XBMC Script for SageTV Released 3/1/2006

[jhh]

Originally Posted by Grasshopper

So which is easier: Hacking an MVP to add an spdif connection, or setting up an xbox as a Sage extender?

XBOX as extender is far easier to do as it can be done using soft mod - so no need to get your hands dirty. On the other hand some people have had some challenges installing the script although it should be fairly easy.

XBMC SageTV and MVP are not identical - at a certain point in time MVP could not play dvds (from hdd) but I think that should work now as I believe the server is transcoding.

I assume you have both MVP and Xbox as you would need to consider the SageTV extender as well if you were to make a (purchase) decision now.

Jan

[Grasshopper]

Originally Posted by jhh

XBOX as extender is far easier to do as it can be done using soft mod - so no need to get your hands dirty. On the other hand some people have had some challenges installing the script although it should be fairly easy.

XBMC SageTV and MVP are not identical - at a certain point in time MVP could not play dvds (from hdd) but I think that should work now as I believe the server is transcoding.

I assume you have both MVP and Xbox as you would need to consider the SageTV extender as well if you were to make a (purchase) decision now.

Jan

Thanks for the reply, Jan. Yes, what's attracting me to the xbox solution is not having to pop open the MVP and get out a soldering iron. I'd have to buy an Xbox, but it appears that they can be obtained on eBay for under $40 shipped or thereabouts. I would seriously consider the HD extender, but am frustrated by their continued unavailability.

A few more questions: How fast is the Sage interface on the xbox? Can you use a universal remote to control the xbox and your other home theater stuff? And if I buy an Xbox, should I make sure to get one with the DVD extender kit, or is this unnecessary?

[jhh]

Originally Posted by Grasshopper

A few more questions: How fast is the Sage interface on the xbox? Can you use a universal remote to control the xbox and your other home theater stuff? And if I buy an Xbox, should I make sure to get one with the DVD extender kit, or is this unnecessary?

Speed is resonably ok - although I consider mine a bit slow due to my server which is a bit underpowered in order to keep the electricity bill under control. However the script is the SageTV interface so it is not like an extender which gives you one of the 'stv's.

If you have the dvd kit you can use a universal remote. The only thing you cannot do is switch it on through the remote - switching off works.

[kricker]

Originally Posted by jhh

...However the script is the SageTV interface so it is not like an extender which gives you one of the 'stv's....

One day I hope someone can help releave us of this, and have it use XBMC skinning functions to match whaever XBMC skin you are using.

[dinki]

Can someone tell me if it's possible to stream the lower bitrate streams via the 'watched streamed' rather than 'watch local'? My Xbox is on a wireless connection and I'm having a terrible time with dropouts due to a starved bufffer. The machine is in a spot where I can not do a cable drop.

[jhh]

Originally Posted by dinki

Can someone tell me if it's possible to stream the lower bitrate streams via the 'watched streamed' rather than 'watch local'? My Xbox is on a wireless connection and I'm having a terrible time with dropouts due to a starved bufffer. The machine is in a spot where I can not do a cable drop.

Yes - this is possible.

in the script you'll find some lines like:

else:
webfile = 'http://' + webaddress + '/sagepublic/PlaylistGenerator?Command=Generate&pltype=m3u&fntype=url&MediaFileId=' + str(self.RecentPrograms[selected].mediafileid)

-> this bit generates the playlist for the XBOX and it will pass something like following URL to the server:

http://server:port/sagepublic/Playli...FileId=4265574

If you right-click any streaming m3u link on the webserver and copy the shortcut you'll see that it adds something to specify transcoding options:

http://server:port/sagepublic/Playli...ts%26deint%3D1

So if you add the bit starting with '&TranscodeOpts....' in the python script then you should be able to start experimenting. It's not the most flexible setup but it should work. You will then be able to watch transcoded streaming video if you click the 'watch streamed'.

Jan

[dinki]

Thanks for the detailed explanation! I'll give it a try soon.

[dinki]

Hrmmf... I'll need a little help getting things set up I'm afraid.

When I load the module I get a 'Loading Directory. Downloaded 0 items' window that never connects to the server. Behind it I find a list of my recordings but I can't do anything with it after cancelling. Cancelling tells me 'Remote Share. Could not connect to network server' . I'm running the beta release of SageTV with the current webserver and the copy of the script two pages back. Here are my settings:

<System RecordingPath="g:\media\tvrecordings\" XBMCPath="smb://xxxx:xxxx@192.168.0.102//gshare/tvrecordings"/>

I'm certain that my ip, port (8080), username and password all work fine. Any clues?

