Various problems on new install.

[SimonP]

I have been checking out GB-PVR for a number of years, mainly waiting for subtitle support, so I was delighted to see it there when I looked the other day. I have just downloaded and installed it but I have a number of problems.
(See below for computer and recording specs)

* Live TV doesn't show DVB subtitles and I can't find a way of displaying them. They _are_ enabled in Config.

* When I click 'record' during a 16:9 broadcast, PVRX2 switches to 4:3 with no subtitles and becomes very jerky - so bad that it's impossible to watch. The recording itself plays fine in VLC, DVBviewer, VideoReDo, etc. in 16:9 with subtitles but PVRX2 plays it in 4:3 with no subtitles. Having switched itself to 4:3 it will only switch back when it finishes recording and can only display 16:9 recordings in 4:3 while it is recording.

* In fact it plays all TS recordings in 4:3 without subtitles. MPGs seem to be OK.

* 'Settings' doesn't work. I click on it, it flashes to the background image then returns immediately to the menu.

* How do I stop a recording once it has started? All I can do is stop the recording service but it carries on recording when I re-start it.

* I don't seem to be able to use "Open with..." with PVRX2. It just takes me to the menu if it isn't running and does nothing if it is.

* I'd prefer to be able to close the program from the taskbar as one can do with most others. Could that be added please?

Otherwise it looks great and works well. From what I've seen so far I'll be happy to adopt it as my PVR of choice but I need these TV issues sorting out before I can.


Hardware: Azurewave TU700 dual DVB-T USB tuner. CPU: Intel E8200 Core2Duo running at 3.2GHz, ATI HD3650 graphics card, 2GB memory, terabytes of RAID 5 disk space.

TV: Digital Terrestrial in the UK (PAL), recording in TS format so that subtitles are recorded. I use Cyberlink decoders and am using EVR (although I tried the other modes as well). OS is Vista Home Premium.

Thanks,
Simon.

[sub]

I have been checking out GB-PVR for a number of years, mainly waiting for subtitle support, so I was delighted to see it there when I looked the other day. I have just downloaded and installed it but I have a number of problems.
(See below for computer and recording specs)

* Live TV doesn't show (DVB-T) subtitles and I can't find a way of displaying them. They _are_ enabled in Config.

DVB Subtitle support has been broken for a long time. There isnt any settings you can tweak to get them going.

* When I click 'record' during a 16:9 broadcast, PVRX2 switches to 4:3 with no subtitles and becomes very jerky - so bad that it's impossible to watch. The recording itself plays fine in VLC, DVBviewer, VideoReDo, etc. in 16:9 with subtitles but PVRX2 plays it in 4:3 with no subtitles. Having switched itself to 4:3 it will only switch back when it finishes recording and can only display 16:9 recordings in 4:3 while it is recording.

The jerkyness is almost certainly related to the video decoders you're using.

The aspect ratio problem is probably because you have your video decoder set to 'system default'. It needs to be set to something other than 'system default' for the app to be able to automatically do the aspect ratio control.

You can also try pressing F7 to cycle between aspect ratios.

* It refuses to play TS recordings made by my other software. I ran one of them through VideoReDo and it then played it but in 4:3 without subtitles (I tested the edited file in DVBviewer and VLC and it was fine).

The fact it was 4:3 was probably the video decoder thing I mentioned above. You're not going to get subtitles, so lack of subtitles is as expected.

* 'Settings' doesn't work. I click on it, it flashes to the background image then returns immediately to the menu.

This is a bug in the current release. If you create an empty 'skin' subdirectory in the gbpvr directory then this screen will start working.

* How do I stop a recording once it has started? All I can do is stop the recording service but it carries on recording when I re-start it.

You can cancel a recording on the 'Recordings' screen. Click the 'pending' button, then view the recording details and click 'cancel'.

* I don't seem to be able to use "Open with..." with PVRX2. It just takes me to the menu if it isn't running and does nothing if it is.

This is normal. Its not meant to be usable that way.

* I'd prefer to be able to close the program from the taskbar as one can do with most others. Could that be added please?

I'm not sure what you mean. If I right click on PVRX2 in the task I get shown the context menu, including the close button, just like every other app.

[SimonP]

Thanks for the quick response, Sub (I'd edited my message since you saw it but only tidying it up).

I'm really disappointed to hear that DVB Subtitles are still broken, especially since it says "DVB Subtitles" in the Features page and I don't remember seeing it before. Strange that PVRX2 can record, but not display, them? You must be close to having them working or is it just that you're streaming the video stream with all its substreams rather than doing anything with them?

Thanks for the other explanations, I'm not seeing the context menu here, or the Vista preview screen, but maybe that's something weird at my end.

I'm crushed I thought the video problem could be easily overcome and I love the rest of PVRX2 but I can't watch TV without subtitles so I guess I'll have to compromise and use one of the other, lesser, programs. Is there any chance that you'll have a go at getting them working any time soon?

[sub]

You must be close to having them working or is it just that you're streaming the video stream with all its substreams rather than doing anything with them?

Sorry, I havent done any work one DVB Subtitles in a couple of years. The only reason the data is recorded is because GB-PVR records all streams associated with a channel.

Is there any chance that you'll have a go at getting them working any time soon?

I'll be honest and say that I also dont anticipate doing any work on DVB Subtitles in the near future. My available time is very limited these days, so I need to spend my time wisely on features that would benefit the largest number of users. Requests for DVB Subtitles come very infrequently, so not high on my priority list. Its also not something we use here in New Zealand.

I'd love to be able to tell you something different, but I just dont have the time to spend on DVB Subtitles.

[SimonP]

Oh well, fair enough and thanks for the honest answer. Thanks too for all the work you've put into GB-PVR, I've used it on and off over the years and, aside from the subtitle issue, I'd say it is better than all of the other HTPC programs out there.

P.S. you should remove 'DVB Subtitles' from the Features page.

Simon.