STV Import: SlimPlayer 2.0 - Slacker, Pandora, Sirius,... on Extenders

[Peter_h]

I never did get this working properly. I did not get any sound.

I'm about to give this another try and noticed that logitech has a squeezebox server add-in for Windows Home Server.

Logitech Squeezebox Server for Windows Home Server

Can this be used? This would be a much cleaner/nicer solution for the WHS users.

Thanks,
Peter

[gplasky]

Originally Posted by Peter_h

I never did get this working properly. I did not get any sound.

I'm about to give this another try and noticed that logitech has a squeezebox server add-in for Windows Home Server.

Logitech Squeezebox Server for Windows Home Server

Can this be used? This would be a much cleaner/nicer solution for the WHS users.

Thanks,
Peter

It can. It provides the same functionality. I ran it on my WHS. I just couldn't get the sound to the extenders. PC clients worked great.

Gerry

[sbherculano]

Hi SteveW,

I have the same problem that you described and I use Grapghstudio to change my SLIM.GRF file but the problem still happen.

Could you please publish or send me the screenshot of your Filterschema in order I check if there are any differences ?

I really appreciate your help.

Regards

Originally Posted by SteveW

Thanks to Chris's help, I now have it working. The problem turned out to be the SLIM.GRF and how it was working on my server. When I went and looked at SLIM.GRF in Graphstudio, it showed no connection between VAC, the Sage Layer II Audio Encoder, and the Sage MPEG Muxer. On top of that, the VAC filter showed no inputs. When I edited the SLIM.GRF, removed the VAC and re-added it, now it had inputs of SPDIF, Line, and Mic. Linked it to the audio encoder and muxer. Saved it.

Even after doing this, no sound on the extenders, even tho the audio setup was correct for Slimplayer (VAC, JLayer, SYNC). I had to set the SAME settings again to VAC, JLayer, and SYNC.

Once I did all of these steps - poof! It all worked. Big thanks to Chris for pointing me in the right direction.

- Steve

[SteveW]

Originally Posted by sbherculano

Hi SteveW,

I have the same problem that you described and I use Grapghstudio to change my SLIM.GRF file but the problem still happen.

Could you please publish or send me the screenshot of your Filterschema in order I check if there are any differences ?

I really appreciate your help.

Regards

Hi Sergio,

Here it is - for you, and the benefit of others....



Hope that helps.

- Steve

[chrisc983]

Great plug in first off. I think I'm like 99% complete on getting this to work. As someone else posted I have it working on a client PC but not on my HD200 extender. I am currently using Sage WHS using SageMC. I have the latest version 2.1. I am using the software loopback. I just can't get audio to playback on the extender. I think the part that I may not have configured properly is the sources.

When I go into Set Up Video Sources their are two sources that were added automatically from the plug in.
1) Slimplayer on localhost:6969 TV Tuner Channel 3:null
2) Slimplayer on localhost:6969: null

I changed the second one. I went into Source Detail and changed the EPG lineup to do not use. Now the EPG lineup: Slimplayer on localhost:6969 TV Tuner. I also disabled all channels and enabled channel 1.

Am I supposed to change the Input Type or Cable/Antenna to something else?

I know I missing one step here or just one piece of configuration to get this to work. Thanks.

[chrisc983]

Originally Posted by SteveW

Hi Sergio,

Here it is - for you, and the benefit of others....



Hope that helps.

- Steve

If I use RDP it doesn't show the virtual cable connected to Sage Layer II Audio Encoder to slimplayer.mpg. But if I log in using a monitor, keyboard, and mouse and log into the administrator account it shows that everything is configured properly like the image above but the audio still doesn't work on the extender. I see that the file is being created in the recording directory when I select something to play.

Update: don't know if this matters but when I run the debug when trying to playback it says GET_FILE_SIZE and then the recording directory. And after I stop playback it says NOOP.

