New user new install and a few "issues"

[CWJTUCK]

I don't know.. I have a first generation hauppage 1600.... and have been using GBPVR/NPVR since before version 0.98.

[rkircher]

rkircher, I feel you know too little about NPVR to try customiztion at this point. I would start from scratch. Unistall and remove the User Directory, the registry key HKLM\Software\NPVR reinstall, apply then the patches. This will get you running, to resan and add your EPG again.

Martin

First, thanks to Johnsonx42 for answering my questions. Martin, my main problem was a messed up TV Guide so I installed .36 from scratch, patched, and restored everything like Scripts - batch files. NPVR seems to be running fine, BUT I still have the same TV Guide problem that I was describing in my Post #74. I think the problem is in the new 1.5.36 Skin that was changed from the original Default Skin of 1.5.33. To reiterate the problem on the .36 TV Guide, that the first two columns on the left have font to big, or in appearance it seems that the spacing for Channel no. and Station call-sign ID is not proportioned correctly. The call-sign is truncated, i.e., WMFE-DT shows up as WMFE-, and the space that is needed is between it and the Channel no. to the left of the call-sign. Maybe the call-sign is centered when it should be left justified. Since I am using an antenna, I have as many as 5 channels that are the same channel number. The only way I can tell them apart is by the truncated part of the call-sign that I can't see. An associated problem is that Settings -> Channels -> Details will only accept integer channel numbers. On any TV set these would be distinguished as 55.1 , 55.2,....55.5, for example. Sometimes the channels are displayed as 55-1, 55-2, etc.

OK, I have a fresh working 1.5.36 installation and want to fix (or customize) the TV Guide. So far I have learned that it is bad to customize without saving the changed skin using the same name of Default, and then install a later version of NPVR. Can anybody fix the TV Guide for me, or give me some of the "Don't Do's" that will prevent me from messing-up and reinstalling from scratch again? Also, my preference is to reverse the Ch no. and the station call-sign columns so the Channel no. is on the right side of the call-sign closest to the program information, but that is not a big deal (except my wife wants it that way). Alternately, Is there another skin than I can safely use? I did find one, but the program information wrapped and that made the font to small to see from the distance the TV is viewed. Any help, please?

[sub]

First, thanks to Johnsonx42 for answering my questions. Martin, my main problem was a messed up TV Guide so I installed .36 from scratch, patched, and restored everything like Scripts - batch files. NPVR seems to be running fine, BUT I still have the same TV Guide problem that I was describing in my Post #74.

Can you post a screenshot so we see what you mean?

I wouldnt be surprised. There is big skin changes in the current release, and its certainly possible that it wont work well on some setups.

OK, I have a fresh working 1.5.36 installation and want to fix (or customize) the TV Guide. So far I have learned that it is bad to customize without saving the changed skin using the same name of Default, and then install a later version of NPVR. Can anybody fix the TV Guide for me, or give me some of the "Don't Do's" that will prevent me from messing-up and reinstalling from scratch again?

I dont have a list of Do's and Don'ts, but you're probably best to take a copy of a skin and give it a different name before editing it. That way it wont be overwritten when you install the next version.

[johnsonx42]

NPVR (or GB-PVR before it) will not be supporting any form of the north american channel.subchannel format (ie 55.1, 55.2, etc.). You should renumber your channels with unique integer channel numbers in whatever way makes sense to you. For example here I have a PBS station with 3 total channels, 50.1, 50.2 and 50.3... it takes no genius to guess that in NPVR I've got them simply as 50, 51, and 52.

As to modifying the default skin without fouling up a future install (and/or losing the mods when you update NPVR), the simplest thing to do is copy the whole [DATA]\Skin\Default directory to a new directory with whatever name you like (i.e. [DATA]\Skin\RKircher), then make your changes in your copy of the skin. In Settings, your new version of the skin will appear with whatever name you gave the directory that holds it.

(lol, sub types faster than me, or ponders exact wording for less time than I do... I guess with 64,168 posts and counting, he has to)

[rkircher]

NPVR (or GB-PVR before it) will not be supporting any form of the north american channel.subchannel format (ie 55.1, 55.2, etc.). You should renumber your channels with unique integer channel numbers in whatever way makes sense to you. For example here I have a PBS station with 3 total channels, 50.1, 50.2 and 50.3... it takes no genius to guess that in NPVR I've got them simply as 50, 51, and 52.

I did not expect a major change like adding support for subchannels format, but more of a cosmetic change in the Skin that I could use to substitute a few characters of texts such as 55.5 for display purposes only. Unfortunately I have 51.1, 52.2, 52.3, 52.4, 55.1, 55.2, 55.3, 55.4, 55.5, 56.1, and 56.2 in the range of channels 50 - 60, so I can't come up with any sane renumbering scheme that I can remember. Fortunately, I should have better luck fixing the Default Skin now that I have learned some of the gotcha's with installing version updates. Could you tell me again how to post a screen shot graphic to convey the problem I am having with the new .36 Skin?

[johnsonx42]

ctrl-prt scr to copy the screen shot to the clipboard, then past it into MS Paint and save it to a .png or .jpg which you can then attach to a message in Advanced mode.

as to the channel numbering, you could go with 511, 522, 523, 524, 551, etc. unforunately I don't think you'll be able to change how the channel numbers display - the data in tv guide display is generated internally by npvr, the skin.xml file only affects the font, color, size, position, etc. but not the content.

on further thought you could modify the channel names themselves to include the channel number in your desired format, then modify the skin to display the entire name and leave off the NPVR's internal channel number.

[rkircher]

ctrl-prt scr to copy the screen shot to the clipboard, then past it into MS Paint and save it to a .png or .jpg which you can then attach to a message in Advanced mode.

as to the channel numbering, you could go with 511, 522, 523, 524, 551, etc. unforunately I don't think you'll be able to change how the channel numbers display - the data in tv guide display is generated internally by npvr, the skin.xml file only affects the font, color, size, position, etc. but not the content.

on further thought you could modify the channel names themselves to include the channel number in your desired format, then modify the skin to display the entire name and leave off the NPVR's internal channel number.

I have tried attach the problem 1.5.36 screen capture of TV Guide: [img]:/media/sdc1/Bad_Ch_Callsign_Spacing[/img] .

If I can fix the TV Guide skin layout, then all problems will be solved, but it does not sound possible if it is generated internal to NPVR as you said. Since there are single digit ch numbers, it will be confusing to add a digit to some channels and not to others. Renaming the Call-sign won't help because it is truncated as shown in the screen capture that I hope is included in this post. The funny thing is that I did not have these problems with the 1.5.33 skin, but it got lost in the reinstall because I did not save the original copy that was installed. Maybe there is way to get the 1.5.33 Default Skin. I am weary of reinstalling and channel mapping et. al..... LOL.

[rkircher]

Trying again to post the TV Guide screen shot. [img]:/media/sdc1/Bad_Ch_Callsign_Spacing.PNG[/img]

[rkircher]

Last try to post TV Guide screen shot from a Linux computer [img]/media/sdc1/Bad_Ch_Callsign_Spacing.PNG[/img]

[sub]

You need to be clicking 'go advanced' button when typing your reply, then clicking the paper clip icon to attach the image.