NPVR 2.6.2 - Current Patches and Getting Started info

[johnsonx42]

Current patches for 2.6.2 - see post #2 for getting started and other reference info

===No Cumulative Patch yet; see below for individual patches===

ANY NPVR USERS EXPERIENCING PROBLEMS SHOULD INSTALL THE CUMULATIVE PATCH UPDATE AND RECREATE THE PROBLEM BEFORE POSTING A SUPPORT REQUEST. These updated files represent the latest version of NPVR code, and may include other changes not documented, so your problem may already have been fixed. Also, other later patches you may find posted by sub may fail if all your NPVR program files are not up to date. (no, it is not necessary to install any patches before upgrading to a new release of NextPVR - unless otherwise stated, you can upgrade from any release of NextPVR to any later release).

===Individual patches for NextPVR 2.6.2; Install as needed to correct the identified issue===
1. fix glitch in one recording caused when another recording starts - http://forums.nextpvr.com/showthread.php...post454765
2. restore function of Microsoft DTV-DVD Video Decoder for H.264 video in Win7 & Win8 - http://forums.nextpvr.com/showthread.php...post454973
3. add support for Freesat/Freeview huffman encoded EPG data - http://forums.nextpvr.com/showthread.php...post455209
4. improve DST handling with XMLTV epg source - http://forums.nextpvr.com/showthread.php...post455719
5. undo changes made by patch #4, which caused EPG to be 1 hour off - http://forums.nextpvr.com/showthread.php...post456517
6. correct audio track selection in some cases - http://forums.nextpvr.com/showthread.php...post457853

NOTE: some of the above patches, definitely #6 but probably others, will require the newer VC++ runtime listed in post #2. afaik it can't hurt to install it regardless.

It should be noted that patches are listed generally in chronological order, but not perfectly so. The thread a given patch is posted in may contain additional information on exactly what a given patch was intended to do, and may also contain information on additional settings required if you wish to use the functionality provided. Finally, not all patches actually fix what they are supposed to, but the changes usually remain in the file going forward, so they are listed as part of the update history.

Installation Notes These "patches" are simply replacement files for the existing NPVR program files. You should extract them and copy them over the existing files; the default directory is C:\Program Files\NPVR. If you are running Vista or 7 and have UAC enabled, you will likely need to do this from an elevated command prompt or explorer window. To get an elevated explorer window, go to All Programs->Accessories, right-click on Windows Explorer and select "Run as Administrator". Now, within that explorer window only, you are the Administrator.

Before installing patches, you must exit NextPVR.exe, shutdown the NPVR Recording Service and close the NPVR Tray Icon (using the "Stop NPVR Service" icon accomplishes both).

I recommend that you restart your system after installing patches. I've seen numerous cases where the Recording Service is not able to restart properly due to a socket error. You can check your NRecord.log to see whether it did or not, or just reboot to be safe.

[johnsonx42]

NPVR Getting Started information

The primary documentation is the Wiki: http://www.gbpvr.com/nwiki. This post is meant to provide some basic information to get you pointed in the right direction.

The current NPVR Installer: http://www.gbpvr.com/NPVRSetup_2_6_2.exe
- v2.6.2 released March 24th (NZ Time). Release notes: http://forums.nextpvr.com/showthread.php...post454400

Installation Pre-Requisites: http://www.nextpvr.com/nwiki/pmwiki.php?...requisites
Full DirectX Runtime: http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/det...px?id=8109
Newer VC++ runtime: http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/...x?id=30679

Getting Started & Accessing Settings:
http://www.nextpvr.com/nwiki/pmwiki.php?...FirstSteps

NPVR Directories
NPVR has a program directory and a data directory. By default:
[PROGRAM] = "C:\Program Files\NPVR" (32-bit versions of Windows)
[PROGRAM] = "C:\Program Files(x86)\NPVR" (64-bit versions of Windows)

[DATA] = "C:\Users\Public\NPVR" on Windows 6.x variants (Vista, 7, 8)
[DATA] = "C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\NPVR" on Windows 5.x variants (XP, 2003).

