Updated iMON (Soundgraph) LCD Driver (4 Viewers)

[macnam]

Hi mmf1981,
you are not the only one with this problem. (See my post here https://forum.team-mediaportal.com/showpost.php?p=184653&postcount=198 ).
I submitted the logs to cybermage and he told me that it could a problem related to Powerscheduler since the log shows that mediaportal does not receive a hibernate message when the system goes into hibernate mode.
Unfortunately I had no time yet to make a post in powerscheduler's threads.
As soon I will have news I'll let you know. In the same way, please, let me know if you have some news.

Regards,
macnam

 

[mmf]

Hi mmf1981,
you are not the only one with this problem. (See my post here https://forum.team-mediaportal.com/showpost.php?p=184653&postcount=198 ).
I submitted the logs to cybermage and he told me that it could a problem related to Powerscheduler since the log shows that mediaportal does not receive a hibernate message when the system goes into hibernate mode.
Unfortunately I had no time yet to make a post in powerscheduler's threads.
As soon I will have news I'll let you know. In the same way, please, let me know if you have some news.

Regards,
macnam

Thanks macnam,

maybe we should contact Bavarian (author of the PowerScheduler-Plugin) directly, I also believe strongly that the problem is caused by PowerScheduler. Neverless - my system is crashing if hibernating "manually", and the assumed culprit is the LCD-Driver (Logs)

Greetings to italy

 

[cybrmage]

The problem also occurs with the "standard"- ProcessPlugins.dll, and it's gotten worse:
at the moment, the content of the display freezes after hibernate, and even after waking up,
the displays content is not refreshed.

If I hibernate manually, the display shuts off, stays off. But MP crashes on resume:

.
.
.

If PowerScheduler hibernates, the display freezes and stays frozen, until MP is restarted.
But MP doesn't crash

So I figured, PowerScheduler is not releasing the display properly? Or am I the only one with this problem?

Actually.... This problem has been brought up before... (I can't remember who it was at the moment)

The issue is caused by PowerScheduler...

When the system hibernates (initiated by the operating system), a "hibernate" message is sent to all running processes, giving then the opertunity to suspend (or terminate) gracefully... When the system is resumed, the operating system sends a "resume" message to the running processes, allowing them to resume...

The ExternalDisplay plugin monitors these messages and handles the shutdown of the display driver...

But PowerScheduler either does not generate these messages, or supresses them... So as far as the driver is concerned nothing is happening and the resources that it is using suddenly become unavailable without any warning.


Update:

ARRRGGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!! I've to to learn to stop multitasking when I reply to posts.... (otherwise two people post replies that contain the same info I'm posting) 8-}


The "Assumed" culpit may APPEAR to be the driver... but it is not....

Specifically, we create an instance of the DeviceVolumeMonitor and register callbacks with it so that we can display the status of the CD/DVD drives....

When the system unexpectedly hibernates, the DeviceVolumeMonitor loses it's Form and throws an exception...
Because the driver is the last program module to register a callback with the DeviceVolumeMonitor, we are the first to receive the exception... and since we don't handle the exception, MediaPortal crashes, and no other users of the DeviceVolumeMonitor get the exception (although they would probably crash MP if they did receive them)....

I can't think of a way to catch the exception and gracefully shut down the driver.... The DVM is owned by a helper thread (The IconUpdateThread) but operates independant of it... and just where in the driver is the exception thrown?? The logs aren't specific about where in the UpdateIconThread....

I could add some options to allow disabling the CD/DVD status... But that would not solve the problem.... It would just force some other portion of MediaPortal to have to deal with it....


Sorry if this is boring, or rambling.... I guess I'm just thinking out loud 8-}

 

[mmf]

Hi,

it's not boring at all. Same tactics I use, whenever I have to solve problems
And as a programmer (not very sophisticated I must admit) myself, I do get the gist of
your explanations...

