Newbie Help (2 Viewers)

[Mashenden]

I AM A NEWBIE - Pls treat me kindly

I tried MP a few years ago and found the set up too much of a time hog so I gave up - 3 years later it seems there are lots of functionality improvments but not much seems to have changed on the ease to install front. Maybe its me.

I installed MP 1.0.2.0, then got TV working using TV Config. Never got EPG working but decided to focus on Movies. Tried adding MyNetflix and Moving Pictures. MP locked up so I unistalled just MP, not the TV Server Config.

Now it works again, but here are a few problems:

TV Config shows all of the channels I set up, but MP and Guide does not see them.

I installed add-on MyFilms using the MP extension installer - It seemingly installed correctly and appears in the add-on menu. When I select My Films it says that I need to setup My Videos but does not say where or provide a link. Presumably in the config under plugins - Wow that is too much crap with no explanation. Not worth it.

I tried installing Moving Pictures from the exe file. It seemingly installed correctly but when I go into MP, it is not on the main menu or the add-on menu. What did I do wrong?

I want to install My NetFlix. I got the .dll from the zip file but cannot find a "plugins/windows" directory as noted in the quote below - Im using XP... and figuring out what the "appropriate" skin directory for my skin is not enough information for a newbie.

Installation instructions:

1. Place the netflixmanager.dll in the plugins/windows directory
2. Place the netflixmanager.xml file in the appropriate skin directory for your skin.

I must be a dumbass. So far I am 0 for 4. Nothing seems consistient - What am I doing wrong? Please help.

 

[usualsuspect]

TV Config shows all of the channels I set up, but MP and Guide does not see them.

did you check the boxes in front of the channels? only checked channels appear in mp and epg!

Wow that is too much crap with no explanation. Not worth it.

it's not too hard to understand.
have a look at the manual. it's (nearly ) all in there.

What did I do wrong?

you should enable the plugin. again. rtfm!

"plugins/windows" directory

C:\program files\team mediaportal\mediaportal\plugins\windows.

"appropriate" skin directory

C:\program files\team mediaportal\mediaportal\skin\"appropriate skin directory" <-depends on which skin you want to use. it's even accessible from mp-config. ->manual

but not much seems to have changed on the ease to install front

again, it's not too hard. just read the manual, the faqs and of course the info in the mp-config itself.

 

[Mashenden]

Thank you for the response.

did you check the boxes in front of the channels? only checked channels appear in mp and epg!

Yes they are/were all checked in TV Server Config, but nothing shows up in MP. It worked fine prior to uninstalling/reinstalling MP (but not TV Svr Cfg) because it got messed up on a My Netflix install. Apparently MP is not seeing any TV capture cards although there should be 2 digital and 2 analog (haup). How do I correct that?

rtfm!

Ahh the ever popular rtfm - I'll give the manual a go again. In the last effort to read the 1st Users Guide and found it to be incorrect so I lost faith. One time is not a trend, though. My mistake.

you should enable the plugin. again.

Where? There seems to be a few places to install plugins. A bit more info would be appreciated - Pls remember I am a Newb, but usually a quick study.

With this additional information I found C:\program files\team mediaportal\mediaportal\plugins\windows as the "appropriate" skin directory". I also found C:\program files\team mediaportal\mediaportal\skin\ as the "appropriate skin directory" - Thank you.

Now I see both Netflix and Moving Pictures under the My Plug-ins menu. A bit disappointed niether still do not work but I guess I have to rtfm

Thank you, again.

Matt A

 

[usualsuspect]

I am not quite sure about your tv problem. tell me if I am correct: you
1.) installed mp + tv-server
2.) destroyed that because of netflix
3.) uninstalled mp +tv-server
4.) installed mp without tv-server
now

TV Config shows all of the channels I set up, but MP and Guide does not see them

cards and channels are shown in tv-config in MP-config. not in tv-server config? (because this does not even exist?) and

Apparently MP is not seeing any TV capture cards although there should be 2 digital and 2 analog (haup)

but are they in the config??

most probably you have the wrong tv-plugin. but I am not sure, because I do not use this old non-server-version. I can only recommend you to go back to mp & tv-server, if this was a working solution.


now for the rtfm part.
You see, most of the info IS in the manual, not everything is up-to-date, but the main concepts are in there. and answers to nearly all of your questions can be found there:

When I select My Films it says that I need to setup My Videos but does not say where or provide a link. Presumably in the config under plugins - Wow that is too much crap with no explanation. Not worth it.

manual-videos

I tried installing Moving Pictures from the exe file. It seemingly installed correctly but when I go into MP, it is not on the main menu or the add-on menu. What did I do wrong?

manual-plugins

I want to install My NetFlix. I got the .dll from the zip file but cannot find a "plugins/windows" directory as noted in the quote below - Im using XP... and figuring out what the "appropriate" skin directory for my skin is not enough information for a newbie.

manual-config

that's why I told you to rtfm

edit: and if this isn't enough here are additional useful-posts

 

[Mashenden]

I appreciate your help... please see additional info as requested...

