SageTV V4.1.11 Beta Is Available - Better Placeshifting!

[Narflex]

Howdy all! SageTV 4.1.11 Beta is now available.

SageTV V4.1.11 Release Notes 3/30/06

This is the fifth release to have Placeshifting. Here's the notes from the first release on it in case it's new to you:

Placeshifting adds a new client program that allows the user to connect to their SageTV system from anywhere on the Internet. The placeshifting client has the full SageTV UI and it can also stream live/recorded audio & video. It will be known as the SageTV Placeshifter.

This release also includes the Locator feature of SageTV which can be used with placeshifting. The Locator feature allows the Placeshifter to find the IP address of your home server automatically. It does this through a 16-digit unique ID that is generated by SageTV. You can find this ID in System Information or in Detailed Setup->Advanced. Information on disabling this feature is in the release notes.

This release also includes automated UPnP setup of the port forwarding for the Placeshifter if you have a UPnP enabled router.

There's a few things you should know about placeshifting:
1. To setup the Placeshifter, the easiest way is to go through the main configuration wizard again.
2. IMPORTANT: The licensing for the Placeshifter is done on the server. It uses the same licensing as the SageTV Media Extender. They share the same trial period as well. After the trial is up you will need to have a Media Extender license installed on the server for each simultaneous connection you want to have for either a Media Extender or a Placeshifter.

That was the attempt to get you to read some of the more important release notes. And here's the download links:

SageTV
http://download.sage.tv/SageTV_V4_1_11Setup.exe

SageTV Client
http://download.sage.tv/SageTVClient_V4_1_11Setup.exe

SageTV Placeshifter
http://download.sage.tv/SageTVPlaces..._1_11Setup.exe

See this post for info about running just the placeshifter on a Windows PC w/o installing the full client. Or for running the Placeshifter on any Java-enabled platform (without video).

SageTV V4.1.11 Release Notes 3/30/06

Core Updates
1. Link shift-3 (equ MCE's remote control '#") to Time scroll
2. Added saving the complete stack for suspending execution in SageTV's evaluator. Previously, it only saved the parent of the Widget it was suspended on.
3. Fixed bug where streaming files to SageTVClient that had unicode characters in the path names did not work.
4. Changed main window class for SageTV back to sage.SpecialWindow since external plugins depended on it.
5. Fixed translation error for video diskspace rules
6. Fixed property seeker/disable_video_directory_verifications, which was previuosly called seeker/disable_video\ directory_verifications
7. Fixed bug where media players were sometimes seeked to negative times due to clock inconsistencies.
8. Fixed bug with mute state not being initially correct when switching between segments of a pushed file
9. Fixed bug where 2D tables had their cells randomly reused on refreshes.
10. Fixed bug where sometimes when closing a file and it automatically takes you back to a menu, it would then open up live TV behind you.
11. Fixed bug where changing the size of what's in a scrolling panel wouldn't reset the scrolling positions to make it visible.
12. Fix Fusion PCI HDTV card analog tuner bug, tune failure after play digital channel;
13. FIX Fusion PCI HDTV card audio setup bug (using third party audio capture card)
14. Support play Sony Video MPEG-VX format.
15. Support nextcome encoded TS format file, that video PES packects length is zero, and video MPEG header is not located in group start TS packet.
16. Check of OS supports WinRawInput, if not, don't load WinRawInputHook for MCE remote.
17. Unload hook when quit
18. Use WinRawINputHookEnable in registry of FreyTechonlogies/Common to control disable WinRawInputHook loading.
19. Default not install WinKeyboardhook, only by registery specifing
20. Map MCE's remote control SKIP, REPLAY key to FF_2 REW_2

Extender Updates
1. Added support for the 'new' Hauppauge Media MVPs (these have a bootloader version 2.0 or higher)
2. Added support transcoding of VOB files when played through the MVP (the files must have a .vob extension at this time)
3. Added support for seeking in VOB files that are being transcoded
4. Fixed bug on MVP where it would stop playback of a video file a few seconds before the end of it.

Studio Updates
1. Added Global API call IsDesktopUI() which allows differentiation between extender and placeshifter sessions
2. Fixed bug with generated translation source files in the Studio where it wouldn't escape 'escape' characters appropriately
3. Fixed GetUIContextNames() API call so that it doesn't return a UI context names for the local UI in service mode.
4. Added new Utility API call TestPlaceshifterConnectivity(String LocatorID) which can be used to have SageTV's Locator server test external accessibilty of a SageTV Placeshifting setup.

