Plugin: Automatic Power Off

[cyberlewis]

I apologize, I should have been more specific. Specifically, I am using the video playlist, utilizing a video of an aquarium as a screensaver. The video playlist functionality allows me to select the 'Repeat' option so that it will play continuously.

Thanks,
Brian

[routerunner]

Originally Posted by cyberlewis

I apologize, I should have been more specific. Specifically, I am using the video playlist, utilizing a video of an aquarium as a screensaver. The video playlist functionality allows me to select the 'Repeat' option so that it will play continuously.

Thanks,
Brian

Please have a look at comment #2 & #3 on this thread . Also, how do you start the playlist playback? Can you kick in the playlist with the screen saver automatically? How long is a single shot of the Aquarium video playback?

Eddy

[cyberlewis]

Hi Eddy,

I looked at the referenced comments, and I had read those previously as well, but I was assuming that that referred to the inbuilt photo slideshow screensaver and not my pseudo 'screensaver'. I kick off the video playlist from the default interface using Videos --> Playlists, and then press the play button once the appropriate playlist is highlighted (in this case, I am selecting 'Aquarium'). The video itself is about 1 hour in length. Again, thank you for all of your help.

Brian

[routerunner]

Originally Posted by cyberlewis

Hi Eddy,

I looked at the referenced comments, and I had read those previously as well, but I was assuming that that referred to the inbuilt photo slideshow screensaver and not my pseudo 'screensaver'. I kick off the video playlist from the default interface using Videos --> Playlists, and then press the play button once the appropriate playlist is highlighted (in this case, I am selecting 'Aquarium'). The video itself is about 1 hour in length. Again, thank you for all of your help.

Brian

OK, I think I have enough information now to test your issue and come back with an answer on whether I can fix it or whether is a SageTV bug.

Thanks
Eddy

[routerunner]

Hi,

I've enabled more debug messages and done the following:

• Created a new playlist
• Added a random .AVI that plays for 19 minutes
• Set playlist playback options to repeat
• Set the timeout to 120 seconds
• Started the playlist
• From debug message I can see the playback event being fired and catched correctly
• After 120 seconds, video still playing
• Stop the playlist
• After 120 seconds the extender shuts down as expected
• Done the same procedure again this time awaiting the video to repeat automatically after the 19 minutes
• Received event of stop playback, catched as expected
• Video restart playback
• NO PLAYBACK START EVENT IS SENT FROM SAGETV
• After 120 seconds the extender shuts down as expected

It's clearly a bug in SageTV unless they're sending the PAUSE event and internally restarting the stream from the beginning to avoid putting black on screen.

I'll look into that, in the meantime can you please do me the favor of adding a short file twice instead and report back whether it shuts down at the end of the total playback or not.

Thanks
Eddy

[routerunner]

Yes, I was right, SageTV is pausing the file and resuming the playback from the beginning so that you don't see a black screen.

I made the fix and will be available soon...

Thanks
Eddy

[routerunner]

Version 1.0.5 is available to download.

- Fixes the playlist issue.

Thanks
Eddy

[cyberlewis]

Hi Eddy,

Well, before I had an opportunity to run the test you requested, you had already made the update and published to the repository . I installed version 1.05 and did some simple tests that confirmed it's still working as reliably as before and the playlist fix works just as expected. This is awesome Eddy, thank you so much for this great plugin!

Take care,
Brian

[routerunner]

It came to my attention recently that this plugin might not work properly if you don't use the standard SageTV v7 STV.

All my tests has been done on the standard SageTV v7 STV whereby I can guarantee it will work as expected, but I must admit that I never tested this plugin with any of the custom STVs currently available and, to be quite honest, I cannot think why it shouldn't

If you have this plugin working with any of the custom STVs (a part from the standard one), please provide here your feedback about things you had to do in order to have it working as it might help others

Thanks
Eddy

[routerunner]

If someone wondered about this plugin new release after nearly 4 year of silence then continue to read please.

- Every 2/3 months this plugin just doesn't work at all, nothing, nada, niet, nisba. To be fair if you never switch off you system overnight, as I do, you probably never noticed this. It started to bother me a lot recently, so I decided to do something about and it's hopefully gone.