[jhh]

Originally Posted by dinki

When I load the module I get a 'Loading Directory. Downloaded 0 items' window that never connects to the server.

I'm confused - did the script work at all to start with? First we need to make sure that it works before we start playing with it. The error message you mention is not generated by the script. Can you add a screen capture?

Also you give your settings but these are not relevant. If you stream the video rather than access it from the disc directly then the script does not need to know where the files are.

[dinki]

No, I have not gotten the script to work and I have not made modifications to it. I'll try to give more relevent information:

SageTV v6.4.5.179
Java Version 1.6.0_01
Webserver V2.22 21 Dec 2007 For SageTV 2.2-6.3
XBMC SVN_2008-07_28 rev14439 T3CH run as dashboard
XBMC Script for Sage (edited by kricker vs 21.5)

I have no idea how to get a screenshot of the window. Can you run vnc on XBMC or is there some sort of screen grab functionality built in? I can describe what happens though. I've added the plugin as a source.

When I click on the plugin name, a window opens center of the screen with black background that says 'Loading Directory. Downloaded 0 items' . This stays like this for a few seconds and then I see the list of last recordings and upcoming recordings. The black box stays up over this. I have no recourse but to either wait (which I've left open for minutes) or cancel. Once I hit cancel, I can move around on the recording/upcoming entries but select doesn't do anything but I do hear a click sound as confirmation that my keypresses are making it through. At this point I can do nothing and must press the power button on the xbox to reboot.

I am perfectly fine with only being able to stream from the webserver. Can anyone offer some guidance?

[kricker]

Try not adding it as a source. Just run it as a regular script from the scripts section in XBMC. It is not a plugin so I'm not sure what happens when you try to run it as a source.

[dinki]

Originally Posted by kricker

Try not adding it as a source. Just run it as a regular script from the scripts section in XBMC. It is not a plugin so I'm not sure what happens when you try to run it as a source.

Ahhhh.. maybe that's it. Will try it tonight. Thanks for the tip. Still trying to get the terminology down.

[sagetvkid]

It appears that EDL recognition/skipping function stopped working after the XBMC April 20th build....anyone notice the same thing..

[kricker]

Probably just an interm thing. I quit using comskip a while back so I didn't notice.

[kricker]

New version posted to XBMCscripts.com.

This version deals with the Python Code change in new builds of XBMC.

[martini]

Hi - I'm having real problems getting this script to work for me and would welcome any advice about how I might get it to work. I've tried different versions of XBMC and SageTv builds and the script all without success. Situation as follows:

1. SageTV (6.4.8) installed and running on Windows Home Server machine.

2. Nielm's webserver v2.22 installed and working. Can connect from other web browsers (MSIE and Firefox from pcs on network) ok.

3. XBMC installed and working. (XBMC-SVN_2008-08-19_rev15026-T3CH but tried earlier builds too). XBMC connects to internet ok n(other internet scripts work ok), other scripts work ok, and can get SMB share to server pc with SageTv installed.)

When running 'SageTv' script get the following error message: 'unable to connect to http://usernameassword@ipaddress/etc'

Python log shows <<python initialised>> but no other error message.

Is there anything I can do to further isolate/locate problem. e.g. find out if it is a XBMC or SageTV software/connection problem?

I'd really like to get this script working so any ideas gratefully received. Many thanks!

[jhh]

hi Martini,

It is important to have the right combination of webserver and script. Webserver 2.22 and the latest version of the script should work fine. Reason why this is important is that the script is 'reading' the webpage from the webserver so if the formatting changes the script is broken.

In order to determine that the script connects it reads this line almost at the very end of the page:

"Page generated at: Aug 24, 2008 8:44:15 PM [Refresh] "

-> if your date formatting is different it will not work. I'm not sure where you are in the world but changing date/time to US might make it work - unless it is something else... :+)

[martini]

Hi jhh - many thanks for your response. I'm in the UK and have UK language settings so that could well be the problem. I've tried changing the server and xbmc to US format but still can't get it to work. I'll investigate further and let you know how I get on. Has anyone using UK language formats had a similar problem with this script?

[kricker]

I am not sure when the new Python code went into effect for XBMC, but you might want to try 2.22b I posted on XBMCscripts.com.

[martini]

hi - i've tried the latest 2.22b version and changing the language settings both ends (pc and xbmc) to US but still get 'unable to connect' error message. Is there anything else I can try to attempt locating the problem? Thanks ...