XBMC Script for SageTV Released 3/1/2006

[KJake]

Your newly posted version seems to work OK (I still can't play videos) with 2.9 webserver.

[Coolwave]

Originally Posted by KJake

Your newly posted version seems to work OK (I still can't play videos) with 2.9 webserver.

Has anyone gotten videos to play on any webserver version higher than 2.6? Have you tried setting the RecordingPath and XBMCPath or leaving them empty or both?

[KJake]

I've tried leaving them blank, setting just one, setting both, using double backslashes, single backslashes...I'm stumped and I haven't used this with anything lower than 2.8...I could download the 2.6 version and install/try that if it helps.

http://prdownloads.sourceforge.net/s...6.zip?download

[kricker]

Originally Posted by KJake

I've tried leaving them blank, setting just one, setting both, using double backslashes, single backslashes...I'm stumped and I haven't used this with anything lower than 2.8...I could download the 2.6 version and install/try that if it helps.

http://prdownloads.sourceforge.net/s...6.zip?download

You should definitely try it with 2.6, and get everything working with it first.

[KJake]

oh well now this is just sad, i downgraded to 2.6 and everything works fine through a browser, but neither python script will connect anymore. I've double checked IP address, username, password, but neither of them work any longer. I can still connect to the music share on my sagetv machine via smb from XBMC and my YouTube browser script still works so the network is active and python isn't broken...anyone still running webserver 2.6? (btw, XBMC 2.0 was released a week ago)

[jhh]

Kjake,

If you use Webserver 2.6 then you should use the original package as posted on Coolwaves site.

If you use 2.8 then you have to use original package and overwrite SageTv.py with the new version SageTVws2.8.py

I did a quick test and 2.9 did not work for me - I reverted to 2.8 immediately to get it working as the rather demanding viewing public (ages 3 to 6) was not amused. When I find some time I'll take another look at it.

Jan

[KJake]

doh! you're completely right, my original python script is modified to work with 2.8 (those two lines changed)...I completely forgot The error made me think it was some sort of communication problem, but it's probably that timestamp checking line that's throwing the problem. I'll check again later tonight if the original version lets me play video files.

[KJake]

Ok, the original python works as you said it would...but I still can't play videos...

Can someone point out my mistake?

I'm using UNC recording path as most everyone recommends (esp since I have a network encoder).

The path is: \\sagetv\sagevideos

My Sage.properties says: seeker/video_storage=\\\\sagetv\\sagevideos,2000000000,2;

The webserver recording details looks like: \\sagetv\sagevideos\video.mpg

My settings.xml for XBMC has this:
RecordingPath="\\sagetv\sagevideos\"
XBMCPath="smb://sagetv/sagevideos/"

What am I doing wrong?

[jhh]

Originally Posted by KJake

The webserver recording details looks like: \\sagetv\sagevideos\video.mpg

My settings.xml for XBMC has this:
RecordingPath="\\sagetv\sagevideos\"
XBMCPath="smb://sagetv/sagevideos/"

What am I doing wrong?

Looking at Coolwave's instructions that should be:

RecordingPath="\\sagetv\sagevideos\"
XBMCPath="smb://sagetv//sagevideos/"

as an alternative you could leave those empty but then you rely on streaming from the webserver - now you access the files directly.

In order to check streaming go to the details of a recording and select the m3u link and see if you can play it in windows media player or so.

Jan

[rshupe]

Originally Posted by jhh

Kjake,

If you use 2.8 then you have to use original package and overwrite SageTv.py with the new version SageTVws2.8.py

I did a quick test and 2.9 did not work for me - I reverted to 2.8 immediately to get it working as the rather demanding viewing public (ages 3 to 6) was not amused. When I find some time I'll take another look at it.

Jan

Just a note. I just installed this on a new box and started with the original script and 2.6 webserver. This worked for me right away. I then upgraded the script with the SageTVws2.8.py version and upgraded to the 2.9 version of the webserver and it works flawlessly.

[KJake]

Makes me jealous, I can't get it to play any of the videos still. I've reverted to 2.6 webserver, the original python script, changed my settings.xml file every which way and the videos don't play.

Does anyone else use a UNC path for their Recording Path? I'm starting to wonder if that's my problem?

[kricker]

This is what my paths look like:

	<System RecordingPath="f:" XBMCPath="smb://PVR/Recordings/"/>

[KJake]

Right, that's what I'm afraid is the problem. I don't use drive letters for my RecordingPath, I use UNC format because it has been recommended to me that SageTV should be setup this way, especially when you have a network encoder. The sucky thing is that if I change back to drive letters, my recordings go away.

