Why does blaster.exe only get called for channel CHANGES? Same channel, not called.

[cmoswizard]

I have combed through the NRecord logs and I'm pretty sure the blaster never gets called unless it is a new channel number. This would make sense if the set top box was never used manually but that is not the case here. If I change my Directv box to another channel directly then the next recording will be of the wrong channel unless the new recording channel happens to be different from the last recording.
Why conserve blaster calls? This almost has to be intentional. Is there a setting?

Thanks

Dennis in Minneapolis
NPVR 3.6.6 Win7 AMD system. Hardwired serial/usb control of directv box via custom code and "DirecTV Control.exe" utility

[sub]

What type of tuner device?

[sub]

It's supposed to run the blaster executable anytime it starts the device, or any time it changes channels (to a different channel). It doesn't run the blaster executable while actively recording, and switching to a new recording on the same show.

If you're manually change channels during a recording, you're pretty much ruining those recordings anyway.

[cmoswizard]

I am using the svideo input of a Hauppauge HVR-1600. I do not use their blaster routine. I call my own code which uses the Directv Control.exe utility. That all works perfectly under all other circumstances. No, I am not interrupting my own recordings, that would be kinda dumb. I am talking about watching directly between recordings over a period of days.
OK, so it sounds like it is intentional behavior. Isn't it kind of a big assumption that the set top box will always be on the same channel where NPVR left it?

[sub]

OK, so it sounds like it is intentional behavior. Isn't it kind of a big assumption that the set top box will always be on the same channel where NPVR left it?

No - as I described, it's supposed to call the blaster whenever the device is started (regardless of whatever channel it was tuned to last). ie, if it does a recording, then recording stops, then a couple of days later it goes to start a recording on the same channel, it should call the blaster (since it needs to start the device again). Is it not doing that for you?

[mvallevand]

I use two tuners with blasters the HDPVR and HVR 1600 and I don't see this. You forgot to upload your logs which would show what NextPVR is doing.

On one box I do have to changes channels during the EPG update because the STB does go to sleep if I leave it one channel for too long.

Martin

[cmoswizard]

OK, I'm not sure what constitutes "started". I leave the box in sleep mode for days at a time and I'm not sure the tuner needs to be reinitialized when the computer resumes from sleep to do a recording. Here are my logs.

Thanks for looking at this.

Dennis in Minneapolis

[sub]

OK, I'm not sure what constitutes "started".

Any time a device goes from "doing nothing" to "recording", then the device is started.

[cmoswizard]

OK, that makes sense but the blaster call on startup doesn't always happen.

If you search my nrecord.log file for "analogrecorder.startstream" you will find 19 instances. If you then search for "blaster" you will only find 14 instances. The first instance of a failed call is at 2016-06-11 12:29:00.236. Same channel as a recording the day before.
The pattern I saw was that the blaster call didn't happen when two consecutive recordings were on the same channel. They could be hours or days apart. If I decided to watch the news in between using my set top box remote then the second recording would be of the news channel rather than my intended channel.
I understand that we rely on the STB to stay on channel for the duration of the show but this seems to assume that it will stay there forever.

Thanks again

Dennis in Minneapolis

[sub]

I think I can see why it might not be happening for analog, and I've fixed it for the next release.

The other class of device for recording from set top boxes, the HDPVR familiy, didn't have this issue.