[other] Away Mode capability (1 Viewer)

jameson_uk

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  • January 27, 2005
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    Imagine I am trying to explain to my wife: NOOOOOOO you cannot click OFF button because the system will stop recording. The OFF button cannot be used to turn off the system. Whaaaaaaaatt?? So why it exists?
    Lol I reckon she thinks the power button the TV turns it all off :D

    I leave it on and let powerscheduler put the machine to sleep so I never turn it off. Actually works pretty well and is fairly intuitive hence why I think I was struggling to understand why you want away mode. I am using XP so can't use it anyway.
     

    ssjunior

    Portal Member
    October 7, 2009
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    Brazil Brazil
    I think that happens because we used to turn off every equipment we have using a remote. Since I use activities in Harmony you can not use it to turn off the system. In Mediaportal you need to stop playing so PS can put it to sleep. I am already using PS to do it, but, it is a little weird to have to stop playback and wait for something to turn off.

    Before Mediaportal I used to turn off all equipments below:

    cimg1863s.jpg


    Now, I just have to turn off TV and HTPC.

    cimg2209.jpg


    For us the HTPC is like a VCR, SKY or DVD Player. Maybe thats why we miss so much the Power Off button. :)

    :D
     

    stalkersvr

    Portal Member
    April 12, 2009
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    16
    I think, that implement Away Mode is not too hard, as all of you wrote.

    1) TVServer must enter into Away Mode at the start of every recording and leave after it ends. The followng sample code from Microsoft docs about AwayMode.
    //
    // Television recording is beginning, enable Away Mode and prevent
    // the sleep idle timeout:
    //
    SetThreadExecutionState(ES_CONTINUOUS | ES_SYSTEM_REQUIRED | ES_AWAYMODE_REQUIRED);

    //
    // Wait until recording is complete…
    //

    //
    // Clear EXECUTION_STATE flags to disable Away Mode and allow the system into idle to sleep normally:
    //
    SetThreadExecutionState(ES_CONTINUOUS);


    After recording ends windows go into sleep, if user press "sleep button" while recording.

    2) Other part of away mode was mediaportal plugin, that stop playing then receive "Enter Away Mode notification". This can be made with external application, that make some sort of APPCOMMAND_STOP message.
     

    Hodor

    Portal Member
    September 5, 2008
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    Denmark Denmark
    Away mode is need since its no longer possible to prevent a shutdown in Vista/Windows 7 (AFAIK you can still ignore/overwrite a sleep button signal in XP).

    I also have a Harmony remote, and it really only works seamless if it can send a power signal when ending/starting the activity that includes a HTPC. It simply don't have a conditional turned on/off state for devices. If the HTPC supports different signals for power on and power off it's possible to program the Harmony correctly (simply by letting MP control the power off and the harmony the power on).

    Lucky for me, we only have old crappy movies on the TV, so we almost never record anything. Else my wife would scrap the HTPC instantly it failed to finish recording one of her series.
     

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