Great Server, couple questions.

[Chris]

Well we might have a little problem here I had assumed that my attempt to get CA channels listed had broken VDR 1.3 channel list support entirely, but I've just compiled up 1.3.28 and vompserver from current SF CVS and it works-for-me... I have no CA channels but all my usual channels showed up. So errr hmmm. Anyone any ideas?!

[davep]

Works for me with vdr 1.3.29 and last night's CVS, but then I'm using UK DVB-T and I suspect Hoochster is not.

How about turning up the log level in vompserver to see what is happening in mvpclient.c? I've been meaning to ask how the new logging system works - presumably a config file setting determines the level?

A black screen sounds like the client crashing because of unexpected data.

Dave

[Hoochster]

Just tell me what ya need from me and I will provide.  I appreciate the help from both of you!

[Chris]

Ok... Hoochster, just to clarify, you press OK on Live TV from the main menu, expecting it to then go to a list of channels but instead you get a black screen? If so, the client is defintely crashing out entirely. In answer to an earlier question, no you can't force it onto a channel if you can't get the channels list, because there is no way to enter Live TV mode without going through the channel list. I think we should try going back to when you had a working list of non-CA channels and then work forward from there... I know you said you're no programmer but if you do this it will be quicker than going through SF CVS. Look for line 373 in mvpclient.c and change the following:

Code Select Expand


// Re-enable later with some client side option
//#if VDRVERSNUM < 10300
//    if (!channel->GroupSep() && !channel->Ca())
//#else
//    if (!channel->GroupSep() && !channel->Ca(0))
//#endif
//    {

    if (!channel->GroupSep())
    {


to:

Code Select Expand


// Re-enable later with some client side option
#if VDRVERSNUM < 10300
    if (!channel->GroupSep() && !channel->Ca())
#else
    if (!channel->GroupSep() && !channel->Ca(0))
#endif
    {

//    if (!channel->GroupSep())
//   {


That is disabling 6 lines of code and enabling two others.

Then go to the vdr directory and do "make plugins" as normal. That reverses what I did to try to get CA channels listed. If the MVP still crashes after doing this then there must be some change to VDR or its channels.conf that is the problem. If so you could post the channels.conf and I could see if I can run VDR with it and diagnose the problem.

As for logging, you could turn that on by editing mvpserver.c, line 51, and change the log.init line from:
log.init(Log::DEBUG, "/tmp/vompserver.log", 0);
to
log.init(Log::DEBUG, "/tmp/vompserver.log", 1);

And edit the file name for the log file if you wish.

davep: The logging system is a module borrowed from another project, its level and filename are just hard coded in here. The Log::DEBUG parameter determines the logging level - Log::DEBUG is everything. I doubt setting it to anything else would be very useful at the moment, I probably havn't set the individual logging lines to useful levels. I added the third parameter for this project to enable and disable logging entirely.

[Hoochster]

Definately no programmer, but very adept to patching and working with code!   So I will do this when I go home for lunch and let you know what happens.  I create patches all the time for others!   You can say I am the VDR Wiki for North America!

http://www.hoochvdr.info 

Thanks again for the help, and will be happy to do anything I can for you on this.

[Chris]

Excellent, and thank _you_ for persevering with this!

So, you have a NTSC MVP? And live tv did work at some point? I ask because if so I can check off the NTSC detection and implementation. What outputs are on it? And how do the tv connection types in the options relate to what you have?

[Hoochster]

Yes mine is NTSC, and LiveTV did work before I got you to start changing just for me!   It just wasn't showing any of the CA channels.  On outputs, I assume that maybe PAL is different?  But it has the standard Composite Video Output, and also SVideo Output.  I for testing purposes am only using the Composite, haven't tried SVideo yet, but I wanna say in options that it was available.  Will be happy to test it at lunch for you.  And has the standard Left/Right RCA Audio Outputs.  No S/PDIF or Optical bah!  

And you are the one to thank, there is no reason for you to pursue this being as it is your time and it works fine as is for you!  So thank you for working so hard to make it function for others.

I don't know if it will help, as I said I am no programmer, just know how to manipulate and work with the code, but is there a way to compare how the original MediaMVP Plugin handles things or the standalone MVPServer does it?  They do give me the full channel list no problem.  And even have Mplayer implementation.  But not worried bout that till I get the other working.  But by far your plugin handles channel changes etc the best, more seamlessly like the Streamdev-Client does.  And the GUI on top of that is just the bomb!  I look forward to once getting this functioning properly that hopefully it can sync the guide or something too. 

Thanks again, I have made the patches and created a patch so that I can reverse it or fix it again if I redownload CVS from the changes you pointed out.  And will be going home for lunch probably in about an hour or so and will test it out.

[Hoochster]

Removed since all is fixed now.

[davep]

Sheesh, 1800 channels... Are any of them worth watching 

Dave

[Hoochster]

Well I don't get all of them!   I just have a basic subscription.  But they are in the channel scan.

I have made progress, but again not a programmer, so don't know what exactly it is doing.  For starters, according to the log, it is seeing all the channels in the channels.conf, but just not displaying them on the client.  But by setting the statement to:

if (!channel->GroupSep() && !channel->Ca(1))

I can get channels that have only 1 CAID in them.  But it still won't pick up channels that have multiple.  I have tried setting it to 2 etc but with no luck.  Dunno if that helps you any or not. 

[Chris]

Ahah, I think I might know what is going on. It's only a guess at the moment, I will have to investigate the code later to be sure. I think the mod I did to make it display all the channels was probably correct, but the sheer number of channels is probably overloading a buffer somewhere. It probably explains why the client is crashing.

[Hoochster]

Well I can easily test that, by removing lots of channels from the list.  Will let ya know.

[Hoochster]

That is it.  I set it the way you originally had it patched and removed all but the 1st 200 channels, and it works now.  So where are you setting the buffer size?

[Chris]

I just put your channels.conf into my dev vdr and got the same crash. I traced it through to a 500 entry limit on the select list gui code 

So later I'll err, fix it

[Hoochster]

I have updated my channels.conf found some duplicate entries, probably when I have scanned before and didn't offset my channels etc, so it is much smaller now but still definately above 500 hehe. 

Anything I can do to help, let me know, thank you so much for looking into it.  I take it the GUI code is part of the Dongle?

Obviously the easy fix would be to hand edit the channels.conf and remove all channels I don't get in the first place, but that for one is a complete pain, and for others obviously too that just do a channel scan to get their channels.conf they will obviously have more channels than they pick up also.  So ideally fixing this is the better solution.  I am sorry that ya have to go to extra work hehe.  But really do appreciate it.