Plugin: External Apps

[peternm22]

I just checked and the vprj file does contain the full path.

Again, if I manually run the batch file (outside of SageTV) and send it a recording it works fine (grabs the correct vprj, cuts the commercials, and replaces the original file). It's only in the external apps that it fails.

Any other ideas?

[JREkiwi]

What version of VideoRedo are you using?

The /t# option is not used with version 4 (h.264), you need to use a /profile option instead.

John

[peternm22]

I'm using version 3 (the non h264 version), I've always used the /t1 switch and it has worked fine on this version.

Again, this batch file works perfectly well when I manually run it (dragging the recording file onto the batch file, or typing out the command in the command line). It's only when the exact same batch file (with trigger script) is run from SageTV that it fails.

[peternm22]

I decided to have another go at it, but I still can't get it to work. I simplified the batch file to rule out possible problems, and I hardcoded paths in for a particular recording:

set videoredo_path=C:\Program Files (x86)\VideoReDoTVSuite\
set recording_path=D:\Sage\Recordings\MythBusters-WaterslideWipeout-8123959-0.vprj
set priority=low
START /B /W /MIN /%priority% cscript.exe //nologo "%videoredo_path%vp.vbs" "%recording_path%" "D:\Sage\Recordings\tmpEncode\temp.mpg" /t1 /d /q

Running the batch file as it is works perfectly, a file with the commercials cut out is placed in the tmpEncode folder correctly. However, when the same file is run from the External Apps plugin (using a trigger file), it just launches videoredo in the background and doesn't do anything (as before).

I decided to try setting up Dirmon2 to see if I could get it to run the batch file, and the exact same thing happens as before. Videoredo launches, but it doesn't actually process anything.

I'm thinking this has something to do with user permissions (since both SageTV and Dirmon2 run things as a service) and VideoReDo not being able to access the .vprj file (which is weird because it can access a .mpg file when doing a quick stream fix). This is over my head though.

Any ideas? I'm running Windows 7 64bit HP...

Thanks.

[Fuzzy]

To troubleshoot, you need to see what is actually being passed to the batch file by External Apps. (Try putting something like echo %1 %2 %3 > BatchOutput.txt at the beginning of the batch file, run something from the external apps, and check the text file to see if it contains anything).

[peternm22]

I tried something similar earlier, and had the entire command that launches Videoredo printed to a text file. The command was 100% right, and pasting that command into a command prompt within Windows worked perfectly... it just was never actually run properly when called from the External Apps.

If you look at the last bit of batch file I posted, it contains absolutely no reference to the programs arguments, so I think that can be safely ruled out.

[Fuzzy]

No other ideas. Running as a service (logged into the user account) SHOULD still run the same as the user. the only difference would be access to mapped drives (if your D drive is actually a network share mapped as D:, this will not work).

[nyplayer]

Peter,

try the simplified batch file below I added the windows directory where cscript.exe is located.... see if that works. If that doesn't work you can add the I switch to your batch. ex".... START /I /B /W /MIN /%priority% cscript.exe //nologo "%videoredo_path%vp.vbs" "%recording_path%" "D:\Sage\Recordings\tmpEncode\temp.mpg" /t1 /d /q

set videoredo_path=C:\Program Files (x86)\VideoReDoTVSuite\
set recording_path=D:\Sage\Recordings\MythBusters-WaterslideWipeout-8123959-0.vprj
set priority=low
cd "C:\Windows\System32"
c:
START /B /W /MIN /%priority% cscript.exe //nologo "%videoredo_path%vp.vbs" "%recording_path%" "D:\Sage\Recordings\tmpEncode\temp.mpg" /t1 /d /q

[dcardellini]

Another great plugin!

Having a couple of issues, need some help.

1. >>>
I want to run TMT5 on selected file on a SageTVClient (different machine than my server).

In Setup, the External App Dirrectory defaults to the server (I know most people here manipulate server files with this Plugin).

In order to get this to work, I have to be able to access the client machines' hard drive FROM the server. With mix of WinXP and Win7 machines, this is a real PIA, and a bit flakely on reboot of client and server machines.

