MyPictures and MediaMVP problems - Please Please

[dane]

I guess many of us have a lot of digital photos we would like to view on the TV set in the living room. I have spent several evening organizing my photos for GB-PVR. I watch them via an MVP box, which appeared to cause a lot of trouble. The combination of the MyPictures plugin and the MediaMVP Server is not working very well.
I already started one tread about this subject, but probably in the wrong forum.
http://forums.nextpvr.com/showthread.php?t=9779

In addition I have experienced other problems. I'll list them one by one:

1)
Sometimes I cannot stop a slideshow. When this happends, this certain folder will always have this error. I can only fix it by creating a new folder with another name, move the jpg files to the new folder and delete the old folder.

2)
Certain jpg files causes MediaMVP server to crash. Stepping through the files manually or with slideshow makes no difference. I can see the failing photo, but I cannot move on to the next. Only workaround is to delete the failing files from the folder and restart MVP.
See detailed description http://forums.nextpvr.com/showthread.php?t=9779

3)
certain jpg files stops slideshow, but I can get out by pressing Stop on the remote control.
Only workaround is to delete the failing files from the folder.

4)
If I edit a jpg file (ie. rotate it) and save it again, MyPictures doesn't realize that the file has been changed.
The workaround is to save the edited picture with a new filename and delete the original.

[COLOR="Red"]None of these problems appear if I use GB-PVR direcly on the PC, only with MVP I see the problems.
The MVP box can view any of the failing files with the Hauppauge software.[/COLOR]

After spending weeks trying different HTPC/PVR software I ended up with GB-PVR as a clear favorite.
It is stable and the basic installation fulfils most of my needs. I only missed the picture viewer, which to my oppinion is a very essential part of at PVR/HTPC. I hoped that the plugin would be of a quality matching the GB-PVR, but so far I am getting more and more frustrated.
Coming home from a vacation with 200 photos takes ages to organize. Every time the slideshow meets a jpg file it doesn't like, I'll have to restart MediaMVP box 3 - 4 times until I am back in business and ready to continue the slide show.

I hope that you guys who write the GB-PVR software and MyPictures plugin Please please please will give these errors priority in your brilliant work.

[reven]

ok, fine if someone wants to get me a mvp ill try and fix these issues, other than that i can do a lot.

a few ppl have suggested this in the past, but i dont really want ppl to have to pay for help, it seems wrong for well freeware, i doubt hauppauge would ever send me one (and im a student i cant afford to buy one myself ).

[nightwalker]

I've been using My pictures on an MVP exclusively. Version 2 was a dream for me. I understood it had a problem with some really large jpg's. I've not seen that problem in the new version 3 beta. I have to admit most if not all of my image files are a meg or under so that may be why i never experienced that.

I've been using the beta 3 version for a week or so now and with the exception of a playlist problem and a couple of small minor bugs that don't effect operation I've been thrilled with it.

I've experienced none of the symptoms you describe above. I'm sure you are but perhaps it's more that your network needs a bit of tweaking. I had some jumpy video at first and a reboot caused by i didn't know what from time to time. I used the tweaking tips on the wiki and things have been fine for months now. smooth as silk. (thanks to tipstr for those)

Is viewing pictures the only place you have trouble?

[dane]

Viewing the pictures is the only serious problem. Recorded shows are replayed perfectly, never any problems. That tells me that my network is probably having the needed capacity. Opening one tiny jpg file should not need much capacity comparing to replaying a recorded show. (resized all my photos to a size of less than 200kB, just to se if the large files from my 8megapix camera was the reason to the problems).

Another minor problem is for sure caused by my slow PC:
First time a view a folder with many photos, the MVP looses the connection for some few seconds, and then come back alive. I soon realized that the reason is that the first time you view a folder, MyPicture reads all the files and updates the database. That means that my PC is too busy with that, and thus cannot keep the connection to the MVP. Next time I open the same folder it runs smoothly, no problems (after I have removed failing jpg's as described).
This is really no problem.

Everything else is running perfectly.