Placeshifter Updates
1. Major improvements to the Placeshifter player
2. Major improvements to bitrate control in the dynamic transcoder
3. Added Placeshifter property show_buffer_stats. If set to true then a statistics window is shown which graphs the stream rates & buffer for the miniclient streaming.
4. Added support for doing a ping test with the Locator to make sure out Placeshifter ports are opened correctly.
5. Fixed incorrect media times on seek for push player
6. Fixed bug in transcoding push player where it wouldn't seam to the next file if it started after the end of a file.
7. Added support for maintaining UPnP NAT configuration information for placeshifting during application lifecycle.
8. Changed the loading screen for the Placeshifter to have a better loooking graphic and text.
9. Fixed use of the Tab key in the Placeshifter
10. Fixed use of keystroke entry in the Placeshifter (used when remapping SageTV Commands)
11. The Placeshifter property 'player_debug' must now be set to true to get debug output from MPlayer on the Placeshifter
12. Update volume control of player in the Placeshifter so it's more linear.
13. Fixed bug where the audio would loop when underflow occurred
14. Fixed Overlay video output for DirectX so it doesn't show a green or corrupted frame at startup.

STV Updates
1. Added UPnP Config Wiz to be a more wizard-like process that can automatically setup port forwarding for Placeshifting
2. If running in service mode, the pseudoclient also shows the service's load_at_startup_runnable_classes in System Info.
3. System Info: reports whether Media Extender & Placeshifter Server is enabled, along with Placeshifter router port info.
4. Placeshifter Login STV: enabled Full Screen command & passed username to loaded STV.
5. Updated SageTV3.xml STV to update the Placeshifter user's STV setting if a custom STV was chosen while logged in as a PS client.
6. Record options dialog: changed "Cancel" to "Close" because it was too similar to "Cancel this Recording"
7. Adjust Manual Recording dialog: display recording times, padding amounts, and recording quality.
8. Live TV command now always stops the currently playing media if it isn't Live TV & starts live TV.
9. Ask user whether to restart SageTV Server now after toggling the Extender/Placeshifter Server.
10. Added Config Wiz screen for enabling the Media Extender & Placeshifter Server.
11. Added Config Wiz screen to Manage Placeshifter Users.
12. Fixed some more attribute values to use "x" at the front of the strings so they won't get translated.



We hope you all enjoy. Please submit any bugs at http://www.sagetv.com/bugs.html

Thanks again for your help!

[DFA]

Thanks for all your hard work guys.

Hope this release shows more stability; i.e., the "diappearing Sage" thing where Sage up and closes without any error logged by system event logs or Sage debug. Did not see this in the change log.

DFA

[Humanzee]

Originally Posted by Narflex

12. Fix Fusion PCI HDTV card analog tuner bug, tune failure after play digital channel;

Does this imply that this encoder can now capture both analog and digital signals, instead of either or? I have the USB version, is there any difference re: this fix?

[JUC]

Thanks so much for the added extender features!!!

[edbmdave]

"2. Added support transcoding of VOB files when played through the MVP (the files must have a .vob extension at this time)"

Can we now playback vobs w/o converting the audio to mp3?

[Narflex]

Originally Posted by edbmdave

"2. Added support transcoding of VOB files when played through the MVP (the files must have a .vob extension at this time)"

Can we now playback vobs w/o converting the audio to mp3?

Uh....yeah. I figured the AC-3 audio transcoding was implied in that.

[edbmdave]

That is what I thought I read... (between the lines)

[bcjenkins]

Originally Posted by Narflex

19. Default not install WinKeyboardhook, only by registery specifing
20. Map MCE's remote control SKIP, REPLAY key to FF_2 REW_2

Narflex,

How does one enable the keyboard? Is there an option to have the green button to launch Sage?

Thanks for the hard work, I really think you guys have a great product here.

B

[gplasky]

Originally Posted by Narflex

Uh....yeah. I figured the AC-3 audio transcoding was implied in that.

All right. I just want to make sure I understand this. So for right now the normal DVD rip isn't going to work for me because it depends on the .ifo file to play. But if I drill down and pick a .vob it should play on DVD. Correct? 'Cause right now my rips aren't working. And you're working on it so it can play a regular rip via the .ifo file. Right? I can wait....a....little...while.....longer....maybe.

Gerry

[Narflex]

There's no plans to allow you to able to play the .ifo files at this time. That would require DVD Navigator handling which is another thing entirely.

