Newbie is having strange problems with STV

[ggshubin]

Hello,

I am new to SageTV and have downloaded and installed the trial version. After going through the initial set up process, I started poking around and found three issues that I can't seem to resolve though looking at the help files or from going through the forums.

First Problem: The TV schedule will no come online. I go to where the guide should be and all i see is a blank screen with no channels or listings of any sort. Just a black box with a bar running down the middle denoting the time in 30 minute increments. How do I set this up? Shouldn't it all download automatically?

Second Problem: I get a wierd video playback error when I try to play any of my mp3 or wma files. The specific error is "sage.PlaybackException: ERROR (-4,0x80040256): There was a problem rendering the video portion of the content for playback."

Third Problem: I don't understand how to import a ripped DVD. I've copied a DVD using DVD Shrink to my HD. All of the VOBs, IFOs and the file structure is intact and is sitting using F:\media\dvdtitle\VIDEO_TS as the structure. When I go to the Media Center Import Directories setting and add a directory listing to F:\media\dvdtitle\VIDEO_TS, all I get in the Imported Videos section is a list of all of the VOBs, ISO, and even a VIDEO_TS listing. All I want is one title per ripped DVD, how hard is that?

Also with this in mind. Do I have to indivually select any and all sub-directories to import media. Because I have a number of directories under the overall "F:\media" that have video files and I can't see them in the Imported Videos unless I specifically select the individual sub-directory. Can't STV read the content in the sub-directories?

Any help would greatly be appreciated. STV looks like a great system, if only I could figure these item out.

Thanks,
George

[Opus4]

Originally Posted by ggshubin

First Problem: The TV schedule will no come online. I go to where the guide should be and all i see is a blank screen with no channels or listings of any sort. Just a black box with a bar running down the middle denoting the time in 30 minute increments. How do I set this up? Shouldn't it all download automatically?

Where are you located? If you are using the built-in EPG data for US and Canadian listings, it is all configured when you go through the process of configuring a capture source. All the channels enabled in Channel Setp will be lsited in the Program Guide, but it may take a while for the first download of all the EPG data.

If you don't get any providers to select & therefpre no channel lineups to select during setup, there is a FAQ entry about firewall ports to open for EPG data downloading.

If you are somewhere else & are using XMLTV, someone else will have to comment on that.

Second Problem: I get a wierd video playback error when I try to play any of my mp3 or wma files. The specific error is "sage.PlaybackException: ERROR (-4,0x80040256): There was a problem rendering the video portion of the content for playback."

I would try going to Detailed Setup -> Video/Audio & try other renderers and/or decoders.

Third Problem: I don't understand how to import a ripped DVD. I've copied a DVD using DVD Shrink to my HD. All of the VOBs, IFOs and the file structure is intact and is sitting using F:\media\dvdtitle\VIDEO_TS as the structure. When I go to the Media Center Import Directories setting and add a directory listing to F:\media\dvdtitle\VIDEO_TS, all I get in the Imported Videos section is a list of all of the VOBs, ISO, and even a VIDEO_TS listing. All I want is one title per ripped DVD, how hard is that?

You are choosing the wrong directory as the base import directory; import a higher-level dir... see p. 250 for info on setting up the library for ripped DVD playback.

Also with this in mind. Do I have to indivually select any and all sub-directories to import media. Because I have a number of directories under the overall "F:\media" that have video files and I can't see them in the Imported Videos unless I specifically select the individual sub-directory. Can't STV read the content in the sub-directories?

Yes, and it displays the folders on the Video Library screen -- select the appropriate folders to browse down to where your videos are. More info starts on p. 92 of the v5 manual.

- Andy

[ggshubin]

I think the problem with guide then must be that I don't yet have a capture card with a tuner. Without a capture card I can't go through the tuner/guide setup process. No big deal for this then.

As for the mp3 errors: I've tried every decoder that Sage lists for me all to no avail. I still get the same result. Is there something else I need to install - a plugin perhaps or some sort of extention?

As for the ripped DVDs issue: I have tried setting the directory at the various different levels to no avail. I've done exactly what it said to do in the manual, but I still don't ever get the title of the DVD and I have not yet seen and sub directories show up in the Imported Videos area. I have a 250 gig drive with one directory on it (F:\media). Within that directory are all of my video files some in sub directories some not (this is also where I store my ripped DVD files - F:\media\dvdtitle\). I have tried setting the Import Directories to F:\media, F:\media\dvdtitle, F:\media\dvdtitle\video_ts. Any subdirectories never show up and the content in those subdirectories are only available if I specifically assign that subdirectory. Shouldn't I be able to assign F:\media as the directory and then everything within should show up in the imported videos area?

George

[Opus4]

Yes, you would assign F:\media as the import dir... when you added the inport dir, you told it what types of media to import from there? If there are a LOT of files under media, did you wait long enough for it to find everything when it scans the dirs? (Try restarting SageTV & see what happens; it should do a complete lib scan at startup.)

Is F: a mapped drive? I don't think it is, since you said you could find files in a subdir by adding just that dir, but if it is & you are using service mode, the service can't access mapped drive letters.

Does SageTV have permission to access F:/media?

Are you using the default STV, or are you using a custom one?

- Andy

[ggshubin]

Okay, I figured out the sub directory / DVD title issue. I had set the Video Recording Directory to also be F:\media. As soon as I deleted that all of the subdirectories and DVD titles appeared.

However I still can't figure out the video error when I play audio files. And NOW I get an Audio error when I try to play a DVD file. I don't get that error when I play my DIVX files only the DVD files.

This must be a decoder issue. What should the settings be then?

When I go to set the MPEG2 Video decoder I have the following options available to me:

Default
Cyberlink Video/SP Decoder
SageTV MPEG Video Decoder
ffdshow MPEG-4 Video Decoder

When I go to set the MPEG2 Audio decoder I have the following options available to me:

Default
AC3Filter
Cyberlink Audio Decoder
MPEG Audio Decoder
SageTV MPEG Audio Decoder

When I go to set the Current Audio Renderer I have the following options available to me:

Default
Cyberlink Audio Renerer (PDVD)
Default DirectSound Device
Default WaveOut Device

I've tried all of them and I still get the same results. Currently I have all of them set to the Cyberlink options. But obviously that is not working. Is there something else that I need to install?

George

[Opus4]

It says it can't play video?

The only results I see when googling for 0x80040256 are recommendations to upgrade the sound card drivers.

- Andy

[ggshubin]

Yes, I know. Wierd. When I try to play an audio file (mp3, wma) I get that video error. When I try and play a DVD title I get:

"sage.PlaybackException: ERROR (-5,0x80040256): There was a problem rendering the audio portion of the content for playback."

Basically the same error only for the audio portion.

Any advice on the decoder settings?

George

[Opus4]

Originally Posted by ggshubin

Any advice on the decoder settings?

... only what I posted above about updating the sound card drivers.

- Andy

[ggshubin]

Well, after a little more searching. I finally downloaded the drivers for my onboard audio card and reinstalled them. After that all of the errors went away.

Thanks alot for your help.

George