MyHD Encoder for SageTV

[salsbst]

Originally Posted by Ken C

SageTV is running on the machine with the first two, C:\Images and D:\Images. The last four are on a network server.

All six are listed as recording directories with SageTV

Currently, MyHD, which is located on the same machine, is pointed at D:\Images.

Hell, I'm getting confused

Anyhow, there are two machines, one with SageTV, MyHD, and your encoder, that has two recording drives, C:\Images and D:\Images. And there is a network server with the other four recording drives.

Ken C

Ok, it sounds like your setup will work with no changes to drive mappings.

If you have the S drive free (not mapped to anything else), you can do the following:

1) create a new directory at c:\images\myhd
2) map S: to c:\images. The command line way to do this would be

subst s: c:\images

3) open MyHD and specify s:\myhd\ as the path for recordings

Note that the S: drive mapping will be fluid. The encoder switches it to map to the SageTV recordings directory that it (the encoder) is currently being asked to record to.

This should settle the virtual drive mappings stuff. You still have to follow the rest of the directions....

[Ken C]

Originally Posted by salsbst

2) map S: to c:\images. The command line way to do this would be

subst s: c:\images

And the 'subst' command has to be run every reboot prior to anything else starting up ? Can I put it into the autoexec.bat ?

Ken C

[salsbst]

Originally Posted by Ken C

And the 'subst' command has to be run every reboot prior to anything else starting up ? Can I put it into the autoexec.bat ?

Ken C

No, you never have to do this again. The only reason it is necessary to do it at first (or to create a "myhd" subdirectory under s: ) is that the MyHD GUI config panel won't let you configure s:\myhd\ as the recordings directory unless the path exists.

Once you've got MyHD configured to record to s:\myhd\, the encoder will be responsible for establishing/changing the mapping of S: and for creating the myhd subdirectory if it doesn't exist.

[thomaszoo]

Originally Posted by salsbst

Please post the the logfile.txt that shows up in your SageTV MyHD Encoder directory. 127.0.0.1 should be fine (assuming it's on the same box), BTW.

Since the encoder changes channels for you, you should probably set tuner control within sagetv to whatever it uses to refer to "the card takes care of tuning on its own" (it may be called "cable" or something like that, can't recall).

Attached is the logfile.


For tuner control I can't figure out how to deselect the USB-UIRT. The only option it is giving me is to change the file with the IR codes.

[salsbst]

Originally Posted by thomaszoo

Here is the contents of the logfile.

2006-11-05 18:05:21,062 [3912] INFO com.stusals.myHD.app.SageTVMyHDApp [Main] - SageTV MyHD Encoder Starting
2006-11-05 18:05:22,562 [3912] INFO com.stusals.myHD.encoding.Controller [Main GetInstance Initialize LaunchMyHD] - MyHD process started.



For tuner control I can't figure out how to deselect the USB-UIRT. The only option it is giving me is to change the file with the IR codes.

Do you have the MyHD scheduler or remote control app running? I guess I forgot to list that as a limitation. You can't run those if you're going to use the encoder. I'm guessing you are running them (it?) because the encoder appears to be hung at the point where MyHD would be connecting to the encoder to solicit commands.

For now, let's focus on that rather than the USB-UIRT stuff, which I think is a red herring.

[thomaszoo]

Originally Posted by salsbst

Do you have the MyHD scheduler or remote control app running? I guess I forgot to list that as a limitation. You can't run those if you're going to use the encoder. I'm guessing you are running them (it?) because the encoder appears to be hung at the point where MyHD would be connecting to the encoder to solicit commands.

For now, let's focus on that rather than the USB-UIRT stuff, which I think is a red herring.

I shut down the IR app for MyHD and the encoder now shows as functioning. I think you are right that the USB-UIRT stuff, which I think is a red herring. I set it up to record and it is issuing the command to change the channel and the channel is being successfully changed. However, it doesn't seem to be recording a file.

I have attached the latest filelog. Hope it helps.

[salsbst]

Originally Posted by thomaszoo

I shut down the IR app for MyHD and the encoder now shows as functioning. I think you are right that the USB-UIRT stuff, which I think is a red herring. I set it up to record and it is issuing the command to change the channel and the channel is being successfully changed. However, it doesn't seem to be recording a file.

I have attached the latest filelog. Hope it helps.

