Scheduled Recordings issues (1 Viewer)

[Three6ZeroCool]

Hello.

Been experiencing some very strange recording behavior over recent weeks.

For some reason, MP has started scheduling 'every' show on 'every' channel, and I come home to find hundreds and hundreds of shows scheduled to record, and obviously heaps of recorded shows.

So many scheduled recordings, that I had to go into the TVserver configuration, and delete quite literally thousands of entries.
Any idea what the smeg is going on here?

Has happened about half a dozen times over recent weeks.
Annoyingly, the rogue schedules migrate onto other clients running Kodi and the Mediaportal PVR addon, and it necessitates clearing out the channel configuration and guide data to fix it.

I use XMLTV plugin for data, sourced from EPG Collector.
Been working well, so I am perplexed as to why it started some weeks ago, as have changed nothing.
I tried updating to the latest MP 1.18, but no difference.

No one else seems to be reporting similar, so am confused as hell.

How can I stop this happening again?
Appreciate any suggestions.

thanks in advance..

 

[mm1352000]

Hello

I'll get straight to the point.
I've seen one similar report before:
TV Server scheduling EVERYTHING to record

We never managed to completely figure out the cause in that instance, but we proved that it was something external to MediaPortal's TV Server.

Any idea what the smeg is going on here?

In short: without log files, no idea.

Annoyingly, the rogue schedules migrate onto other clients running Kodi and the Mediaportal PVR addon, and it necessitates clearing out the channel configuration and guide data to fix it.

The schedules are stored on the server, so by definition they'll be on all clients.

I use XMLTV plugin for data, sourced from EPG Collector.

Okay. That won't be causing it.

...as have changed nothing.

Something must have changed. Problems don't just start for no reason.

No one else seems to be reporting similar, so am confused as hell.

Correct. This is not a general problem; it's specific to your setup.

How can I stop this happening again?

I don't mean to be facetious, but literally the only way is to find the cause and fix it.

Appreciate any suggestions.

1. Provide log files showing when the problem starts (ie. the first rogue schedule). Without them we've got nothing to go on.
2. Tell us how you normally schedule recordings.
3. List which plugins and 3rd party access layers you use (KODI etc.). Anything could be important, because it's not TV Server doing this.

 

[Three6ZeroCool]

Hello.

Been experiencing some very strange recording behavior over recent weeks.

For some reason, MP has started scheduling 'every' show on 'every' channel, and I come home to find hundreds and hundreds of shows scheduled to record, and obviously heaps of recorded shows.

So many scheduled recordings, that I had to go into the TVserver configuration, and delete quite literally thousands of entries.
Any idea what the smeg is going on here?

Has happened about half a dozen times over recent weeks.
Annoyingly, the rogue schedules migrate onto other clients running Kodi and the Mediaportal PVR addon, and it necessitates clearing out the channel configuration and guide data to fix it.

I use XMLTV plugin for data, sourced from EPG Collector.
Been working well, so I am perplexed as to why it started some weeks ago, as have changed nothing.
I tried updating to the latest MP 1.18, but no difference.

No one else seems to be reporting similar, so am confused as hell.

How can I stop this happening again?
Appreciate any suggestions.

thanks in advance..

 

[Three6ZeroCool]

Hello, thanks for the reply.
Yes, I intended to post logs, but wrote the post very late, and really just wanted feedback as to whether this was a known issue first.
(as took a long time to delete all the schedules, as TVserver seems to chuck a mental at the sheer quantity I was nuking)

Seemingly it is not a common issue, so that's kinda good.
Thankyou for that link by the way.

That post mentions something about perhaps a stuck record button on a remote.
Interestingly enough, that user having same issue does happen to have a Harmony remote + Hub, which is what I happen to use.
So, that's a starting point.

I don't actually record a tremendous quantity of shows, but I do tend to choose favourite shows, and instigate scheduling using the record button on my remote, and then choosing advanced record, then choose every instance of the show on that channel.

Never had a problem before, until a few weeks ago.

Good to know the issue appears to be external to MediaPortal.

The clue could be the Harmony remote, as I have actually noticed the odd strange behavior, such as channel changes when changing volume, so it could be the remote doing some crazy repeat thing when selecting a show.

I will have a mess around, and maybe nuke the remote profile, and set it up again.
Next time it happens, will send logs etc.

Thanks for the feedback... really appreciate it.

 

[mm1352000]

Thanks for the update.

Just one question for clarification:

I don't actually record a tremendous quantity of shows, but I do tend to choose favourite shows, and instigate scheduling using the record button on my remote, and then choosing advanced record, then choose every instance of the show on that channel.

Which program are you using to schedule your recordings?
MediaPortal, KODI, other... ?

Aside from that, I'll wait for your next update.

 

[Three6ZeroCool]

Hello.
I have some logs for you.

Have not reproduced the issue, but thought the current logs might help.
I reset the mappings for the HID in remote preferences in the MP Configuration utility.

Only had a few shows scheduled after getting the record all shows on every channel scenario last night, before my support posting.