[jksmurf]

I posted a similar report of a problem here

http://forums.gbpvr.com/showpost.php?p=6...ostcount=8

I just thought I'd add to the list and to note I have a very similar h/w configuration to dane.

Pentium III 1200MHz
512Mb RAM
80GB HDD
Windows XP
Hauppauge PVR-150
Hauppauge MediaMVP Rev. D3a

I have not tried 3.01 but reven already noted it is not intended to fix MVP problems. It would be nice to get it working. Perhaps we could all chip in and send reven an MVP ...

[nightwalker]

It's weird how something can run almost flawlessly on one machine and not another. It does make you wonder what the difference is or what is interfering with the image displays. what i do notice is i'm using a later model of the MVP than the D series. I don't know if that makes any difference or not.

[reven]

First time a view a folder with many photos, the MVP looses the connection for some few seconds, and then come back alive. I soon realized that the reason is that the first time you view a folder, MyPicture reads all the files and updates the database. That means that my PC is too busy with that, and thus cannot keep the connection to the MVP. Next time I open the same folder it runs smoothly, no problems (after I have removed failing jpg's as described).

the thumnbnails are loaded on a seperate thread, the reason why it would take longer is that info wont be in memory, if you exit and reenter chances are it wont have had a chance to be completely taken out of memory (probably in still in virtual memory) so its quicker.

that said, it takes about 1 sec to load a dir with about 500 folders for me, and 1 sec to open those folders (with a few thousand pics).

[dane]

Hi Reven
I am till in the configuration and testing phase, so I have the PC, MVP box and TV next to eachother to see what is going on.
First time I open a folder with 1-200 jpg files, MVP looses the connection. At the same time I can see that the PC is very busy on the harddisk. As soon as the harddisk lamp is off again MVP connects again. Next time I access the same folder I don't see much harddisk activity, only what is expexted for loading each jpg file.
This isn't at all a problem for me. I accept that it is the price I pay by using an old and slow PC instead of buying a new faster one. No problem at all.

PS:
To my opinion Hauppauge sells a lot more MVP boxes because of GB-PVR. Most people wouldn't buy it only because of the functionallity it has with the Hauppauge software. I am also sure that many of us ended up buying a Hauppauge PVR-xxx after we had bad results with other brands. As you read more and more in the forum it is clear that PVR-xxx cards are a very good choice for GB-PVR (I started with a Pinnacle, wasted money!).
It would be fair if Hauppauge would provide a MPV box for the software developers, but I know it probably won't happend.
I cannot afford to buy a MVP for you, but would be happy to donate a bit. This month I donated what I can spare for Pakistan.

[dane]

Just realized that problem nr 4 is also present when I look at GB-PVR on the PC, it is not only a MVP problem.

[INDENT][COLOR="Green"]4)
If I edit a jpg file (ie. rotate it) and save it again, MyPictures doesn't realize that the file has been changed.
The workaround is to save the edited picture with a new filename and delete the original.[/COLOR][/INDENT]

The easiest workaround is to prepare a folder with the new collection of photos, resize the photos to a proper size, and NEVER let MyPictures open the folder until I am sure that all photos looks as I want them to.

[reven]

I am till in the configuration and testing phase, so I have the PC, MVP box and TV next to eachother to see what is going on.
First time I open a folder with 1-200 jpg files, MVP looses the connection. At the same time I can see that the PC is very busy on the harddisk. As soon as the harddisk lamp is off again MVP connects again. Next time I access the same folder I don't see much harddisk activity, only what is expexted for loading each jpg file.
This isn't at all a problem for me. I accept that it is the price I pay by using an old and slow PC instead of buying a new faster one. No problem at all.

this is just because of the memory thing, the OS will handle this and keep it in memory for a bit, if you load a dir exit it, leave it for say 30 minutes it will probably take a while again.

yeah i didnt mean you pay for the entire mvp, im just trying to make it clear i cant really test the mvp side of things since i dont have one, and i wont be buying one since, well i dont want one (well i wouldnt use it for anything other than testing, ive got a dedicated machine).