NPVR LOGS
NPVR logs pretty much everything it does in several log files. The default log location is in the logs directory under the npvr data directory:
Windows Vista & Windows 7: C:\users\public\npvr\logs
Windows XP: C:\documents and settings\all users\application data\npvr\logs

You MUST [b]ZIP and attach your logs to any support post.[/B] I can't stress this enough: Everyone providing help on the forums is pretty smart, but we're not clairvoyant; a good problem description AND logs makes it a lot easier to see what's going on, and you're more likely to get a correct first answer. To attach the logs, use the 'Go Advanced' button when posting, then click the paperclip and follow the onscreen instructions.

--my personal pet peeve: posted logs must be in .zip format or I probably won't look at them. someone else probably will, but not me... sorry, but I'm just THAT WAY about it--

Setting up your tuner(s) & TV channels:
One key thing to understand is that you must setup each tuner device that you will be using in Settings->Devices. You MUST setup the physical TV channels that each tuner will be receiving on that screen as well. For Analog devices, you can do a channel scan to find available channels, or you can import the channels from your EPG source which is much easier (discussed below). For digital devices of all types, you MUST do a channel scan to find the channels. If you have multiple devices of the same type connected to the same source (i.e. two digital tuners connected to an antenna), once you configure the channels on the first tuner the software will offer to copy the channels to the second tuner.

AFTER you have your tuners configured and channels assigned, you can deal with the logical channels on the Channels screen. Here you can merge channels that are the same across multiple tuners (even of different types), map your channels to your EPG data source (critical), and change the logical channel number assigned to each channel.

Analog Tuners/Capture Devices:
For ALL analog capture devices, you will need the Hauppauge SoftPVR components from WinTV7. If your Analog capture source does not show up in Devices, then the needed components are missing. See the wiki for additional installation instructions: http://www.nextpvr.com/nwiki/pmwiki.php?...ugeSoftPVR

Some Analog devices will also need an appropriate entry added to the AnalogDevices.xml file; if your analog device won't show up after successfully installing the SoftPVR components, see the wiki article here: http://www.nextpvr.com/nwiki/pmwiki.php?...alogDevice. If you need help, post a support request with the FilterCheck log attached.

North America Digital Cable (QAM) Support
See Wiki for setup instructions: http://www.nextpvr.com/nwiki/pmwiki.php?...eWithSDEPG

Some devices that advertise QAM support will not actually work. NPVR uses a standard method of selecting QAM tuning supported by many devices (Hauppauge, SiliconDust, ATI, ASUS, others), however some other devices use some other method to switch to QAM, and stubbornly remain in OTA ATSC mode (most notably many KWorld devices, though others have been reported).

Some ATSC/QAM digital tuner drivers do not properly identify QAM support for the device, and thus the device will appear only as ATSC. If the QAM entry for your device does not show up, view the devices screen then post a new support thread with your NPVR.LOG attached, along with a "please sir". sub can use data in the log to add QAM support for your device via a patch (the above note still applies).

Multi-Record
In the digital age, multiple TV channels are carried on the same transmission frequency or MUX. NPVR can access all of the channels on a single frequency simultaneously with a single tuner. This can be a major advantage over other PVR solutions. When you look at your digital channel scan results you will see which TV channels are transmitted together.

SiliconDust HDHomeRun
Ensure that you have firewall exceptions to allow NextPVR.exe, NRecord.exe and NDigitalHost.exe to communicate on the network, else the device will not deliver any data. In the HDHomeRun setup choose NextPVR as the Application; if you can't scan for channels, try setting it to "Other - ATSC/QAM" instead.

EPG (Electronic Program Guide)
See the Wiki documentation: http://www.nextpvr.com/nwiki/pmwiki.php?...ration.EPG
While you can "just watch TV" without an EPG, configuring your EPG is essential to the complete NextPVR experience.
For users in North America, Schedules Direct is highly recommended. Create an account at http://www.schedulesdirect.org; quality, legal EPG data is only $26.00 per year (7-day free trial)

Batch files executed by NPVR:
NPVR uses several batch files (aka scripts) to coordinate external activities; such activities include downloading and enhancing EPG data, running comskip, transcoding recordings, and other functions. You may not need any of them, or you may need them all, but in all cases they're up to you to create to do what you want. Most are listed in the wiki here: http://www.nextpvr.com/nwiki/pmwiki.php?...BatchFiles.

