STV: SageMC 16x9 Version 6.x (latest dev build)

[dflachbart]

Hi ke6guj,

Originally Posted by ke6guj

Well, I gave it a try, and I'm still leaning to the default UI with nielm's plugins, but I figured I'd give you my observations. OK, here goes...

No problem, I know SageMC is not for everyone, and it's fair enough that you gave it another try. But I appreciate your comments very much, some of the things mentioned don't look right to me either ...

Originally Posted by ke6guj

I liked having background video and found out that I had do view in window now.

Yeah, the SageMC GUI is really not well suited for background video at all. But I found that for keeping track of what's currently showing while doing some other stuff the preview window is absolutely sufficient for me. (otherwise I pause the current show anyway)

Originally Posted by ke6guj

Got that fixed, but I found a "bug", it responds to PLAY and PAUSE fine, but doesn't work correctly with PLAY/PAUSE, ctrl+shift+s. It will pause the video in the window, but not restart it. Found more issues with PLAY/PAUSE, it will work while watching a show, but can't select a show from the menu, whereas PLAY can.

True, the Play/Pause listeners must have been simply left out. I will add them in the next version

Originally Posted by ke6guj

The delete prompts are not uniform, sometimes the Yes/no is stacked vertically, and sometimes it is horizontally.

Can you point me to those prompts (steps to show them) ? They all seem uniform to me ...

Originally Posted by ke6guj

Also, I can't delete an entire folder of recordings at once. In the Stopped dialog box, there was no confirmation of the delete command, just deleted it. (edit: messed with SageMC some more and I guess that last one is OK as is)

True, I miss the functionality to delete all airings for a show too, this will be added

Originally Posted by ke6guj

While browsing the guide, I can't toggle favorite status on/off on a show.

Will be added too

Originally Posted by ke6guj

I can't see if a show is a favorite either, configurable setting?

Hmm, strange ... If a show is a favorite then the series_rec.png icon should be shown in the EPG grid

Originally Posted by ke6guj

I read back into the thread and see that you don't have parallel recording schedules coded yet, I prefer that view.

Yeah, this might be added at some point, but it doesnt have high priority for me right now, I am not using this view at all. Porting this from the default STV is quite a bit of work

Originally Posted by ke6guj

I don't really care about the looks of the UI, it is just a matter of having the functionability and ease of use.

I fully respect this point of view. But for me personally the 'looks' do matter a lot. Now, after using SageMC for quite a while, whenever I have to temporarily switch back to the default STV my stomach really turns upside down ...

When I started using SageMC I felt like I was using a completely new, nicer product - I enjoyed it ten times more, and so did my wife. And now even my kids are able to use the PVR... The simple but ingenious My TV screen which shows what is scheduled and what has just been recorded at a glance, easy access to upcoming movies, Premieres and IR suggestions , etc - this is 'ease of use' for me

Dirk

[ke6guj]

Originally Posted by flachbar

Hi ke6guj,


No problem, I know SageMC is not for everyone, and it's fair enough that you gave it another try. But I appreciate your comments very much, some of the things mentioned don't look right to me either ...

Cool, As I use it more, I am starting to understand the reasoning behind certain things. Hopefully, I'll get comfortable enough to use it exclusively.

And the items noted to be added to later versions will help. Thanks.

Originally Posted by flachbar

Can you point me to those prompts (steps to show them) ? They all seem uniform to me ...

Ok, it looks like the MC default is to have the delete prompt to be YES/NO horizontally. The only vertical prompt I can find right now, is to DELETE while watching a recording with no menus open. If I find others I'll let you know.

Originally Posted by flachbar

Hmm, strange ... If a show is a favorite then the series_rec.png icon should be shown in the EPG grid

I looked, and if a favorite is scheduled to record, then the series_rec icon will appear. What I was talking about, was just seeing if a program was a favorite or not. For instance, in the stock UI, you get the white outline around any showings of a program that meet the rules of the favorite, even it wasn't going to record it, IE: watched, already recorded, or scheduled at a different time.

