SageTV 2.1 and Sagerecorder Network enc woes!

[Deadbolt]

I'm using 2.1.10 as a service and Sagerecorder 1.5.6 as a network encoder. I am using UNC paths and have SageTV service login as a user with a password. I am using Cayar's STV...so maybe my problem is STV related but I'll let the knowledgeable Sage Community be the judge (i'm at wits end)!

I have a total of 4 tuners...a PVR-350, a PVR-250(15), and a PVR-USB2 attached to my SageTV server box. I also have a PVR-250(16) setup as a network encoder with Sagerecorder. I will check the scheduled recordings by capture device and see all 4 tuners listed. However, if I force 4 shows to be recorded I get a conflict after 3....and notice my Sagerecorder encoder no longer listed in the scheduled recordings by capture device! It shows up if not tasked...but then disappears if it is called to do anything! Lazy encoder!

...any help?

Thanks in advance!

[robogeek]

While I don't have the exact same problem and can't offer any advice, I can say that I am also experiencing a network encoder problem since upgrading to v2.1.10 this past Friday

My problem (so far) is with live TV. I'll be using SageTVClient to watch live TV from a network encoder, then all of a sudden it will just stop and kick me out to the Sage Recordings menu. It's random, with no rhyme or reason...sometimes I can watch a whole show without problems, sometimes it stops near the beginning of the show, sometimes halfway, sometimes near the end. I then have to jump through a few hoops to get it back...I have to re-select the show in the EPG which just shows a frozen picture of the last frame before the recording mysteriously stopped, bring up the options menu and Close File, then re-select the show in the EPG to get the show going again. Sometimes re-selecting the show to get it going again works, and sometimes I get an error that no encoders are available to tune that channel. If I get the encoder error I can keep trying and eventually SageTV picks up the network encoder again. I should also note, when the live TV stops in the SageTVClient, the SageRecorder is also stopped and no longer recording a stream to the SageTV server. I've reinstalled SageTV, Client, and Recorder at least twice. I've rebooted the machines several times, restarted the Linksys routers, and I've tried SageTV in both service and non-service mode with no luck.

This is really strange since I have never ever had a network encoder stop in the middle of watching live TV like that before with SageTV v1.4x-v2.0x. The only difference with the upgrade to SageTV this time was I deleted the Sage Properties and backup files and reconfigured things from scratch on the server and I removed Java on all machines and let the Sage installation app install Java v1.42_04 so all machines were on the same version.

Is anybody else having network encoder problems? Could there be a setting in one of the Sage property files that we missed? Could this be a Java issue? Or is this a bug in Sage?

If nobody can offer any other advice soon, I'll submit a bug report and see what happens.

[Cayars]

Same problem here with network encoders on 2.1. I confirmed this problem with the original STV last night so it appears to be a "core" issue and not an STV issue.

I'll let you submit the bug report. Try it with the original STV too.

[robogeek]

I just submitted a support request for this network encoder issue. Hopefully there's a quick fix.

[robogeek]

Well, it's almost 20 days since submitting the bug report. Support confirmed a bug, but didn't offer any solutions other than wait for the next point release. Has anybody else found a work-around for this (besides downgrading to v2.0)?



Frankly, I'm a bit disappointed at the Frey team right now. Some serious bugs made it through 6 Release Candidates? And it's been almost a full month without a single point release to address any of these? Have the rug pulled out from under the users on the whole Studio thing? WOW!

[TiltRod]

Originally Posted by robogeek

Well, it's almost 20 days since submitting the bug report. Support confirmed a bug, but didn't offer any solutions other than wait for the next point release. Has anybody else found a work-around for this (besides downgrading to v2.0)?



Frankly, I'm a bit disappointed at the Frey team right now. Some serious bugs made it through 6 Release Candidates? And it's been almost a full month without a single point release to address any of these? Have the rug pulled out from under the users on the whole Studio thing? WOW!

I had the same issue with the following setup.
Server:
Sagetv 2.1.10
4 pvr 250 (16s)

Client:
SageTvrecorder 1.5.6
2 pvr 250 (15s) [network encoder]

After a lot of T/S, nothing would resolve this issue with 2.1.10. So rolled back to 2.1.9rc6 on the server. this setup allows all six encoders to schedule separate recordings.

Testing revealed:
1. if i schedule six recordings of shows currently airing then i get prompts about canceling a recording ( i press "do nothing" and it assigns it to an encoder with no issues) [this usually happens at the third recording request]
2. six simultaneous recordings in the future all schedule fine
3. i cannot watch a currently recording show on a network encoder or it will break
4. if i manually record a currently airing show and it is assigned to a network encoder the show(s) recording on any other encoder are split into multiple files. There isn't any show loss; it just splits the video files.

I know that this is not the best long-term plan, and may not work for a multiperson household. Since i hardly ever watch live tv, this doesn't present a problem for me, but might for others.

I too look forward to this being resolved in the next point version, and i hope it will include a fix for using sagetv as an encoder.

--d

p.s. -- i did successfully use sagetv on the client computer as a network encoder, but no combination of .8rc5,.9rc6,.10 would prevent the network encoder break.

