 file that doesn't have a matching mpg file it deletes it.

Code:

Option Explicit

    Dim oFSO
    Dim sDirectoryPath
    Dim oFolder
    Dim subFolders
    Dim showFolder
    Dim showFile
    Dim oFileCollection
    Dim oFile
    Dim showFullName
    Dim showName
    Dim showExt
'14
'Customize values here to fit your needs
    Set oFSO = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
    sDirectoryPath = "e:\recordings"
    set oFolder = oFSO.GetFolder(sDirectoryPath)
    set subFolders = oFolder.SubFolders
    set oFileCollection = oFolder.Files

    For each showFolder in subFolders
        set oFileCollection = showFolder.Files
        For each showFile in oFileCollection
            showFullName = showFile.Path
            showName = Mid(showFullName,1,len(showFullName)-3)
            showExt = Mid(showFullName,len(showFullName)-2,3)
            If showExt = "mp4" Then
                If Not oFSO.fileExists(showName & "mpg") Then
                    showFile.delete
                End If
            End If
        Next
        
        
    Next

'Clean up
    Set oFSO = Nothing
    Set oFolder = Nothing
    Set oFileCollection = Nothing
    Set oFile = Nothing
    
    Set sDirectoryPath = Nothing
    
    Set subFolders = Nothing
    Set showFolder = Nothing
    Set showFile = Nothing
    
    Set showFullName = Nothing
    Set showName = Nothing
    Set showExt = Nothing

4. Also in PostUpdateEPG.bat I have a line to run XMLerator for each show that I want a podcast generated:
cd E:\Recordings\The Daily Show With Jon Stewart
"c:\Program Files\XMLerator\XMLerator.exe" TheDailyShowWithJonStewart.txt
The contents of TheDailyShowWithJonStewart.txt:

Code:

[GENERAL]
basedirectory=E:\Recordings\The Daily Show With Jon Stewart
rssfilename=TheDailyShowWithJonStewart.xml
linkbasedirectory=E:\
aggregatefiles=true
includesubdirectories=true

[RSS]
Title=The Daily Show With Jon Stewart
Link=http://GBPVRMachine:7650/<DirectoryOffset><RssFileName>
Description=Daily Show Podcast
Category=TV
ItemTitle=
ItemLink=http://GBPVRMachine:7650/<DirectoryOffset><FileNameFull>

[FILEEXT]
mp4=video/mpeg

5. I use HFS to serve up my recordings directory so I can allow iTunes to access the XML file generated in step 4.

6. In iTunes in the menu, select Advanced > Subscribe to Podcast and paste in the URL of the XML file (should be something like http://GBPVRMachine:7650/Recordings/The Daily Show With Jon Stewart/TheDailyShowWithJonStewart.xml).

Where I have GBPVRMachine:7650 you would have to replace with either your GBPVR machines IP address or localhost if you are running everything off one computer and replace 7650 with the port that HFS is using.

Because this will serve up all the mp4 files in the folder and the podcast will contain all of them, I have iTunes set up to keep only the most recent episode so that it will only keep copies of the recordings in the recordings folder.

So using this, each morning when I grab my iPhone, it has the latest episodes of each show that I have a line in PostUpdateEPG.bat for. And I have something to do on my morning commute when I finish the news paper.

I should note that I only have this configured to work within my local network, I don't open the HFS port, but theoretically opening/forwarding that port on your router should allow you to access this out side your local network.

[webserverdude]

For this type of thingm I just use iPodifier. Very good program..

[fering]

Interesting I'll have to look in to this iPodifier, sounds like it might simplify things a bit.

Thanks!

[Grenlen]

I should note that I only have this configured to work within my local network, I don't open the HFS port, but theoretically opening/forwarding that port on your router should allow you to access this out side your local network.

For this type of thing I just use iPodifier. Very good program.

Any Idea if the iPodifier will allow you do DL the episodes to your Ipod over the internet.
aka subscribe to the shows through Itunes so you can download the shows when you're not at home or on vacation?

Or will the first option be better for remote downloading?

Thanks,
Gren

[webserverdude]

Definitely. If you open the right ports on your router, you could download it just as if you were in your network.

[Grenlen]

You're talking about just the iPodifier?
or are you including the HFS in there as well?


EDIT:was reading up on the iPodifier... it's looking like it can handle everything.... sorry I missed that part earlier.
Gren

[UncleJohnsBand]

The built in web Enhanced Web Admin (EWA) has built in RSS feeds with using enclosures as an option...also using HFS as the server.

See the wiki.

[Grenlen]

Hey UncleJohnsBand ,

How can I pull this off?
I record about 15 different shows... There's only three that I want to watch on my ipod.. (for comutes and plane travel)
I've got GBPVR to record those shows and then transcode them to mp4's

sometimes. I can't stream from the EWA while on the road.

Is there an RSS feed for completed transcribed shows. that I can download while I'm on the road with Itunes.?

Thanks.
Gren

[fering]

Hey UncleJohnsBand ,

How can I pull this off?
I record about 15 different shows... There's only three that I want to watch on my ipod.. (for comutes and plane travel)
I've got GBPVR to record those shows and then transcode them to mp4's

sometimes. I can't stream from the EWA while on the road.

Is there an RSS feed for completed transcribe shows. that I can download while I'm on the road with Itunes.?

Thanks.
Gren

THis is why I originally created my solution above. I only wanted to subscribe to one show, but when using enclosures with the EWA RSS feed, I could only subscribe to all "Completed" shows, and I think I would have need to have GBPVR replace my original mpegs with the mp4s so that the EWA enclosure could point to the right file.

For the time being I would use iPodifier. It handles the conversion as well as the feed creation.

[Grenlen]

Hopefully Sub or UJB have some tricks/advice up their sleeves.

Maybe there's a way to subscribe to indipendent shows. (sorry RSS coding clueless here)