STV Import Request - 350 EOF FIX (idea included)

[Crashless]

I have an idea for a fix for the End of file bug, but I can't implement it because I wouldn't know where to start. It's simple, and could be an import (I hope).

Make the media player pause a couple of seconds before the end of a file, set watched, and return to a menu.

That's it. You read it here first. Now I have a 30-pack with your name on it if you make it for me. I'm serious, this has been driving me up the wall, and I can't take it anymore. PLEASE CONSIDER IT.

Thanks for your time.

[parkimar]

Absolutely Agree,

It is intensely frustrating.
It annoys me that it still happens in 2.2, Frey should fix it, but failing that anyone who adds it into an STV would be a star !

Cheers

Mark

[mls]

Originally Posted by Crashless

I have an idea for a fix for the End of file bug, but I can't implement it because I wouldn't know where to start. It's simple, and could be an import (I hope).

Make the media player pause a couple of seconds before the end of a file, set watched, and return to a menu.

Hmm, now that's odd since that is one of the things that annoys me about the v2.1 and v2.2 versions of SageTV right now... that is it does just what you say (and I hate it doing it).

At the end of playing a file it leaves the last frame sitting there on the screen and does not close the file. Depending what video mode settings, it may or may not return to a menu, but even if it does it's still sitting there with the last frame without closing the file (and I always have to manually do that myself, and there is no reason I should have to).

They should just plain get together with Hauppauge and fix the real source of the problem with the PVR-350 instead of trying to do all kinds of weird work arounds and never fixing the root cause.

I've report this and a few other things to Frey during various beta testing and they either ignored them, or sent back a note saying it's supposed to work that way. Since Frey apparently doesn't have any interesting in making properly functioning PVR software anymore (seem to only be interested in selling more hardware instead)... well, that's why I am already making plans to move onto something else and dropping SageTV.

[samson]

I have that problem with the latest drivers I went back to driver 1.17.390.22029
and the problem went away give it a try

[Crashless]

Originally Posted by samson

I have that problem with the latest drivers I went back to driver 1.17.390.22029
and the problem went away give it a try

So you NEVER get a crash at the end of a file? Are you using h/w only decode? I don't think _any_ 350 user has gotten rid of this completely, could you please post all your software rev #s? Sage, windows, hauppage(which you did)...


mls:
Have you tried Cayar's STV? It now gives a popup at the end of a file that prompts for an action (set watched, delete, not like) then returns. I can't use that STV anymore because it resets my system instead of just crashing Sage.


Thanks for all the replies.

[ToxMox]

Originally Posted by Crashless

Make the media player pause a couple of seconds before the end of a file, set watched, and return to a menu.

Could you do me a favor and elaborate on this in greater detail. Are you saying when the media player reaches the end of the recording to let the video become paused like usual but then wait a couple of seconds before doing other stuff? Could you describe what happens currently and exactly what you would like to happen instead.

[Crashless]

Originally Posted by ToxMox

Could you do me a favor and elaborate on this in greater detail. Are you saying when the media player reaches the end of the recording to let the video become paused like usual but then wait a couple of seconds before doing other stuff? Could you describe what happens currently and exactly what you would like to happen instead.

My current understanding of the way the media player works is that it decodes the stream until there is no more information. This causes the PVR350 to crash roughly 30% of the time. (on my system.)

Assuming the media player can see the end of a file, I would like it to pause a couple of seconds BEFORE the file actually ends, automatically set that file to 'watched' and return to the previous menu. This prevents Sage from sending those last few bits of the stream to the 350 that are causing the crashes.

Does that make sense? Thanks for taking an interest.

[ToxMox]

Yes it makes sense. I'll poke around tomorrow at some point and see if this is possible with my skill set.

[Crashless]

That would be SO GREAT. Thanks!

[Cayars]

Crashless, guess my STV doesn't live up to your username.

Do me a favor and PM me your issue. I remember you putting that in the thread a while back but have forgot the problem as no one else ever had the issue. Let me see if I can figure something out for you.

[Opus4]

Wasn't this "pause/stop playback before the file ends" 'fix' for the 350 something that was done long ago? I thought Lauren Glenn added it to hers quite a while back, but I don't know if anyone else did.