[Narflex]

Originally Posted by bcjenkins

Narflex,

How does one enable the keyboard? Is there an option to have the green button to launch Sage?

Thanks for the hard work, I really think you guys have a great product here.

B

Plugin your keyboard...that's what I do to enable it....

Don't know about the green button at this time.

[gplasky]

Originally Posted by Narflex

There's no plans to allow you to able to play the .ifo files at this time. That would require DVD Navigator handling which is another thing entirely.

Hmmmmmm...curses..foled again. OK-thanks for all the efforts. Everything is coming along real fine.

Gerry

[phantomfsoc]

Quick question;

If I install the placeshifter, then copy the folder to my usb key, could I run it from the usb Key on any PC i plug it into? Or does it does need settings from the registry?

[Narflex]

Originally Posted by phantomfsoc

Quick question;

If I install the placeshifter, then copy the folder to my usb key, could I run it from the usb Key on any PC i plug it into? Or does it does need settings from the registry?

Yes, that'll work just fine. I've even done exactly that before.

[Polypro]

bcjenkins,

Are talking about the MCE keyboard? If so, it just works... with the the MCE receiver and Update Rollup 2 for the eHome Infrared Receiver. The Green Button is mapped to the Main Menu...which is kinda nice for keyboard only navigation.

P

[bcjenkins]

Originally Posted by Polypro

bcjenkins,

Are talking about the MCE keyboard? If so, it just works... with the the MCE receiver and Update Rollup 2 for the eHome Infrared Receiver. The Green Button is mapped to the Main Menu...which is kinda nice for keyboard only navigation.

P

Yes MCE keyboard. Note 19 on fix list said keyboard hook was disabled by default? Whatever that means.. I thought it implied support for mce kb was turned off unless you turned it on in registry..

B

[marneb17]

Originally Posted by Narflex

2. Added support transcoding of VOB files when played through the MVP (the files must have a .vob extension at this time)
3. Added support for seeking in VOB files that are being transcoded

For this to work, you have to add the .vob extension to the sage.properties file, so that they are recognized by the importer.

I had something strange happen when I tried to play a video that was a 2.35:1 movie stored anamorph on the dvd. The movie and the sound played, but the image was 16:9 and the sides of the picture was missing. They didn't have eggheads, so it was compensated for the anamorph picture, but then it was "zoomed" to fill the screen. Not all the way to 4:3 but with "too small" black bars on the top and bottom resulting in 16:9.

Marneb

[srothwell]

First off, one bug report has been filed, another is in the works.

I installed 4.1.11 last night. First thing I noticed was that Placeshifter was worse than ever. In 4.1.10, the automatic bitrate did pretty well. In this version I got the black screen again with stuttering audio when I left the bitrate settings to automatic.

I set to manaul of 300kbps and everything worked again. Also, when set to automatic, placeshifter would jump to the very end of the file and just sit there with the stuttering audio. Even a file that had not been watched would be at the end like you had completely watched it.

Wrote a bug report on that.

HERE'S THE NEW PART.....

This morning my wife told me there was a window on the server (TV) that said "SageTV has encountered an error and needs to close". So she rebooted the server and when I came downstairs about 40 minutes later, the error was on the screen again.

I rebooted again, and within 30 minutes, Sage crashed again. This time I have enabled debug logging and will post (and submit) the log file.

Anyone else having these issues?

Stacy

[ChePazzo]

Originally Posted by Narflex

Extender Updates
4. Fixed bug on MVP where it would stop playback of a video file a few seconds before the end of it.

Not true.

Before (4.1.10 and earlier), a few seconds before the end of the video, the video would kind of pause and return to the menu. If you went back to the home menu, you would see the paused video in the small window in the upper-right. If you went back to the video, you could play a few more seconds (still not the entire clip, though) before it would freeze and just the time would increment on the bar.

Now (4.1.11), a few seconds before the end (ie, 3:49 for a 3:54 video), the video freezes completely and returns to the most recent menu. If you goto the main menu, you don't see anything currently playing. If you go back to the video, you see the last frame played, but it is frozen and won't play anymore.

[nigfink]

I don't know if the Placeshifter does this, but I think it would be a good idea. I love to listen to TV while I'm at work, but half the time I don't watch anything. It would save a lot of bandwidth if when you minimized the placeshifter the video was not transmitted, only the audio. When you maximize it again the video stream would come back. Do you think this is possible?