I am not quite sure about your tv problem. tell me if I am correct: you
1.) installed mp + tv-server
2.) destroyed that because of netflix
3.) uninstalled mp +tv-server
4.) installed mp without tv-server


cards and channels are shown in tv-config in MP-config. not in tv-server config? (because this does not even exist?) but are they in the config??

most probably you have the wrong tv-plugin. but I am not sure, because I do not use this old non-server-version. I can only recommend you to go back to mp & tv-server, if this was a working solution.


now for the rtfm part.
You see, most of the info IS in the manual, not everything is up-to-date, but the main concepts are in there. and answers to nearly all of your questions can be found there:

manual-videos
manual-plugins
manual-config

that's why I told you to rtfm

edit: and if this isn't enough here are additional useful-posts

In step 3, I only unistalled MP, but left tv-server alone because I wanted to avoid the time consuming channel scan effort. The result was/is that cards and channels are shown in tv-server-config but not in "television" within MP-config and when you go into MP it does not show anything in EPG nor can you view any channels.

When I reinstalled MP, I used the exact same file that I used to intially install MP, MP Config and TV-server-config. The intial installaton worked fine until another add-in locked up MP to the point where it would not recover.

I do not want to bite the hand that feeds me, particularly since so far the effort has resulted in some very impressive results, but I may have misled you with my "I'm a Newbie" comment. I am a newbie to MP but certainly not to technology, open source programs or the value of forums, manuals and good posts. I always serach before I post. I am not patient enough to wait if I can avoid it Consequently, to a user, the "rtfm" comment probably rubs me as wrong as poorly provided infomration in posts does you. Point - the questions you asked me were mostly already addressed in my original post. Again, not meaning to alienate you - I appreicate your help. I just do not want to waste each others time on comments like rtfm. I think it is safe to say that the manual does not address my problem. If it does or if there is a related post that I have not found, please provide the link or a reference. That level of detail would really help.

Hopefully someone can provide a solution other than deinstall everything and start again clean.

Mashenden

 

[usualsuspect]

ok ok, let's forget about the rtfm discussion. I just got the impression, you did not check anything in manual or faq, because all questions (besides the tv question) could be answered by the manual. but I think I forgot the behind the rtfm.

now back to your tv problem:
-mp-config\plugins\ is the plugin enanabled?
-mp-config\television\TV CLient\general "Hostname" is correct (name or ip of the server); perhaps checked "hide all channels group"

-tv-server config\TV Servers; your computer is shown, cards enabled...
-tv-server config\TV channel; Channels are shown; checked; groups are shown; channels are mapped to your cards, preview is working?

wait:

but not in "television" within MP-config

but there is a possibility to view channels in your config? then you definitely have the wrong tv-plugin, because in the tv-server/client based configurations, there is no way to see/change/configure the channels in the mp-config. that's all done inside the tv-server config

 

[Mashenden]

ok ok, let's forget about the rtfm discussion. I just got the impression, you did not check anything in manual or faq, because all questions (besides the tv question) could be answered by the manual. but I think I forgot the behind the rtfm.

No worries. I just wanted to set the stage for my abiltiies and approach.

now back to your tv problem:
-mp-config\plugins\ is the plugin enanabled?
-mp-config\television\TV CLient\general "Hostname" is correct (name or ip of the server); perhaps checked "hide all channels group"

Yes, the TV Plugin is enabled. However, under mp-config\television\ there is no TV Client option, only Capture Cards, TV Channels, TV Channel Groups, Program Guide and Recording.

-tv-server config\TV Servers; your computer is shown, cards enabled...
-tv-server config\TV channel; Channels are shown; checked; groups are shown; channels are mapped to your cards, preview is working?

Yes my computer is shown and the cards are enabled in -server config\TV Servers.