This is probably a timing issue. One of two things is probably occuring:

a) Perhaps the recording really isn't being started. If the recording has started, you'd see a red dot in the middle of the MyHD icon in the system tray. If you don't see that, then the next step is to increase the preRecordDelayMilliseconds in the encoder config file. If you haven't modified it to 1000 as per my post above, please try that. If you have, let's go for 1500 and see what happens.

b) Perhaps the recording is being started, but the encoder isn't waiting long enough for the file to be created before looking for it. If you do see the red recording dot, but still get messages in the log that say the recording file can't be found, try bumping up the postRecordDelayMilliseconds a bit.

[salsbst]

Just a bit of encouragement... here's what was in my logfile.txt when I got home. Note that both of the shows are my wife's, not mine!

2006-11-06 07:49:31,530 [13444] INFO  com.stusals.myHD.app.SageTVMyHDApp [Main] - SageTV MyHD Encoder Starting
2006-11-06 07:49:31,968 [13444] INFO  com.stusals.myHD.encoding.Controller [Main GetInstance Initialize LaunchMyHD] - MyHD process started.
2006-11-06 07:49:33,967 [13444] INFO  com.stusals.myHD.encoding.Controller [Main GetInstance Initialize] - Communications with MyHD established.
2006-11-06 07:49:33,967 [13560] INFO  com.stusals.sagetv.encoding.Encoder[Listen] - Began listening for SageTV encoder requests.
2006-11-06 10:00:02,214 [3296] INFO  com.stusals.myHD.encoding.Job [Process ProcessRequest {Invoke} StartRecording] - Began recording:
	Sage Channel=210
	Sage File=\\hindemith\sage2\SageTV\Martha-8374411-0.mpg
	MyHD Channel=210
	MyHD File=s:\myhd\D210-2(123)-1106-100001.tp
2006-11-06 11:00:01,141 [12636] INFO  com.stusals.myHD.encoding.Job [Process ProcessRequest {Invoke} StopRecording] - Stopped recording:
	Sage Channel=210
	Sage File=\\hindemith\sage2\SageTV\Martha-8374411-0.mpg
	MyHD Channel=210
	MyHD File=s:\myhd\D210-2(123)-1106-100001.tp
2006-11-06 15:00:02,340 [13564] INFO  com.stusals.myHD.encoding.Job [Process ProcessRequest {Invoke} StartRecording] - Began recording:
	Sage Channel=211
	Sage File=\\hindemith\sage2\SageTV\DrPhil-8271532-0.mpg
	MyHD Channel=211
	MyHD File=s:\myhd\D211-1(122)-1106-150001.tp
2006-11-06 16:00:01,349 [980] INFO  com.stusals.myHD.encoding.Job [Process ProcessRequest {Invoke} StopRecording] - Stopped recording:
	Sage Channel=211
	Sage File=\\hindemith\sage2\SageTV\DrPhil-8271532-0.mpg
	MyHD Channel=211
	MyHD File=s:\myhd\D211-1(122)-1106-150001.tp

[thomaszoo]

Originally Posted by salsbst

This is probably a timing issue. One of two things is probably occuring:

a) Perhaps the recording really isn't being started. If the recording has started, you'd see a red dot in the middle of the MyHD icon in the system tray. If you don't see that, then the next step is to increase the preRecordDelayMilliseconds in the encoder config file. If you haven't modified it to 1000 as per my post above, please try that. If you have, let's go for 1500 and see what happens.

b) Perhaps the recording is being started, but the encoder isn't waiting long enough for the file to be created before looking for it. If you do see the red recording dot, but still get messages in the log that say the recording file can't be found, try bumping up the postRecordDelayMilliseconds a bit.

I bumped up both preRecordDelayMilliseconds and postRecordDelayMilliseconds to 2000 and postMessageDelayMilliseconds to 400. I now get the red dot in the icon but the recordings are not happening. I have again attached my latest log file.

[salsbst]

I don't think the log file got attached.

[thomaszoo]

Originally Posted by salsbst

I don't think the log file got attached.

I think I forgot to upload it.

Thanks.

[salsbst]

Originally Posted by thomaszoo

I bumped up both preRecordDelayMilliseconds and postRecordDelayMilliseconds to 2000 and postMessageDelayMilliseconds to 400. I now get the red dot in the icon but the recordings are not happening. I have again attached my latest log file.