OK, I think I have it figured out, any unwatched episodes that fit the favorite will show the series_rec icon, but once it has been marked watched, then the watched icon replaces the series_rec icon. If possible, it would be nice to have a way to see both.

Originally Posted by flachbar

Yeah, this might be added at some point, but it doesnt have high priority for me right now, I am not using this view at all. Porting this from the default STV is quite a bit of work

OK, I can understand that. In the meantime, could it be possible to show the tuner number in the schedule and in the program info for completed recordings as well as current recordings.

Originally Posted by flachbar

I fully respect this point of view. But for me personally the 'looks' do matter a lot. Now, after using SageMC for quite a while, whenever I have to temporarily switch back to the default STV my stomach really turns upside down ...

When I started using SageMC I felt like I was using a completely new, nicer product - I enjoyed it ten times more, and so did my wife. And now even my kids are able to use the PVR... The simple but ingenious My TV screen which shows what is scheduled and what has just been recorded at a glance, easy access to upcoming movies, Premieres and IR suggestions , etc - this is 'ease of use' for me

Dirk

I can understand that view as well. And since I don't code, anything I can get is better than nothing

Jack

[dflachbart]

Hi Jack,

Originally Posted by ke6guj

The only vertical prompt I can find right now, is to DELETE while watching a recording with no menus open. If I find others I'll let you know.

Thanks for pointing this out, this dialog is indeed not correct and will get changed

Originally Posted by ke6guj

OK, I think I have it figured out, any unwatched episodes that fit the favorite will show the series_rec icon, but once it has been marked watched, then the watched icon replaces the series_rec icon. If possible, it would be nice to have a way to see both.

Yeah, currently the "currently recording / favorite / Watched / Dont like" icons are mutually exclusive. I think the reasoning behind it was to not clutter up the EPG with too many icons. If a majority sees this differently, I might change it, or make it configurable ...

Originally Posted by ke6guj

OK, I can understand that. In the meantime, could it be possible to show the tuner number in the schedule and in the program info for completed recordings as well as current recordings.

Hmm, for current recordings this info is always available, even in the recording list and the EPG: since version 6.6, there is a separate "currently recording" icon for each encoder (which displays the encoder number). For completed recordings and scheduled recordings the encoder number is displayed in the Program Info for corresponding the show. Are you thinking about something else ?


Dirk

[ke6guj]

Originally Posted by flachbar

Hmm, for current recordings this info is always available, even in the recording list and the EPG: since version 6.6, there is a separate "currently recording" icon for each encoder (which displays the encoder number). For completed recordings and scheduled recordings the encoder number is displayed in the Program Info for corresponding the show. Are you thinking about something else ?


Dirk

I do see the "currently recording" icon for each encoder, but don't see anything for completed recordings.

I'm assuming that I should be getting an icon like is shown in post 465.

Attached is a screenshot of what I get in a completed recording.

[dflachbart]

Originally Posted by ke6guj

I do see the "currently recording" icon for each encoder, but don't see anything for completed recordings.

I'm assuming that I should be getting an icon like is shown in post 465.

That's exactly what you should be seeing. I assume you have "Encoder Icons" enabled in the SageMC settings (otherwise you would not see the separate "currently recording" icons either), but you might check it anyway ...

Originally Posted by ke6guj

Attached is a screenshot of what I get in a completed recording.

Yeah, that's really weird. Can you check other recordings with a shorter channel description, maybe it's a clipping issue ?

Dirk

[ke6guj]

Originally Posted by flachbar

That's exactly what you should be seeing. I assume you have "Encoder Icons" enabled in the SageMC settings (otherwise you would not see the separate "currently recording" icons either), but you might check it anyway ...

All icon settings are set to enabled, and an example can be see in untitled2

Originally Posted by flachbar

Yeah, that's really weird. Can you check other recordings with a shorter channel description, maybe it's a clipping issue ?

