STV Import: NetFlix for SageMC (v2.1) 28-Feb-09

[Morgan111]

Just to be clear, you don't necessarily have to reload the original SageMC_169.xml.

If, for example, there have been other imports that have been loaded like movietimes, slimplayer... then your current STV may be SageMC_169-2.xml.

You then go to import NetFlix 2.0 and now you are running SageMC_169-3.xml.

When you go and load the updated NetFlix import for 2.03b you don't have to load the original SageMC_169.xml, you can load SageMC_169-2.xml and then import the new NetFlix 2.03b. Now you are running SageMC_169-4.xml.

If in doubt, you can always go back to what you think is necessary and then see if your NetFlix menu item from the Main Menu works, if not, you should be safe to load the NetFlix import. Doing it this way saves the trouble of reloading the other imports being used. There will be a number of enhancements over the next month, so it may save some time to only go back as far as necessary.

[mikesm]

Originally Posted by Morgan111

Just to be clear, you don't necessarily have to reload the original SageMC_169.xml.

If, for example, there have been other imports that have been loaded like movietimes, slimplayer... then your current STV may be SageMC_169-2.xml.

You then go to import NetFlix 2.0 and now you are running SageMC_169-3.xml.

When you go and load the updated NetFlix import for 2.03b you don't have to load the original SageMC_169.xml, you can load SageMC_169-2.xml and then import the new NetFlix 2.03b. Now you are running SageMC_169-4.xml.

If in doubt, you can always go back to what you think is necessary and then see if your NetFlix menu item from the Main Menu works, if not, you should be safe to load the NetFlix import. Doing it this way saves the trouble of reloading the other imports being used. There will be a number of enhancements over the next month, so it may save some time to only go back as far as necessary.

Good points. Also, While I have playback working, I notice FF and REW are not working. Are the normal Sage commands for FF and REW supposed to work here?

[Morgan111]

Originally Posted by mikesm

Good points. Also, While I have playback working, I notice FF and REW are not working. Are the normal Sage commands for FF and REW supposed to work here?

For FF and Rew, I try and set the current play position to a new time, but for some WMP installations, WMP will not perform a reposition until the entire media has been downloaded.

I had found out a few days ago that the same thing happens when I try to play a movie on my server machine. It acts differently such as waiting much longer with buffering before event starting the movie. I going to see if there are any WMP configuration options that I may be able to change on that machine that changes the behavior.

[spook]

Originally Posted by mikesm

I just rebuilt a client, and I needed to start with a clean sagmc 16x9.xml, and then reimport all the stivi's to get playback working. Just replacing the files didn't do it for me. But it does work after doing the imports...

Yeah, got it working. Thanks. I deleted all my sagemc169.xml files, and reinstalled... after that, i was able to do an clean import of 203b(i believe), and it worked.

Thanks Morg

Spook

[boognish]

Morgan, I have a minor issue and this is something I know happens but the wife and I accidentally do it sometimes and I was hoping there was an easy solution.
When you press the back button on the remote it forces the netflix viewer to lose focus of the remote and the only way I can get out of it is to restart the computer. I dont have a keyboard hooked up and with the mouse for some reason i cant grab the sage window that I know is hidden in the bottom right of the screen. Is there any way to make the back button do nothing while the netflix viewer is open? I have no idea if this is possible, just wanted to ask.
thanks again!!

[Morgan111]

Good idea Boog. It's done.

[bialio]

Just installed the netflix plugin, and have everything configured (I think) - I can see my QUEUE, but when I select browse DVD titles are browse Watch it Now titles, all I get is a blank screen.

Any ideas?

btl.

[bialio]

Figured it out. The 204b download doesn't have all the files. Downloaded 203b, installed, then 204b over that and everything is gravy.

btl.

[Naylia]

Originally Posted by Morgan111

Naylia, I may a change to the viewer in the update to 2.03 (2.03b) that is supposed to force the OSD display and player status when the player is in a buffering state. If you are sure you have that then press the info button when it seems to be in that condition again and let me know what the status line says it is doing. Maybe there is a related state I should be using as well. You said you get a black screen, is that before the movie started to play anything?

It was after the movie had been playing for a while. I've since changed the firmware on my router (which was sucking, every time both a mac and a pc were on the wireless my internet connection came screeching to a halt with pings measure in the seconds) and since then the issue has not reoccurred.

[Naylia]

Should the speed selection viewer read "kbps" instead of "bps"?

[CANightHawk]

Greetings!

