2014-11-02, 12:12 AM
(This post was last modified: 2018-06-24, 05:48 PM by johnsonx42.)
This post will try to address common questions and mistakes, and also provide some basic "getting started" information for new users.
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 (ok, sometimes a few of us have been a little clairvoyant, but I wouldn't count on it for YOUR problem); 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. Also, please post your entire logs folder unless otherwise instructed.
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/7/8/10: C:\users\public\npvr\logs
Windows XP: C:\documents and settings\all users\application data\npvr\logs
(note that the "application data" folder is hidden, but it is there. type it or copy/paste it into an explorer window, and it will open)
NPVR Getting Started information
The primary documentation is the Wiki: http://nextpvr.com/nwiki/pmwiki.php. This post is meant to provide some basic information to get you pointed in the right direction.
The current NPVR Installer: https://nextpvr.com/NPVRSetup_4_2_2_180623.exe
- v4.2.2 released June 23rd, 2018 (NZ Time). Release notes: https://forums.nextpvr.com/showthread.ph...post525084
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) and 10
[DATA] = "C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\NPVR" on Windows 5.x variants (XP, 2003).
The only time you should be messing about in the PROGRAM directory is if you need to copy in a patched file to replace one of the program files. ALL configuration and user data is stored in the DATA directory.
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:
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 (but most common devices are already there); 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 your FilterCheck.log AND npvr.log.
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. With 3.3.8 this support has been extended to Analog tuners and the HD-PVR/HD-PVR2/Colossus devices as well; while those devices can only tune a single channel at one time, they can now offer back-to-back recordings with overlapping padding on the same channel.
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 "Default" or "MediaPortal" as the Application; the "NextPVR" setting often doesn't work correctly, but SiliconDust won't fix it.
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.
In North America, don't use the default ATSC EPG data for anything more than simple TV watching! Schedules Direct is highly recommended. Create an account at http://www.schedulesdirect.org; quality, legal EPG data for $25.00 per year.
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.
Here's an sample ParallelProcessing/PostProcessing.bat for running comskip: http://forums.nextpvr.com/showthread.php...post387833
PLEASE NOTE: 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. Also, 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, AC3 Audio. The Microsoft DTV-DVD Video decoder works well for Windows 7 users, however the Microsoft DTV-DVD Audio Decoder MAY 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.
Most people download and install LAV decoders from https://github.com/Nevcairiel/LAVFilters...taller.exe. Alternatively, you could try the SAF6 installer developed by Hoborg (a member of the community). SAF6 is codec pack for NPVR which includes all the audio/video decoders you might need: 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.
Who's in charge of all this?
Not me, that's for sure. sub is the guy. He wrote the program, and continues to update it based on what he wants the program to do and sometimes in response to whining (polite discussion that doesn't seem like whining gets the best response though). I am but a mid-level minion at best, so don't expect me to fix your problems for you (sometimes if I really like you and your problem, I'll whine at sub for you... he LOVES that).
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 (ok, sometimes a few of us have been a little clairvoyant, but I wouldn't count on it for YOUR problem); 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. Also, please post your entire logs folder unless otherwise instructed.
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/7/8/10: C:\users\public\npvr\logs
Windows XP: C:\documents and settings\all users\application data\npvr\logs
(note that the "application data" folder is hidden, but it is there. type it or copy/paste it into an explorer window, and it will open)
NPVR Getting Started information
The primary documentation is the Wiki: http://nextpvr.com/nwiki/pmwiki.php. This post is meant to provide some basic information to get you pointed in the right direction.
The current NPVR Installer: https://nextpvr.com/NPVRSetup_4_2_2_180623.exe
- v4.2.2 released June 23rd, 2018 (NZ Time). Release notes: https://forums.nextpvr.com/showthread.ph...post525084
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) and 10
[DATA] = "C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\NPVR" on Windows 5.x variants (XP, 2003).
The only time you should be messing about in the PROGRAM directory is if you need to copy in a patched file to replace one of the program files. ALL configuration and user data is stored in the DATA directory.
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:
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 (but most common devices are already there); 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 your FilterCheck.log AND npvr.log.
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. With 3.3.8 this support has been extended to Analog tuners and the HD-PVR/HD-PVR2/Colossus devices as well; while those devices can only tune a single channel at one time, they can now offer back-to-back recordings with overlapping padding on the same channel.
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 "Default" or "MediaPortal" as the Application; the "NextPVR" setting often doesn't work correctly, but SiliconDust won't fix it.
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.
In North America, don't use the default ATSC EPG data for anything more than simple TV watching! Schedules Direct is highly recommended. Create an account at http://www.schedulesdirect.org; quality, legal EPG data for $25.00 per year.
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.
Here's an sample ParallelProcessing/PostProcessing.bat for running comskip: http://forums.nextpvr.com/showthread.php...post387833
PLEASE NOTE: 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. Also, 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, AC3 Audio. The Microsoft DTV-DVD Video decoder works well for Windows 7 users, however the Microsoft DTV-DVD Audio Decoder MAY 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.
Most people download and install LAV decoders from https://github.com/Nevcairiel/LAVFilters...taller.exe. Alternatively, you could try the SAF6 installer developed by Hoborg (a member of the community). SAF6 is codec pack for NPVR which includes all the audio/video decoders you might need: 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.
Who's in charge of all this?
Not me, that's for sure. sub is the guy. He wrote the program, and continues to update it based on what he wants the program to do and sometimes in response to whining (polite discussion that doesn't seem like whining gets the best response though). I am but a mid-level minion at best, so don't expect me to fix your problems for you (sometimes if I really like you and your problem, I'll whine at sub for you... he LOVES that).
