Hauppauge HD-PVR & Colossus Support (2 Viewers)

[WileECoyote]

I guys, i really appreciate that you work for adding support for the colossus. I would like to know if it's more stable than the HD-PVR ? because I already own a HD-PVR but it's not 100% stable. I would like to know if i should go with colossus. Does the channel change is faster... 12 sec for me with HD-PVR and scientifc atlanta 4250HD.

thanks a keep up the good work.

Hey kilik360,
I can't speak for everyone else because my HD-PVR's were always stable. Mine never needed rebooting unless I was playing with the crossbar filters while the TV Service was still running. Overall my HD-PVR experience was good.

The Colossus, however, I have found to be much quicker. The graphs build faster and I am very pleased with the channel changes which are usually 1-3 seconds. My HD-PVR's were usually 3-5 seconds, still not too bad.

My recommendation would be to try the 1.2 Beta when its released and see if it improves your system the way it is. mm1352000 refactored most of the code in the HD-PVR classes so that may help with your issues. If not, then you can look into a Colossus tuner. I have been running two Colossus tuners & two HVR-1600 tuners with the latest SVN version for a week or so now and my family is VERY happy. I have not had to restart the server, recordings are spot on, tuners are always available, etc... Things seem to be very stable in 1.2 Beta.

Wile E.

 

[mm1352000]

Hi WileE

I'm glad you're happy with how 1.2.0b is looking - there has been a lot of work go in from a lot of people, and I think you deserve a pat on the back yourself. My understanding is that 1.2.0b will be built off 27815, but that is in flux as testing is still ongoing.

Best regards,
mm

 

[Blue Energy]

Hi Everyone,

I'm finally back! The machine is built and I'm here in my recliner watching it display on my LCD TV while I write this entry. It took much longer than I had anticipated to completely get it done. One of the problems was the SATA2 glitch in Intel's newest chipset. Plus, I changed CPU coolers as well. I ultimately built this machine several times. But, it's working great now - and it's completely silent (or, anyway, I can't hear it - which is silent enough) and I believe it will have more than enough power to do what I want it to.

While I was doing all of this I didn't keep up with what was happening in the old thread. I've finally finished reading it and now this new one too. What I think I gather is that if you want to run a couple of HDPVRs, or a pair of some combination of that and/or Colossus, the best thing to do is wait until a new version of MP comes out. How long a wait is required do you think?

Here's a second question - how much space is required for time-shifting? The reason I ask is that I planned for a 64GB SSD for Windows 7 Pro 64 plus time shifting - and a terabyte 7,200 rpm drive for everything else. Or, anyway, that was my idea. But Windows 7 is really bigger than I had imagined it could possibly be, plus some software insists on installing to C: rather than D: where I'd planned for it to go. Already there's only 27 GB left on the SSD. In the worst case scenario, how much do I need for time shifting?

 

[sjeffrey]

Welcome Back!
They say that typically it will take 2 weeks between code freeze to beta release.
For timeshifting, there no real requirement, the more you have the further back you can rewind...
With my current settings a recording is about 4.5 gigs per hour. If you have 2 tuners timeshifting then you should get about 2 1/2 hours, which is plenty.

 

[Blue Energy]

Thanks, sjeffrey! It's good to finally get here. So... code cutoff was what - the 18th? That should make the estimated release date around May 2? Is that about right?

By the way, I've been watching bluray movies for a couple of weeks using Power DVD 8, which came with my LG drive, I think. But, anticipating a delay, I decided to install XBMC, just to check it out (and - it's pretty cool, although it won't record TV). But, later when I attempted to watch a bluray movie - Power DVD asked to update itself and since then it hasn't worked. I can't decide whether the software was some sort of trial that ran out or if XBMC broke it (maybe by doing something with the codecs). Too bad too - because I bought a version of Avatar with 3 different releases and I was looking forward to watching it in bluray.

