XBMC and NextPVR - A user guide

[steeb]

Dear all,

I would love some clarification here. I have absolutely no idea at all what is going on with xbmc support with NextPVR? The forum now has a whole section dedicated to it that has sprung up. I am so pleased that you all find it so easy to follow. I am a thicko and I do not find it easy. I am sure I am the only person in the world that does not get it...

But if any of you may even slightly not get it, or get all of it, could you help to enlighten me!

Then we may be able to write something on the NextPVR wiki....

cheers

steeb

[KRA]

What exactly are you looking for? Howto install xbmc-pvr with npvr as a backend ? What features that are currently working ? How to use xbmc-pvr ?

[steeb]

What exactly are you looking for? Howto install xbmc-pvr with npvr as a backend ? What features that are currently working ? How to use xbmc-pvr ?

KRA, thank you for your reply. I am looking to explain firstly to myself and then to other users exactly what we may have here!

1) Firstly I need to understand what support sub has built into NextPVR with release 2.5.9. There is nothing that shows in any settings tab?

2) What is the difference between what you and Martin (mvallevand are doing?) Martin seems to have created a xbmc plugin running on NEWA that works with NextPVR? Is yours the other way around? i.e. Your plugin works within NextPVR and calls xbmc?

much clarification needed....

thank you and cheers!

steeb

[KRA]

First off, I havn't done anything I've compiled sourcecode sub made to a plugin you can install on linux/xbmcbuntu 32 bit.

What changes sub made to allow xbmc access I have no idea of, I'm not a programmer, but I try to help if I can I guess it's just normal under the hood tweaks.

This is what I know/believe:

Currently there are 2 ways to access NPVR from inside XBMC.

1. Mvallevand plugin, this is a normal xbmc plugin that runs on current stable xbmc versions , it try to imitate NPVR client.
2. sub's plugin, this is a PVR plugin, for the upcomming pvr support in next xbmc version, it's a unified frontend pvr that can use several backends, it has some defined set of features, and you need a plugin to make xbmc be able to talk to the backend and translate xbmc features into backend features.

I have to go to bed now, but I can try to explain more detail later.

[steeb]

First off, I havn't done anything I've compiled sourcecode sub made to a plugin you can install on linux/xbmcbuntu 32 bit.

What changes sub made to allow xbmc access I have no idea of, I'm not a programmer, but I try to help if I can I guess it's just normal under the hood tweaks.

This is what I know/believe:

Currently there are 2 ways to access NPVR from inside XBMC.

1. Mvallevand plugin, this is a normal xbmc plugin that runs on current stable xbmc versions , it try to imitate NPVR client.
2. sub's plugin, this is a PVR plugin, for the upcomming pvr support in next xbmc version, it's a unified frontend pvr that can use several backends, it has some defined set of features, and you need a plugin to make xbmc be able to talk to the backend and translate xbmc features into backend features.

I have to go to bed now, but I can try to explain more detail later.

Thank you KRA, bed for me too now, but great to get an initial idea!

v best and cheers

steeb

[gEd]

What he said...

It is really aimed at providing the xbmc community with the opportunity to use npvr as a backend PVR system (rather than xbmc being a new client for existing npvr users, although I am experimenting atm).
If you want to find out more and understand it better, tbh the easiest thing to do would be to download the latest xbmc (frodo) nightly build the latest pvr client from http://www.dotnetdevelopers.net/XBMC/xbmcpvr.html

2.5.9 was released to support the new xbmc client. there is nothing (zero) to config on the npvr backend.
All the config is in the xbmc client and so possibly most of the documentation will/should be on the xbmc wiki rather than the npvr wiki.
xbmc users wishing to adopt npvr just need to know how to install and configure it the same as anyone else and we already have that pretty well covered thanks to your and McBains's sterling efforts.

[steeb]

What he said...

It is really aimed at providing the xbmc community with the opportunity to use npvr as a backend PVR system (rather than xbmc being a new client for existing npvr users, although I am experimenting atm).
If you want to find out more and understand it better, tbh the easiest thing to do would be to download the latest xbmc (frodo) nightly build the latest pvr client from http://www.dotnetdevelopers.net/XBMC/xbmcpvr.html

2.5.9 was released to support the new xbmc client. there is nothing (zero) to config on the npvr backend.
All the config is in the xbmc client and so possibly most of the documentation will/should be on the xbmc wiki rather than the npvr wiki.
xbmc users wishing to adopt npvr just need to know how to install and configure it the same as anyone else and we already have that pretty well covered thanks to your and McBains's sterling efforts.

Thank you gEd for calm voice of reason. So I can find out all I need to know in the xbmc wiki? And what the differences are between KAR and Martin's offerings? And what sub had actually provided?

Can you give me some links that may explain these things?

cheers

steeb

[steeb]

Thanks gEd, so what I appear to have now is xbmc after your download tip running a skin that much looks like Hairy's NextPVR Skin.

Am guessing that NextPVR should be an option in Video addon's? If not where?

cheers

steeb

[gEd]

So I can find out all I need to know in the xbmc wiki?
No idea tbh, I never bothered to look. you don;t need documentation to install it and get it all running.

KRA is compiling Subs xbmc client from the git repository to work with different builds of xbmc. Or something like that (I am new to this as well)

And what the differences are between KAR and Martin's offerings?
Well i think KRA's explained it pretty well above but just to expand a little more (like my waist).
Martins' X-NEWA plugin was from user Ton's previous xbmc plugin which as KAR said is a standard plugin that works with earlier xbmc releases. It is not based on the new shiny PVR framework. Think of it as a kind of virtual MVP/PCH within xbmc that uses xbmc for playback but is not integrated into the xbmc framework. It works very well tbh. Installation: go to xbmc system, config, addons, install from zip, browse for zip, install, done.

Subs plugin uses the new PVR framework and only works with the latest "frodo" releases of xbmc which are in beta atm (hence why documentation is not so critical atm as this is for techie early adopters)

Can you give me some links that may explain these things?
nope. I just followed the XBMC post here http://forums.nextpvr.com/showthread.php...BMC-Plugin that led me to the link I posted above where u can download the software. No more explanation is really needed.

[gEd]

Am guessing that NextPVR should be an option in Video addon's? If not where?

no
"Download a PVR Build from below" (ie.. Build 10/01/2012 (Release) - sub3-xbmc-pvr-addons-262683)
Unzip the contents of the PVR Build and copy to your C:\Users\USER_NAME\AppData\Roaming\XBMC\addons folder (assuming u are not still on xp)
Run XBMC and enable/configure the PVR Backed of choice
Enable Live TV (in system, settings, live tv)
then you should have a Live TV menu item.

Yes, very like Hairy's skin.