[SteveW]

Originally Posted by chrisc983

If I use RDP it doesn't show the virtual cable connected to Sage Layer II Audio Encoder to slimplayer.mpg. But if I log in using a monitor, keyboard, and mouse and log into the administrator account it shows that everything is configured properly like the image above but the audio still doesn't work on the extender. I see that the file is being created in the recording directory when I select something to play.

Update: don't know if this matters but when I run the debug when trying to playback it says GET_FILE_SIZE and then the recording directory. And after I stop playback it says NOOP.

What you are seeing with NOOP and GET_FILE-SIZE is correct. If you are not recording, debug should only say "NOOP".

When Chris (Koelec) was helping me with this, one of the things he suggested that I did do was delete the Virtual Cable filter from the graph, and re add it, and reconnect it. Try that. Otherwise, my only other suggestion would be to maybe PM Koelec for assistance....

-Steve

[chrisc983]

how do I delete and readd it? Do I uninstall and reinstall the vac?

[SteveW]

Originally Posted by chrisc983

how do I delete and readd it? Do I uninstall and reinstall the vac?

No. I just opened the GRF in Graphstudio. If I remember, right click to delete the VAC filter. Then go to the "Graph" menu item and select "Insert Filter".

You'll see a dropdown option of filters. There should be one called "Audio Capture Sources". In that group, you should see Virtual Cable 1. The is the filter you want to insert. Connect all the filters back up the way the were before you deleted the virtual audio cable filter, save the GRF, and try it again.

I found that even after doing this, and even through the extender's Slimplayer was set correctly, I had to again select "Virtual Cable 1", "SYNC", and the Loop Back Capture Device to your "Slimplayer on localhost..." in the audio setup before I started getting sound after fixing my GRF...

[chrisc983]

Thanks for the help but still no go. Are you also using WHS with the add-in? Any other suggestions.

[SteveW]

Originally Posted by chrisc983

Thanks for the help but still no go. Are you also using WHS with the add-in? Any other suggestions.

No, XP Pro with SP3. Best advice I can offer at this point is to speak to the developer (Koelec).

[chrisc983]

has anyone that is running Sage off of WHS gotten this plugin to work properly??

[cumak]

Does this also work with the Media MVP extender, or just the HD100/200? I have two MVPs, and wasn't planning to upgrade anytime soon. Thanks.

[briands]

Coming back to looking at Slim as a consistent interface for music, but I see that on extenders, this solution is relying on the loop back.

Does that mean it would be limited to a single instance shared among all extenders?

Way out suggestion, any way that playon could be used to pass these streams?

[mistergq]

I just want to publicly thank Chris for this add on. It rocks! This is one of the reasons I moved from BTV to STV because of the potential ability to play sirius through my HTPC. Unfortunately, once the HD100 came out, that got pushed to the back burner and was hopeful one day their would be a solution. Now here it is.

I do want to note that Chris and I could not get software loopback to work on my setup. We did not extensively debug it because I volunteered to setup hardware loopback. I am sure if we spent 5 hours, we could have figured it out, but I don't want to waste either of our times beating our heads against the wall to achieve that result.

Overall, I am stoked with STV right now. With both this plugin and Playon plugin, my Sage setup is finally achieving what I wanted to do with it. Have Sirius radio, effectively Video On Demand with the playon plugin, my music collection, photo collection, and most importantly, DVR of HD network and cable channels. I wonder what I am going to add next.

[voorhees]

Well after working on this import off and on for a few months, I have it working on my WHS server and it will play on my extenders and placeshifter's using hardware loop back, however I can not get it to release control once an extender or placeshifter has accessed it. If I play it on one extender/placeshifter, hit Stop Playback, and and want to listen to it on another extender it gives me the message "The Slim Player instance is currently controlled by a different UI context (Extender or Placeshifter). Press 'Stop Playback' button to take over control." when I hit 'Play' on the other extender/placeshifter. When I press 'Stop Playback' on the new extender/placeshifter, it locks up (spinning circle forever) and has to be shut down. If I just try to pick another favorite it looks like it is playing on the new extender/placeshifter, but I get no sound (however if I turn on the extender/placeshifter that it was originally used on then Slim Player has started back up and the sound is coming out there). The only way then to use it at a new extender/placeshifter is to restart SageTV. Is there any way to get it to release control so I can use it on another extender/placeshifter after being used on a different one? I really love this import and really would like to use it more, but I can not get over this last hurdle.