- Andy

[ToxMox]

Yeah Crashless give laurenglenn's stv a shot and see if that code in there works for you. If it does then maybe it can be ported to other STVs. Have you contacted support with these issues BTW?

[redman]

I had some problems with Cayars and Nielms STV's with this, but tweaked it to not popup anything at the end, and it worked sort of ok (once in a while it would do it randomly).

I have now switched to SageMCE STV and it has not happened at all yet.

[Cayars]

I'd be more then happy to make any changes needed to the Cayars STV if we can figure out exactly what needs to be changed/fixed.

[samson]

So you NEVER get a crash at the end of a file? Are you using h/w only decode? I don't think _any_ 350 user has gotten rid of this completely, could you please post all your software rev #s? Sage, windows, hauppage(which you did)...

I guess I am lucky I have never had the problem untill I try to update drivers

First i had a intel mb d850gb with a p4 chip never had end of file problems till I would try to update my 350 drivers but the osd would crash it once a day atleast. I got fed up and got an nfource2 chipset mb and a amd2600 cpu and I have never looked back all my 350 problems went away sage still crashes every once in a while but I do not think it is 350 related

windows xp pro
sage 2.2.1
nfource2 chipset
amd 2600

pvr 350 w/osd tv-out hw only decode driver 1.17.390.22029
pvr usb2
roslyn
3/directv serial

my only complaint is that somtimes the channels lock that really bothers me
other than that im pretty happy if I have left out somthing or you need more info let me know

[Crashless]

My understanding of L.G.'s fix was that it simply cycled the 350 out enabled/disabled with a custom command. This allowed users to toggle it with a remote button. I don't remember it being a preventative fix, rather a post-crash fix.

I'll give it a try anyways, but my problem results in Sage being unresponsive/unusably slow, so cycling the output won't help.

Thanks for the info on your system samson, I'll review my revisions and see if I can duplicate your setup, unfortunately though, I'm running windows 2000, and it won't be a perfect reproduction.

To answer ToxMox's question, I have reported this problem multiple times, and sent logs once. I haven't heard anything else, so I don't know if they've worked on it, replicated it, or if I'm the only one having this problem. I've tried living with it, but I'm going crazy, and I need to get this stable before I move in with my fiance in April, or else I'll have to find a new hobby...

Thanks for everyone's help.

[pjwerdna]

Originally Posted by Crashless

my problem results in Sage being unresponsive/unusably slow, so cycling the output won't help.

I've this problem to. Only about 99% of the time so it's only extreemely annoying. I've found, with the SageMCE STV, pressing rewind a couple or times, then pressing play gets things going again.

[Crashless]

Just additional info: I switched to s/w only decoding for the day and watched a LOT of TV, I've been running Sage as hard as I can and haven't had a single hiccup. So I'm convinced my problems are only with the 350, and the end of file, as I can run the system just as hard with h/w only encoding as long as I don't let files end.

That of course is difficult when shows get cut off by padding.

Anyways, if people need info, let me know.

[Hector]

Actually its already fixed in your STV, we just need to figure out what you did to fix it

To eliminate the EOF bug-

Use Cayars 16 and set:

OSD Options-->Interface--->Prompt for Deletion at Show end to DISABLED.

No more System task at 99% for 20 minutes. At least for me and it used to happen every single time.

I think it has something to do with whatever you've got going on when a file ends because its when you included that uber-mega-deletion selection option thing that the problem was solved or at least when you could disable it automatically appearing.

By contrast the imported videos still cause the bug. So maybe you could duplicate what ever goes on at the end of a Sage recording.

I know this was just an accident er by product but I am all for calling it a well thought out and executed solution, heh.

Crashless I am pretty sure that LG's custom command solution (custom5 I think) was for the UI crashes. There was also an LG solution for the EOF but I think it was just to stop playing a few seconds early. Not 100% but pretty sure.

peace . . .

Originally Posted by Cayars

I'd be more then happy to make any changes needed to the Cayars STV if we can figure out exactly what needs to be changed/fixed.

[Cayars]

Crashless has tested my new 17 beta release with the mega deletion turned on and so far so good with no reboots on his system!