Screenshots vs. Install (Sticky Request)

[computerology]

Heya all.

I went out and dropped like $900 on a multimedia PC to go along with my Epson Powerlite S1+ projector. The projector looks damn fine, I spent a few months getting everything all perfect (its now perfectly centred on a painted white wall size is about 16ft x 7.2ft, the dark green trim makes nice boundaries for the overscan).

I bought the PC rig largely because of the claims boasted in PowerCinema 4 by Cyberlink, and the software came with my ATI Theatre 550 Pro card. So far PowerCinema has been pretty good with the card but somewhat of a disappointment:

- The EPG promised never worked at all. Only in the past few weeks have they actually added a subscription service for Canada
- The DVD playback option never appeared, after adding a DVD RAM. A request to Cyberlink netted an answer "You may upgrade to the non OEM version for only $79 which includes this feature". (I think the middle finger was raised a few times reading that one).
- With no EPG, setting up the channels was more than painful (manually typing in each channel name). Setting up recording was even worse, buying paper TV Guides and reading the paper, only to find out that they arent always accurate.
- The Background recording service halts, but gives no error. So after all that work figuring out what to record and when on what channel, dropping into the recorded TV section after testing it successfully and finding that it it stopped recording a week ago has been a hair pulling experience. Reboots dont even seem to fix it... it sometimes fixes itself but this one has proven to be a complete mystery, it records when it wants to and doesnt other times.
- The program is a like a territorial dog, leaking all over the place, eventually getting so slow that the PC has to be rebooted. On a fresh boot its kind of snappy, after about 5 days it can take 5 minutes just to load the Live TV feature... Faster to reboot the whole PC.

Something that's ATI's fault, the Theatre 550 Pro has some sort of a problem with volume being too low that ATI seems to have no intention of fixing. There is no way to adjust the ATIStream driver to crank up the gain and its super quiet.

Enough about Cyberlink, other than that led me to find GBPVR.

I saw the screenshots and I was like WOW. So I installed it on a test basis, keeping the Cyberlink in place. I've added the Weather, Web Radio and a bunch of other plugins. Havent tried skins yet but I'll get there.

So the request is for a sticky of how to get the GBPVR to look like the screnshots. Of especial importance is things like those awesome looking channel icons, the onscreen mini-guide, the linear shading in the boxes, etc. Mostly visual effects, and the addition of the thumbnails of the shows.

If I could get this thing working like those screenshots this software would be AWESOME (as I'm sure a bunch of you have already discovered). The key is of course getting there. SQLite? I can install that but I have not seen any settings for that and it says recommended.

Also some bitrate/resolution recommendations for the capture settings. One thing that the PowerCinema was really good at was getting a phenomenal picture out of the ATI 550Pro card. I'm getting 30 minute captures at 5Gb and the picture still doesnt look nearly as good as the Cyberlink software did. Its coming out dark and washed out at 720x520 4500kbps. Obviously has to do with the settings, 5Gb for 30mins is rediculous, even for a HW encoder, thats DVD rates without a second pass.

:-) Liking it so far though. Especially the Weather forecast. Whoever wrote that one is a genius. I just spent 4 hours getting the same deal going on on my IPAQ Today screen. Speaking of my IPaq, what do you guys think the chances of my IPAQ with WM10/IE 320x200 to play using the client/server?

[stefan]

Welcome to the forum!

I saw the screenshots and I was like WOW. So I installed it on a test basis, keeping the Cyberlink in place. I've added the Weather, Web Radio and a bunch of other plugins. Havent tried skins yet but I'll get there.

So the request is for a sticky of how to get the GBPVR to look like the screnshots. Of especial importance is things like those awesome looking channel icons, the onscreen mini-guide, the linear shading in the boxes, etc. Mostly visual effects, and the addition of the thumbnails of the shows.

Well... which of the screenshots do you mean? The screenshots show a variety of skins and plugins, so it's not possible to give a step-by-step instruction to what to do to let you have what you want until you know what you want. Which you won't know until you tried it all

The key is of course getting there. SQLite? I can install that but I have not seen any settings for that and it says recommended.

SQLite is installed with gbpvr. You don't any special settings.

Also some bitrate/resolution recommendations for the capture settings. One thing that the PowerCinema was really good at was getting a phenomenal picture out of the ATI 550Pro card. I'm getting 30 minute captures at 5Gb and the picture still doesnt look nearly as good as the Cyberlink software did. Its coming out dark and washed out at 720x520 4500kbps. Obviously has to do with the settings, 5Gb for 30mins is rediculous, even for a HW encoder, thats DVD rates without a second pass.

The "medium"(default) setting usually works great. If you get better results with the cyberlink software, then it is the decoder you need to look at. I'd assume that the cyberlink software uses the cyberlink decoder. Set gbpvr to use the cyberlink decoder, and I'd bet you'd get better picture. 10GB/hour seems *way* to high. I get a lot less, and am very happy with the picture quality.

By the way, did you see the gbpvr wiki? A lot of answers can be found there (or here at the forum).

[narkuma]

My tip: do not try to configure and install too many plugins at a time.
install one and configure it until it meets your needs.
This way You will reach Your goal soon.
You can find very good instructions in the WIKI...

[fuzzweed]

Of especial importance is things like those awesome looking channel icons,

Download channel logo tool off the wiki http://gbpvr.com/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Utili...elLogoTool. Easy to use and I agree it does give a rather pollished finish

[computerology]

Welcome to the forum!