- Long time ago my kids started to leave the extender in playback mode and then just walk away chasing butterflies. They grow up a bit, they don't chase butterflies anymore, still they leave the extender in playback mode and walk away, not good; since then, I've added a simple playback timeout as well, same principle, so if you leave the extended in playback mode and you don't touch the remote, the extender will automatically switch off. It has been around for awhile, but recently some user mentioned something like that on another thread so I thought to share. This new setting can be configured via the installed plugins page as usual.

- I am in the process of moving my plugins away from SageTV servers (BTW, many thanks to Jeff for all this years of hosting) to my company servers, therefore please let me know if you have download issues.

That's all for now, cheers
Eddy

[tvmaster2]

Originally Posted by routerunner

If someone wondered about this plugin new release after nearly 4 year of silence then continue to read please.

- Every 2/3 months this plugin just doesn't work at all, nothing, nada, niet, nisba. To be fair if you never switch off you system overnight, as I do, you probably never noticed this. It started to bother me a lot recently, so I decided to do something about and it's hopefully gone.

- Long time ago my kids started to leave the extender in playback mode and then just walk away chasing butterflies. They grow up a bit, they don't chase butterflies anymore, still they leave the extender in playback mode and walk away, not good; since then, I've added a simple playback timeout as well, same principle, so if you leave the extended in playback mode and you don't touch the remote, the extender will automatically switch off. It has been around for awhile, but recently some user mentioned something like that on another thread so I thought to share. This new setting can be configured via the installed plugins page as usual.

- I am in the process of moving my plugins away from SageTV servers (BTW, many thanks to Jeff for all this years of hosting) to my company servers, therefore please let me know if you have download issues.

That's all for now, cheers
Eddy

And now, three years later, a reply.... are you still around? Reading the forum? Using Sage or your plugin?
Thanks

[routerunner]

Originally Posted by tvmaster2

And now, three years later, a reply.... are you still around? Reading the forum? Using Sage or your plugin?
Thanks

Hi, well you just made me reading the forum again after few months now
I'm still running STV 32bit on a Windows 7x64 system, about using it? Not as much unfortunately. The kids and wife have fully moved into Netflix and Amazon Prime habits and me? I'm not watching much linear TV either these days, so I'm starting to consider cutting the umbilical cord really , but thanks for asking. I love this community.

Cheers
Eddy

[tvmaster2]

Originally Posted by routerunner

Hi, well you just made me reading the forum again after few months now
I'm still running STV 32bit on a Windows 7x64 system, about using it? Not as much unfortunately. The kids and wife have fully moved into Netflix and Amazon Prime habits and me? I'm not watching much linear TV either these days, so I'm starting to consider cutting the umbilical cord really , but thanks for asking. I love this community.

Cheers
Eddy

Brilliant, glad to hear you still see responses. Tell me, before you disappear - I'm having confusing results making it work. System is W7, 32bit. My confusion is with regards to whether or not to use Sage's Screen Saver, and if so, which bit of software gets priority.

For example: you set the Screen Saver for 10 minutes. Will it ALWAYS take priority, aka your plugin doesn't kick in until AFTER the Screen Saver triggers?
Or, does the plugin take priority, in so much that if 'Playback Timeout' were set to precede the Screen Saver, the unit would shut down before the Screen Saver kicked in?

And what if you don't use the Screen Saver at all (I generally don't) - what are the ideal setting for 'Playback Timeout', and 'Inactivity Timeout'?

I was trying to understand what you meant by your kids leaving the unit in 'Playback Mode'. Do you mean they were watching a channel and just walked away with full-screen images running?

Finally, what state does the media extender have to be in for your plugin to kick in, because I've tried various things and had little consistency,or success. It's likely I'm not entering the settings properly, and I'm not using any scripts either.

What should be visually on the screen in order for 'Automatic Power Off' to power-off, just a show running away, or do you have to be in a menu mode with no moving pictures?

Sorry for all the questions, but I'm certain I'm messing up somehow. Could you give me a real world example of what to the settings should be if I wanted the unit to shut down 30 minutes after I've wandered away with a show present on the screen...

thanks

[routerunner]

Originally Posted by tvmaster2

Brilliant, glad to hear you still see responses. Tell me, before you disappear - I'm having confusing results making it work. System is W7, 32bit. My confusion is with regards to whether or not to use Sage's Screen Saver, and if so, which bit of software gets priority.

For example: you set the Screen Saver for 10 minutes. Will it ALWAYS take priority, aka your plugin doesn't kick in until AFTER the Screen Saver triggers?
Or, does the plugin take priority, in so much that if 'Playback Timeout' were set to precede the Screen Saver, the unit would shut down before the Screen Saver kicked in?

