Scheduling And Recording On Different Machines (1 Viewer)

[MrTechno]

Hi,

I've only recently got into MediaPortal but in true running before I can walk style I'd like to make my setup complicated.

Is it possible to store the recording schedule on one machine and have that machine wake a different one to do the actual recording? Here's what I've got:

- HTPC (only on when watching recorded TV, no external access, lives under the TV next to the aerial and satellite cabling)
- Windows Home Server (always on, has external access, noisy, tucked away with no access to TV cabling)

I know that MediaPortal has Power Scheduler and TV4Home so it feels like all the components are there and I just need a sprinkling of configuration magic.

Thanks

- Mike

 

[mm1352000]

Hi Mike

The TV Server component of MP would need to be installed on the machine with the TV tuners. From your description that would mean you'd need to install it on the HTPC. If you wanted to store the recordings on the home server then that should be doable - just configure a share on the server as your TV Server recording location. Note that you would want your network to be reliable so that you don't get glitches in your recordings. Powerscheduler can be used to wake and sleep the HTPC as necessary for scheduled recordings even though the schedules themselves are technically on the HTPC in the TV Server database. In summary, it sounds like what you want should be doable.

Hope that answers your questions.

mm

 

[MrTechno]

mm,

Thanks for the info. It's not where the recordings are stored so much as how they get set up to record that I'm trying to work out. Here's an example scenario based on what I understand of Media Portal:

- I'm not at home and want to set up a recording
- I connect over the internet to TV4Home running on the server (i.e. the machine which is always on but doesn't have a tuner)
- I add the recording to the server's schedule
- When it's time to record the programme the server will use Power Scheduler to wake the HTPC (i.e. the machine which isn't always on but does has a TV tuner) and it will do the actual recording

Is that how I should be setting it up?

- Mike

 

[mm1352000]

Hi again Mike

Thanks for the info. It's not where the recordings are stored so much as how they get set up to record that I'm trying to work out.

Okay

Here's an example scenario based on what I understand of Media Portal:

- I'm not at home and want to set up a recording
- I connect over the internet to TV4Home running on the server (i.e. the machine which is always on but doesn't have a tuner)
- I add the recording to the server's schedule
- When it's time to record the programme the server will use Power Scheduler to wake the HTPC (i.e. the machine which isn't always on but does has a TV tuner) and it will do the actual recording

Is that how I should be setting it up?

No, that isn't going to work. As I understand it, TV4Home is a TV Server plugin/interface. If I'm not mistaken, it needs to be installed on the same PC as the MediaPortal TV Server. As I mentioned above, the MediaPortal TV Server needs to be installed on the PC with the tuners. Therefore you have a bit of a conflict. You would be able to handle scheduling on the HTPC itself and it could sleep and wake as necessary, but if you need the ability to schedule recordings from anywhere, the TV Server software is on the HTPC, and the HTPC is asleep then that is a problem.

99% of the TV Server settings (including schedules) are stored in a database which could be hosted on the server, however you still have the problem that the HTPC wouldn't wake and check the DB for new schedules. That and the fact that you'd have to find a way to install TV4Home on the server without TV Server. An obvious solution doesn't really spring to mind.

mm

 

[Wbunaarf]

I think what you want to accomplish should be possible.

• Install and configure https://forum.team-mediaportal.com/...dec-mpextended-webmediaportal-0-4-1-a-103881/ on your HTPC.
• Install and configure a web server on your server.
• On the web server, create a script to wake your HTPC.
• On the web server, set up reverse proxy pointing to your HTPC.

(Note that the links are only examples and that I haven't actually tried it with neither MPExtended nor using Windows)

//W

 

[elliottmc]

Hi,

One other solution would be to put your TV cards into your server and use that as the TV server, since it is on all the time anyway.

I am sure some people are using WHS for TV server, even though it is not officially supported.

Mark

 

[MrTechno]

Wbunaarf,

Thanks for the links they definitely pointed me in the right direction. The setup I now have is:

- MediaPortal client/server installed on HTPC
- MPExtended installed on HTPC
- WebMediaPortal IIS Edition on server with service URLs pointed at the HTPC (WHS 2011 runs IIS already so I installed it as another web application and using Apache to do the reverse proxy was not necessary)

I can access the TV Guide and recording schedule remotely. For now I've left the HTPC in always on mode; I'll enable power saving once I've figure out the ASP .Net magic to do wake on LAN.

Truly MediaPortal is more powerful than I could possibly have imagined.

 

[leigh75]

Ok I what if I have an HD-PVR and a Colossus I want to record with 5.1 ac3 audio but I have to set them up per channel. So on the colossus I set the audio to spdif2 and the HD-PVR to spdif1. As far as I can tell I can't do this on the same pc so can I have two pc running tv server and still have all systems clints and servers have acsess to all content?