Am I doing something wrong here? Is there some way to point "External App Directory" directly to the client machines' hard drive directories?

2.>>>
When I install the plugin, I get some funky things happening on my views of imported media. With Stock UI, navigating to "Folders," each folder has overwritten the path for the that folder with /BDMV at end. Real messy looking. When I remove the plugin, this goes away. Tried rebooting, etc.....

Thanks in advance!

[Fuzzy]

I'll assume you are wanting to run TMT5 for bluray playback. If that is the case, you may fine the BluRay/DVD External Playback plugin more useful.

[dcardellini]

Fuzzy: Your Plugin for external playback is great.

Recently I have found "most" of my BR folder rips play fine within SageTV, including HD audio bitstreaming and even smooth m2ts VC-1 content!

What I am thinking now is that I use your plugin for launching TMT5 for actual disc playback when anyone in family rents one. If I have any problems with native SageTV playback for folder rips (wrong m2ts file chosen, wrong language, problems forced subtitles, etc.) , or I want special features or 3D, I can have the option to launch TMT5 from this external plugin.

In short, like most people here, I want it all

[JREkiwi]

Originally Posted by dcardellini

2.>>>
When I install the plugin, I get some funky things happening on my views of imported media. With Stock UI, navigating to "Folders," each folder has overwritten the path for the that folder with /BDMV at end. Real messy looking. When I remove the plugin, this goes away. Tried rebooting, etc.....

What view are you seeing this in? and what version of SageTV are you using?

I don't see what you're seeing when I go into the Video Folders view, or any other view that I've tried.

John

I take it back. I do see what you're talking about when I use Separate Folder Display Style

[dcardellini]

Just reinstalled your plugin on another computer, and scratched my head as to why the "separate folder view" problem was fixed.

Then I checked the plugin date/ revision notes... you fixed it!!!

I also can reliably get my server to access my client hard drive (without username/password b.s.)., so running TMT on my client (directed from server) works great.

Thanks for great plugin!

[JREkiwi]

Originally Posted by dcardellini

Just reinstalled your plugin on another computer, and scratched my head as to why the "separate folder view" problem was fixed.

Then I checked the plugin date/ revision notes... you fixed it!!!

John

[dcardellini]

Hate to overstay my welcome here. Need a bit more help.

Have External Apps working great to launch TMT5 on my SageTV Client (separate from a SageTV server). Now that I am actually using this, I have noticed a problem, likely something in TMT itself:

If just running TMT5, and I insert a disc into the drive, some discs will default to highest quality HDMI HD audio. Some discs, when inserted, default to lower resolution DTS or Dolby, and you must manually change to the higher resolution on the disc menu. Now to the problem:

On BR Folder rips, if I launch TMT from plugin thru Sagetv, TMT opens great and I get to the disc menu always for the video chosen. Everything looks great.

On BR Folders where the default is low-res audio, if I hit "play" , everything works great. If before hitting "Play," I change audio to the HD track, then hit play then TMT5 freezes up and have to kill it. (this works fine if I use actual disc).

On a BR Folder rip that has a default audio track that is HD audio, when I launch from your plugin, get the normal disc menu for that video. When I hit play, TMT5 freezes up again. Even if I redo thiss, and attempt to change audio to low-res DTS/Dolby, the TMT5 freezes when I hit play.

I created batch files that explicitly call TMT5 with the BR folders as arguments. The argument (path to video on server) is identical to the argument passed by "External Apps" (used the echo %>c:\batchoutput.txt in the external apps batch file to check).

When running these "hard-coded" batch files, everything works fine, no freezes or crashes.

So, External Apps launch of the batch files is different then a double click launch of a hard-coded batch file. And it seems to be related to BR folders with default HD audio tracks.

It is almost as if TMT5 is detecting a Protected Audio Path violation when HD audio is attempted if TMT is launched from your plugin.

UAC is turned off. I tried a trigger batch file also, still no love.

Thoughts?

edit: Also have Fuzzy's Bluray/External plugin installed. I enabled "Watch BluRays's in External Player" in Setup- DVD for his plugin. Now when I click watch now in Sagetv on a bluray rip folder, it launches TMT5 passing the video file as argument.

