XMLTV error message

[esmonde]

This is my second time to try GB-PVR and once again it's the XMLTV that stops me in my tracks. I'm using a Hauppauge WinPVR 350 and up to now have been using the supplied PVR software. I'm really anxious to try out GB-PVR and see how it works with my MediaMVP too.

I don't really understand this whole XML TV listings stuff yet and am just blindly following the quick start instructions.  I'm in Ireland, but since I can't seem to find out any information specific to here, and since much of my channel selection would be UK based I've selected the bleb file.  I understand (too strong a word) that it's the source for UK channels, and I'm using a Sky Digibox for most of my channels.
However when I clicked on the 'Update EPG' button in the config screen I get two boxes - one telling me it's updating the EPG file and the other an error box saying 'XMLTV: error reading XML. Value cannot be null. Parameter nametring.'

This is all gobbledygook to me.  Can anyone explain in simple English how to do what's required to get GB-PVR up and running, or is there a layman's guide URL anywhere?  Thanks.

[sub]

The error message above indicates your setup is trying to use XMLTV instead of Bleb. I think there may be a problem with switching a capture source from XMLTV to Bleb after it has been saved, so you probably want to delete the capture source you've set up, and start again.

Delete the capture source you've already setup. "Ok" out of the config app. Start the config app again, and follow the quick start instructions. The only difference in your case, is select Bleb instead of Zap2it.

[esmonde]

Thanks for that really rapid response.

I'm afraid I'm not having any luck. Same thing happened the last time I tried GB-PVR and I have to admit I just gave up.

I did manage to figure out something about XML TV and selected BLEB which then downloaded the UK listings. However I still have no idea how to use this software. I'm just blindly clicking menus and mostly hanging my PC. Live TV does not produce any picture despite my trying a series of the listed Input choices.

In case it helps here's my setup:

Pentium 1.7 Ghz running WinXP Pro SP1
Hauppauge WinPVR 350 set up for PAL, and working fine with Hauppauge's software.

Signal inputs to the PVR350:

Composite from an external Sky Digital satellite tuner, coming into the PVR350 on Composite 2.

Antenna signal carrying local Irish off-air TV via the Sky Digibox RF out to the WinPVR antenna input. I've used the Tuning Assistant and it seemed to tune in the channels fine.

I couldn't find any reference to Ireland in the Config so I selected the UK in all cases. In any case most of my recording is UK satellite material. Don't know if there is any such thing as an XML TV source for the channels available here. I am subscribed to the excellent DigiGuide which provides all the channel info but I'm not sure if it can interface with GB-PVR.

As I said I also have a Media MVP and it works fine too with the Hauppauge software. But I'd love to try out the extra functionaliy which I understang GB-PVR provides.

Thanks again.

[sub]

Quote[/b] ]I did manage to figure out something about XML TV and selected BLEB which then downloaded the UK listings. However I still have no idea how to use this software.

So I take this means you now have TV listing working?

Quote[/b] ]I'm just blindly clicking menus and mostly hanging my PC. Live TV does not produce any picture despite my trying a series of the listed Input choices.

You'll need to give me a bit more to go on. What things hang your PC? Just trying to access LiveTV, or do other things also cause your system to hang?

When you try to access live tv? Does a livetv-x-x-mpg file get created in your livetv directory? and does it play with windows media player?

You might want to disable the 'Use SBE if available' option if is currently enabled. The default is disabled, but I dont know what you've been clicking on to try to get it going. Also, set the MPEG2 playback decoder to 'Intervideo ...'.

Please just focus on one thing at a time when responding, otherwise all facts become a blur making it very hard to work out what is wrong.

[esmonde]

Thank you again for taking the trouble to reply so quickly, and I'm sorry if my efforts to give detailed information on my system and locale led to more confusion.

I'll try to be as clear and concise as possible.

Yes, I now have TV listings from Bleb for UK channels.

Attempting to get GB-PVR to work, by trying the various menu options in turn, resulted in a total hang of my machine at least twice. In the absence of any instruction manual (unless I'm missing something) this seemed the only way to work out how GB-PVR worked. I can't say now exactly what option or combination of options caused the problem. I now take it more slowly and it is not happening.

Since I presumed 'Live TV' meant just that, and since I had followed the config instructions as best I could, I expected this option to show me the live input of my Hauppauge card. To my surprise selecting 'Live TV' resulted in a black screen with the message 'Video is playing back using TV Out. Press Home to return to the Menu.' I don't know if this is an error message or just telling me something.

LiveTV has produced those mpg files in my LiveTv directory and they do play back in Media Player. Unfortunately they are in black and white, but I'm pretty sure that this is something to do with the input selection. My satellite box outputs composite so I'm using the composite to S-video adapter with the Hauppauge card, and they have some weird input selection options. As I explained, the Composite2 option works in full colour with the WinTV2000 software. I wasn't sure what I should select in the GB-PVR Config, so I eventually settled on 'S-video, External Tuner'.

I did not enable 'Use SBE ..'

I have now changed the Playback decoder from 'default' to 'InterVideo'

thanks,

[sub]

Quote[/b] ] To my surprise selecting 'Live TV' resulted in a black screen with the message 'Video is playing back using TV Out. Press Home to return to the Menu.' I don't know if this is an error message or just telling me something.

Start the config app, and set the 'hardware decoder' option to 'None - use software decoder'. This should allow video to appear on your PC monitor. You currently have this option set to 'Hauppauge PVR350' which causes video to be sent out of the PVR350 tv out connectors only.

This is also most likely to be causing your total system hangs. The PVR350 drivers are notorious for hanging when the decoder and OSD are in use.

[colin]

The black and white picture could be caused by selecting s-video over composite and vice versa. I think this is something that has come up on shspvr's forum. Slap me if i'm wrong

Colin.

[esmonde]

Thanks sub and Colin.

That seems to have done it. Changing to software decoder and making the input 'Composite 2 , External tuner' gave me full colour Live TV.

Now I just need to find out how to use GB-PVR. Is there a manual anywhere?

BTW a problem I was having with the Hauppauge software appears to be accentuated in GB-PVR. My audio is distorted in a way that sounds like signal overload. It's worse in GB-PVR. But I don't know if it's a Hauppauge hardware problem (I know the source audio is fine) or if the audio can be affected by my sound chips or drivers.

Thanks again, and thanks sub for a great application.