Maybe I'll have to learn python, gross.

[kricker]

From my tests it seems python is hit and miss with UNC paths. I haven't used UNC paths within sage yet, so I don't know if you can have Sage use UNC paths, but the script not.

[rshupe]

Originally Posted by KJake

Right, that's what I'm afraid is the problem. I don't use drive letters for my RecordingPath, I use UNC format because it has been recommended to me that SageTV should be setup this way, especially when you have a network encoder. The sucky thing is that if I change back to drive letters, my recordings go away.

Maybe I'll have to learn python, gross.

Have you tried mapping the UNC path to a drive letter?

[kricker]

Coolwave,
I finally got another Xbox up and running. Here is what I have found:

XBMC-CVS_2006-10-15-T3CH
webserver 2.9
SageTVws2.8.py

Home Screen: All the 'recent recordings' have the 'curr_rec.png' icon displayed. Selecting one of these items goes to the info screen where the 'curr_rec.png' is also displayed. Selecting 'recording settings' on this info screen causes a pop up displaying 'Sorry, programs currently recording are not yet sup...'. Hitting ok on this pop-up then locks up the xbox (you see the info screen and it appears you can choose a menu item but nothing happens and you can not back out of the screen).

Guide: Guide screen opens, but choosing an item displays nothing and then locks up the xbox similar to above.

Movies: works just fine

Schedule: works fine

Searches: work fine

RecordedTV: Every item in the list will show the 'curr_rec.png' icon when entering the info screens.

I can playback all my shows perfectly, although resuming playback from previous position does not.

[IConver]

I've been using the script for over a month. With the recommended modifications, I was able to make the script work with v2.9 of the web server and SageTV v5. However, I *have* had substantial problems with use of UNC recording locations. At first, I didn't notice, because I had 3 months of old shows to watch, all of which were defined in SageTV as being stored on my server's G:\ drive. Finally, I realized what was happening. Sure enough, if I restart SageTV and make it notice that I've relocated all my recordings to a new directory on my G:\ drive, they all run fine from within the SageTV script on the xbox. If I do the same with a UNC directory location, the xbox sage script only plays files once I wipe out path settings and stream the video.

Shouldn't
<System RecordingPath="\\iconver\sagetv\" XBMCPath="smb://iconver//sagetv/"/>
work just fine?

The ultimate enhancement would be comskip support, because nielm's webserver can serve any file. If the script could just check take the name of the mpg file and check for a matching comskip file, that could theoretically be saved to the xbox for use as an EDL. I see that several people have succesfully built versions of the the XBMC version of mplayer to include EDL support. It looks like the appropriate forum threads have been stagnant for about a month though...

[kricker]

Originally Posted by IConver

...The ultimate enhancement would be comskip support, because nielm's webserver can serve any file. If the script could just check take the name of the mpg file and check for a matching comskip file, that could theoretically be saved to the xbox for use as an EDL. I see that several people have succesfully built versions of the the XBMC version of mplayer to include EDL support. It looks like the appropriate forum threads have been stagnant for about a month though...

This was something Coolwave always wanted to implement, but the time and effort it was going to take was far beyond what he had. If someone else would pick up the torch, maybe it can be done.

[jhh]

hi,

Good to see that it does work with 2.9 - I must give that another try.

I posted a message on watching shows which were being recorded in Nielm's Webserver thread with some analysis on what happened. Problem was that the webserver streamed only up until the point where you started watching so it could never be fixed in the SageTV.py script.

I got in touch with Nielm and he provided some code to fix this and he kindly allowed me to post it. So put the file in the attachment in your install preserving path - remove the location of the recordings in the xml config file for the script and you'r ready to roll. (it only works for streaming video)

At some point I would like to change the script so it will take recordings from the location in the config file and only stream files which are being recorded.

Anyway - thank you Nielm - and please give it a try.

Jan

[Coolwave]

Originally Posted by IConver

The ultimate enhancement would be comskip support, because nielm's webserver can serve any file. If the script could just check take the name of the mpg file and check for a matching comskip file, that could theoretically be saved to the xbox for use as an EDL. I see that several people have succesfully built versions of the the XBMC version of mplayer to include EDL support. It looks like the appropriate forum threads have been stagnant for about a month though...

You actually wouldn't even need EDL support since it would be possible for the script itself to skip through the video file. The script would just need to read the comskip file and then skip through at the appropriate times. The script is already actively checking the current time in the file so that it can mark a show as watched. It might as well also check to see if the time was in a commercial break and then skip to the next segment. Easy as that! Python's not that hard, someone should be able to pick it up!