Excessive wait to view Guide/Recordings on Client

[wallacetheweasel]

Hi,

I haven't seen other reports of this on the forums, but I set up a GBPVR PC Client a few months back and all was well at first, until the Guide and Recordings started taking an excruciatingly long time to load. At this point it takes about 2 minutes after pressing TV Guide, Search Guide or Recordings before the menu finally comes up. (This happens on the client, not the server). I'm using GBPVR v1.3.7.

For a while I assumed it's the time it takes to transfer a larger database over the network, but I tried copying the database file over the network and it takes less than 15 seconds. I experimented with Streaming/Windows Share methods for the client, and it made no difference in the time required to load the menus.

I've tried temporarily replacing the gbpvr.db3 file with empty.db3, thereby clearing the database. The menus load instantaneously again. Putting my database back again, the menus take 2 minutes once more.

I'm using a 54G wireless network, and I recognize it's not supported, but streaming video works flawlessly (the client is directly above the Access Point, one floor up) and as I said, the database file can be transferred in 10 seconds, so it seems that network speed is not the bottle neck. It's just these menus which take forever to load, the ones which require the database. I'm preparing to wire my house with Cat5E, so it will be networked at 100Mbps (or even gigabit if I splurge on the hardware), but that doesn't even seem to be the problem.

At this point I'm stumped as to what is holding up these menus.

Thanks in advance for your consideration and your help,
Michael

[johnsonx42]

Accessing an SQL database over a wireless network in client mode is a lot different than just copying it. There's a alot of seeking and random access required, and that's just slow over wireless.

You may gain something by following the info in this thread:

http://forums.nextpvr.com/showthread.php?t=40466

In short, you'll be adding an index to the database. It should reduce the database load time.

[sub]

Yep, apply the database statement from the above thread. I'm sure it'll help.

[wallacetheweasel]

johnsonx42, sub - thanks for the quick assistance! That sounded like a great idea, I just updated to 1.3.11 and added the index. Rather counterintuitively, however, it pretty much doubled the time required to load the TV Guide menu. Whereas before it took just under 2, now it took a tad over 4. Strange...

I really appreciate the assistance. Where to from here, do you think?

EDIT: That seemed too counterintuitive, and I realized I made the cardinal mistake of changing two variables at once. Following the instructions at http://forums.gbpvr.com/showpost.php?p=3...stcount=19 I dropped the index and retested. It took 4 minutes again without the index, so it's not the index's fault. I'm still befuddled though.

[sub]

How many channels and days of listings do you have?

[wallacetheweasel]

67 Channels, 14 days of listings. The database file is just over 7mb.

[sub]

Can you view the Recordings screen then post your pvrx2.exe.log, and approximate time it took?

[wallacetheweasel]

Absolutely. It took 4min, 2 seconds according to the trusty stopwatch. I attached the log.

Thanks again,
Michael

[sub]

On the client PC, try setting the following in config.xml:

<CheckForRenamedRecordings>false</CheckForRenamedRecordings>
<AutoRemoveMissingRecordings>false</AutoRemoveMissingRecordings>

[wallacetheweasel]

sub, you're great. That did it. The menus are now up within a second or two.

Do you think those settings merit being made the default for PC clients, or is the problem particular to my setup with a somewhat slow wireless network?

Thank you for all of your help,
Michael