Also, "yes" to all of the issues regarding tv-server config\TV channel. Preview is working.

wait:

but not in "television" within MP-config

but there is a possibility to view channels in your config? then you definitely have the wrong tv-plugin, because in the tv-server/client based configurations, there is no way to see/change/configure the channels in the mp-config. that's all done inside the tv-server config

So what does this mean? Pls don't say uninstall everything and reinstall - I now have Moving Pictures and My Netflix working. I'd rather not go through that again.

Matt A
mashenden

 

[usualsuspect]

so I think we found your problem... you need the "appropriate" tv-client plugin.
now you have a mixed up system of tv-server and internal old tv-client.

easiest way: get backup settings uninstall and reinstall.

another way get a correct version of the tv plugin, copy it to \plugins\window and hope, that it will be fine.

in about one hour, I could have look on my media-pc and see if I can find some files...
edit: sorry, I am not able to connect to my htpc atm. so you will need to get these files from somebody else.

edit: you can just reinstall the MediaPortal TV-Plugin 1.0.2. from the setup files. this should fix your problems.

 

[Mashenden]

so I think we found your problem... you need the "appropriate" tv-client plugin.
now you have a mixed up system of tv-server and internal old tv-client.

easiest way: get backup settings uninstall and reinstall.

another way get a correct version of the tv plugin, copy it to \plugins\window and hope, that it will be fine.

in about one hour, I could have look on my media-pc and see if I can find some files...
edit: sorry, I am not able to connect to my htpc atm. so you will need to get these files from somebody else.

edit: you can just reinstall the MediaPortal TV-Plugin 1.0.2. from the setup files. this should fix your problems.

Interestingly, a recent post in the My Netflix thread describes what caused this all to happen. Apparently a situation where the Netflix authorization was hidden behind the full screen MP launch. The only way to exit was to stop the process. This is why I ended up uninstalling an otherwise operational MP and TV-Server and now can't get TV to work.

Unfortuately I am no further along after trying both the "easiest way" and what I thought was the "reinstall the MP TV Plug-in" way.

Re: the "easiest way" I installed the back-up using the MP Extension Installer. I noticed there were instructions that said "read the manual" but with no link to the manual nor never did it give me the option to view a manual. How am I supposed to read something that is not in a zip that I am executing nor presented by the Installer? I must be missing something. Despite not having the manual, I forged onward hoping it would be intuitive. At some point I thought the Back-up had been installed, but I have no idea, really. How would I know?

Then I tried to reinstall the MediaPortal TV-Plugin 1.0.2, but apparenlty screwed up and reinstalled the MP TV Server by mistake, which in turn means I got to rescan the channels again. The result - Still the TV channels work in TV-Server, but not in MP.

Next I will see if I can figure out how to really de/reinstall the MP TV plug in. I'll see if the manual explains that first, then ask.

[Update - I found nothing in any of the places I looked (searched fourms, manual, good posts, etc) that would explain how to reinstall the MP TV plug in. Please give me a hint]

[Update 2 - I tried looking in the Extension Installer - I did not see anything that would let me uninstall the TV plugin.]

[Update 3 - I tried running MediaPortal_1.0.2_Setup.exe and then selecting "only download required components" but this showed all sorts of incorrect information regarding what was already installed so I backed out.]

[Update 4 - I tried running MediaPortal_1.0.2_Setup.exe and then selecting "Perform an advanced installation" but I was not comfortable with choosing between single seat, dedicated TV-sever (what I did when I reinstalled TV-Server) or MP client]

[Update 5 - I tried installing TV Series to see if that would overwrite the standard MP TV plugin - nope - Consequenlty I deactivated it.]

I have to say it... This stuff is not intuitive... There, I said it

Any suggestions? I really want this to work.

[Update 6 - I uninstalled MP using the Uninstall icon in Start\All Programs\Team Mediaportal\Mediaportal\uninstall Medaiportal\. Now TV works - YES, but my plugins like My Netflix and Moving Pictures are gone - BOO. It looks like maybe my Backup Settings effort worked because there are such folders in C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Team MediaPortal\ but I have no idea on how to implement the backup... I have posted a question asking where to find the fm (f'ing manual) ]

[Update 7 - No patience to wait for a response from My Netflix - I reinstalled Moving Pictures using the .exe file and reinstalled My Netflix using the Extension Installer. I wonder why there are multiple ways to install plugins??? Seems like too much room for users to screw up - Im proof positive of this.]

Next effort willl be to get the TV Guide to work.