And everything works fine!!!!

So there may be a fundamental difference in the way Fuzzy calls the external batch file, and the way it is done in JREkiwi's plugin.

[Fuzzy]

Originally Posted by dcardellini

Hate to overstay my welcome here. Need a bit more help.

Have External Apps working great to launch TMT5 on my SageTV Client (separate from a SageTV server). Now that I am actually using this, I have noticed a problem, likely something in TMT itself:

If just running TMT5, and I insert a disc into the drive, some discs will default to highest quality HDMI HD audio. Some discs, when inserted, default to lower resolution DTS or Dolby, and you must manually change to the higher resolution on the disc menu. Now to the problem:

On BR Folder rips, if I launch TMT from plugin thru Sagetv, TMT opens great and I get to the disc menu always for the video chosen. Everything looks great.

On BR Folders where the default is low-res audio, if I hit "play" , everything works great. If before hitting "Play," I change audio to the HD track, then hit play then TMT5 freezes up and have to kill it. (this works fine if I use actual disc).

On a BR Folder rip that has a default audio track that is HD audio, when I launch from your plugin, get the normal disc menu for that video. When I hit play, TMT5 freezes up again. Even if I redo thiss, and attempt to change audio to low-res DTS/Dolby, the TMT5 freezes when I hit play.

I created batch files that explicitly call TMT5 with the BR folders as arguments. The argument (path to video on server) is identical to the argument passed by "External Apps" (used the echo %>c:\batchoutput.txt in the external apps batch file to check).

When running these "hard-coded" batch files, everything works fine, no freezes or crashes.

So, External Apps launch of the batch files is different then a double click launch of a hard-coded batch file. And it seems to be related to BR folders with default HD audio tracks.

It is almost as if TMT5 is detecting a Protected Audio Path violation when HD audio is attempted if TMT is launched from your plugin.

UAC is turned off. I tried a trigger batch file also, still no love.

Thoughts?

edit: Also have Fuzzy's Bluray/External plugin installed. I enabled "Watch BluRays's in External Player" in Setup- DVD for his plugin. Now when I click watch now in Sagetv on a bluray rip folder, it launches TMT5 passing the video file as argument.

And everything works fine!!!!

So there may be a fundamental difference in the way Fuzzy calls the external batch file, and the way it is done in JREkiwi's plugin.

I just run TMT5 with Mix to Uncompressed PCM - seems to work great for all audio formats, and allows ReClock to function as well.

[dcardellini]

Fuzzy:

I didn't try this, as I really want to bitstream everything possible to my pre/pro.

However, if I were to set this, how do I know that Arcsoft is starting with the DTS-HD audio track and uncompressing to LPCM? How do I know they are not mangling it somehow.....all off topic, and likely a never-ending debate on it own!

As an aside, I did fix my problem. My newbie-like theory still stands. JREkiwi's plugin is calling the user batchfile in a different way than Fuzzy's batch file launch.

I believe the batch file from JREkiwi's (External Apps) is not launching as the current user, TMT5's protected audio path is choking on BluRays that default to HD Audio due to this PAP/current user issue. Googled to death but find nothing.

I struggled to elevate the user batch file to administrator thru runas command in batch file with no luck. Finally downloaded the Elevate.exe utility. Place Elevate.exe in windows directory, and precede command line in batch file (that launches the tmt exe) with the "Elevate" command.

Works great now. Bit of a hack, but gets job done.

[silkshadow]

I am very confused. I installed this plugin on my client via the "client install" option. When I go to configure it and set the batch file directory, I am browsing the folders on my server.

That will not work to launch an external player on the client computer. I am just trying to launch Zoomplayer for some files. How do I get this working?

Thanks!

[Fuzzy]

It's a bug - and a common one throughout plugins run on clients (including some of my plugins that i never got around to fixing). The way to get around it is to set the path to the batch file directly in the sageclient.properties file.

[silkshadow]

Thanks Fuzzy! I will see if I can find those entries.