Fork of SageTV MiniClient for Android TV

[jvl711]

Hi All,

Beta version of the new HD transcoding/placeshifting is open to everyone for testing. Info and files are posted on my Patreon page here https://www.patreon.com/posts/40951674. Please let me know if you have any issues or comments.

Featrues:

1. HD transcoding (720/1080/SOURCE)
2. Automatic transcoding unsupported codecs (a lot of android devices do not support mpeg2)
3. A lot of settings to customize the fixed transcoding experience.

Thanks,
Josh

[KryptoNyte]

Just testing this on a Firestick 4k (on my local network). I forced "fixed" in the settings before loading the GUI. Watching on my home network, the SageTV transcoder executable does not start when watching a program. It appears to be watching the actual stream without transcoding.

Transcoding preference is set to "Always"
Video bitrate = 4000
Framerate = source
Resolution = use source
Audio Codec = AC3 (I was going to set it to source, but source isn't an option)
Audio Bitrate = 192
Channels = 5.1

[nyplayer]

Originally Posted by KryptoNyte

Just testing this on a Firestick 4k (on my local network). I forced "fixed" in the settings before loading the GUI. Watching on my home network, the SageTV transcoder executable does not start when watching a program. It appears to be watching the actual stream without transcoding.

Transcoding preference is set to "Always"
Video bitrate = 4000
Framerate = source
Resolution = use source
Audio Codec = AC3 (I was going to set it to source, but source isn't an option)
Audio Bitrate = 192
Channels = 5.1

At the moment transcoding is only happening during remote access.

[jvl711]

Originally Posted by nyplayer

At the moment transcoding is only happening during remote access.

I got your latest log. I did see differences from my logs to yours. I should be able to figure it out with the data I have. I will look into it further tomorrow. It is probably a scenario I did not see in my testing. Thank you for the feedback guys!

Josh

[jvl711]

Originally Posted by jvl711

I got your latest log. I did see differences from my logs to yours. I should be able to figure it out with the data I have. I will look into it further tomorrow. It is probably a scenario I did not see in my testing. Thank you for the feedback guys!

Josh

I update the sage.jar in the Patreon post with and additional check for forced transcoding. Let me know how it looks.

Thanks,
Josh

[nyplayer]

Originally Posted by jvl711

I update the sage.jar in the Patreon post with and additional check for forced transcoding. Let me know how it looks.

Thanks,
Josh

It is working Thanks.


Rewinding is poor freezes.

[nyplayer]

Originally Posted by jvl711

I update the sage.jar in the Patreon post with and additional check for forced transcoding. Let me know how it looks.

Thanks,
Josh

Transcoder is running below normal should be high or normal ... I know there is a property to adjust that just have to remember and find it.


xcode_process_priority_streaming=belownormal
xcode_reduce_process_priority=true

I changed it to ...

xcode_process_priority_streaming=normal
xcode_reduce_process_priority=false

[jvl711]

Originally Posted by nyplayer

Transcoder is running below normal should be high or normal ... I know there is a property to adjust that just have to remember and find it.


xcode_process_priority_streaming=belownormal
xcode_reduce_process_priority=true

I changed it to ...

xcode_process_priority_streaming=normal
xcode_reduce_process_priority=false

Did that help with the rewind? From my testing rewind/ff seemed to be pretty responsive. I thought it was better than or on par with Plex. I am using ExoPlayer with MKV container.

Josh

[nyplayer]

Originally Posted by jvl711

Did that help with the rewind? From my testing rewind/ff seemed to be pretty responsive. I thought it was better than or on par with Plex. I am using ExoPlayer with MKV container.

Josh

On what device are you running on ?? Also it appears to always transcodes even if I have it when needed ? ... My Cable channels are H264 and they are being transcoded ?

[jvl711]

Originally Posted by nyplayer

On what device are you running on ?? Also it appears to always transcodes even if I have it when needed ? ... My Cable channels are H264 and they are being transcoded ?

I am using a Sony TV and a Firestick 4k.

Could you please send me another sagetv log. I want to see what I missed.

Josh

[jvl711]

Originally Posted by jvl711

I am using a Sony TV and a Firestick 4k.

Could you please send me another sagetv log. I want to see what I missed.

Josh

I think I have an idea. I am struggling with the MPEG content.... Sage treats the MPEG content different than other content. This is what we are telling SageTV the Android client supports for containers....

PULL_AV_CONTAINERS=AVI,FLASHVIDEO,Quicktime,Ogg,MP3,AAC,WMV,ASF,FLAC,MATROSKA,WAV,AC3
TPUSH_AV_CONTAINERS=MPEG2-PS,MPEG2-TS,MPEG1-PS

PULL = Do not transcode and send as it is
PUSH = Transcode/remux the format

So when we enable to "Always Transcode" setting I clear all of the container formats from PULL. This tells Sage that it only supports transcoding "PUSH" to MPEG2. If it sees that it supports MPEG2 as a codec and a push format, it chooses not to transcode, but to remux instead.

So I keep trying to move logic around, and use different hooks, but they all seem to end up with outcomes I do not want. I wonder if I should switch the PUSH format to just be null. I wonder if that would fix the issue....

Anyways, pontificating, and trying to explain why I keep testing and asking for additional logs.

Josh

[nyplayer]

Originally Posted by jvl711

I am using a Sony TV and a Firestick 4k.

Could you please send me another sagetv log. I want to see what I missed.

Josh

Sent

[jvl711]

So I keep trying to move logic around, and use different hooks, but they all seem to end up with outcomes I do not want. I wonder if I should switch the PUSH format to just be null. I wonder if that would fix the issue....