Dirk

Found one with a shorter channel description than the 465 post, and still no encoder icon.

[dflachbart]

Originally Posted by ke6guj

All icon settings are set to enabled, and an example can be see in untitled2



Found one with a shorter channel description than the 465 post, and still no encoder icon.

Can you check if you have EncoderMarker1.png - EncoderMarker9.png in your SageMC/Images directory ?

[ke6guj]

Originally Posted by flachbar

Can you check if you have EncoderMarker1.png - EncoderMarker9.png in your SageMC/Images directory ?

OK, that was it. Somehow I didn't get all the icons when I unzipped it before. I redid the unzip and restarted the UI and, tada, encoder markers

And for your info, even the really long channel descriptions had the icon on a 4:3 set, so it doesn't look like there would be a clipping issue. Maybe if the description overflowed the edge of the screen.

[kricker]

Originally Posted by Flachbar

Yeah, currently the "currently recording / favorite / Watched / Dont like" icons are mutually exclusive. I think the reasoning behind it was to not clutter up the EPG with too many icons. If a majority sees this differently, I might change it, or make it configurable ...

It does this in the recorded TV list as well, which is causing me some discomfort

[snoopy]

Info only seems to pull up limited info on a show. Is there way to pull up "detailed" info?

When I 'stop' a show that is playing, it goes away and does not continue to record as previously scheduled. Is there anyway to just stop with options to delete, archive, continue recording, etc so that I can continue to record it and just not watch it?

I used to have a skip fwd and skip back button that worked pretty well. I would hit skip fwd three times generally and skip back in slightly smaller increments to where I wanted to be. I am sure I am the culprit that screwed this up but how do I fix it?

[dflachbart]

Originally Posted by snoopy

Info only seems to pull up limited info on a show. Is there way to pull up "detailed" info?

Options menu (ESC on keyboard), then 'Program Info'. Ok, these are two button presses, but this is as good as it gets ...

Originally Posted by snoopy

Is there anyway to just stop with options to delete, archive, continue recording, etc so that I can continue to record it and just not watch it?

Why don't you press REC before pressing STOP ? The recording will continue without having to watch it ...

Originally Posted by snoopy

I used to have a skip fwd and skip back button that worked pretty well. I would hit skip fwd three times generally and skip back in slightly smaller increments to where I wanted to be. I am sure I am the culprit that screwed this up but how do I fix it?

This should work as before, SageMC is not messing around with those listeners. Did you check the command assignments for your remote in Detailed Setup ?


Dirk

[popechild]

Dirk,
Finally upgraded to 6.7 and wanted to say Great Job on the "keep partial recording" solution. This is exactly what so many (including myself) have been wanting - at least as an option if not automatic.

Thanks!

[popechild]

Having never used any version of any commercial skipping program (comskip, SA), I seem to be having trouble figuring out what I need to do to try to get it working for the first time. Using SageMC only confuses things for me, as I'm not sure whether MC has its own built-in comskip or "enabling" comskip just tells it to find your external comskip installation. Can somebody point me to a "how to" or give me a list of steps to enable and begin using comskip? I think I've tried just enabling everything I saw related to it in MC and didn't see anything happen.

Also, it may be complicated because all I watch is HD material. I know the newer versions of comskip are supposed to be able to handle this, but if comskip is built-in to SageMC, is it using an older version that can't process hd?

Thanks for any help!

[gplasky]

You need to download comskip.exe and put it in your SageTV directory I believe. It's been a long while and I use SA. Check the forum, first post for comskip thread and also check the wiki.

Gerry

[geogecko]

I use DirMon2 and SA. If using these, you do NOT enable the comskip settings inside of SageMC. DirMon takes care of running SA, and SageMC has the features to autoskip (this can be enabled/disabled in the options menu, while watching a show).

