DVB - PC Cards PVR software

[JonMMM]

OK guys now I finally have my Cab.ci card working (thanks to all those that helped, and everyone that put up with my whinging) the project needs to go tto the next phase.

I what to install some PVR software, my needs are:-

1) Work on windows
2) Have an EPG that it downloads having 2 weeks data
3) Record form EPG
4) Season passes
5) Record only 1st Run
6) Be able to record from 2 Cab.ci cards
7) Use My Theater as the plugin from the Cab cards as its the only thing I have got to work.

Sorry I know I'm being greedy but I currently have a MCE machine feed by 2 dreams that can do all the above bar using the Cab cards.

Cheers for any advice

 

[jimbo19]

I'm pretty certain your looking at mediaportal - takes a bit of tweaking
GBPVR may also be an option

The only way ypu will get a feed from mytheatre into MCE is to use the mce plugin mymcesat - but that will only stream the feed to MCE - MCE will not change channels or schedule recordings using this method

 

[JonMMM]

Pettry much ruled out MCE, even though I really like it.

As you say Media portal looks like it will need a lot of work, and I'm lazy - that why I want a decenct PVR lol.

GBPVR does not look polished enough, with a name like GBPVR would would think that it was been designed for the UK but if you look at the screenshots especially the EPG ones they are US based, so again I think it will take a lot of tweaking.

The other option is to give it a few months and see if Vista 64bat drivers come out for the CAb.ci card then use Vista Ultimate.

 

[gerner]

I'm using sage tv at the moment with 2 cab ci cards through my theatre, although recent verisons say they support CI an CAMs. Its a brilliant piece of pvr software and i'd throuroughly recommend it. The great thing about it is you can run your ugly noisy server tucked away somewhere and use a silent hauppage mvp extener in your lounge next to your tv. With one server, you can have multiple extenders for as many rooms as you want.

The downsides are a) the stock skin is butt ugly - switch to the Sage MC stv as soon as you load it. If you don't you'll probably hate it. b) It's not free software and the hacks / cracks don't work that well. It costs something like 45 quid - for me though, being able to use a silent mvp extender in the front room makes it worth it.

I've been using sage now for about 2 years and its been really reliable. Before i got into this dvb-c business i had a dbox and a dreambox going into 2 pvr-150 hardware mpeg encoders. Now I'm using the my theatre plugin with softcams in my theatre.

It says it supports dvb-c with CI CAM support. As soon as I get a working CAM setup i'm going to try it. You would have to tweak the dvb-c file to suit your own scanning frequencies - someone has posted on this in the sage forums - and apparently the developers are keen for some feedback on this functionality as its quite new.

 

[nozzer]

I dont think you are going to fulfill that list of requirements !

DVB-C cards are really more a hobbyist thing than mainstream so chances of getting anything thats just going to run as a pvr with those facilities would seem remote.


One of the linux solutions (vdr type thing) may do most of what you want but even that isn't going to do everything.

 

[gerner]

Sage TV does all of that works a treat too. (i swear i should get be getting commision from them ! lol)

 

[JonMMM]

Sage TV does all of that works a treat too. (i swear i should get be getting commision from them ! lol)

Will be d/ling tonight so expect lots of questions lol.

 

[jimbo19]

Must admit I did try a "cracked" version of sage and with the plugin it does stream mytheatre to Sage wonderfully with all you require

Just seems a shame to have to use 2 applications when it should just require one.
However if you PC is lower specd as nozzer was saying there are some really good linux PVR apps VDR , MythTV etc - but these DO require a lot of setup.

 

[JonMMM]

Must admit I did try a "cracked" version of sage and with the plugin it does stream mytheatre to Sage wonderfully with all you require

Just seems a shame to have to use 2 applications when it should just require one.
However if you PC is lower specd as nozzer was saying there are some really good linux PVR apps VDR , MythTV etc - but these DO require a lot of setup.

My PC is now top notch so no prob there, am trying Sage but seems to fail at the Digital Tuner setup just hangs on "Please wait for the video preview to load" if your copy with the plugins getts srround this, I would love to know where you d/led from.