Maybe I'm one of the dense ones, but could someone please clarify if it is "normal behavior" for the (GREAT!) plugin to not allow me to fast-forward or rewind until the ENTIRE movie or TV show has been downloaded? As it sits now, it will load and load and load but not let me navigate until the whole item has been transferred to my machine. What if I have already seen the first 20 minutes?

I have tried all different bit rates, restarting Sage, reinstalling just about everything including using v2.04b on top of 2.03b, and although it DOES work as expected after the WHOLE item is downloaded, the WAF has been going downhill waiting (about) 20+ minutes for the movie to completely download.

On top of all that, if "back" is pressed on the remote [on accident, of course ] we have to re-download the item, even though that was just done .. even more odd ..

If this behavior is indeed "normal" then it's something I'll have to explain my way out of. I just thought it was weird that, using the Internet Explorer viewer from your plugin, we can zip to any point in the movies instantly .. Which is how I thought this was supposed to work in the first place?

Now that I got Sage so stable, we are controlling via Hauppauge remote and don't want to have to navigate the IE plugin using the mouse.

Any suggestions? Thanks all!

[Brent]

Originally Posted by CANightHawk

Gcould someone please clarify if it is "normal behavior" for the (GREAT!) plugin to not allow me to fast-forward or rewind until the ENTIRE movie or TV show has been downloaded?

Normal might be an overstatement, but this is the way it currently works for me at least.

if "back" is pressed on the remote [on accident, of course ] we have to re-download the item, even though that was just done .. even more odd ..

Morgan mentioned this was something he will be changing in a future version to avoid the inadvertent exiting from the Netflix Player.

[Morgan111]

CANightHawk, you can play and pause while it is still downloading, right? I have one machine (my server) that has the problem where WMP ignores the positioning requests why it is downloading, but I haven't had the chance to do much investigation yet.

[CANightHawk]

Originally Posted by Morgan111

CANightHawk, you can play and pause while it is still downloading, right? I have one machine (my server) that has the problem where WMP ignores the positioning requests why it is downloading, but I haven't had the chance to do much investigation yet.

Hi Morgan .. how ironic, didn't you WRITE this plugin?

Yes my WMP seems to do the same thing: It will allow me only to start and stop the stream while downloading the movie, but that's IT, no fast-forward or [more importantly] rewind. WAF is slowly dipping, but thankfully we watch more TV on-demand than full-on movies

Only time the wait really gets annoying for me is when the internet is having troubles and therefore the whole movie doesn't download. Sometimes we really debate whether or not to start the movie download over, but then all that time spent looking at the first bit of the movie would go to waste. And since there's no minimize-to-background, we can't watch something else, or live TV, or adjust schedules, while the movie is coming in.

Do you -KNOW- how many times I've seen the first 20 minutes of "Lethan Weapon" and "Logan's Run" due to a failed download?

We all appreciate your work on this, and I'm sure it will be better as time goes on. Thank you so much!

[Brent]

Originally Posted by CANightHawk

Only time the wait really gets annoying for me is when the internet is having troubles and therefore the whole movie doesn't download.

So your movie doesn't download completely sometimes? I've never had this happen. What's your internet connection speed?

I'm not sure I understand why having rewind during download would solve your problem - or am I misunderstanding your request?

[Morgan111]

CANightHawk, if your internet connection is poor and causing that much problem with the movies you may need to drop your selected bitrate, you need a solid high-speed connection for the top bitrate. You also have the option of selecting the IE netflix player for now when your playback is difficult or you need to jump ahead.

The FF/Rew failure is only happening on one machine of mine but there is not much relevant information out there about the Windows Media Player to indicate why it may or may not respond to my low level request to reposition while downloading a stream. I may have to spin my wheels for a while on that but I have been burning the candle (killing my WAF) trying to finish up some new additions. One of them is being able to queue up movies to download locally for later viewing. That may help your situation as well. After that I want to spend more time investigating the other issue.

[osburnfamily]

Originally Posted by Morgan111

...option of selecting the IE netflix player for now when your playback is difficult or you need to jump ahead...

How do you do that? I did it once before but can't for the life of me remember how!

thanks!

[alfi33]

Options button (yellow button on the Hauppauge remotes)
Control + O on the keyboard

[osburnfamily]

Originally Posted by alfi33

Options button (yellow button on the Hauppauge remotes)
Control + O on the keyboard

[evilpenguin]

Hey Morgan,

Just got the plug-in running on my HDextender and its fantastic!!! Thanks so much for your hard work