1) Your SageTV recording is listed as being to the E drive. Is that drive local to the machine running this encoder?

2) If you view S:\ in Windows Explorer, do you see the same stuff as is in E:\HDTV\Sage\ ?

3) What OS is this machine running?

[thomaszoo]

Originally Posted by salsbst

1) Your SageTV recording is listed as being to the E drive. Is that drive local to the machine running this encoder?

Yes it is.

2) If you view S:\ in Windows Explorer, do you see the same stuff as is in E:\HDTV\Sage\ ?

Yes I do.

3) What OS is this machine running?

WinXP-MCE

[thomaszoo]

Originally Posted by salsbst

1) Your SageTV recording is listed as being to the E drive. Is that drive local to the machine running this encoder?

2) If you view S:\ in Windows Explorer, do you see the same stuff as is in E:\HDTV\Sage\ ?

3) What OS is this machine running?

I just looked in E:\HDTV\Sage\ and there is a 0 byte .mpg file there for the show I am trying to record. In the myhd subfolder there is a MyHD file (something.tp) being generated. I take it that these are normal?

When the recording is complete the show disappears from Sage.

[salsbst]

Originally Posted by thomaszoo

I just looked in E:\HDTV\Sage\ and there is a 0 byte .mpg file there for the show I am trying to record. In the myhd subfolder there is a MyHD file (something.tp) being generated. I take it that these are normal?

When the recording is complete the show disappears from Sage.

The fact that the one in the Sage folder is 0 bytes is a problem. I'll take a look at something on my end tomorrow morning and post back. Sorry for the hassle.

[thomaszoo]

Originally Posted by salsbst

The fact that the one in the Sage folder is 0 bytes is a problem. I'll take a look at something on my end tomorrow morning and post back. Sorry for the hassle.

No problem. I wasn't plannning to do anything else tonight due to recording conflicts. I won't get another chance until sometime tomorrow. I just really appreciate your help.

[salsbst]

thomaszoo,

I ran out of time this morning to experiment, so I'll just state what I'm thinking for now. I have to be home this afternoon for the cable guy, so I may get a chance at that point.

It's pretty likely that one of two problems occured:

a) The technique I use to establish the mapping from S: to your SageTV recordings directory failed; or
b) The mapping succeeded, but it failed to create a "hard link" between the MyHD-recorded-file path to the SageTV-expected-file-path.

Either of these would result in a 0 byte file at the SageTV location, because Sage creates that when it kicks off the recording. The encoder, when it works, overwrites the 0-byte file with a hard link to the MyHD file. All of this hard link mumbo jumbo is necessary in order to make one file (the one MyHD is recording to) show up in two places in the file system.

I'll add some more logging info so that we can get a clearer picture of what is going on. In the meantime, you might want to figure out whether the mapping of S: to your SageTV recordings directory succeeds. Do you now have an S drive pointing to it? If so, then the problem would seem to lie with the hard link establishment.

I was under the impression that the function I used (DefineDosDevice) would work for local drives as well as network drives, but maybe not.

I was also under the impression that the function I used for establishing the hard link (MoveFileEx with MOVEFILE_CREATE_HARDLINK + MOVEFILE_REPLACE_EXISTING) would work in your case, but again, perhaps not.

Let me know if you figure out whether the mapping succeeded.

Thanks,
Stuart

[salsbst]

One more question... your E drive isn't FAT or FAT32 is it? I think I just discoverd a requirement that you be using NTFS (but I think Samba may work also)...FAT is out.

[thomaszoo]

Originally Posted by salsbst

One more question... your E drive isn't FAT or FAT32 is it? I think I just discoverd a requirement that you be using NTFS (but I think Samba may work also)...FAT is out.

I just rechecked the mapping and no problems there. And it is an NTFS drive. One thing I did just think of is that I have more than one drive & directory that Sage records to; would that be a problem?

[salsbst]

Originally Posted by thomaszoo

I just rechecked the mapping and no problems there. And it is an NTFS drive. One thing I did just think of is that I have more than one drive & directory that Sage records to; would that be a problem?

That shouldn't be a problem -- the encoder switches the S: mapping as needed (it's whole purpose is to avoid having to change the MyHD config for each Sage recording drive/directory).