Cheers in advance.

Jon

 

[nozzer]

Sage TV does all of that works a treat too. (i swear i should get be getting commision from them ! lol)

I guess its "horses for courses" but I found Sage to be one of the most bug ridden, frustrating and un-intuitive bits of software ever devised !

It was probably one of the biggest influences in convincing me to download the sdk's for my particular dvb-c card an to write my own software !

 

[gerner]

DVBCore Plugins

My PC is now top notch so no prob there, am trying Sage but seems to fail at the Digital Tuner setup just hangs on "Please wait for the video preview to load" if your copy with the plugins getts srround this, I would love to know where you d/led from.

Cheers in advance.

Jon

There is a known issue that plugins don't make the preview window work - once its installed it works fine though.

Have you got the my theatre plugin installed installed in my theatre? If you have, make sure the 'change channel by number' option is turned on (sorry, I can't remember the exact name for it).

For the time being, choose the option that says 'don't use epg info wih this tuner' - i can talk you though getting xmltv set up later.

Then choosing one in sage guide will bing up the channel numbered 1 in the specified favourites folder in my theatre (sagetv by default in the plugin).

Not sure what version nozzer has used but I've used sage for 2 years now and its been good as gold. Using it with sageMC it looks very nice too, although must admit the stock skin really is ugly and un-intuitive, didn't use i after a first look myself.

 

[JonMMM]

Is this the right plugin?

http://forums.sagetv.com/forums/showthread.php?t=12473

Edit - Alturnativly does any one have a preconfigured plugin folder that I can just drop im?

 

[jimbo19]

Yes that is the right plugin
Make sure you read the pdf for the plugin thoroughly - you have to edit the files and also set up the plugin within mytheatre

 

[JonMMM]

Yes that is the right plugin
Make sure you read the pdf for the plugin thoroughly - you have to edit the files and also set up the plugin within mytheatre

Lokks like quite a big job, will give it a go tonight

 

[JonMMM]

OK got to the point of Use US, canada, or XML TV Guide Data or, Use tvtv services, or Do not use guide data.

I take it I use US/XML data?

How do I configure that?

Thanks in advance

 

[JonMMM]

If I click on that enter my post code all I get is a load of canadian options

 

[gerner]

This is this where you would use an xmltv plugin to get epg info. This can seem like fair bit of hassle but if you want to get 2 weeks epg info in any PVR this is the only way as far as I know.

Also, once its set you can just forget about it and leave it to run at a set time every day in the background.

If I were you I would choose do not use epg info with this tuner for now just to make sure it is all working.

I've answered in your post on the sagetv forums on a quick overview of how to set this up:

http://forums.sagetv.com/forums/showthread.php?p=208632&postcount=414

 

[JonMMM]

I Thought I had it all sorted - followed the tuts to the letter (I think) got the Device of "MTSageTV Card 1 on localhost:6969 TV Tuner and got the guide.

Thats all good but I get no pic or sound - if I click on the epg and press watch now I get - "ERROR (-10): No encoders can tune the selected station".

Thanks for help in advance.

Jon

 

[gerner]

So you managed to get all that xmltv data imported? It's a bit of a hassle ain't it. I think the problem is that your xmltv importer has imported the data without correctly numbering the channels. I know I had to setup my importer to give my channels the correct numbers, (e.g. 1 for bbc1, 2 for bbc etc).

Some things to look out for / try:

You need to make sure the channels are numbered according to how they're numbered in your My Theatre favourites group. You can do this in sage by using your xmltv importer or when you're in channel setup for the tuner, click re-map and map 'the physical number' to the number it is in your my theatre favourite group.

Once you've done that, have you got the 'change channel using number' flag turned on in the SageTV plugin?

In sageTV when you set up the tuner do you click the panel that says use tuner to change channel?

If none of the the above work, I'd try deleting the tuner, starting again and getting it working without epg first. Have you got it to work without epg?