Newbie moving from BTV

[RBraverman]

Ok, as it looks like Snapstream has (maybe temporarily) shutdown it's support forums, I'm thinking guide is next. I like the little bit I've seen of NPVR and would like to see if I can use it as the recording/playback of live TV and integrate it with MeedioS.

I'd like to set it up on another machine, get everything up and going that I want (except the Hauppauge HD-PVR, don't want to yank that out from the great room HTPC), the guide, folders etc.

The problem I' having (other than being long winded) is that I can not seem to get the guide. Got Schedules Direct to sort of work, is there a way to dump all the Direct TV channels into the guide, then let me delete the ones I don't want, or do I have to go through EVERY channel and map it?

Also do HAVE to use a blaster? BTV allows the use of a serial -> USB controller (to a Direct TV Box) which I built and works a treat.

Thanks

[BrettB]

The problem I' having (other than being long winded) is that I can not seem to get the guide. Do I need to have a device present? I connected my Hauppauge USB stick and still can not figure out how to do this.

You have to have channels setup in order to map from the guide to the channels. And you (at least normally) get the channels going to the devices screen in the setup and scanning for channels. When you connected your USB stick, did you scan for channels with it? It would be helpful to know which device it is and what source (OTA antenna, cable, etc.) it is connected to.

Also do HAVE to use a blaster? BTV allows the use of a serial -> USB controller (to a Direct TV Box) which I built and works a treat.

NextPVR is configured to call an external executable program and pass the desired channel number as a parameter. So, if you have an executable that send the appropriate command(s), you should be all set.

[RBraverman]

You have to have channels setup in order to map from the guide to the channels. And you (at least normally) get the channels going to the devices screen in the setup and scanning for channels. When you connected your USB stick, did you scan for channels with it? It would be helpful to know which device it is and what source (OTA antenna, cable, etc.) it is connected to.

Thanks for the prompt reply, I changed a bit of the original question as I've figured some of it out. I did scan, but only picked up 3 OTA - ones that really do not work. I'd liek to be able to "dump" the DTV guide into the program even if a tuner fo risn't present. Testing.

NextPVR is configured to call an external executable program and pass the desired channel number as a parameter. So, if you have an executable that send the appropriate command(s), you should be all set.

Ah, I'm probably going to have to write it, as it's built into BTV.

So unless I load this into the HTPC, connect the HD-PVR Blaster, and scan I really won't know what this does? Do I REALLY have to map EVERY channel? As the Schedules Direct video shows?

[BrettB]

Do I REALLY have to map EVERY channel? As the Schedules Direct video shows?

For the most part, we only do this setup once (in a while ;-) ), so I don't recall the exact specifics. But, I believe that when you go to map the channels to the guide, after you do the first one, NextPVR will ask you if you want it to try to automatically match them up. IF the channel names/ids can be matched between what the scan found and what the guide lists, then it will automatically do the rest of the mappings for you.

[BrettB]

I'd liek to be able to "dump" the DTV guide into the program even if a tuner fo risn't present. Testing.

So unless I load this into the HTPC, connect the HD-PVR Blaster, and scan I really won't know what this does?

I don't have an HD-PVR, but from what I understand: for capture devices (like the HD-PVR), you don't actually do a scan (where NextPVR goes through and tries each channel to see if it finds a signal) since it is always just set to a specific capture input (i.e. HDMI, component, etc.). Hence you wouldn't need the HD-PVR blaster (or even the connection to set-top box or whatever source) for setup/testing. But, you would need to temporarily connect the HD-PVR to the testing PC so that the device would be added into NextPVR. (I'm pretty sure that there is no easy way to manually add a device which isn't actually present. But, once it's been seen and added into the configuration then it will remain in the configuration but will show as "Not-present".) Then with these types of "capture" devices, you actually get the channels by having NextPVR read the list of channels from a guide source/file.

[Graham]

Do I REALLY have to map EVERY channel?

You can export and import channels. You may be able to cheat if you can create a file that has the format of a NextPVR channel export file and then import that file.

Add one channel and then do a channel export to see the file format.

[mvallevand]

For the HD-PVR you don't scan, the easiest solution is to import guide data and select or deselect from All the channels you want. If you get thes Schedules Direct trial you should be okay for this.

Martin

[RBraverman]

For the HD-PVR you don't scan, the easiest solution is to import guide data and select or deselect from All the channels you want. If you get thes Schedules Direct trial you should be okay for this.

Martin

Can you elaborate?

[mvallevand]

Can you elaborate?

- subscribe to Schedules Direct trial
- in nextpvr go into the hd-pvr in setup hit the import button. I believe you should then ge a login for the login userid and password and zipcode and then you choose you content provider.

Martin

[RBraverman]

- subscribe to Schedules Direct trial
- in nextpvr go into the hd-pvr in setup hit the import button. I believe you should then ge a login for the login userid and password and zipcode and then you choose you content provider.

Martin

Firstly the HD-PVR isn't in yet, the stick is and it's OTA/QAM.

If I want to fake one of those being the HD-PVR and hit import, it wants an xml file, which I do not have, unless this another step I need to do every time I wish to update the guide - seems like a lot of trouble all around.