Any help you could provide would be great. Thanks.

[koelec]

Originally Posted by voorhees

Well after working on this import off and on for a few months, I have it working on my WHS server and it will play on my extenders and placeshifter's using hardware loop back, however I can not get it to release control once an extender or placeshifter has accessed it. If I play it on one extender/placeshifter, hit Stop Playback, and and want to listen to it on another extender it gives me the message "The Slim Player instance is currently controlled by a different UI context (Extender or Placeshifter). Press 'Stop Playback' button to take over control." when I hit 'Play' on the other extender/placeshifter. When I press 'Stop Playback' on the new extender/placeshifter, it locks up (spinning circle forever) and has to be shut down. If I just try to pick another favorite it looks like it is playing on the new extender/placeshifter, but I get no sound (however if I turn on the extender/placeshifter that it was originally used on then Slim Player has started back up and the sound is coming out there). The only way then to use it at a new extender/placeshifter is to restart SageTV. Is there any way to get it to release control so I can use it on another extender/placeshifter after being used on a different one? I really love this import and really would like to use it more, but I can not get over this last hurdle.

Any help you could provide would be great. Thanks.

Hi,
Using slimplayer on multiple extenders is kind of experimental feature. I've tested it only with two placeshifters and cannot say anything on this working when extenders are involved. Sorry about that.

- Chris

[farfromuman]

I get no sound on Sage client/server. The standalone Softsqueeze works with all audio devices but Slimplayer in Sage only works with one which is actually a Logitech Bluetooth transmitter for my bedroom. Selecting "Primary Device" or "VIA SPDIF" in the Slimplayer config produces no audio and my receiver shows "No Digital Data"
SPDIF works fine for everything else in the system. I even tried the Java MP3 Plugin with the same results. I am using the latest version of Sage/Java and running Sage in service mode on Vista 64bit.
Thanks in advance for any help.

[mkanet]

That's weird, Slimplayer IS the same thing as softsqueeze (they both depend on Softsqueeze.jar; as far as the SqueezeCenter/server Squeezebox Server is concerned, its the same thing; just a different front end or graphics. Slimplayer uses slimplayer registry settings and features in the same way as softsqueeze does. If standalone softsqueeze is behaving differently than slimplayer, I am guessing it might be because the registry information is different in one verses the other (maybe due to 64 bit windows stores the client information in a different location than what the Slimplayer's audio configurations settings thinks they should go.

I would definitely compare both client (slimplayer and softsqueeze) registry settings (the real places they actually get saved) and make sure they are using the same settings; except for player specific settings such as MAC address. Of course, you want to also make sure that youre using the same softsqueze.jar used in the latest Slimplayer download (or softsqueeze 3.9b1.zip

Sorry I couldnt give you anything specific, but at least those guidelines will help you have a little bit better idea of how the clients work.

Originally Posted by farfromuman

I get no sound on Sage client/server. The standalone Softsqueeze works with all audio devices but Slimplayer in Sage only works with one which is actually a Logitech Bluetooth transmitter for my bedroom. Selecting "Primary Device" or "VIA SPDIF" in the Slimplayer config produces no audio and my receiver shows "No Digital Data"
SPDIF works fine for everything else in the system. I even tried the Java MP3 Plugin with the same results. I am using the latest version of Sage/Java and running Sage in service mode on Vista 64bit.
Thanks in advance for any help.

[mbowling]

I'm attempting to configure this plugin for the first time. I think I misunderstood the meaning of the Slim Player mac address. In SageTV I right-clicked on the player and changed the player mac address. Now I am unable to see the favorites that I entered in the Squeezebox server. Of course I didn't make a note of the original mac address. How do I find the correct Slim Player mac address?