Check out the DirMon2 and SA threads for more information. SA is free, but also had a paid version $10, that gives you the decoders, which, are MUCH faster, and less CPU intensive, than the free decoders.

SA should work fine for most HD shows. I do not think I've had problems with it lately.

[geogecko]

Originally Posted by geogecko

Wonder how that got changed?! Thanks for the tip...

LOL...now you can check on why that setting ("Display Video on Menus: Never") doesn't stick anymore!

I set it to "If Active," inside of SageMC, but I guess upon exiting Sage, and coming back in, it's set back to "Never" again...

[popechild]

Originally Posted by geogecko

I use DirMon2 and SA. If using these, you do NOT enable the comskip settings inside of SageMC. DirMon takes care of running SA, and SageMC has the features to autoskip (this can be enabled/disabled in the options menu, while watching a show).

Check out the DirMon2 and SA threads for more information. SA is free, but also had a paid version $10, that gives you the decoders, which, are MUCH faster, and less CPU intensive, than the free decoders.

SA should work fine for most HD shows. I do not think I've had problems with it lately.

Okay, cool, I'll give it a shot. I'd seen the wiki for using SA, but nothing for comskip (somebody point it out if there is one please) and I was under the impression that SA didn't really handle HD very well yet. As for the free vs. paid version, should the detection work just as well in the free version? Meaning, I'd like to be able to verify that the detection is going to work well - even if it's slower - before shelling out $$. If the detection supposedly works better on the paid version, it might not be of much value as a test.

[Opus4]

Originally Posted by geogecko

LOL...now you can check on why that setting ("Display Video on Menus: Never") doesn't stick anymore!

I set it to "If Active," inside of SageMC, but I guess upon exiting Sage, and coming back in, it's set back to "Never" again...

Are you switching to the default STV in between for any reason? If so, it is because the property values for that are getting changed to settings different from what SageMC is using.

- Andy

[geogecko]

Originally Posted by Opus4

Are you switching to the default STV in between for any reason? If so, it is because the property values for that are getting changed to settings different from what SageMC is using.

- Andy

Nope, just closing Sage down, and relaunching. I'll test it some more on Friday, to verify.

[geogecko]

Originally Posted by popechild

Okay, cool, I'll give it a shot. I'd seen the wiki for using SA, but nothing for comskip (somebody point it out if there is one please) and I was under the impression that SA didn't really handle HD very well yet. As for the free vs. paid version, should the detection work just as well in the free version? Meaning, I'd like to be able to verify that the detection is going to work well - even if it's slower - before shelling out $$. If the detection supposedly works better on the paid version, it might not be of much value as a test.

Yes, the free should work just as well as the paid version, but the free requires a little bit of setup, versus the paid, which requires no setup, once registered. Check this thread for help on getting the free version setup. (Keep in mind, that that thread is a little dated, so some things might not look the same.) If you leave most things to default, that will get you up and going, then just ask questions, on how to change things, such as live commercial detection, and what not.

http://www.dragonglobal.org/forums/showthread.php?t=109

Actually, SA is handling HD pretty well these days. There were some growing pains a while back, where it worked only part of the time, but I'd say it's more like 90% or better now. I don't have a lot of HD shows recording right now, but will in the Fall...need to get another Fusion5 card!

The nice thing about the DM2 and SA combo, is that you can setup DM2 to run MULTIPLE instances of SA, so, for instance, if you have 3 tuners, and you want live detection. Well, if you happen to be recording 3 shows, and SA (only running one instance) is processing show #1, but you are watching show #2, guess what? You don't get live commercial detection, since SA hasn't run on the #2 show, and won't, until #1 is finished. With DM2, you can specify the amount of resources are required for each instance. For example, 33. You also specify the top amount of resources, such as 100 (normally), so you can see that 3 instances can now be running at one time, if needed. You can also specify inside of SA, how much CPU utilization SA can use, this will keep you from maxing out your CPU, and crashing Sage...

Anyway, probably overload, but there is a lot out there you can do...