PowerScheduler++ 1.4.0.x - Stable versions for MediaPortal 1.4 (5 Viewers)

[michael_t]

Problem description:
when resuming for scheduled recording, LiveTV continues to show, so after recording is ended, PS still can't send HTPC to standby because of active LiveTV.
possible solution:
PS client has to recognize if reason for resuming was scheduled recording, check if LiveTV is active, and if yes - then stop it.

Maybe I did not really understand your problem, but why is your live tv active when the PC is waking up for a recording? Why didn't live TV stop at the moment you suspended your PC? Is this correct MP / tvplugin behaviour? I would say all media playing should be stopped automatically when the user suspends it's system (and of course not beeing restarted automatically when resuming from standby).

Michael

 

[Vasilich]

It is a good feature: if you have watched TV, pressed Power button - all goes standby. Next day you will probably want to watch TV again - so just press power button and start watching same channel directly without having to activate anything/press any other buttons - good for WAF.
I surely have to accept that I have to activate TV in case HTPC have recorded anything.

 

[doveman]

It is a good feature: if you have watched TV, pressed Power button - all goes standby. Next day you will probably want to watch TV again - so just press power button and start watching same channel directly without having to activate anything/press any other buttons - good for WAF.
I surely have to accept that I have to activate TV in case HTPC have recorded anything.

I don't really see the point in this I'm afraid. The chances of wanting to watch whatever programme is now showing on the last channel you were watching before you put it in standby seems rather slim and I find it more useful just to resume to the EPG so that I can select the channel I actually want to watch. It takes a few seconds (varies per system) to start LiveTV and the user might actually want to listen to some music or watch a video rather than watch TV, so having to wait for LiveTV to start only to stop it would be a pain as well.

 

[Vasilich]

doveman,
have you ever used any sat receiver or DVB PWR? EVERY receiver behaves that way (i.e. resuming on last watched channel) - from simpliest 25€ cheap receiver to PVRs like Technisat or Vantage (cost over 500€).
Moreover, MP also behaves EXACTLY that way. The only problem is - it doesn't go to standby after automatical resuming for scheduled recording. And that possibility to go standby after scheduled wakeup i asked to implement.

 

[michael_t]

Moreover, MP also behaves EXACTLY that way.

I think only if you check the "Show last active module..." setting.

The only problem is - it doesn't go to standby after automatical resuming for scheduled recording. And that possibility to go standby after scheduled wakeup i asked to implement.

This is not so easy to implement, because PS++ must know, if you are watching tv (i.e sitting in front of the tv set) while the recording is active (then it should not goto standby) or if you are not watching tv (then it should go to standby). Of course you could monitor user activity, but this is not reliable: Imagine a situation your tv is recording and you come along and see the live tv program running (other channel than the recording), find it interesting and sit down to watch it, but do not use your remote. Then the recording stops and suddenly the tv goes black...

Michael

 

[pünktchen]

Imagine a situation your tv is recording and you come along and see the live tv program running (other channel than the recording), find it interesting and sit down to watch it, but do not use your remote. Then the recording stops and suddenly the tv goes black...

Michael

Just throw a message in MP for 60 seconds with opportunity to abort the standby. (I think this is the way DVBViewer does it, if i remember right)

 

[RicoHTPC]

I see the point but this scenario does only apply to singleseat setups anyway and I can understand that Michael doesn't
want to change things massively for a function that most likely only a small number of users would want.
Therefore wouldn't it be the better approach to change the standby behaviour of mp that it stops live tv
after the power button has been pressed? That should solve the problem and could be done with only little effort.

 

[Vasilich]

as i said, my current solution is to check what was the reason of wakeup (commandline tool built in W7+

powercfg -lastwake

) and if the reason was powerscheduler - then stop TV (actually i don't check if LiveTV is active - i just send "Stop" twice, that ensures that LiveTV will be stopped in any case.)

 

[Vasilich]

this scenario does only apply to singleseat setups

yes, i stated that in "given" section of my proposal.

Therefore wouldn't it be the better approach to change the standby behaviour of mp that it stops live tv
after the power button has been pressed? That should solve the problem and could be done with only little effort.

I don't want to loose current behavior of MP, therefore is my suggestion.

But if Michale thinks that it is too complicate, then OK, i can live with my current solution. Just thought of "out of the box" experience for newcomers, especially in the light of possible integration of PS++ into standard MP distribution...

 

[doveman]

doveman,
have you ever used any sat receiver or DVB PWR? EVERY receiver behaves that way (i.e. resuming on last watched channel) - from simpliest 25€ cheap receiver to PVRs like Technisat or Vantage (cost over 500€).
Moreover, MP also behaves EXACTLY that way. The only problem is - it doesn't go to standby after automatical resuming for scheduled recording. And that possibility to go standby after scheduled wakeup i asked to implement.

I've used Freeview and Cable STB of course but they work very differently from MP as they don't have to Start/Stop LiveTV, they're constantly running when on so they have to be tuned to a channel, so they just default to the last channel watched when turned back on.

It doesn't actually serve any useful purpose to do this though, because the chances of wanting to watch the same channel you were watching last night when you wake up and turn it back on are rather slim. It would actually make more sense for the STB to default to the EPG to allow you to select a channel but as STB don't Start/Stop TV then I guess it would still have to be tuned to a channel in the background. I guess strictly they could detune and not be playing a channel on resume, as they obviously have to be able to do this if a channel/signal can't be found but perhaps even with STB there's more of a delay going from detuned to tuned state, rather than just switching channel. Anyway, I think the fact that STB resume on the previous channel rather than the EPG is just a hangover from the days when TVs only had a few channels and no EPG and had to do this and no-one's bothered to stop and think whether this makes sense anymore.

I've never even noticed that MP can resume on the same channel as I always tend to Stop TV when I've finished watching it but as I use my PC for other stuff, I don't necessarily put it in standby until later. I could leave TV running and just turn off the actual TV but that would occupy my CPU/GPU unnecessarily. Even if my PC was a dedicated HTPC though, I'd still want it to stop TV when going to standby and resume on the EPG (or whatever other page I find most convenient).