Comskip monitor integration into Recording Status

[renzema]

Hi Sub,

Any chance that the GBPVR tray icon/windows popup could monitor an external process, such as comskip?

Goes back to the girlfriend/wife factor... If she needs to reboot the machine, it is much easier to just tell her that if the Icon is red, it is OK to reboot. Perhaps it could turn yellow if comskip is running and GBPVR is not recording?

Or in the window, just show something like: Comskip: Running or Comskip: Inactive

Thoughts?

Josh

[sub]

No.

[reboot]

I really like Sub's answers

Just tell her to NOT ever reboot the machine.
Mine runs for weeks at a time...

[renzema]

Yea, mine ususally does too, but we are remodeling the house and need to turn the power off frequently, thus there is a need to know when it is "safe" to do so...

Sub - Perhaps you could lay out a general roadmap for how you see GBPVR progressing... I understand that you don't want to open the codebase, and that is your perogative, but that, combined with the lack of a defined path for the program, probably makes many people a bit nervous about planning on using it in the long term. I certainly slows donations down... I know that I have given in the past, but I am hesitant to give more given that I don't know A) where the program is going, and B) I don't know that you aren't going to simply get tired with this tomorrow or next week and abandon the whole program.

I suspect that if users have a better sense of what's next, they would both be more inclined to donate and give requests that mesh with your plans.

Just a few thoughts...

Josh

[sub]

combined with the lack of a defined path for the program, probably makes many people a bit nervous about planning on using it in the long term.

I don't know A) where the program is going,

What specifically are you wanting to know? Honestly, there is no big plan. I'm just one release ahead in my thinking. I usually implement one or two big ticket items that have been discussed alot in the forums, plus a handful of the other features that have been asked for regularly, plus fix a handful of bugs identified in the last release.

I dont typically tell people what I'm putting into that release while I'm still working on it, since I usually have to pull a few things that dont quite pan out.

In the early days I used to say 'yes' or 'probably' to all sorts of requested features, but I soon started to realise I couldn't do this. Primarily because: (1) I dont have the time to implement all these odd-ball little feature required by only a small handful or users. (2) users started coming back to me pissed off because something I'd initially said yes/probably to, hadnt been implemented. I'm only one person, and I'm stretched pretty thin.

These days I find it easier to be honest. If know I probably wont implement something because I dont think it'll useful for most people, then usually response with a 'no, I wont be implementing that'. It stops people getting pissed off at me down the track.

On your specific comskip request, I find comskip doesnt work reliably enough for me to rely on it, so I dont tend to use it. If I dont use something, then its instantly low on my priority list.

and B) I don't know that you aren't going to simply get tired with this tomorrow or next week and abandon the whole program

I think by now, 20 months after starting GB-PVR, that I've shown a fair amount of commitment, and the ability to stick at it.

Sure, I could decide to shut the project down, but a commercial project like SageTV or BeyondTV could equally decide to close their doors regardless of their future roadmap, so these are the risks you take.

[reboot]

I think it's up to Sub to keep it running, and keep it stable.
The rest of us keep wishing for things, most of which can be covered by a plugin, if they aren't already, and that keeps the other talented programmers here, quite busy.
All we need are a few more artistic types, to keep it looking the way it should, or developing new looks, for an already awesome product.

Personally, I can't wait for the "official" release of version 1.x, with Sub's vision in place, and (most of) our wishlist's satisfied by plugins.

[mikaelgu]

Hi Sub,

Any chance that the GBPVR tray icon/windows popup could monitor an external process, such as comskip?

Goes back to the girlfriend/wife factor... If she needs to reboot the machine, it is much easier to just tell her that if the Icon is red, it is OK to reboot. Perhaps it could turn yellow if comskip is running and GBPVR is not recording?

Or in the window, just show something like: Comskip: Running or Comskip: Inactive

Thoughts?

Josh

Just use ShowAnalyzer instead, you'll instantly see it it's doing something... And it's better in every other aspect as well. Comskip is yesterday's technology

[jimh]

Hi Sub,

Any chance that the GBPVR tray icon/windows popup could monitor an external process, such as comskip?

Goes back to the girlfriend/wife factor... If she needs to reboot the machine, it is much easier to just tell her that if the Icon is red, it is OK to reboot. Perhaps it could turn yellow if comskip is running and GBPVR is not recording?

Or in the window, just show something like: Comskip: Running or Comskip: Inactive

Thoughts?

Josh

Josh:

My newly-released PVRPowerTray for GBPVR application is a replacement for the GBPVRTray application that comes with GBPVR. Designed to maximize WAF (wife acceptance factor), my application loads an icon into the system tray area and allows easy access to lots of info regarding current and pending recordings. One feature that I find very useful is you can configure it to generate a periodic "beep" via the PC speaker to alert you that GBPVR is recording. It also supports betlit's Parallel Port LED Monitor (which is a very simple-to-build hardware add-on that uses LED's to tell you what, if anything, GBPVR is doing, see here for the complete thread on the LED monitor). My app. will allow you to light up an LED if GBPVR is recording, or even if comskip is processing.

Go here for the complete announcement of PVRPowerTray for GBPVR.

I hope this helps!

- Jim

[Pioneer4x4]

Another very simple solution is to keep taskmanager running minimized. If comskip is tunning you will see the bargraph for the CPU maxed out. If the PC is in use that much, don't reboot...