XCTpvr Beta TV-Plugin

[kolemieux]

Tremendous plugin - and I am traveling so will be a few days before I can give it a good workout on a HTPC box, so am working remotely with it for now with file playback mode - and looking to see if I may be able ro rid of ZP all together with this as my DVD/VideoPlayback engine.

? - am I asking for way too much for multi-tuner, or do you have a way to facilitate this.... Just curious, and trying not to ask for too much too soon.....

Also curious on a HUD/OSD with progress indicators or the like. I have noticed you do have progress bar - is any of this skinnable or all within the source code. I would simply love to be able to get the OSD/Progress to match up with the skin interfaces. We are able to do this with Winamp and Xlobby now.

Even if we needed to do this outside of Xlobby and your app read the graphics in - would be fine by me.

THANKS!!! This is AWESOME and am looking for much more on the EPG, Scheduling, and Playback category fronts as well.

AWESOME>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

[ComputerTimeCO]

Hi kolemieux,

Thanks for the compliment

? - am I asking for way too much for multi-tuner, or do you have a way to facilitate this.... Just curious, and trying not to ask for too much too soon.....

This plugin has the core of CTpvr which can support up to ten(theoretically unlimited with a slight mod) tuners if you can fit them into a PC. I do not plan to run scheduled recordings using the plugin. If Xlobby were to crash for any reason that would be the end of that recording and any other scheduled recordings until you get Xlobby back up. This plugin needs to work together with a recording engine seperate of Xlobby for the best stability. This way Xlobby will not have to run 24-7 in order for recordings to take place.

Also curious on a HUD/OSD with progress indicators or the like. I have noticed you do have progress bar - is any of this skinnable or all within the source code. I would simply love to be able to get the OSD/Progress to match up with the skin interfaces. We are able to do this with Winamp and Xlobby now.

Even if we needed to do this outside of Xlobby and your app read the graphics in - would be fine by me.

The goal is to have a progress bar which is an object inside of Xlobby like you have now with WinAmp. The difference is plugins run in the same memory space as xlobby basically it is integrated with Xlobby. Since we are dealing with video, any processing, screen refresh etc. that Xlobby makes can show up in the video as a flicker or a slight pause. My guess is by working with Steven this issue can be solved. Steven has already made a change that has help but I think a little more work may still be needed.

Regards,
Carm.

[kolemieux]

Carm - Thanks for the detailed response. I am using a BTV with 5 tuners configuration currently in complete allignment with Xlobby for everything else. You mention not going to do scheduled recordings - can you elaborate on that piece just a little. Should we assume the goal will only to be using the plugin to act as a Timeshift front-end for current TV streams.

I am wondering if I would want, or should?, leverage your plugin around my BTV configuration as my player front-end. I am doing this with Zoomplayer now.

I'd like your comments on that, where you think you will be heading on that front, and also (as I experiment) how I place TV vieweing portals on my skin pages. I am doing this now with ZP and XmoveWindow - I have TV viewing portals on my pages and am trying to mirror your objects to accomplish this.

THANKS FOR THE WORK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[ComputerTimeCO]

Hi All,

The following is from this discussion that evolved at the CTpvr forum that lead to this change. It will allow for any screen to include the XCTpvr TV viewer window.

Now you offer us Normal, and Large - could you maybe give us Small, Medium, Normal, Large. And then have it proceeded by the ScreenName so the correct window size shows in the associated screens? I am sure me saying this is more complicated than doing it ... but something to work with....... ??? Even if you gave us for now 4 sizes....

I think I have a simple way of doing this. The enter event when you go to a screen can be used to send a command to the plugin. Events can be create with a XCTpvr command plus a variable for each screen that you want to display the viewer window. The command could be "viewer" and the variable would be the id of the rectangle to place and size the screen. For instance "viewer rect1" would tell the plugin to size the viewer window to the dimensions and placement of rect1. So if you have five screens in your skin that you want to display the viewer window in, you would need five events.
Event ---- Cmd -- Var
screen1 "viewer rect1"
screen2 "viewer rect2"
screen3 "viewer rect3"
screen4 "viewer rect4"
screen5 "viewer rect5"
Then you assign the enter event "screen1" to the one of your screens and "screen2" to another and so on.

I'll test this out and if it works I'll try to release it by Friday evening.

Now to get the plugin to play the video or song from a playlist might require some help from Steven because I have no clue right now.

I have since released this newer version that will allow a more virtual use of the TV viewer window.

Regards,
Carm.

[jowaldo]

This is really cool, when some of the kinks of launching dvds get worked out, I would really like to add this to my skin to do everything... not just movies. Awesome job Carm!!

I have one question tho.. I play a lot of HDTV ts files, and use the moonlight mpeg decoder, and under the plugin setup when choosing what decoder to use, the moonlight video decoder shows up under the options for audio decoder. And under video decoder, it doesn't show up at all.

It shows up correctly in other programs like zoomplayer. Is there anything that I can do to fix this maybe?