The question is - why is the system hibernating unexpectedly? I'm using
the built-in functionality of MP to hibernate... it should be clear to MP, that it must prepare for
hibernation?!? Or is it just a redirect to an OS - function?

The question is, can someone fix this behaviour, and is it fixable on the drivers side?


The mentioned option would be interesting, maybe also an aesthetic measure?
(I hate this icon on my display )

Great work!

 

[iSP]

k, got it working now!

As soon as you use MP + Bass Engine + ASIO + Plugin your sound will lock up!
As I got an asio capable audiocard I used it for bitprefect playback, guess I can't be using that anymore.
The equaliser appears to be smooth, no problems at all, I'm just not real happy with it yet.
Normally I would start some music without turning on the tv, and brwose though my music.
With the iMon player the equaliser kicks in after the songname + artist has been displayed, I would prefer something like that.

But it's a start, I'm happy I don't have to send my pc away for repairs

 

[cybrmage]

why is the system hibernating unexpectedly?

It's not unexpected to the PowerScheduler plugin.... It's starting the hibernate process.... It's just not broadcasting the fact to other modules in MediaPortal.

I'm using the built-in functionality of MP to hibernate... it should be clear to MP, that it must prepare for hibernation?!?

You would think so....

Or is it just a redirect to an OS - function?

I don't know... I've been kind of busy with work, and hacking on a driver for a certain piece of computer hardware to look into it too deeply... 8-}

The question is, can someone fix this behaviour, and is it fixable on the drivers side?

I'm sure someone can... As far as the driver is concerned... It can mask probably mask the problem, but it can't fix the problem.... post your log from when it happens and I'll see if I can do anything usefull.

(I hate this icon on my display

What do you hate about it?

Great work!

Your welcome.

got it working now!

I'm glad you got your machine working again...

As soon as you use MP + Bass Engine + ASIO + Plugin your sound will lock up!

I thought you had eliminated the driver as the cause of your sound issues!?!?

Well, I'm glad to tell you the plugin doesn't cause the sound problem, it still excists after disabling the plugin.

As I got an asio capable audiocard I used it for bitprefect playback, guess I can't be using that anymore.

Post a log from when MediaPortal is using ASIO and I'll see if there is anything that can be done.

I'm just not real happy with it yet.

Isn't anyone around here ever happy??? 8-}

I would prefer something like that.

I'll think about it...


I'll post an updated driver later today...

 

[iSP]

Vista is not generating any logs with the current svn or something, it did work before, so I'm afraid I can't give you logs.
On XP MCE I don't seem to have the problem in the first place.
Maybe someone else with Vista wants to try, Vista is not to important to me and eventually it will be supported anyways.
Simply don't have any spare time to go bughunting atm.

 

[cybrmage]

Here is todays version of the driver...

Changed: Disk Icon handling... changed and new options for Disk Icon display
Added: "Use Disk Icon" option (Ability to turn off the Disk Icon completely).
Changed: "Use disk icon for CD/DVD only" option changed to "Display Media Transport status". (to enable the spinning/flashing disk icon to show that media is playing/paused)
Added: "Display CD/DVD volume status" (to enable the media type inserted in a CD/DVD drive when media is not playing) (replaces the old "Use disk icon for CD/DVD only" option)
Added: Option to limit the number of Equalizer updates send to the display per second.
Added: Option to delay the start of the Equalizer display for a specified number of seconds (so that the track information is displayed at the begining of each song before the equalizer is displayed)

Instruction are the same as for the last version

Regards,
CybrMage

 

[darkaz]

wow I don't login for a while and look at what happens!

great work cybrmage - I've just downloaded todays release and will let you know how it goes

guess I'd better finish that little font editor and stick it online for all to use...

 

[cybrmage]

great work cybrmage

Thank you!

guess I'd better finish that little font editor and stick it online for all to use...

SHUT UP!!!... don't remind people... or the'll want it integrated into the driver!!! 8-}

(and just for the record... NO... I am NOT going to integrate it into the driver!!)