I had been able to record TV using a program that came with the HDPVR. I haven't checked to see whether that's fruit now too.

 

[RunningBlind]

I seriously don't understand how you expect new users to setup MP with the instructions on the wiki. After days of searching for a free EPG I've got it working with mc2xml, now I'm stuck trying to figure out how to use the Colossus' internal blaster. The wiki was absolutely no help with setting up IRSS, not only is information obviously missing and outdated but it's poorly formatted and written.

At this point I'm just going to spend the $80 and forget about it, customization is always a great thing but when it effects user friendliness to this extent it's not worth the trouble. I'm far from computer illiterate and I can guarantee you most new users are going to be in this exact same position with the Colossus and many other devices, forgive me for being critical but this is the reality of new users to MP.

 

[jameson_uk]

I seriously don't understand how you expect new users to setup MP with the instructions on the wiki. After days of searching for a free EPG I've got it working with mc2xml, now I'm stuck trying to figure out how to use the Colossus' internal blaster. The wiki was absolutely no help with setting up IRSS, not only is information obviously missing and outdated but it's poorly formatted and written.

At this point I'm just going to spend the $80 and forget about it, customization is always a great thing but when it effects user friendliness to this extent it's not worth the trouble. I'm far from computer illiterate and I can guarantee you most new users are going to be in this exact same position with the Colossus and many other devices, forgive me for being critical but this is the reality of new users to MP.

This is the reality that documentation of MP has for years been neglected. The Wiki is fairly new and a massive step up from what it was. I have said it a million times but the Wiki is open to anyone to update................

The community is pretty good with help via the forums but you have only posted five times (all in this thread)

Anyway a few things... The Colossus is not actually supported in any released version of MP and this has only been added to the code within the last few days. Also not a single member of the team has one and support has only been possible through this thread really with the help of the community.

IRSS is a third party plugin and we are trying to get the the documentation up to date for MP let alone 3rd party stuff.

Then there is EPG info. This does need updating the wiki and we will sort that but there are so many different sources of info that are specific to distinct parts of the world that we would struggle to know about all of them.

A final thought though is that few users are using capture devices, most have internal tuners which means they do not need blasting, they can often get EPG details over the air so most users are not going to need the same setup as you do.

Anyway back to where I started... The wiki is open and we need the community to help us out here. Saying stuff there is crap is only of very limited help. What we need is what you could not find, what you found difficult to understand. I searched the Wiki for EPG and this took me in a couple of clicks to the different sources. A quick scan through these and on XMLTV I found a mc2xml section with a link to a tutorial for setting it up. That said, I knew what I was looking for. Actual feedback on the wiki really would be appreciate (https://forum.team-mediaportal.com/...aportal-news-blogentries-353/wiki-live-94411/)

 

[RunningBlind]

I seriously don't understand how you expect new users to setup MP with the instructions on the wiki. After days of searching for a free EPG I've got it working with mc2xml, now I'm stuck trying to figure out how to use the Colossus' internal blaster. The wiki was absolutely no help with setting up IRSS, not only is information obviously missing and outdated but it's poorly formatted and written.

At this point I'm just going to spend the $80 and forget about it, customization is always a great thing but when it effects user friendliness to this extent it's not worth the trouble. I'm far from computer illiterate and I can guarantee you most new users are going to be in this exact same position with the Colossus and many other devices, forgive me for being critical but this is the reality of new users to MP.

This is the reality that documentation of MP has for years been neglected. The Wiki is fairly new and a massive step up from what it was. I have said it a million times but the Wiki is open to anyone to update................

The community is pretty good with help via the forums but you have only posted five times (all in this thread)

Anyway a few things... The Colossus is not actually supported in any released version of MP and this has only been added to the code within the last few days. Also not a single member of the team has one and support has only been possible through this thread really with the help of the community.

IRSS is a third party plugin and we are trying to get the the documentation up to date for MP let alone 3rd party stuff.

