[solved] Initital testing with second client - cannot play recorded TV (2 Viewers)

[HTPCSourcer]

Did you ever post a server log?

 

[Digsy]

I believe that you need to set up your recording folder in the TV Config as a UNC path

Maybe you are right - I think we are getting close to a solution

While you were thinking I moved my recordings folder to my NAS and re-pointed my TV Server to it, Now it works.

Question is... Is this just because my client can access my NAS without needing network credentials, or because my Recordings folder is now defined by a UNC path? All my other media which did play fine on all clients is in libraries defined by UNC paths, so I think you are onto something.

I will move my Recordings folder back to my server machine and set it up with a UNC path and report back.

 

[Digsy]

Fixed it! It was a combination of three things.

1) My recordings folder had to be manually shared from within Windows.
2) I had to set up the path to the Recordings folder in TV Configuration using a UNC path.
3) I had to provide network credentials that have a username AND a password - a username alone would not work.

Allowing the Media Portal UPnP Renderers within the Homegroup settings was not required, I have now blocked them again and everything is still working.

So big thanks to @HTPCSourcer for cracking this, but now I really have to ask.... How on earth, as an end user, was I supposed to know about any of this? Not one of these settings is "default". OK, in hindsight some of them may seem obvious, but setting the path to the recordings folder using a UNC path certainly wasn't.

 

[BlueMax1916]

Hi,

...
So big thanks to @HTPCSourcer for cracking this, but now I really have to ask.... How on earth, as an end user, was I supposed to know about any of this? Not one of these settings is "default". OK, in hindsight some of them may seem obvious, but setting the path to the recordings folder using a UNC path certainly wasn't.

from the MP2 Wiki:

Hint: If you want to be able to delete recordings from all clients not only the client on the same system as the server, then you should use UNC path (sample: //Server/Recordings/) instead of drive letters for the recordings folders. This way any client has write access and is able to delete no longer needed recordings from inside the GUI. You probably need to add a share to your WIndows system and grant proper access there, before you can use UNC path as recording folder. UNC path is faster somehow in this case so you don't have any drawbacks here excerpt for the little bit more configuration work.

See chapter named 'Setting the recordings folder(s)' nearly at the end of this page -> Tv Engine Setup

Cheers

Blue Max

 

[Digsy]

Come now, @BlueMax1916 This has nothing to do with specifically wanting to delete recordings from the client. Playing recorded TV wouldn't work at all unless I went through all those steps - and using UNC paths its more that a "hint", or "probably". As far as I can see it is an absolutely mandatory requirement, unless there is something specifically odd about my system.

But taking your suggestion that I should have read the manual I would suggest that it should at least say something more like "if you want to watch recorded TV on a different client, then you must use UNC paths, you must share the folder first, and you must provide a network username and password."

 

[ge2301]

But taking your suggestion that I should have read the manual I would suggest that it should at least say something more like "if you want to watch recorded TV on a different client, then you must use UNC paths, you must share the folder first, and you must provide a network username and password."

I think you can update the wiki If I’m not wrong everybody has access rights. There are definitely some gaps in the wiki and MP2 needs to be more end user oriented. It should work in most situations without fiddeling around in the settings and searching in forum. The discussions help at least to identify the weak points

 

[Digsy]

One final thing. I'll put it in here because I think it must be related somehow but I have no idea how or why, and sorry I don't have logs for reasons which will become clear:

At pretty much the same moment that I fixed the recorded TV issue, the MP2 install on my tablet broke big time. I can't remember the exact sequence of events but I think it went something like:
1) Tablet client suddenly reverted to the default skin (it was in WMC).
2) Tablet client lost connection to the server and would not "see" the server again until the tablet was rebooted (might have been a wifi issue).
3) Tablet MP2 client then started up in default skin, then changed to the WMC skin once it auto-logged in as my default user, but then froze until the server was stopped and restarted again.
4) I fiddled with this for a while before uninstalling (including deleting the folder in Program Data - hence no logs) and re-installed.
5) MP2 started up in the default skin and then allowed me to change to the WMC skin but would not auto log in as my default user.
6) When the client was closed and re-opened it was back in the default skin again.
7) By this time I had an idea it might be something to do with user management, so I switched off auto login and "Enable User Logins and Restrictions".
8) Re-select the WMC skin.
9) Re-attach to the server.

...now everything seems to be OK, but as a result I have also turned off user management on my NUC client and my main server machine. This has also fixed the issue I was having with the video player not remembering its effect changer settings.

No idea what it was but I guess it must have been server side as the problem survived a fresh install of the client on my tablet, but oddly it didn't affect my NUC client at all.

If it happens again I will grab some logs and post a bug report.

 

[HTPCSourcer]

Come now, @BlueMax1916 This has nothing to do with specifically wanting to delete recordings from the client.

The underlying explanation is that TV is a plug-in that we use ( with minor adjustments) as a package from MP1. Standard paths used to work in the past as RTSP streams but something may have changed in the meantime.

Indeed the TV Config displays as version 1.20, the current latest MP1 release. Therefore the Wiki refers to the MP1 section for setting up TV. However, some of the entries don't work in MP2, and some things are different. It is not reasonably possible to adjust the TV GUI accordingly. That said it seems that new users tend to immediately use UNC paths or we would constantly have similar threads. I am using UNC paths for years now and haven't touched this setting ever since. That's probably the reason why I wasn't remembering the importance of this point.

This Wiki section is not well readable and would support a redo. I would simply refer to the respective MP1 section but list the few important points to follow for MP2. , e.g. the use of UNC paths and the "to be ignored" sections in the config

 

[Lehmden]

HI.
In general it's always better to use UNC path in multiseat environment, always and everywhere. But it is not a "must", at least as long as you don't want to allow file deletion...

Playing recorded TV wouldn't work at all unless I went through all those steps

This is not the normal behavior. Only to delete recordings (or any other media) it is necessary to use UNC path... This is because the server did not have the rights to delete files as it is running on lower privileges than an average user for security reasons. The playback itself is handled by the server only, so the server is the only part that needs to access the files. If you can not watch TV on a client, then something is not as it should be but it is definitely not solely due to the drive letter usage.
If the UNC usage cures your issue it must have another root cause but not the usage of drive letters...

Once again to be absolutely clear... It is not necessary to use UNC path if you want to watch TV (or any other media) in a multiseat environment. If this did not work, then something else is wrong on your system. As simple as that. Don't change the WIki in this direction, as it simply is not true. MP2 is using drive letters since many years for recording and timeshift folders now. And all of a sudden it should be impossible that this is working???? Come now I've used MP2 for more than 4 years now (from Alpha state up to now) as my main TV system. I could always watch Live TV on other clients, also I used drive letters until I started to experiment with Kodi (Kodi needs SMB shares to work) some month ago...

If you really want to change the Wiki you may add the advantages of UNC path on a more prominent place. But telling it is a must simply is wrong.

 

[HTPCSourcer]

In general it's always better to use UNC path in multiseat environment

Don't change the WIki in this direction, as it simply is not true.

The Wiki is not meant to be a scientific paper, so if the use of UNC avoids issues, then it's the right thing to do.

I could always watch Live TV on other clients, also I used drive letters until I started to experiment with Kodi

Who knows, maybe something has changed. Did you test the behavior with the latest release?