Setting PUSH to null does not work.... SageTV defaults it to MPEG-PS. I set it to MATROSKA instead. I am going to do a little more testing, but I am hoping that will work.

Josh

[jvl711]

Originally Posted by jvl711

Setting PUSH to null does not work.... SageTV defaults it to MPEG-PS. I set it to MATROSKA instead. I am going to do a little more testing, but I am hoping that will work.

Josh

Alright..... I am hoping I got it this time. I removed the last change I made to the Sage.jar. And I am pass "NONE" for the push format when transcode "Always" is set. I tested as many scenarios as I could think of. I hope this gets it.

Patreon is updated with new Sage.jar and new Android Client.

Josh

[nyplayer]

Originally Posted by jvl711

Alright..... I am hoping I got it this time. I removed the last change I made to the Sage.jar. And I am pass "NONE" for the push format when transcode "Always" is set. I tested as many scenarios as I could think of. I hope this gets it.

Patreon is updated with new Sage.jar and new Android Client.

Josh

I guess nothing needs to be transcoded because it does not transcode anything if set to when needed playing locally ... on my FireTV Cube.

[nyplayer]

Originally Posted by jvl711

Alright..... I am hoping I got it this time. I removed the last change I made to the Sage.jar. And I am pass "NONE" for the push format when transcode "Always" is set. I tested as many scenarios as I could think of. I hope this gets it.

Patreon is updated with new Sage.jar and new Android Client.

Josh

Check Patreon.

[jvl711]

Originally Posted by nyplayer

I guess nothing needs to be transcoded because it does not transcode anything if set to when needed playing locally ... on my FireTV Cube.

That is highly likely. I mainly made that setting for some obscure content that might have some odd codec. Plus there are a ton of devices that do not support MPEG2. My Pixel 3xl does not support MPEG2. So it allows it to use all of the H.264 and H.265 content natively on ExoPlayer, than switch to transcode on MPEG2 content.

Josh

[megamojo]

Regarding the keyboard/login issue, I think I have inadvertently discovered a workaround. In the client .properties file if you specify a bogus file for the parameter secure_remote_login_stv7 then it immediately connects with no login prompt, at least on my system. I discovered this when I moved my sage server install from an early version of 32 bit version 9 to a more recent 64 bit version, but copied over my clients directory. I honestly thought this was just a fix that the community slipped in at some point, but I gave up on finding it in the release notes after a bit. I was bored over the last few days and decided to track this down and discovered this specific behavior. The properties files that I copied over looked like this, and since I had moved to the 64 bit path the path containing x86 was invalid.

secure_remote_login_stv7=C\:\\Program Files (x86)\\SageTV\\SageTV\\STVs\\SageTV7\\SecureLogin.xml

I then moved the server to Linux, again copying the properties file, and the behavior remains the same. In my testing I currently have the entry as this and it still lets me right in.

secure_remote_login_stv7=/opt/sagetv/server/STVs/SageTV7/SecureLoginnope.xml

If you tail the server debug logs while you connect from the mini client you can see where it fails to locate the file to construct the login UI.

For me personally the only reason I started down this path was to let me put my streaming sticks and other IoT devices on a separate VLAN/subnet from my main network. The SageTV server treating the client as if it were a truly remote placeshifter connection frustrated me to no end. I have not tested this with an actual remote placeshifter connection across the internet and likely never will. I rarely use SageTV anymore as my usage has shifted nearly entirely to Netflix etc. and Plex. Plex as a DVR for OTA still has some shortcomings so I still have SageTV available for occasional recordings.

[nyplayer]

Originally Posted by megamojo

Regarding the keyboard/login issue, I think I have inadvertently discovered a workaround. In the client .properties file if you specify a bogus file for the parameter secure_remote_login_stv7 then it immediately connects with no login prompt, at least on my system. I discovered this when I moved my sage server install from an early version of 32 bit version 9 to a more recent 64 bit version, but copied over my clients directory. I honestly thought this was just a fix that the community slipped in at some point, but I gave up on finding it in the release notes after a bit. I was bored over the last few days and decided to track this down and discovered this specific behavior. The properties files that I copied over looked like this, and since I had moved to the 64 bit path the path containing x86 was invalid.

secure_remote_login_stv7=C\:\\Program Files (x86)\\SageTV\\SageTV\\STVs\\SageTV7\\SecureLogin.xml

I then moved the server to Linux, again copying the properties file, and the behavior remains the same. In my testing I currently have the entry as this and it still lets me right in.

secure_remote_login_stv7=/opt/sagetv/server/STVs/SageTV7/SecureLoginnope.xml

If you tail the server debug logs while you connect from the mini client you can see where it fails to locate the file to construct the login UI.

For me personally the only reason I started down this path was to let me put my streaming sticks and other IoT devices on a separate VLAN/subnet from my main network. The SageTV server treating the client as if it were a truly remote placeshifter connection frustrated me to no end. I have not tested this with an actual remote placeshifter connection across the internet and likely never will. I rarely use SageTV anymore as my usage has shifted nearly entirely to Netflix etc. and Plex. Plex as a DVR for OTA still has some shortcomings so I still have SageTV available for occasional recordings.

What is in here SecureLogin.xml ???

[megamojo]

I'm not a programmer by any means, but it looks to be the html-like code to create the UI to prompt for the placeshifter username and password. It's a very human(programmer) readable file. In my testing I noticed that if you comment out or remove the line in the client .properties file it gets automatically put back pointing to the correct path, which then causes the login prompt and keyboard challenges to return.