There are a few new ones:
ScreenSaverStart.bat & ScreenSaverStop.bat: called when screen saver starts or exits
PreArchiving.bat & PostArchiving.bat: called immediately before and immediately after the user moves a recording with the Archive function

Here's an example ParallelProcessing/PostProcessing.bat for running comskip: http://forums.nextpvr.com/showthread.php...post387833

PLEASE NOTE: most scripts are run by the Recording Service which runs as 'Local System', not your normal desktop user. Among other things, mapped network drives will not be there. Use \\server\sharename or \\ip\sharename instead.

SUPER IMPORTANT SCRIPT TIP: when a script runs the working directory is NOT what you think it is! begin all scripts with a "cd" command to set the working directory. example cd /d c:\comskip or cd /d e:\mc2xml or even cd /d "%~dp0" if you just want to run in the scripts directory.

Video and Audio Decoders
You must provide and select decoders for the video and audio streams that you will be playing. NextPVR DOES NOT INCLUDE DECODERS!

Analog video: MPEG-2 Video and MPEG-1 Layer 2 Audio. The decoders provided with Windows XP/Vista/7 are usually sufficient for this.
USA Digital video: HD-Capable MPEG-2 Video, MPEG-1 Layer 2 Audio and AC3 Audio. The Microsoft DTV-DVD Video decoder works well for many users, however the Microsoft DTV-DVD Audio Decoder will not work for AC3 Audio. Try AC3Filter (http://ac3filter.net) instead.

Digital video around the world: H.264 Video and various forms of Audio are in use; you should familiarize yourself with the format(s) used in your country.

Our good friend Hoborg has developed a codec pack for NPVR which will play video and audio everywhere: http://forums.nextpvr.com/showthread.php?50227

Web Access: NEWA - NPVR Enhanced Web Access
http://www.nextpvr.com/nwiki/pmwiki.php?n=Manual.NEWA
There is also now a mobile version called iNEWA which will be displayed if NEWA detects a mobile device.

What happened to GB-PVR?
GB-PVR is no longer being developed. 1.4.7 was the final release, there will be no further changes, patches or bug fixes. Most plugin developers have also ended developement of their GB-PVR plugins. NPVR is the successor to GB-PVR, but does not contain any GB-PVR code; GB-PVR skins and plugins are NOT compatible with NPVR. Limited support is still provided in the GB-PVR Support (Legacy) forum.

Migrating from GB-PVR to NPVR
GB-PVR and NPVR can run at the same time, but be careful not to have both programs attempt to use the same tuner(s) at the same time.
NPVR can import your existing Ready recordings; click Import on the Recording screen in Settings, and point to GB-PVR's recording-dump.xml.
There is a utility for importing season recordings, see: http://forums.nextpvr.com/showthread.php?47438

[johnsonx42]

further notes will go here

[Kiwi]

Is there a combined patch coming up?

[johnsonx42]

with the small number of patches for this release, all of them being non-critical, I probably won't bother. maybe when sub indicates there won't be any more patches for 2.6.2 I might.

[mikeh49]

How about if we put this suggestion from whurlston (post #11 in the thread) in the HD Homerun section of the getting started (or wherever it best fits). Looks like a good way to address the firewall question, at least for the Windows firewall, for these tuners. Probably something the forum should suggest to any post about HD Homerun not working.

http://forums.nextpvr.com/showthread.php...udio/page2

[johnsonx42]

I'll look at adding something next time I revise the sticky.

[whurlston]

It should be noted that it's only for the Windows Firewall and not third party firewalls.

[hoborg]

Hi.
It is only me or anyone alse have problem to install Full DirectX Runtime on Windows 8.1 (preview) x64 ?

The installer is crashing for me

[jksmurf]

Hi just wondering if this ForceSPDIF is still required for the Colossus?

http://forums.nextpvr.com/showthread.php...post415837