[ComputerTimeCO]

Hi jowaldo,

I have one question tho.. I play a lot of HDTV ts files, and use the moonlight mpeg decoder, and under the plugin setup when choosing what decoder to use, the moonlight video decoder shows up under the options for audio decoder. And under video decoder, it doesn't show up at all.
It shows up correctly in other programs like zoomplayer. Is there anything that I can do to fix this maybe?

No there is nothing you can but I'll have a fix for that either later tonight or by tomorrow.

Now I have a Question for you. Do you know of any way to launch music or videos from a playlist to a plugin? I sent an email to Steven on this but I have'nt heard back yet.

Regards,
Carm.

[jowaldo]

Now I have a Question for you. Do you know of any way to launch music or videos from a playlist to a plugin? I sent an email to Steven on this but I have'nt heard back yet.

As far as I know (never tried that) it is not possible. Just thinking about how it works, I don't think it would. I know you can send playlists to external programs, but I've never seen it being sent to a plugin.

I'll play around with it a bit, and if I find out anything solid, I'll let ya know.

[kolemieux]

Carm,

I think the issue here is you are breaking some very serious ground - most of this is done now via. CommandExecute with filename pass params. I am hoping - and thinking - your integration is looking to be much tighter..... Steven clearly has this handled with Winamp.

Like Jowaldo says - this will be so so nice.

I am back in town now... And will be banging on the tuner aspects BIG-TIME tomorrow. I am hoping to be able to use the CTpvr player to playback my recordings as well - but for now I will only be able to do this with ZoomPlayer due to this challenge.... I believe.

I will be reporting heavily.

Thanks - Chris

Hi jowaldo,

I have one question tho.. I play a lot of HDTV ts files, and use the moonlight mpeg decoder, and under the plugin setup when choosing what decoder to use, the moonlight video decoder shows up under the options for audio decoder. And under video decoder, it doesn't show up at all.
It shows up correctly in other programs like zoomplayer. Is there anything that I can do to fix this maybe?

No there is nothing you can but I'll have a fix for that either later tonight or by tomorrow.

Now I have a Question for you. Do you know of any way to launch music or videos from a playlist to a plugin? I sent an email to Steven on this but I have'nt heard back yet.

Regards,
Carm.

[ComputerTimeCO]

Hi jowaldo,

I made the change for it to correctly ID the Moonlight Video decoders. I did not get a chance to test it out so let me know if its working.

http://ctpvr.com/downloads/XCTpvr.msi

Regards,
Carm.

[lar282]

How did u setup the msi file? does it overwrite all files or just newer or what.
Is it to mych to ask to have a zip file to for those people that dont want to chance overwriting files?


//Lasse

[jowaldo]

Hi jowaldo,

I made the change for it to correctly ID the Moonlight Video decoders. I did not get a chance to test it out so let me know if its working.

http://ctpvr.com/downloads/XCTpvr.msi

Regards,
Carm.

Works great!

Thanks!

[ComputerTimeCO]

How did u setup the msi file? does it overwrite all files or just newer or what.
Is it to mych to ask to have a zip file to for those people that dont want to chance overwriting files?

Hi Lasse,

No need to worry since the MSI only overwrites the files in the plugins/XCTpvr folder. To change the files already located in any of the skins that has XCTpvr screens in it already. You have to enter the plugin setup and click on the "Restore XCTpvr Screen" to get the newer Screens. This is to protect any changes you might have made to the screen.

Regards,
Carm.

[lar282]

How did u setup the msi file? does it overwrite all files or just newer or what.
Is it to mych to ask to have a zip file to for those people that dont want to chance overwriting files?

Hi Lasse,

No need to worry since the MSI only overwrites the files in the plugins/XCTpvr folder. To change the files already located in any of the skins that has XCTpvr screens in it already. You have to enter the plugin setup and click on the "Restore XCTpvr Screen" to get the newer Screens. This is to protect any changes you might have made to the screen.

Regards,
Carm.

Thanks carm, I knew you thought about this already


//Lasse

[DeanB]

I'm really keen to get this running now i've got a PVR250 card, but cannot figure out how to add it to the main menu

I'm using Jowaldo's 4.1 skin so any advice would be greatly appreciated.

I've tried following the instructions that came with the plugin but was lost when it told me to select the buttons tab in the skin editor - i can find no button tag...

Any help appreciated.


Thanks



Dean.

[jowaldo]

I'm really keen to get this running now i've got a PVR250 card, but cannot figure out how to add it to the main menu

I'm using Jowaldo's 4.1 skin so any advice would be greatly appreciated.

I've tried following the instructions that came with the plugin but was lost when it told me to select the buttons tab in the skin editor - i can find no button tag...

Any help appreciated.


Thanks



Dean.

You are just trying to add a button from the main menu of my skin to point to the correct screen? If so, the mainmenu db would have to be changed to include it. Hit f2, go to the databases tab, then edit the mainmenu db. Add a new item for it (just duplicate what you see for the other items) but just change it so it points to the correct screen. Look under the advanced tab for that item and point it to a goto screen event.

Hope that makes sense

This is the next big thing I'll be adding to my skin is tight integration with this plugin.