I went into TVserver config, and under schedules, nuked all schedules show entries, then rebooted.
Basically every entry except for the 2 shows below, are shows that somehow got scheduled.
Don't know if they appear in the logs, but we are talking a lot of scheduled shows, for every single channel.

Currently only have two shows scheduled. 'Raw' and 'Smackdown'.

I use Mediaportal client app hosted on same machine as TVserver to schedule usually.
(but on occasion might use the Kodi mediaportal addon to schedule the odd show) (not usually tho)

The above mentioned 'Raw' and 'Smackdown' I used Mediaportal advanced record options to define 'record every time on this channel')

My Remote is a Logitech Harmony Elite + Harmony Hub.

OS = Windows 10 64bit, Core i7 3.5Ghz, 8GB memory.
Hauppauge TV DVB Tuners, DVB-S (for guide data collection only),
Hauppauge Colossus 1 for HDMI recordings from Set Top Box. (using IRserver) and MCE eHome blaster to change channels on STB.
Hauppauge Colossus 2 for recording gameplay etc. (defined as HDMI capture in Mediaportal)
Hauppauge DVT-T tuners for digital recording of TV.

Plugins used in TVserver are are Kodi PVR plugin, and XMLTV
XMLTV source is 'EPGCollecter', which grabs data for MySkyHDi channels in New Zealand, and Freeview DVB-T channels.

I do also have MPextended setup for Plex, tho never really got it working, so gave up and stayed with using Mediaportal. (which is best)

Will let you know if schedules on mass starts occurring again.

Again, really appreciate your time and comments.

 

[Three6ZeroCool]

Hello again.

Was just watching a recording of 'Raw' on AppleTV using kodi and Mediaportal PVR plugin.
All of a sudden, notifications started appearing non stop of shows scheduled to record... hundreds of them.

I went onto my PC running TVserver, and sure enough were heaps of scheduled shows that I did not schedule.
Did not touch the remote in any way... shows just started being scheduled, and recording starts.

I only had 2 shows scheduled 'Raw' and 'Smackdown' All the rest just appeared a few minutes ago.
I created logs.

 

[mm1352000]

Do you use IRSS other than for Colossus 1 + MCE eHome blaster?
(To be clear: I'm asking whether you use it as a remote control receiver as well.)

I ask because in the TV Server log file I see a bunch of entries like this:
[2017-10-18 22:55:03,007] [Log ] [GenericPCQueue] [DEBUG] - TV3BlasterPlugin: Received Message "RemoteEvent"

I hadn't had a chance to write up in full, but your previous log files showed similar entries immediately prior to the schedules "going crazy".

 

[Three6ZeroCool]

Err, I think the answer could be yes.

When I originally configured IRSS, it detected my Microsoft eHome receiver/blaster.
in IRSS, it lists supported devices, and in my configuration shows the eHome receiver, with two check boxes called 'Receive' and 'Transmit'
Both are currently checked as 'on'

By memory, I had to do this, so I could learn my Set Top Box's IR codes, and test them in the TV3blaster plugin inside TVserver.
I have not changed anything since setting it up way back in Mediaportal 1.11 or something like that.

What I may have done over time, is changed the TV tuner card slot positions, which caused TVserver to alter the number assigned to the Colossus 1 card.
ie. Originally it was 17, but currently it is 3.
Am pretty sure at the time after moving the cards, that I nuked all the analog channels and set them up again.
(I did that quite a few versions of Mediaportal ago tho)

If I go into the TV3 blaster plugin config, it shows the learned IR codes on Tuner card 3, which is the Colossus 1 card.
The eHome receiver has one IR blaster which is affixed to the IR port window of my Set Top Box.
I checked the TV3 blaster config for all other tuners, and only Tuner 3 is configured.

Are you thinking I should have IRSS config set to transmit only?
Not sure how the rogue schedules affect both Analog and DVB-T channels from the IRSS.

But at this point, I am ready to try anything.

Thankyou very much indeed for looking into this for me. I know you are a busy person, so your time is valuable, but it is really appreciated.

 

[mm1352000]

Hello again

Your response hasn't really answered my question.

It's true that you'd need the eHome transceiver enabled for both receive and transmit when learning the STB remote. However, I'm more interested in whether you're using that receive functionality on a daily basis.

Let me ask the question a different way: do you [intentionally] use the eHome transceiver as a receiver for your Harmony remote, or does the Harmony remote have it's own separate receiver?

Are you thinking I should have IRSS config set to transmit only?

Potentially yes.
If the Harmony remote has it's own receiver, you should absolutely disable receive on the eHome transceiver. If you don't disable receive, you run the risk of the eHome receiver receiving spurious remote commands which in turn may cause unpredictable behaviour. It could cause the issue you're experiencing now if the eHome receiver were to detect spurious repeated pressing of the record button.

The only reason I would answer "no" to your question is if your Harmony remote does not have it's own receiver.

Not sure how the rogue schedules affect both Analog and DVB-T channels from the IRSS.

Spurious presses of the record button could affect any channel.