And what if you don't use the Screen Saver at all (I generally don't) - what are the ideal setting for 'Playback Timeout', and 'Inactivity Timeout'?

I was trying to understand what you meant by your kids leaving the unit in 'Playback Mode'. Do you mean they were watching a channel and just walked away with full-screen images running?

Finally, what state does the media extender have to be in for your plugin to kick in, because I've tried various things and had little consistency,or success. It's likely I'm not entering the settings properly, and I'm not using any scripts either.

What should be visually on the screen in order for 'Automatic Power Off' to power-off, just a show running away, or do you have to be in a menu mode with no moving pictures?

Sorry for all the questions, but I'm certain I'm messing up somehow. Could you give me a real world example of what to the settings should be if I wanted the unit to shut down 30 minutes after I've wandered away with a show present on the screen...

thanks

Hi, sorry on vacation at the moment so no access to codebase but for what I recall there was a specific request from a user to give the screen saver higher priority (he wanted to leave a video loop showing a fish tank) and therefore the plugin is automatically disabling itself.

Without a screen saver the 'Inactivity timeout' (I have all my extenders set to 120 seconds) kicks in when the UI is typically showing the home screen but not necessary as the timeout reset to the specified value every time you press a button on the remote and you are not playing anything of course.

The 'Playback Timeout' should (or at least this is the intended behaviour) start to count down after the end of the last segment of the show you started to watch. That is if you are watching a show and the timeline goes past then STV will continue to record/playback what next indefinitely until is manually stopped and that is what my kids where doing; when their live show was finished they did just walk away letting the system still playing.

I hope that made this clearer a bit

Cheers
Eddy

[tvmaster2]

Originally Posted by routerunner

Hi, sorry on vacation at the moment so no access to codebase but for what I recall there was a specific request from a user to give the screen saver higher priority (he wanted to leave a video loop showing a fish tank) and therefore the plugin is automatically disabling itself.

Without a screen saver the 'Inactivity timeout' (I have all my extenders set to 120 seconds) kicks in when the UI is typically showing the home screen but not necessary as the timeout reset to the specified value every time you press a button on the remote and you are not playing anything of course.

The 'Playback Timeout' should (or at least this is the intended behaviour) start to count down after the end of the last segment of the show you started to watch. That is if you are watching a show and the timeline goes past then STV will continue to record/playback what next indefinitely until is manually stopped and that is what my kids where doing; when their live show was finished they did just walk away letting the system still playing.

I hope that made this clearer a bit

Cheers
Eddy

Yes, thanks - that makes it much clearer. Enjoy your vacation, and when you get a chance, answer one last (hopefully) question: how are the connected extenders recognized by the SageTV server plugin Configure page? Is there a powering-on order for an extender to pop up on the plugins Configure screen on the server? Seems to be hit and miss. Any way to guarantee a connection/recognition?

[routerunner]

Originally Posted by tvmaster2

Yes, thanks - that makes it much clearer. Enjoy your vacation, and when you get a chance, answer one last (hopefully) question: how are the connected extenders recognized by the SageTV server plugin Configure page? Is there a powering-on order for an extender to pop up on the plugins Configure screen on the server? Seems to be hit and miss. Any way to guarantee a connection/recognition?

Hi, there isn't such an order, when the STV server connects to an extender it send messages to listeners and the configuration page (on the STV server only) populates with the recognized extender IP address ready to be configured. You just need to be patience, also the list doesn't populate/refresh if you stay in that page, finally the message I mentioned early on is not sent immediately but after few seconds the extender is up and running and at the home screen, why? No idea, but always been the case.

Hope it helps.

Cheers
Eddy

[tvmaster2]

Originally Posted by routerunner

Hi, there isn't such an order, when the STV server connects to an extender it send messages to listeners and the configuration page (on the STV server only) populates with the recognized extender IP address ready to be configured. You just need to be patience, also the list doesn't populate/refresh if you stay in that page, finally the message I mentioned early on is not sent immediately but after few seconds the extender is up and running and at the home screen, why? No idea, but always been the case.

Hope it helps.

Cheers
Eddy

ok. when you get back from vacation, I will need some help - can't make it work unless the media extender in question is in 'Standby' mode. So something must be wrong with my install, etc. Enjoy yourself and post when you're back in the tech saddle. Maybe a recent Java update did something, but I'm having little success
thanks