[TiltRod]

Okay, not positive that this new dll was made for this purpose, but it seems to work in resolving our particular problem. go to the following thread and download the new Dcapture dll. Replace the old one on any machine running sagetv or sagetvclient.
http://forums.freytechnologies.com/f...0080#post70080

I uninstalled .9rc6 and installed .10 and replaced the dlls on both my sage server and client machines. IT WORKS!

As for my previous post all issues were resolved including the live tv from networked encoders. Thank god i kept on the forums today.


--d

[robogeek]

Thanks for the tips, but it's still a no-go for me. Even with that patch installed, I lose the live TV from the network encoder randomly. Sometimes it goes a few minutes and cuts out, sometimes I can watch a whole show without problems only to have it cut out again during the next show. This is only a problem while watching live TV from a network encoder using a SageTVClient. I don't use the SageTV server for viewing so I can't say for certain if watching live TV on the server will cause the problem or not...I'm testing right now.

FWIW, this is what I was told by the Frey tech support:

I apologize for taking so long. I had to have the developers look at the log files. They reported back that it's a bug in the network encoding. It will be fixed in the next point release. Sorry I don't have any suggestions for you.

That was over 2 weeks ago....

[TiltRod]

robo,
try assigning separate priorities to the network encoder(s). i found that was also a requirement.

-d

[TiltRod]

robo,
just for curiosity, what motherboard (chipset) and cpu are you running?
-d

[robogeek]

Originally Posted by TiltRod

robo,
just for curiosity, what motherboard (chipset) and cpu are you running?
-d

The server:
K7S5A Pro mobo
AMD Athlon XP 2000 processor
SiS 735 chipset
256Meg RAM
SageTV (as server, non-service mode) w/2 PVR-250's

The client:
Intel Garibaldi D850GB mobo
Intel P4 1.7GHz processer
Intel Tehama i850 chipset
256Meg RAM
SageRecorder (as network encoder) w/1 YUAN MPG600
SageTVClient

The hardware shouldn't be a problem, since both 1.4x and 2.0 versions didn't have this problem with the network encoders using this same hardware.

When you say set the network encoder priorities, what do you mean...setting the encoder_merit in the properties file?

[TiltRod]

yes, assign merits to all encoders. any local encoders can have the same merit, but the network encoders must be different than the local encoders or any other network encoders.

that was a bit of a tongue twister, but i think you'll get the point

-d

[robogeek]

Originally Posted by TiltRod

yes, assign merits to all encoders. any local encoders can have the same merit, but the network encoders must be different than the local encoders or any other network encoders.

that was a bit of a tongue twister, but i think you'll get the point

-d

By some strange coincidence, that is just how my merits are configured. On a side note, I did leave the live tv (from the network encoder) going on the server for about 2 hours with no loss. So I went to the living room and turned on the same channel with the client and within 5-10 minutes both client and server lost the live tv, and for a short time the network encoder was unavailable...not sure if it was coincidence or just dumb luck.

[TiltRod]

can you attach your sage.properties for me to look at?

[robogeek]

Attached are the .properties files for the SageTV server, SageTVClient, and SageRecorder network encoder.

[TiltRod]

(1) your sage.properties file lists two network encoders; one for "python 2 capture" and one for "vbdvcr". do both still exist?

(2) when you replaced the dshowcapture.dll, did you did you create new sage.properties and sageclient.properties files or use the old ones? if you used the old ones, i recommend deleting them and creating new ones.

p.s.--you might want to try recreating the sagerecorder.properties as well.

[robogeek]

Originally Posted by TiltRod

(1) your sage.properties file lists two network encoders; one for scientificantlanta and one for vbdvcr. do both still exist?

The VBDVCR is a part-time encoder. The VBDVCR has audio video sync problems on long recordings, so I only use it when absolutely needed...the rest of the time SageRecorder on that machine is shutdown.

[robogeek]

Originally Posted by TiltRod

(2) when you replaced the dshowcapture.dll, did you did you create new sage.properties and sageclient.properties files or use the old ones? if you used the old ones, i recommend deleting them and creating new ones.

p.s.--you might want to try recreating the sagerecorder.properties as well.

I will give that a shot tomorrow...but I won't get my hopes up.

[TiltRod]

okay, due to your current difficulties, i tried an extended t/s. i watch cspan live for 1.5 hrs on a network encoder and it broke. darn.

Well apparently there is no solid fix. however, i am confident that the other methods will prevent the immediate loss of a network encoder and prevent video file breaks, but it appears that 2.1.10 will not allow live tv from a network encoder at present.

i hope that the next release is soon, and that it fixes this issue.

sorry about the labirynth of t/s i sent you through. unfortunately, i don't usually watch live video and this problem didn't present easily for me.

--d

p.s.--if you can replace the dll and create new properties files and prevent the immidiate loss of network encoder, then my suggestion is to give the network encoder a higher priority. that way sage will schedule recordings to it first and you can watch live tv on the local encoders. not a perfect fix. if this is not a solution you would like, then your only recourse is to roll back to 2.0.20. SORRY