Then there is EPG info. This does need updating the wiki and we will sort that but there are so many different sources of info that are specific to distinct parts of the world that we would struggle to know about all of them.

A final thought though is that few users are using capture devices, most have internal tuners which means they do not need blasting, they can often get EPG details over the air so most users are not going to need the same setup as you do.

Anyway back to where I started... The wiki is open and we need the community to help us out here. Saying stuff there is crap is only of very limited help. What we need is what you could not find, what you found difficult to understand. I searched the Wiki for EPG and this took me in a couple of clicks to the different sources. A quick scan through these and on XMLTV I found a mc2xml section with a link to a tutorial for setting it up. That said, I knew what I was looking for. Actual feedback on the wiki really would be appreciate (https://forum.team-mediaportal.com/...aportal-news-blogentries-353/wiki-live-94411/)

I'm simply trying to share my experience with MP and Colossus. Software is no good without user friendliness, you're relying on the wiki which, again, is outdated and obviously missing a lot of information; forums are another beast, there are always people like myself who don't use them but when needed and furthermore I've found just as many threads that were related to my situation that have gone unanswered.

The problem with the wiki is most sections only give instructions for one device type, it's just not clear on how to set everything up with a capture device like the Colossus for example, new users are left searching the forums for information that might or might not be there. I understand where you're coming from and I would love to share what I've done so far however that'd be fairly useless without the knowledge of how to use the internal blaster, not everyone has an alternate way of controlling a STB like USB-UIRT for example.

You really aren't putting yourself in the shoes of a new user, it's understandable given your knowledge but with the beta coming soon there are just going to be more new users asking the same questions. I realize documentation takes time but the Colossus isn't the only capture device, even rudimentary installation instructions by device type would help tremendously.

 

[elliottmc]

You really aren't putting yourself in the shoes of a new user, it's understandable given your knowledge but with the beta coming soon there are just going to be more new users asking the same questions. I realize documentation takes time but the Colossus isn't the only capture device, even rudimentary installation instructions by device type would help tremendously.

Hi,

Well, bearing in mind that you ARE a new user, and have sorted this, you would be the ideal person to know what should be in the wiki - what would have helped you the most.

Are you able to contribute to writing the documentation?

Please remember that none of us are paid for the time we spend on MediaPortal, so it isn't fair to say "that's not my job"

The simple fact is that none of this is anyone's job, but still we do our best. The team knows MediaPortal pretty well, or at least we know that bits that we use. Since none of us has a HDPVR or Colossus card, we probably aren't the best to document how to get it all up and running.

Best wishes,

Mark

 

[RunningBlind]

You really aren't putting yourself in the shoes of a new user, it's understandable given your knowledge but with the beta coming soon there are just going to be more new users asking the same questions. I realize documentation takes time but the Colossus isn't the only capture device, even rudimentary installation instructions by device type would help tremendously.

Hi,

Well, bearing in mind that you ARE a new user, and have sorted this, you would be the ideal person to know what should be in the wiki - what would have helped you the most.

Are you able to contribute to writing the documentation?

Please remember that none of us are paid for the time we spend on MediaPortal, so it isn't fair to say "that's not my job"

The simple fact is that none of this is anyone's job, but still we do our best. The team knows MediaPortal pretty well, or at least we know that bits that we use. Since none of us has a HDPVR or Colossus card, we probably aren't the best to document how to get it all up and running.

Best wishes,

Mark

I'd be more than willing to contribute, however being that I am a new user I'm still trying to get the internal blaster working but otherwise in working condition. It's just really time consuming for new users trying to assimilate all of the information between the wiki and forum and try to weed out what's old and/or doesn't apply. It's really no one's fault per se, however with the same token no one is taking charge, there are a lot more tuning devices than there are capture devices on the market but having poor documentation makes it that much worse for those of us who have them.

I'll do some more reading when I get a chance, as much as I'd like to take the easy way out I think I'd be more satisfied with MP in the end.