Well... which of the screenshots do you mean? The screenshots show a variety of skins and plugins, so it's not possible to give a step-by-step instruction to what to do to let you have what you want until you know what you want. Which you won't know until you tried it all

Some of the screenshots I really like;
http://www.gbpvr.com/images/screenshots/gbpvrtv.jpg
http://www.gbpvr.com/images/screenshots/xmedialtvg.jpg

I like the altered TV guide. Is this just a skin? I also like the mini guide appearing with more than one line. Something tells me these are both the same thing.

The "medium"(default) setting usually works great. If you get better results with the cyberlink software, then it is the decoder you need to look at. I'd assume that the cyberlink software uses the cyberlink decoder. Set gbpvr to use the cyberlink decoder, and I'd bet you'd get better picture. 10GB/hour seems *way* to high. I get a lot less, and am very happy with the picture quality.

Yeah 10Gb/hr is nuts. I guess I'll have to play around with it a little. I was just wondering if anyone has found some custom bitrates that work very sweetly. On the projector, the mpg artifacts really show up (color chunks can be 2 or 3 inches square) and obviously the lower the bitrate the more artifacts one gets. Resolution matters as well (on 320x240 a pixel is upsized to 3/4 inch!). I

guess I'm maybe hoping for a bit too much because I doubt many people have the luxury of 4 sq inch artifacts to contend with. I'll shut up now.

By the way, did you see the gbpvr wiki? A lot of answers can be found there (or here at the forum).

He he. Yes thats where I started, I've already downloaded and installed a bunch of plugins as I said earlier. The wiki is good for instructions on each of the plugins/skins but what I was looking for in a sticky was more of a generalized how to make your GBPVR look like THIS and how to make your GBVPVR look like THAT. Might help future adopters like me to not ask stupid questions and help us avoid trying out almost everything until we find what we like.

Thanks for you help! I uninstalled my PowerCinema last night. With the weather and Theatre listings and Guide now my media centre is everything it was supposed to be when I set it up last summer.

[computerology]

Download channel logo tool off the wiki http://gbpvr.com/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Utili...elLogoTool. Easy to use and I agree it does give a rather pollished finish

Godsend, man. Thank you. Its all set up now A1!

[tieke]

I also like the mini guide appearing with more than one line.

Are you pressing the "Go" key on your remote/F11 during live TV for this miniguide? I thought the default skin showed a couple of channels at a time. But yes - you can change the number of channels displayed, choose how they are shaded etc with the skin.xml files. I think the examples you used might be one of Tipstir's skins.

cheers,

tieke

[stefan]

Some of the screenshots I really like;
http://www.gbpvr.com/images/screenshots/gbpvrtv.jpg
http://www.gbpvr.com/images/screenshots/xmedialtvg.jpg

I like the altered TV guide. Is this just a skin? I also like the mini guide appearing with more than one line. Something tells me these are both the same thing.

Yes, it's only a skin. I'd say from the name of that image, that it is one of the XMedia skins (perhaps the XmediaLE?)

On the projector, the mpg artifacts really show up (color chunks can be 2 or 3 inches square) and obviously the lower the bitrate the more artifacts one gets. Resolution matters as well (on 320x240 a pixel is upsized to 3/4 inch!). I

320x240? Why would you use that?

He he. Yes thats where I started, I've already downloaded and installed a bunch of plugins as I said earlier. The wiki is good for instructions on each of the plugins/skins but what I was looking for in a sticky was more of a generalized how to make your GBPVR look like THIS and how to make your GBVPVR look like THAT. Might help future adopters like me to not ask stupid questions and help us avoid trying out almost everything until we find what we like.

Well... that would be quite a task. Who determines which ways would be "THIS" and "THAT"? Or do you mean to show every possible way gbpvr can look? The screenshots for each of the skins (in the wiki) is a pretty good indicator of what gbpvr will look with that skin, in my opinion. But if you want to create a better guide than what exists, no one will stop you. In fact, participation in documentation is very much appreciated and encouraged

[computerology]

Are you pressing the "Go" key on your remote/F11 during live TV for this miniguide? I thought the default skin showed a couple of channels at a time. But yes - you can change the number of channels displayed, choose how they are shaded etc with the skin.xml files. I think the examples you used might be one of Tipstir's skins.

cheers,

tieke

Hmm.. Go key on remote. My remote has been befuddled with all of these Cyberlink options but its a fully MCE remote. I tried popping a bunch of keys after hitting the green button to get the mini guide up but could still only get one channel at a time. I have the Theatrix remote. Any idea if theres a color on the button or other distinguishable marking on that go button (they changed the key labels, but not the buttons themselves).

:-) Thank you

[computerology]

Yes, it's only a skin. I'd say from the name of that image, that it is one of the XMedia skins (perhaps the XmediaLE?)

I'll try them out. I tried Plain Janes and it nukes my channel settings and my radio stations are there but for some reason transparent. Hopefully wont happen in the one that does that feature. :-)

320x240? Why would you use that?

It was an example to illustrate the exponential effect of artifacts. I have it set to 640x480 right now... lol. But no joke, at 320x240 the pixels are actually 3/4 inch, its nuts.

Well... that would be quite a task. Who determines which ways would be "THIS" and "THAT"? Or do you mean to show every possible way gbpvr can look? [...] If you want to create a better guide than what exists, no one will stop you. In fact, participation in documentation is very much appreciated and encouraged

Sounds like I may be getting more involved once I get this app figured out. I like the customization ability of this app but of course theres always a learning curve before you can go writing out docs.

I've seen it before in HOWTO sections, where theres a HOWTO forum that's locked and the best of support posts get moved there with topics like "HOWTO: Get Channel Icons for your area" etc. Very helpful, keeps n00bs like me from posting the same question thats been asked 100s of times before me.

:-)