GBPVR to NEXTPVR migration - benefits?

[ram4x4nut]

Hi All,

Been using GPVR for many years and I am very happy with 1.4.7. I have this running on 2 machines with 3 tuners each.

For people that have made the jump form GBPVR to NextPVR - is it worth it? What are some of the major benefits?
I'm hesitant to do this as I am not having any issues with my current setups, just wondering if there is any real benefit to upgrading?

Thanks - it's been a LONG time since I've been on these boards - and that is a huge compliment to Sub as his code has kept me (and more important - the wife) very happy for a long long time!

Ram

[Graham]

I made the move a few months ago. I also was content with GBPVR and saw no reason to change. Eventually, I wanted to start receiving HD and needed new kit for that so it seemed like a good time to get NextPVR.

NextPVR is much easier to configure. Setting up channels and EPG is a doddle. In day to day use, there is little between them.

On the one hand, if it ain't broke don't fix it. If you need to upgrade tuners or wotnot, that's a good time to go to NextPVR. On the other hand, there is no reason not to go to NextPVR now. You can run GBPVR and NextPVR on the same machine (provided that they don't try and use the same tuner at the same time). I'm trying so hard to be even handed that I have finished up being no help at all!!

[Reddwarf]

My advice: Try it, as Graham says you can run them side by side, just not at the same time. I'm sure you'll soon find that npvr is a much better system.

[smajor]

I agree with the folks above. When NextPVR came out, I ran them side-by-side for awhile. With each release it got better and better until I finally switched over. You've got a few years of us using it and smoothing out the bumps, and I'm pretty sure sub has two, maybe three clones of himself with all the hours of work he's put into it.

Give it a whirl, run them side by side for awhile as you tweak NextPVR to your liking and I bet one day you'll jump.

[jam_zhou]

The only thing to watch for is that in videos when viewing thumbnails they may not refresh and it may crash...I'm hoping sub fixes it in the next release. You can use file list instead. Personally, I'm "integrating" xbmc as a movie plugin. It works pretty seamless, but still trying to make sure it does all I want. There's lots of tweaking with remotes and xbmc settings.

I like the simplicity of nextpvr for my family and kids especially. I'm hoping to finish migrating in the next few weeks.

[mikeh49]

Possible heresy follows, all based on my experience as a long time, but fairly basic user:

For "plain vanilla" TV recording and playback, using the built-in functions of GBPVR, NPVR has few, if any, advantages for US TV. The NPVR channel scanning is far better, and the "internal" config system is convenient, but if you're OTA or your cable operator doesn't change your QAM channels, or you use analog, the channel scanning improvement is moot. I prefer the dvr-ms mux in GBPVR for recordings, as the skipping is flawless. I understand why sub went to ts recordings, but, again, for US mpeg2 TV, dvr-ms is superior, in my experience.

There is essentially no plug-in support for GBPVR, but, if you don't use any plug-ins, no problem. I believe the internet radio feature of GBPVR no longer works as something has changed in the outside world.

Since there is no support for GBPVR, if something changes (OS, motherboard, Schedules Direct, tuners, etc), you're probably done. Until then, it's great for basic TV recording and playback.

If I didn't need/want mvallevand's excellent NetworkRecorder to capture firewire from my STB, I would probably have stayed with GBPVR and given up the occasional use of internet radio.

Advantages of NPVR:

• Better channel scanning
  
• Internal config program, no need to exit to make a change
  
• Improved overscan management
  
• Supported plug-ins
  
• Improved cover art, thumbnails support (I think, don't really use this)
  
• More modern, nicer appearance
  

[mikey]

It'd be worth upgrading just to get NextPVR's multi-record feature. I have two tuners but can record a large number of channels simultaneously.

I'm also a fan of the built in multidec support.

[Graham]

I prefer the dvr-ms mux in GBPVR for recordings, as the skipping is flawless. I understand why sub went to ts recordings, but, again, for US mpeg2 TV, dvr-ms is superior, in my experience.

I agree with that (for UK TV) but I have got used to the skip glitches. Note to self ... do the work to provide Sub with some useful logs and stuff in case he wants to look at skipping again.

[mikeh49]

Good point, I was thinking GBPVR had multi-record, but I guess not for dvr-ms (only works for ts mux, which makes it like NPVR). I have 3 tuners, so I didn't need multi-record.

[johnsonx42]

It'd be worth upgrading just to get NextPVR's multi-record feature. I have two tuners but can record a large number of channels simultaneously.

GB-PVR has multi-record too, but you do have to use the .ts mux.

For me, GB-PVR just had too many little problems that obviously weren't ever going to be fixed once sub switched to NPVR. I switched to NPVR on the second public release (1.5.21 I think?), and it 'felt' better than GB-PVR right from the start. Still, some things were better with GB-PVR. DVR-MS files were just great, comskip worked so perfectly with them. Truly accurate skipping in .ts files continues to be NPVR's achilles heal for me, though sub continues to make improvements. There's also still some basic features of GB-PVR not yet implemented in NPVR, like the ability to change the priority of recurring recordings and conflict detection/management... I solved that by just throwing more tuners at the problem; with 4 tuners and multi-record, conflicts are highly unlikely, and if there are no conflicts then recording priority doesn't matter either.