NPVR - Getting started, current patches, tips and tricks **!!!!PLEASE READ!!!!**

[johnsonx42]

For the NShared.dll patch I found I had to exit the tray app awsell.

True, but if you use the "Stop NPVR Service" icon sub so thoughtfully provided it closes the tray app too. I'll tweak the instructions a little.

[johnsonx42]

In case anyone finds it interesting, instructive, or amusing, here is my PostProcessing.bat for the purpose of running comskip. It runs no more than 2 comskips at once, and does a bit of logging into "processing.log".

Code:

@echo off

cd c:\comskip

echo %date%,%time% - PostProcessing.bat invoked on %1 recorded from channel %2 >>processing.log

Rem list of channels to not run comskip on; PBS channels have no commercials
if "%2" == "27" goto skip
if "%2" == "28" goto skip
if "%2" == "29" goto skip
if "%2" == "50" goto skip
if "%2" == "51" goto skip
if "%2" == "52" goto skip
if "%2" == "58" goto skip
if "%2" == "59" goto skip
if "%2" == "60" goto skip
if "%2" == "61" goto skip
goto next

:skip
echo skipping comskip on %1; channel %2 in skip list >>processing.log
goto continue

:next
rem need to add a pause to avoid race conditions
echo   ---  sleeping %2 seconds to avoid simultaneous execution >>processing.log
sleep %2

rem check how many comskips are running; if 2 or more are running wait 1 minute and check again
rem the third parameter passed in npvr 1.5.36 and later is a unique recording oid number, so it makes a good filename to store the temporary count
:check
tasklist | find /c "comskip" > %3.txt
set /p count= <%3.txt
if %count% geq 2 (
  echo ...%count% comskips running now, waiting 1 minute >>processing.log
  sleep 60
  goto check
)
del %3.txt

rem continuing now

Rem this trick also makes it possible to have dedicated comskip.ini file for certain channels.
rem if "%2" == "79" goto channel79
Rem use the default comskip.ini for all other channels
rem goto generic

rem :channel79
rem comskip --ini=channel79.ini %1
rem goto continue

:generic
echo %date%,%time% - invoking comskip on %1 >>processing.log
comskip %1
echo %date%,%time% - comskip finished with %1 >>processing.log

:continue

:eof

Some bits of it are left-overs from the sample gb-pvr postprocessing.bat included with comskip. I left them there in case I ever want to use them.

The bit where it sleeps for <channel number> (%2) seconds might introduce excessive waits for those with high 3-digit channel numbers; you'd probably have to implement it some other way. With the 1.5.36 update I've now switched to storing the temporary count in "%3.txt" where %3 is the recording ID number. This makes for a uniquely named file to store the temporary comskip count. I thought at first this would eliminate the need for the "sleep %2", since multiple postprocessing.bat files would each store their count in a unique file, but within just a couple of hours testing I saw a different race condition that resulted in too many comskips running at once so I restored the sleep. The use of the "%3" parameter still eliminates another race condition that sometimes resulted in no comskip running at all.

Additional non-comskip related commands would go after :continue.

This same file could be a ParallelProcessing.bat as well. In fact I wrote it initially for that use; the code to limit the number of comskips became necessary because I could easily get 4 comskips running at once - 2 finishing recordings that had just ended, and 2 for new recordings just begun. It was too much for my system. For other reasons though I opted not to run comskip in parallel, so I switched to PostProcessing. In PostProcessing I've yet to see more than 2 comskips actually try to run, but it could happen - consider two 2-hour movies followed by two 30-minute shows: comskip will probably still be running on both movies when the two half-hour shows finish and try to launch comskip.

The same basic code could be used for transcodes too; likewise you may not want too many transcodes running at once. tasklist | find /c "ffmpeg" > %3.txt seems reasonable, yes?

I almost forgot to mention, you will need the "sleep.exe" program from the Windows 2003 Resource Kit here: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/detai...laylang=en. I thought of just attaching the sleep command to this message, but we don't want MS's goons coming after sub . Also, HarryH3 has pointed out that the "tasklist" command is not included with all versions of windows; see his post below to get it (Thanks Harry!): http://forums.gbpvr.com//showthread.php?...post388992

[skreien]

Has the HDHR patch from HDHR Live Tv & Recording not made it into the cumulative patch? I can't seem to record more than one at a time right now.

[johnsonx42]

I'm honestly not sure. The patch was for Unmanaged.dll, which is the same file affected by patch 6 that didn't work right and then the later patch that undid patch 6 which is what I have in the patch archive now. It's entirely possible that the HDHR fixes aren't in that version of the file. Go ahead and put in the Unmanaged.dll from the HDHR thread and let me know if it fixes your problem.

[skreien]

I see lines in my logfiles about skipping detection, so whatever version is in the cumulative patch must have it in it.

[johnsonx42]

the skip detection was introduced in 1.5.28

[skreien]

I meant that I see text reflecting whurlston's suggestion from that thread, which sub implemented, "bypass the routine to autodetect the capture filter".

[johnsonx42]

Oh, I see, I misunderstood.

[HarryH3]

I tried out your PostProcessing.bat file and found one problem. The file tasklist.exe, which is called in the batch file, doesn't come with XP Home. Just another bit of stupidity on Microsoft's part... Anyway, I found a copy online at http://www.computerhope.com/download/winxp.htm and copied it to my Windows folder. Just thought you might want to update that note (It's at reply #52) to help other folks that might want to use it.

[johnsonx42]

thanks Harry; btw, I've always gotten a chuckle out of your signature, makes me smile every time.